Russia-Ukraine war live: Belarusian leader Lukashenko says ‘situation is now seriously stalemate’

Ally of Vladimir Putin says the conflict needs to be resolved at the negotiating table as ‘no one … can advance their position’Hello, and welcome to this latest instalment in the Guardian’s live coverage of the Russian war against Ukraine. Let’s get you up to speed.Russia and Ukraine are locked in a stalemate on the frontlines of their war and the two sides need to sit down and negotiate an end to the conflict, the authoritarian leader of Belarus has said.A third round of Ukrainian-backed peace talks opened in Malta, but without Moscow, which condemned it. In a statement afterwards, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said 66 countries had taken part, proof that his plan “has gradually become global”. It follows similar meetings in Jeddah and Copenhagen, with the Ukrainians hoping to eventually hold a summit at the level of heads of state.Russia’s forces around the Donetsk oblast town of Avdiivka have “likely suffered” some of its highest casualty rates of 2023 so far, accord