Ukraine-Russia war LIVE – Zelensky warns he will ABANDON peace talks with Putin if Mariupol last defenders are killed

ZELENSKY has issued yet another warning to Vladimir Putin in his lengthy press conference in Kyiv’s metro. He warned that if Russian forces kill any of the last soldiers defending Mariupol’s steel plant, Ukraine will abandon peace talks with Moscow. The Ukrainian President also said that Ukraine will pull out of peace talks if Russia holds an independence referendum in the occupied city of Kherson. Mariupol remains a strategically important city and has been battered by Russia for weeks. Officials say planned evacuations have been halted by intense shelling in the city. The news comes as the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary for Defence Lloyd Austin will visit Kyiv today, according to Zelensky. They would be the first top US officials to visit since the invasion, however Washington has not yet commented on the visit. Follow our Russia-Ukraine live blog below for up-to-the-minute updates…