Air raid sirens wail as Ukraine hopes for ceasefire from peace talks

More than 3.8 million people have fled abroad, thousands have been killed and injured, and Russia's economy has been pummelled by sanctions.

Ukrainian soldiers ride on APC through the town of Trostsyanets, some 400 km east of capital Kyiv, Ukraine. Picture: AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky

Air raid sirens sounded across Ukraine before dawn on Tuesday as Ukrainian and Russian negotiators prepared to meet in Turkey for face-to-face talks, with Kyiv seeking a ceasefire without compromising on territory or sovereignty.

Ukraine and the United States hold little hope of a breakthrough at the meeting later on Tuesday, the first direct talks between the two sides in more than two weeks, even though Russia's invasion appeared to have stalled on several fronts.