Russian troops enter in strategic Black Sea port city of Kherson, Ukraine

Russian military troops are in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson and forced their way into the council building, its Mayor Igor Kolykhaye said late Wednesday.

This comes after the eastern city of Kharkiv suffers further heavy bombardment.

The Black Sea port of Kherson, the southern provincial capital of around 250,000 people, is strategically placed where the Dnipro River flows into the Black Sea and would be the first significant city to fall into Moscow's hands.

Amidst ongoing hostilities, a Ukrainian delegation has left for the second round of talks with Russian officials on a likely ceasefire after a first-round ended with little progress on Monday, Reuters reported, citing a Ukrainian Presidential Adviser Mykhailo Podolyak.

All eyes remain on the peace talks while investors remain on the edge.

The S&P 500 futures are down 0.05% on the day while the Asian stocks are tracking the positive close on Wall Street overnight after Fed Chair Jerome Powell hinted at a 25bps March rate hike.