The Kremlin said Monday it may still opt to take control of large cities in Ukraine, as Moscow's military advances steadily towards several major urban hubs in its pro-Western neighbour.
"Putin gave orders to hold back on any immediate assault on large cities because the civilian losses would be large," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
He added however that the defence ministry "does not rule out the possibility of putting large cities, which are already almost fully encircled, under its full control".
Exceptions would be made for areas "used for humanitarian evacuations," Peskov said.
"US and EU leaders it seems are forcing Russia towards an assault of large Ukrainian cities to hold our country responsible for civilian deaths," he added.
Peskov also denied reports Russia has asked China for military aid.
"Russia has its own potential to continue the operation," Peskov told reporters.
Meanwhile, in other developments:
Fourth round of talks
The warning from Russia comes as a fourth round of talks between Ukraine and Russia get underway via videoconference.
Russian officials describe the talks as "hard" as the two sides trade accusations over civilian deaths.
Strike hits Kyiv apartments
One person is killed and 12 others injured after an air strike on a residential building in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, which has been bracing for a major offensive.
The toll was revised down from an earlier figure of two dead.
China hit back over aid claim
China accuses Washington of spreading "disinformation" over Beijing's role in the Ukraine conflict, without directly addressing reports in US media that Russia is seeking Chinese military and economic aid.
Washington has warned Beijing against helping Russia evade sanctions.
The Chinese embassy in Washington DC says it has no knowledge of the requests.
Chernobyl without power again
Ukraine says the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986, has lost power for the second time since falling into Russian hands at the start of the invasion.
A Ukrainian soldier enters a shelter at his position in Svetlodarsk outside Donetsk, on March 12, 2022. Photo: AFP'16 dead' in attack on rebel-held region
Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine claim that a missile strike by Ukrainian forces on their de facto capital Donetsk has left at least 16 people dead, including children.
A rebel leader tells Russian TV the victims were people waiting at an ATM and at a bus stop. AFP has no way of independently verifying the deaths.
Moscow says West wants 'artificial default'
Russia's finance ministry accuses foreign countries of trying to force the country into an "artificial default" through unprecedented sanctions.
Moscow says it will meet its debt obligations but warned it could make repayments in rubles, rather than the currency of issue.
Black Sea blockade
Britain's defence ministry says Russia has established a naval blockade on the Black Sea coast, "effectively isolating Ukraine from international maritime trade".
"Russian naval forces are also continuing to conduct missile strikes against targets throughout Ukraine," it says.
Nearly 2,200 killed in Mariupol
Nearly 2,200 residents of Ukraine's besieged city of Mariupol have been killed since hostilities began, the local authorities say.
Mariupol faces "a worst-case scenario" if the warring parties do not urgently reach a "concrete humanitarian agreement", the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warns.
Zelensky warns NATO
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warns NATO that its members could come under Russian attack if they do not act to impose a no-fly zone over his country.
He warns it is "only a matter of time" before Russian rockets hit NATO territory, a day after 35 people were killed in Russian air strikes on a military training ground outside Lviv, near the Polish border.
krainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) snaps a selfie with an injured man laying on a bed during a visit at a military hospital following fightings in the Kyiv region. Photo: AFPChechen leader says in Ukraine
Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov says he is in Ukraine's Hostomel, an airfield near Kyiv captured by Russian forces early in their invasion.
The Chechen former rebel-turned-Moscow-ally, who has been accused of numerous abuses, calls on Ukraine to surrender "or you will be finished".
US journalist killed
A US journalist is shot dead in Irpin, medics and witnesses say, becoming the first foreign reporter killed since Russia's invasion.
Papers found on the reporter's body identify him as 50-year-old video documentary maker Brent Renaud.
Hundreds held in Russia protests
Russian police detain more than 800 people across 37 cities for protesting Moscow's "military operation" in Ukraine.
Nearly 15,000 people have reportedly been detained at rallies across the country since the invasion began February 24.
Nearly 2.7 million flee
Almost 2.7 million people have fled the war in Ukraine, more than 100,000 of them in the past 24 hours, the UN says. More than half have gone to Poland.