Kremlin says France is not a neutral country and cannot be a mediator in the settlement of the conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin remains open to any contacts to achieve Russia's goals by other means.
Ukraine's allies planning a world summit without Russia to rally support and endorse Kiev's conditions for ending the war. Russian forces suffering heavy losses on the Pakhmut front on a daily basis, commander of Ukraine's ground forces, Alexander Sersky, says. The governor of Russia's Belgorod province, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said the Ukrainian army continued to bombard border villages and towns within the province.