Ukraine: President Zelensky rejects ultimatums

President Volodymyr Zelensky has told media, Ukraine will never bow to ultimatums from Russia and no city will accept Russian occupation. Ukraine earlier ignored Russia’s demand to give up the besieged city of Mariupol. We’ll get updates from our correspondents about the situation across the country.

We also hear from people who have managed to flee Mariupol during the siege and from people who still have family members in the city. President Zelensky has also accused Russia of war crimes in Mariupol, where heavy fighting has reached the city centre.

We’ll find out from our experts who verify data and videos coming into us what is now known about Russian military losses. And we hear conversations with people across Europe who are helping to house Ukrainian refugees.

In other news, we’ll cover today’s main stories about Covid-19 and get details about an air crash in China. All 132 people on board are feared dead after a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 crashed into a hill in the southwest of the country.

(Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. Credit: Reuters/Umit Bektas)