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India and Pakistan have accused each other of "violations" hours after the two nations said they had agreed to a ceasefire following days of cross-border military strikes, BBC reported.

After sounds of explosions were heard in Indian-administered Kashmir, India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said there had been "repeated violations of the understanding we arrived at".

A short while later, Pakistan's foreign ministry said it remained "committed to faithful implementation of a ceasefire...notwithstanding the violations being committed by India in some areas". 

The fighting between India and Pakistan over the last four days has been the worst military confrontation between the two rivals in decades, according to BBC.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for "direct talks" with Ukraine, saying they should "start without delay, as early as 15 May", BBC reported.

"We seek serious talks... to remove the root causes of the conflict and start moving towards a lasting, strong peace", he said on Saturday, in a rare televised late-night address from the Kremlin.

It comes hours after European leaders - including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron - visited Ukraine and urged Russia to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, according to BBC.

In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had said Moscow would "have to think this through" - but warned that "trying to pressure us is quite useless".

Nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday after U.S. pressure and diplomacy, announcing a sudden stop to a conflict that had seemed to be spiralling alarmingly, Reuters reported.

But within hours, violations were reported from the main cities of Indian Kashmir, the territory that had borne the brunt of four days of fighting.

Blasts were heard in Srinagar and Jammu and projectiles and flashes were seen in the night sky over Jammu, similar to the events of the previous evening, according to authorities, residents and Reuters witnessed.

Military spokespeople in both countries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The fighting had been the worst between the old South Asian enemies in nearly three decades and threatened to erupt into a full-scale war in one of the world's most volatile and densely populated regions, according to Reuters.

There were briefly fears that nuclear arsenals might come into play as Pakistan's military said a top body overseeing its nuclear weapons would meet.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has defended his country’s involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war, calling it a legitimate exercise of national sovereignty in support of a “brother nation,” according to Reuters.

“Our participation in the conflict was just and within our sovereign rights,” Kim said. He praised North Korean troops involved in the Kursk operation, calling them heroes and symbols of national honor.

Kim also warned that Pyongyang would not hesitate to employ armed force if the US continued its military provocations against Russia, Reuters reported.

North Korea publicly stated in April that it had sent over 10,000 troops and weapons to reinforce Russia, following a strategic partnership treaty signed by Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin last year.