KIEV: As Moscow's battle on Kiev entered its 24th day on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Russia to engage in "serious peace negotiations."

The President stated in his nightly video address posted early Saturday on Facebook: "Meaningful conversations on peace, on security for us, for Ukraine - are Russia's only chance to mitigate the damage caused by its own mistakes."

It is time for our meeting. It is time to speak. It is past time for Ukraine to reclaim its territorial integrity and justice. Otherwise, Russia's losses will be so great that it will take several generations to recover." Zelensky's words come as Russia has escalated its offensive against Ukraine, focusing on major towns and infrastructure.

According to the BBC, the Mayor of Mariupol, one of the worst-affected cities, confirmed that combat had reached the city's centre, with more than 80% of residential buildings damaged or destroyed by Russian bombardment.

Hundreds of people remained trapped in the basement of a Mariupol theatre that Russia bombed on Thursday.  According to Zelensky, Russian shelling has harmed the government' ability to build efficient humanitarian corridors into the besieged city.

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