Kyiv, Feb. 28: President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine agreed on Sunday to have Ukrainian officials take part in talks with Russia “without preconditions,” even as President Vladimir Putin further escalated tensions by placing his nuclear forces on alert. “We agreed that the Ukrainian delegation would meet with the Russian delegation without preconditions on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, near the Pripyat River,” Zelensky announced on his official Telegram channel, describing a phone call Sunday with President Aleksandr G Lukashenko of Belarus.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council Monday is set to hold a rare special emergency session of the UN General Assembly on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The move came after 11 votes in favour of the resolution. While India, China and the UAE abstained from voting, Russia voted against the resolution.

Ukraine’s Interior Ministry on Sunday said as many as 352 Ukrainian civilians, including 14 children, have been killed during Russia’s invasion, news agency AP reported. It added that 1,684 people, including 116 children, have been wounded. The statement did not include information on casualties among its armed forces. While Russia, too, has not released any information on casualties among its troops, the Defence Ministry acknowledged on Sunday that Russian soldiers have been killed and wounded, without giving any numbers.-Agencies