Ceasefire talks begin four days after Russian invasion of Ukraine

Russia-Ukraine talks begin at Belarus border; over 500,000 refugees have fled Ukraine, says UN

Talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials began on the Belarusian border on Monday, Moscow said, as Russia's diplomatic and economic isolation deepens four days after invading Ukraine, the biggest assault on a European state since World War Two.

Russian forces seized two small cities in southeastern Ukraine and the area around a nuclear power plant, the Interfax news agency said on Monday, but ran into stiff resistance elsewhere.

Talks began with the aim of an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian forces, the Ukrainian president's office said, after a Russian advance that has gone more slowly than some expected.

Russia has been