The third round of discussions between Ukraine and Russia ended yesterday without any resolution on facilitating "humanitarian corridors" from pummelled cities as Moscow's invasion mounted.
The first meeting was held on February 28 and the second was held on March 3 respectively.
Kyiv said there had been "positive results" from the third round of negotiations, focused on giving civilians evacuation routes from besieged towns, but Russia said its expectations from the talks were "not fulfilled".
Russia said it would open humanitarian corridors today from 0700 GMT, subject to Ukraine's approval. Ukraine had earlier rejected a Russian proposal for humanitarian corridors from the cities of Kharkiv, Kyiv, Mariupol and Sumy, as many of the routes led straight into Russia or its ally Belarus.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is not sending conscripts or reservists to fight and that "professional" soldiers fulfilling "fixed objectives" are leading the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed calls for the West to boycott Russian exports, particularly oil, and to impose a no-fly zone to stop the carnage.
More than 1.7 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24.
