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US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said he hopes Russian losses in Ukraine will deter its leadership from repeating its actions elsewhere, BBC reported.

Ukraine can still win the war if given the right support, he added.

He also announced the US would allocate an extra $713m (£559m) of military aid to Ukraine and other European nations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the West of attempting to "split Russian society and destroy Russia from within". 

Mr Austin, a retired four-star general, was speaking after meeting Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. Also involving Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the visit marked the highest-level trip to Ukraine by US officials since the invasion began over two months ago, according to BBC.

The meeting between the US and Ukrainian parties, which ran for over three hours, comes as Russia escalates its military campaign in the south and east of the country. 

At a news conference in Poland after the visit, Mr Austin told reporters the US wants to see "Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine".

The Pentagon chief added that US officials still believed Ukraine could win the conflict with "the right equipment" and the "right support". 

BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale observed that Mr Austin's comments calling for a weakened Russia were unusually strong for a US defence secretary. It is one thing to help Ukraine resist Russian aggression, it is quite another to speak of weakening Russia's capabilities, he said, BBC reported.

Mr Putin's accusations of the West attempting to "destroy Russia", made during a speech on Monday, appeared to be in response to Mr Austin's comments.

US defence officials said of the millions announced in fresh military funding, nearly $332m (£260m) would be allocated to Ukraine. 

It brings the total US security assistance provided to Ukraine since the invasion began to more than $3.7bn (£2.9bn). 

Mr Zelensky has been pleading with Western leaders to increase the flow of military equipment for weeks, vowing that his forces can overcome Russia's military if provided with fighter jets and other vehicles.

Last week the US confirmed it had supplied Ukrainian troops with howitzer artillery cannons and anti-artillery radars for the first time. 

Russia's ambassador in Washington said Moscow had sent a diplomatic note demanding an end to the US supply of weapons to Ukraine. 

Mr Blinken announced some US diplomatic staff would start to return to Ukraine from next week. They are expected to be based in Lviv initially, with a longer-term plan to re-open the US Embassy in the capital, Kyiv.

President Joe Biden intends to nominate Bridget Brink, a career diplomat, as US ambassador to Ukraine - a post that has remained vacant for more than two years, according to BBC.

Mr Blinken also defended America's diplomatic approach, telling reporters that the Western alliance the Biden administration had assembled had put pressure on President Putin's government.

"The strategy that we've put in place, massive support for Ukraine, massive pressure against Russia, solidarity with more than 30 countries engaged in these efforts, is having real results," Mr Blinken said. "And we're seeing that when it comes to Russia's war aims, Russia is failing, Ukraine is succeeding."

"A sovereign, independent Ukraine will be around a lot longer than Vladimir Putin's on the scene," Mr Blinken added, BBC reported.

Speaking following the meeting, Mr Zelensky said his government appreciated "the unprecedented assistance" from Washington and added that he "would like to thank President Biden personally and on behalf of the entire Ukrainian people for his leadership in supporting Ukraine".

Russia unleashed a string of attacks Monday against rail and fuel installations deep inside Ukraine, far from the front lines of Moscow’s new eastern offensive, in a bid to thwart Ukrainian efforts to marshal supplies for the fight, Associated Press reported.

The US, meanwhile, moved to rush more weaponry to Ukraine and said the assistance from the Western allies is making a difference in the 2-month-old war.

“Russia is failing. Ukraine is succeeding,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared, a day after he and the US secretary of defense made a bold visit to Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Blinken said Washington approved a $165 million sale of ammunition — non-US ammo, mainly if not entirely for Ukraine’s Soviet-era weapons — and will also provide more than $300 million in financing to buy more supplies.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin took his comments further, saying that while the US wants to see Ukraine remain a sovereign, democratic country, it also wants “to see Russia weakened to the point where it can’t do things like invade Ukraine.”

Austin’s comments about weakening Russia appear to represent a broader US strategic goal. Previously, the US position had been that the goal of American military aid was to help Ukraine win and to defend Ukraine’s NATO neighbors against Russian threats, according to the Associated Press.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said weapons supplied by Western countries “will be a legitimate target” for Russian forces. He also warned that the risk of a nuclear conflict “should not be underestimated.”

Speaking in an interview on Russian television, Lavrov said the arming of Ukraine is an attempt to drag on the fighting “until the last soldier” to inflict the most suffering on Russia.

Regarding the possibility of a nuclear confrontation, Lavrov said: “I would not want to see these risks artificially inflated now, when the risks are rather significant.”

“The danger is serious,” he said. “It is real. It should not be underestimated.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the US and its allies of trying to “split Russian society and to destroy Russia from within.”

In other developments, fires were reported at two oil facilities in western Russia, not far from the Ukrainian border. Their cause was not immediately known, Associated Press reported.

When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, its apparent goal was the lightning capture of Kyiv, the capital. But the Ukrainians, with the help of Western weapons, thwarted the push and forced Putin’s troops to retreat.

Moscow now says its goal is to take the Donbas, the mostly Russian-speaking industrial region in eastern Ukraine. While both sides say the campaign in the east is underway, Russia has yet to mount an all-out ground offensive and has not achieved any major breakthroughs.

On Monday, Russia focused its firepower elsewhere, with missiles and warplanes striking far behind the front lines, according to the Associated Press.

We wrap up our 10-part InDepth series on the Kathmandu-Tarai fast track project on a somber note. The 72.5km expressway comprises 55.5km of road, three tunnels with a combined length of 6.41km, and several bridges measuring a total of 10.59km. The project has been marred by years of delays and cost overruns—and these problems are likely to be compounded in the country’s new economic reality. The army has made a mess of it, handing out crucial bits to dodgy foreign contractors and taking its own sweet time even as it continues to ask for more and more money. 

Five years into the project, only 16.1 percent work has been completed. Land-compensation issues are yet to be settled. Tunnels yet to be cut through. Environmental concerns have been given a short shift. It is hard to be optimistic about the future of this ‘national pride project’ that has already cost the exchequer Rs 25.4bn. 

Either the project has to be scrapped without further delay or the state must ensure it is not pushed beyond its new January 2025 deadline. Our calculations suggest more delays could exponentially increase costs and make the project unviable. Time then for all the concerned to go back to the drawing board.

Full story here.

Renu Dahal has filed her candidacy for the post of mayor in Bharatpur Metropolitan City of Chitwan on Monday.

She registered her nomination at the Chief Election Officer's Office this afternoon.

Similarly, Chitrasen Adhikari registered his candidacy for the post of deputy mayor from the Nepali Congress.

Dahal was the former mayor of Bharatpur Metropolitan City.

She got the ticket from the CPN (Maoist Centre) as per the agreement reached among the ruling parties.