Russian forces shelled Ukraine’s second-most populated city Kharkiv on Monday, even as Kyiv and Moscow delegations held talks at the border with Russian ally Belarus. At least 11 civilians have been killed and dozens more injured, regional governor Oleg Sinegubov wrote on the Telegram app.

Russian forces seized two small cities in southeastern Ukraine and the area around a nuclear power plant, the Interfax news agency said on Monday, but ran into stiff resistance elsewhere. The goal was an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian forces, the Ukrainian president’s office said earlier. It wasn’t immediately clear what Putin is seeking in the talks. While Ukraine sent its defence minister and other top officials, the Russian delegation is led by President Vladimir Putin’s adviser on culture—an unlikely envoy for ending the war and a sign of how Moscow views the talks. It was not clear whether any progress could be achieved after President Vladimir Putin on Thursday launched the biggest assault on a European state since World War II.