Russia has claimed its invasion of Ukraine “is going to plan” but that it wants to “achieve resolution peacefully”.

       Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow’s aims did not include overthrowing the Kyiv government and that it hoped to achieve more significant progress in the next round of talks with Ukraine.

       She told a televised news conference Russia would achieve its goal of ensuring Ukraine’s neutral status and would prefer to do that through talks.

       Ms Zakharova also demanded the United States explain to the world why it was supporting what Moscow cast as a military biological programme in Ukraine.

       She called for transparency from Washington over the allegation, which is denied by Kyiv and which a Pentagon spokesman has described as absurd.

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       Two weeks into its invasion, Russia’s advance has reportedly slowed and even stopped in some areas amid fiercer resistance than expected from Ukrainians.

       Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova speaks during a televised news conference in Moscow on 9 March 2022

       (Sky News)

       Russia is struggling to gain control of the skies over Ukraine, with Ukrainian air defences having “considerable success” against enemy aircraft, the British Ministry of Defence said in an update on Wednesday.

       The MoD said the cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol continue to be shelled heavily by Russian troops, but Moscow’s troops were failing to make “significant breakthroughs” northwest of the capital Kyiv.

       This map shows the extent of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

       (Press Association Images)

       In the first 14 days of the war, hundreds of civilians have been killed in Russian shelling of cities including Kharkiv and Mariupol, with thousands of vulnerable people unable to escape the constant barrage.

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       The Kremlin has promised to stop its attacks from 7am GMT on Wednesday to respect humanitarian corridors from the cities of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumi, Kharkiv and Mariupol.

       Additional reporting by agencies