Russia-Ukraine war: Key things to know about the conflict

By The Associated Press

Russian officials said they planned to carry out a limited cease-fire on Tuesday to allow civilians to safely flee besieged Ukrainian cities — something Ukrainian officials said they would believe only after safe evacuations begin. The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine grew Monday amid intensified shelling by Russian forces. Food, water, heat and medicine grew increasingly scarce in some areas, including the port city of Mariupol. Russian and Ukrainian delegations held a third round of talks, and a top Ukrainian official said minor progress was made toward establishing safe corridors for civilians to escape. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged his people to keep resisting the assault.