Russian President Vladimir Putin is stalling over a ceasefire. Meanwhile, Trump has changed his mind about sending weapons to Ukraine.

The move to curb anti-corruption agencies risked "endangering the values of freedom, democracy in our country and the future of our children," one Ukrainian told NBC News.

Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko has convened with representatives of the Group of Seven (G7) countries, where they discussed "special operations to neutralise Russian influence on NABU [National Anti-Corruption Bureau - ed.

Anti-government protests have broken out in Kyiv as hundreds flocked to the streets to oppose a decision to curb the powers of two anti-corruption agencies. Ukraine has toughened restrictions on the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Fox News on Tuesday that sanctioning Russian oil to end the Ukraine war is a "very real possibility."

Moscow on Tuesday once again downplayed expectations for a third round of peace talks with Ukraine and did not confirm the date for a meeting in Istanbul set for Wednesday by Ukraine. Moscow's delegation at the last round of talks with Ukraine was led by a hawkish historian and the current head of the Russian Union of Writers,

Russia is open to peace with Ukraine, but achieving its goals remains a priority, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday, days after U.S. President Donald Trump gave Moscow a 50-day deadline to agree to a ceasefire or face tougher sanctions.

A Ukrainian former anti-organized-crime official was found dead in a pool at the same Spanish resort where a Russian military defector was gunned down a year earlier, reports said.