Kiev

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to Mariupol, state media reported Sunday, his first to the city since it was captured after a lengthy siege at the start of Moscow's offensive in Ukraine.

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on March 18 announced the extension of a deal that allowed exports of Ukrainian grain to resume following Russia's invasion.

Poland said Thursday it plans to give Ukraine about a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets, which would make it the first NATO member to fulfill Kiev's increasingly urgent requests for warplanes to defend itself against the Russian invasion.

Türkiye is making efforts to bring Ukraine and Russia to an agreement for the extension of the grain deal to 120 days instead of the current plan of two months, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on March 15.

Fierce fighting was raging Monday for control of the centre of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, the bloodiest battle of Moscow's invasion, as Russia agreed to a short extension of a crucial UN-backed grain export deal.

Russia agreed on March 13 to extend the Ukraine grain export deal, but only for a further 60 days, in a proposal criticised by Kiev.

Following talks with the United Nations in Geneva, Moscow said it would not oppose prolonging the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative aimed at easing the global food crisis, as had been feared.

Russia and Ukraine both are positive for extending the grain deal once more, and Ankara believes that the process will continue with the second extension, the Turkish defense minister has said.

France on Thursday warned of the "unacceptable risk for nuclear safety and security" from power cuts at a major Ukrainian power plant, after a Russian missile strike left it running on diesel generators.

"France has taken note and is concerned over information of a new disconnection (from the grid) at the Zaporizhzhia plant," foreign ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre said.

Russia unleashed a massive missile barrage on cities across Ukraine early Thursday, targeting energy infrastructure facilities in the first attack on such a scale in three weeks. Ukrainian officials said residential buildings were hit but didn't immediately say if there were casualties.

The Russian army vowed on Tuesday to capture the east Ukrainian town of Bakhmut, a move President Volodymyr Zelensky said would give Moscow an "open road" for offensives deeper into his country.