Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has said his country is ready for peace talks with Russia but not if they are hosted in Belarus, as suggested by the Kremlin, writes The Telegraph.

It came as Vladamir Putin’s troops stormed the second-largest city in Ukraine, Kharkiv.

Speaking in a video message on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelensky named Warsaw, Bratislava, Istanbul, Budapest or Baku as alternative venues for the diplomatic talks.

The Kremlin said Sunday that a Russian delegation had arrived in the Belarusian city of Homel for talks with Ukrainian officials.

“The Russian delegation is ready for talks, and we are now waiting for the Ukrainians”, - Peskov said.