(Reuters) – Russia ordered Ukrainian rebels in Mariupol not to fight it on Wednesday, as it pushed for a decisive win in the new east offensive. This prompted Western countries to offer more military support to Kyiv.

FIGHTING

* Russia again called on Ukrainian troops at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol to lay down their weapons, saying its troops will observe a ceasefire on Wednesday while the proposal is in effect. Russia stated that no Ukrainian fighters answered a similar request on Tuesday.* About 120 civilians living next to the sprawling plant left via humanitarian corridors, the Interfax news agency reported, quoting Russian state TV.* Ukraine’s defence ministry said the aim of Russia’s new offensive in eastern Ukraine was to seize all of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, establish a land link between those territories and Crimea and destroy Ukraine’s armed forces.

* Russian forces seized Kreminna, a city of over 18,000 people in eastern Ukraine, and Ukrainian forces withdrew, the regional governor said.

* Russia handed over 60 soldiers and 16 civilians to Ukraine in the fifth such exchange of prisoners of war, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister said.

* At least four people were killed and 14 wounded in Russian shelling of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, the regional governor said.

DIPLOMACY

* U.S. President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to send more artillery weaponry to Ukraine.* Western nations are preparing to stage coordinated walk-outs and other diplomatic snubs to protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at Wednesday’s meeting of G20 finance ministers in Washington, their officials said.

* Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters it was hard to say when the next direct peace talks would be possible as Russia was now “seriously betting” on its offensive in eastern Ukraine.

* U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a four-day humanitarian pause over the Orthodox Easter to allow civilians to leave areas of conflict and humanitarian aid to reach hard-hit areas.

ECONOMY

* Russia’s invasion has damaged or destroyed up to 30% of Ukraine’s infrastructure at a cost of $100 billion, a Ukrainian minister said.

* World Bank President David Malpass will host a meeting on Thursday with Ukraine’s prime minister and finance minister to discuss further financial assistance.

* Greece has impounded a Russian oil tanker off the island of Evia as part of European Union sanctions imposed on Moscow.