Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warns he'll call off peace talks with Russia if Mariupol's defenders are killed and "if a pseudo-referendum to create new pseudo-republics" in the occupied territories is announced, Reuters reported.  

At a press conference in Kyiv subway yesterday, Zelensky again called for face-to-face talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war..

Russian forces in Ukraine tried to storm the Azovstal steel plant housing soldiers and civilians in Mariupol on Saturday while attempting to crush the last corner of resistance, the Associated Press reported. The assault on the eve of Orthodox Easter came after the Kremlin claimed its military had seized all of Mariupol except for the Azovstal plant.

• Moscow has rejected offer for Easter truce in Ukraine

The fate of the Ukrainians holed up in the steel mill wasn't immediately clear; earlier Saturday, a Ukrainian volunteer military unit “Azov” released a video in which women and children are shown holed up underground.

In the meanwhile Russia's military pounded other cities and towns in southern and eastern Ukraine. A three-month-old baby was among at least eight people killed after Russian cruise missiles were fired at Odessa, AP has quoted Ukrainian authorities as saying.

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US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will visit Ukraine today, Volodymyr Zelensky said. The country has long awaited a high-profile visit from the US as a sign of support, the BBC said.