Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko tonight issued a chilling threat that the West's sanctions on Russia are pushing the Kremlin into a Third World War, after Vladimir Putin put his nuclear deterrent forces on 'alert'.

Lukashenko's comments came as Kyiv and Moscow agreed to hold peace talks at the border with Belarus - though Volodymyr Zelensky admitted he wasn't confident of a positive resolution, adding that he owed it to his people to at least try and engage.

This evening also saw the EU unveil a fresh package of sanctions against Putin's regime, closing off its airspace to all Russian planes and banning Kremlin propaganda outlets Russia Today and Sputnik. In response to the measures, Russian carrier Aeroflot said it was suspending all flights to Europe.

'Now there is a lot of talk against the banking sector, gas, oil, SWIFT,' Lukashenko said. 'It's worse than war. This is pushing Russia into a Third World War. We need to be restrained here so as not to get into trouble. Because nuclear war is the end of everything.'

Ukraine's health ministry said on Sunday that 352 civilians, including 14 children, had been killed since the beginning of Russia's invasion. It also said that 1,684 people, including 116 children, had been wounded

Ukrainian President Zelensky's office had earlier said the two delegations will meet 'without preconditions' near the Pripyat River, to the north of Chernobyl, in a deal brokered in a phone call with Lukashenko himself.