"We are committed to strengthening international cooperation and solidarity in the face of this enormous challenge," they said in a joint statement.

Officials in Mariupol, where residents have been subject to bombardments and without power, water and heat, said fighting had engulfed districts where Russian troops had broken through defences.

Western defence analysts suggested Russian troops were bogged down, particularly outside the capital, the invaders’ supply lines unable to provide troops with food and fuel. One U.S. estimate said the Russian death toll stood at 7,000 troops.

Uzbekistan will increase grain production by 1 million tonnes this year and will also increase the import of raw sugar from Brazil.

Veteran Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said some progress had been made, particularly in establishing Ukraine as a neutral country. But Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin said Moscow would not be deflected from the aims of its military campaign, while U.S. President Joe Biden described Putin as a war criminal.