Kyiv, March 14: Russia's defence ministry said that at least 20 people had been killed and 28 wounded when what it said was a Ukrainian missile with a cluster charge exploded in the capital of the Donetsk region, without providing evidence. Ukrainian officials, however, denied the Russian reports.

Ukraine demanded an ‘immediate’ ceasefire during the fourth round of talks on Monday. The peace talks between Russia and Ukraine were paused on Monday and will continue on Tuesday, one of Ukraine’s negotiators said on Twitter. “A technical pause has been taken in the negotiations until tomorrow. For additional work in the working subgroups and clarification of individual definitions. Negotiations continue,” said negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak.

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A technical pause has been taken in the negotiations until tomorrow. For additional work in the working subgroups and clarification of individual definitions. Negotiations continue...

— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) March 14, 2022

International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday said that Ukraine's economy could collapse, contracting by as much as 35 percent if the ongoing war drags on, and the conflict also could jeopardize global food security. The report said Ukraine has an external financing gap of $4.8 billion, but its financing needs were expected to grow and it would require significant additional concessional financing. Russia-Ukraine War Latest Updates: Russian Shelling Sets Kyiv Apartment Block on Fire; Zelenskyy Urges NATO for No-Fly Zone After 35 Deaths Near Polish Border.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will virtually address the US Congress at 9 am (13.00 GMT) on Wednesday.

Moscow said that Russia could take full control of major Ukrainian cities and cautioned the West that it had sufficient military clout to fulfill all of its aims in Ukraine without any need for help from China. Russia-Ukraine War: Kremlin Does Not Rule Out Taking ‘Full Control’ of Major Ukrainian Cities.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry has alleged that Russia has recruited over 1,000 Syrian mercenaries to fight in Ukraine, Kyiv Independent reported.

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⚡️Ukraine's Defense Ministry: Russia has recruited more than 1,000 Syrian mercenaries to fight in Ukraine.

The ministry said that about 400 of them have arrived in Russia.

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 14, 2022

António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on Monday said that the United Nations will allocate a further $40 million from its central emergency response fund to increase the humanitarian assistance for Ukraine.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 14, 2022 10:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).