Mediation role

In an interview with CNN, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he would be willing to consider serving as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine if asked by both countries and the US.

Separately, Ukraine announced it would hold a summit with the European Union in Kyiv this week, as it expressed hope that the conference would bring the nation closer to membership in the bloc.

In an address to the nation, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he hoped the summit on Friday would reflect a high "level of cooperation and progress" with the 27-member bloc, which Kyiv has long sought to join.

However, the Russian state news agency TASS quoted a source from the European delegation to the summit saying EU leaders will not make a pledge to speed up the process of Ukraine's accession to the bloc.