World powers urged to establish environment conducive for talks in ongoing conflict between China and Ukraine according to Xi Jinping - Conflict Update

Ukrainian air defenses engaged in thwarting a rare daylight Russian missile assault on Kyiv, officials confirm.

Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko reported incidents of explosions within the city and urged residents to remain sheltered.

Up to 10 explosive sounds were heard across Kyiv, as per reports from Kyiv Independent correspondents present on-site, with particularly notable detonations near Taras Shevchenko Park in central Kyiv.

Welcome to the Guardian's live coverage of the Ukraine conflict. The current time is just past 10:40 am in Kyiv.

Hungary's premier, Viktor Orbán - Europe's most pro-Russian leader - met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday following talks concerning a potential Ukrainian peace accord with Vladimir Putin.

State broadcaster CCTV reported that Xi urged the global community to facilitate Ukraine and Russia in resuming direct negotiations, emphasizing positive rather than negative international efforts for an imminent ceasefire.

China's six-point peace plan jointly proposed with Brazil emerged last month as China maintains strong ties with Russia. Orbán initiated a "peace mission" upon assuming the EU presidency earlier this month, following his meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Other developments:

Russia carried out an air strike against Ukraine today, marking the second attack of the day according to reports from the Kyiv Independent. Missile explosions were reported near Kropyvnytskyi and Kryvyi Rih in Ukraine's respective regions. Air defenses are also operational in Kyiv's suburbs, while the Ukrainian air force confirmed shooting down three out of four cruise missiles launched over Zhytomyr and Cherkasy oblasts earlier today.

NATO may require an additional 35 to 50 brigades to fully implement its new plans for defense against potential Russian attacks, a military source told Reuters.

Chinese troops are scheduled to engage in joint "anti-terrorist training" with their Belarusian counterparts on Monday at the border city of Brest, which will take place over 11 days as part of an exercise titled "Eagle Assault." The operation involves tasks such as hostage rescue and anti-terrorism missions. This event takes place shortly after Belarus became a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) led by China and Russia, strengthening their cooperative efforts on various fronts.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) recently disrupted an attempted operation to hijack a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber for Ukraine. The FSB claims that Ukrainian intelligence sought to lure a Russian military pilot with financial incentives and Italian citizenship, intending him to transport the bomber into Ukraine. These allegations have yet to be independently verified.

The Netherlands is set to deploy F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine "without delay," following grant approval for export licenses, as stated by foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp during a visit to Kyiv over the weekend.

UK's defense secretary John Healey announced another military aid package for Ukraine on Sunday in Odesa after discussing with his counterpart Rustem Umerov. The move is intended to reassure Ukraine and signal that the UK continues its support despite last week's change in government, ahead of this week's Nato summit where further military assistance for Kyiv will be discussed. US House Speaker Mike Johnson has an appointment with President Zelenskiy scheduled during the summit.