Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's national security and defence council, said on Monday that they do not conduct any military operations against the civilian population, as reported by Reuters.

Danilov further noted that they need to participate if US President Joe Biden were to have a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Meanwhile, Sputnik news reported, citing the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Ukrainian forces were using heavy artillery, mortars, grenade launchers and tanks.

Market reaction

The market mood seems to have soured following these headlines but the US Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback's performance against a basket of six major currencies, stays in the negative territory near 95.80.