Kiev

President Vladimir Putin warned on Feb. 29 of a "real" risk of nuclear war if the West escalates the conflict in Ukraine.

In a defiant speech in Moscow, the Russian leader said his soldiers were advancing in Ukraine and warned the West of "tragic consequences" for any country that dared to send troops to Kiev.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has affirmed Türkiye's commitment to pursuing diplomatic avenues to resolve the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, calling for dialogue between the two parties.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to meet with Balkan leaders in Albania on Wednesday, seeking to keep support and weapons flowing to Kiev as Russia makes gains on the battlefield two years after invading its neighbour.

French President Emmanuel Macron triggered a shockwave in Europe by refusing to rule out the dispatch of Western ground troops to Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.

French President Emmanuel Macron is due to host European leaders Monday for a conference aimed at strengthening Western support for Ukraine, two years into the Russian invasion.

The meeting in Paris will be a chance for participants to "reaffirm their unity as well as their determination to defeat the war of aggression waged by Russia in Ukraine", the French presidency said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised victory against Russia on the second anniversary of the invasion on Saturday as his troops fight on despite a lack of Western aid and recent Russian gains.

"We will win," he said at a ceremony at Kiev's Gostomel airport, which was targeted by Russia in the first days of the all-out assault in 2022.

Ukraine on Saturday marked two years since Russia's invasion, entering a new year of war weakened by a lack of western aid while Russia is emboldened by fresh gains.

The United States plans to impose sanctions Friday on more than 500 targets involved in Russia's war in Ukraine, as Moscow claims fresh battlefield advances two years after its invasion.

Ukraine, grappling with hold-ups to much-needed Western military aid, has been pushed back from the front line in recent months.

Day 729 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the beleaguered frontline city of Avdiivka to avoid being encircled, new military chief Oleksandr Syrsky said Saturday, handing Russia its biggest symbolic victory following Kiev's failed summer counter-offensive.