Russia ramps up bombardment of Kyiv, civilians flee Mariupol

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Russia stepped up its bombardment of Kyiv on Tuesday, devastating an apartment house and other buildings, while civilians in 2,000 cars fled Mariupol along a humanitarian corridor in what was believed to be the biggest evacuation yet from the desperately besieged southern seaport.

On the diplomatic front, another round of talks began between Russia and Ukraine via video, and the leaders of three European Union countries — including Poland, a NATO member on Ukraine's doorstep — planned a visit to the embattled capital in a bold show of support.

As the number of people driven from the country by war eclipsed three million, large explosions thundered across Kyiv before dawn from what Ukrainian authorities said were artillery strikes, as Russia's assault on the capital appeared to become more systematic and edged toward the city centre.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said barrages hit four multi-storey buildings in the city, killing dozens of people. The shelling ignited a huge fire in a 15-storey apartment building and spurred a frantic rescue effort.

The strikes targeted a western district of Kyiv, disrupting a relative calm that returned after an initial advance by Moscow's forces was stopped in the early days of the war.

As citizens of Kyiv faced increasing pressures from Russia, the leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia set out for Ukraine's capital city by train despite the security risks, in a visit that EU officials said was not sanctioned by other members of the 27-nation bloc.

"The aim of the visit is to express the European Union's unequivocal support for Ukraine and its freedom and independence," Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said in a tweet. He was joined by fellow Prime Ministers Janez Jansa of Slovenia and Mateusz Morawiecki of Poland, as well as Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Poland's de-facto leader.

Meanwhile, an adviser to the Ukrainian president said on Twitter that "negotiations are ongoing" between delegations from both Ukraine and Russia. The talks, Mykhailo Podoliyak said, were dealing with "general regulation matters, ceasefire, withdrawal of troops from the territory of the country." Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow was pressing its demands for Ukraine to drop its bid to join NATO, adopt a neutral status and "demilitarize."

Zelensky — who has made repeated pleas to the West for more help in Ukraine's fight against Russian forces  — on Tuesday spoke to Canadian MPs via a video stream.

"Every night is a horrible night," he said through an interpreter, as he outlined how Russian attacks are devastating cities and infrastructure. Kyiv is being "shelled and bombed," he said, while people in Mariupol live without heat and power and face increasingly dire shortages.

"Canada has always been steadfast in their support," he said, describing the country as a reliable partner. But, he said, much more needs to be done as Ukraine fights against Russia's invasion. He called for more sanctions and a no-fly zone.

"They are destroying everything," he said of Russian forces, pointing to attacks on schools, hospitals and memorials.

It has been difficult to independently verify casualty figures, but Zelensky said in his address to MPs that 97 children have been killed in the war to date. The UN said close to 700 civilians in Ukraine have been confirmed killed, with the true figure likely much higher.