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The Russian and Ukrainian governments have signalled an openness to negotiations even as authorities in Kyiv urged citizens to help defend the capital from advancing Russian forces in the worst European security crisis in decades.

Ukraine and Russia will consult in coming hours on a time and place for talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's spokesman Sergii Nykyforov said on social media, offering the first glimmer of hope for diplomacy since the invasion began.

The Kremlin said earlier it offered to meet in the Belarusian capital Minsk after Ukraine expressed a willingness to discuss declaring itself a neutral country, but Ukraine had proposed Warsaw as the venue. That, according to Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov, resulted in a "pause" in contacts.

"Ukraine was and remains ready to talk about a ceasefire and peace," Nykyforov said in a post on Facebook.

"We agreed to the proposal of the President of the Russian Federation."

But US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Russia's offer was an attempt to conduct diplomacy "at the barrel of a gun", and that President Vladimir Putin's military must stop bombing Ukraine if it was serious about negotiations.

The diplomatic overtures stood in stark contrast to events unfolding on the ground and Putin's harsh rhetoric against Ukrainian leaders, including a call for a coup by the country's military.

Kyiv residents were told by the defence ministry to make petrol bombs to repel the invaders, and on Friday evening witnesses reported hearing artillery rounds and intense gunfire from the western part of the city.

Zelenskiy filmed himself with aides on the streets of the capital, vowing to defend Ukraine's independence.

Some families cowered in shelters after Kyiv was pounded on Thursday night by Russian missiles. Others tried desperately to get on packed trains headed west, some of the hundreds of thousands who have left their homes to find safety, according to the United Nations' aid chief.

After weeks of warnings from Western leaders, Putin unleashed a three-pronged invasion of Ukraine from the north, east and south on Thursday, in an attack that threatened to upend Europe's post-Cold War order.

"I once again appeal to the military personnel of the armed forces of Ukraine: do not allow neo-Nazis and (Ukrainian radical nationalists) to use your children, wives and elders as human shields," Putin said at a televised meeting with Russia's Security Council on Friday.

"Take power into your own hands."

Putin has cited the need to "denazify" Ukraine's leadership as one of his main reasons for invasion, accusing it of genocide against Russian-speakers in eastern Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western allies dismiss the accusations as baseless propaganda.

The United States imposed sanctions on both Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov - moves coordinated with the European Union, Britain and Canada. However, the steady ramping-up of restrictions has not deterred Russia.

In New York, Russia vetoed a draft United Nations Security Council resolution that would have deplored Moscow's invasion, while China abstained - a move Western countries viewed as a win for demonstrating Russia's international isolation.

Witnesses said they had heard explosions and gunfire near the airport in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, close to Russia's border. Ukraine's military said Russian troops had been stopped with heavy losses near the northeastern city of Konotop.

Ukraine said more than 1000 Russian soldiers had been killed so far. Russia did not release casualty figures.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart and condemned reported civilian deaths, including those of Ukrainian children, in attacks around Kyiv, the State Department said.

Ukraine has banned men of fighting age from leaving, and at borders with Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia, those seen crossing by Reuters journalists were mostly women and children.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the decision to sanction Putin - something Biden had avoided until now - was intended to send a clear message of allied opposition. The European Union earlier agreed to freeze any assets in the bloc belonging to Putin and Lavrov, and Britain followed suit.

Russia's foreign ministry said the new sanctions reflected the West's "absolute impotence," the RIA news agency reported.

Western countries have announced a barrage of sanctions on Russia, including blacklisting its banks and banning technology exports. But they have so far stopped short of forcing it out of the SWIFT system for international bank payments, drawing criticism from Kyiv.

US officials believe Russia's initial aim is to "decapitate" Zelenskiy's government.

Putin says Ukraine, a democratic nation of 44 million people, is an illegitimate state carved out of Russia, a view Ukrainians see as aimed at erasing their more than thousand-year history.

He says he does not plan a military occupation, only to disarm Ukraine and remove its leaders, but it is not clear how a pro-Russian leader could be installed unless Russian troops control much of the country.

Ukrainians voted overwhelmingly for independence at the fall of the Soviet Union and Kyiv hopes to join NATO and the EU - aspirations that infuriate Moscow.

© RAW 2022

Australia is seeking advice about sanctioning Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as the Kremlin pushes forward with its invasion of Ukraine.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne announced the move following the United States, United Kingdom and European allies taking similar steps.

Sanctions on eight Russian oligarchs close to Mr Putin and 339 members of the Russian parliament were signed off overnight.

Key figures of the Belarusian government who have abetted Russia and the invasion will also be targeted.

Senator Payne says there is strong determination to ensure that Russia faces a high cost for its unprovoked attack.

"It is an exceptional step to sanction leaders but this is an exceptional situation," she told reporters in Sydney on Saturday.

"The next immediate priority is to continue sanctions on Vladimir Putin's inner circle and on Russia's defence industry."

The foreign minister says the blame lay squarely at the feet of the Russian president.

"We need to be absolutely clear - Vladimir Putin has unparalleled personal power over his country and he has chosen to go to war against a neighbour that posed no threat to Russia," she said.

