The live blog is now closed, thank you for joining us. Here are the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war from Monday, April 3:
- The Czech and Slovak prime ministers call on the European Union to stick to sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
- Save the Children says the war has reached another grim milestone, with at least 501 Ukrainian children confirmed killed. The true toll is feared to be much higher.
- Finland will join NATO on Tuesday, said Jens Stoltenberg, head of the world’s largest military alliance. Moscow has responded by saying it will boost military capacity.
- Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed his troops had raised a Russian flag on the administrative building in the centre of Bakhmut as Ukraine said it still holds the eastern town.