European markets head for positive open amid renewed hopes for Ukraine-Russia talks

LONDON — European stocks are expected to open higher on Monday ahead of further talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators.

The U.K.’s FTSE index is seen opening 14 points higher at 7,160, Germany’s DAX 64 points higher at 13,721, France’s CAC 40 up 24 points at 6,296 and Italy’s FTSE MIB up 48 points at 22,498, according to data from IG.

Global attention remains on the war in Ukraine after a weekend of intensified fighting around capital Kyiv, while Russian forces bombarded cities across the country, killing civilians who are unable to escape. Russia also attacked a Ukrainian military training center near the Polish border on Sunday, killing 35 people and wounding 134.

Sanctions continue to hit Russia hard with the financial fallout for Moscow’s invasion expected to come into sharper focus in the coming days ahead of a scheduled sovereign bond payment.

Talks are taking place again on Monday in a bid to establish a solid ceasefire and find room for any compromise between Russia and Ukraine’s demands, although previous discussions have ended in failure.

The U.S. Federal Reserve is also in focus this week as it is expected to raise its target fed funds rate by a quarter percentage point from zero at the end of its two-day meeting Wednesday.

Investors are also looking to the central bank for its new forecasts for rates, inflation and the economy, given the uncertainty from escalated geopolitical tensions.

U.S. stock futures rose in overnight trading while shares in Asia-Pacific were mixed in Monday trade as investors monitor a Covid wave in China.

There are no major earnings or data releases in Europe on Monday.

— CNBC’s Yun Li contributed to this market report.