"It is clear that the only way to exact a cost for those actions is to ensure that he, himself, shares some of that cost and some of the pain that he is inflicting on everyone else around him in Ukraine."

Australia will provide non-lethal military and medical aid to Ukraine through NATO and support will be guided by requests from Kyiv.

It will also continue to provide cyber security assistance.

The United Nation's emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths briefed members on the humanitarian situation overnight.

Senator Payne says the full scale of tragedy and death toll remains unclear due to the difficult security situation.

"We will be ready to provide humanitarian assistance as the situation in Ukraine and in surrounding countries becomes clearer," she said.

The expelling of Russian diplomats from Australia remains an option but Senator Payne says it is not something currently being considered by the government.

"It enables us to have a direct line of communication with the Russian government," the foreign minister said.

There remain no direct or specific cyber threats against Australian businesses.

Ukraine says more than 100 of its civilians and more than 1000 Russian troops had been killed on the invasion's second day.

An estimated 100,000 Ukrainians have fled their homes, with many trying to cross into neighbouring countries, mainly Moldova and Romania.

with Reuters

© AAP 2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged Ukraine's military to overthrow their political leaders and negotiate peace, while authorities in Kyiv urged citizens to help defend the capital as Russian forces advanced.

The city's residents were told by the defence ministry to make petrol bombs to repel the invaders, and on Friday evening witnesses reported hearing artillery rounds and intense gunfire from the western part of the city.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy filmed himself with aides on the streets of the capital, vowing to defend Ukraine's independence.

Many people cowered in shelters after Kyiv was pounded for a second night by Russian missiles. Others tried desperately to get on packed trains headed west, some of the hundreds of thousands who have left their homes to find safety, according to the United Nations' aid chief.

After weeks of warnings from Western leaders, Putin unleashed a three-pronged invasion of Ukraine from the north, east and south on Thursday, in an attack that threatened to upend Europe's post-Cold War order.

"I once again appeal to the military personnel of the armed forces of Ukraine: do not allow neo-Nazis and (Ukrainian radical nationalists) to use your children, wives and elders as human shields," Putin said at a televised meeting with Russia's Security Council on Friday.

"Take power into your own hands, it will be easier for us to reach agreement."

Putin says he does not plan a military occupation, only to disarm Ukraine and remove its leaders, alluding to Ukrainian far-right nationalists who collaborated with Nazi invaders in World War II to fight Soviet Russia. But it is not clear how a pro-Russian leader could be installed unless Russian troops control much of the country.

Moscow said it had captured the Hostomel airfield northwest of the capital - a potential staging post for an assault on Kyiv that has been fought over since Russian paratroopers landed there in the first hours of the war. This could not be confirmed and the Ukrainian authorities reported heavy fighting there.

Witnesses said loud explosions and gunfire could also be heard near the airport in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, close to Russia's border, and air raid sirens sounded over Lviv in the west. Ukraine's military said Russian troops had been stopped with heavy losses near the northeastern city of Konotop.

Britain's defence ministry said Russian armoured forces had opened a new route of advance towards the capital after failing to take Chernihiv.

Ukraine said more than 1000 Russian soldiers had been killed so far. Russia did not release casualty figures.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart and condemned reports of mounting civilian deaths, including those of Ukrainian children, due to attacks around Kyiv, the State Department said.

United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths said hundreds of thousands of people were on the move in Ukraine, adding that "north of a billion dollars" would be needed for relief operations in the next three months.

Ukraine has banned men of fighting age from leaving, and at borders with Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia, those seen crossing by Reuters journalists were mostly women and children.

Women cried as they bade goodbye to male loved ones and crossed into Romania.

The 27 members of the European Union agreed to freeze any assets in the bloc belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin or Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and Britain followed suit.

Numerous Western countries have announced new sanctions on Russia, including blacklisting its banks and banning technology imports. But they have so far stopped short of forcing it out of the SWIFT system for international bank payments, drawing criticism from Kyiv.

On Friday, European soccer's governing body moved May's high-profile Champions League final from St Petersburg to Paris, and Formula One cancelled this year's Russian Grand Prix. The European Broadcasting Union shut Russia out of the widely watched Eurovision Song Contest for 2022.

US officials believe Russia's initial aim is to "decapitate" Zelenskiy's government.

Putin says Ukraine, a democratic nation of 44 million people, is an illegitimate state carved out of Russia, a view Ukrainians see as aimed at erasing their more than thousand-year history.

Ukrainians voted overwhelmingly for independence at the fall of the Soviet Union and Kyiv hopes to join NATO and the EU - aspirations that infuriate Moscow.

As air raid sirens wailed over Kyiv for a second day, some residents sheltered in underground metro stations.

Windows were blasted out of a 10-storey apartment block near the main airport. A two-metre crater showed where a shell had struck before dawn.

Hundreds crowded into a cramped bomb shelter beneath one building after a televised warning of air strikes.

Thousands of people crowded Kyiv's railway station trying to force their way onto packed trains evacuating people westward to Lviv. When a train arrived, people rushed the doors, some screamed, and guards fired blanks to scare the crowd away.

© RAW 2022