Russia has reportedly agreed to allow Ukrainian civilians to evacuate from several areas, as the Russian military continues its offensive in Ukraine.

The US Department of Defense says Russian troops are advancing on the capital Kyiv from at least three directions.

Reuters news agency quoted a senior Ukrainian government official as saying the Russians are desperate for some kind of victory, and Kyiv and the eastern city of Mariupol are the most likely targets.

The official said the task for Ukraine is to hold out for the next seven to 10 days.

Russia's defense ministry offered to keep evacuation routes open on Wednesday for residents of Kyiv and four other cities.

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said residents of Sumy in the northeast will be evacuated to Poltava in central Ukraine, and those in Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, following an agreement with the Russians.

The Ukrainian side says about 5,000 civilians fled from Sumy on Tuesday. But most other evacuation routes were not used due to safety concerns.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba are scheduled to hold talks in Turkey on Thursday, with the mediation of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
This will be the first face-to-face meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers since the start of the Russian invasion.