US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin is arriving in Sofia and is to hold talks with Bulgaria’s Minister of Defence Dragomir Zakov. In an interview with the BNR Minister Zakov said this was a high-profile visit and went on to explain that the NATO and EU allies were the form in which the military aid for Ukraine is being discussed.

• Ministers Kornelia Ninova and Daniel Lorer: Bulgaria will not send weapons to Ukraine
  

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia of war crimes and warned China that Washington would take action if Beijing renders Russia military support.

The military situation in Ukraine remains unchanged. The Russian invasion is stalling, but there are more and more reports of civilian loss of life. The search is still on for survivors beneath the ruins of the drama theatre in Mariupol where more than 1,000 people had been hiding. Around 30,000 people have managed to evacuate from the city in the past 24 hours, though 35,000 civilians remain trapped in Mariupol.

53 civilians were killed during the Russian bombardment of Chernihiv, including an American civilian killed while waiting in a bread line. 21 people were killed in artillery fire against a school and a cultural centre in the town of Merefa, the local authorities report.