Fighting raged on Kyiv's suburbs on Day 19 of Russia's invasion. In the port city of Mariupol, Russian shelling on a hospital killed a pregnant mother and her baby. Ukraine's President has now appealed for a direct face to face meeting with the Russian President ahead of the latest round of peace talks. Meanwhile, Russia has denied asking China for military and economic aid for its war in Ukraine, refuting a US media report. Diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine are stepping up, with Ukrainian and Russian negotiators in a fresh round of talks.