Russia-Ukraine updates: Putin says 'certain positive movements' in negotiations

A third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine ended without any resolution.

ByMorgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, Julia Jacobo, Nadine El-Bawab, Meredith Deliso, Ivan Pereira, Kevin Shalvey, Bill Hutchinson, and Celia Darrough
Last Updated: March 22, 2022, 10:04 AM EDT

Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up "stiff resistance," according to U.S. officials.

The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation."

Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, have advanced closer to the city center in recent days despite the resistance, coming within about 9 miles as of Friday.

Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.

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Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Mar 01, 2022, 12:00 PM EST

NATO won't fight Russian forces in Ukraine

In a joint press conference in Estonia, when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg were asked why there isn't a no-fly zone over Ukraine, they said NATO will provide defensive military support by providing arms, but ultimately NATO is a defensive alliance and they won't fight Russian forces in Ukraine.

PHOTO: In this aereal image, a Russian military convoy and burning homes are seen north of Kyiv, stretching from near Antonov airport in the south to the northern-end of the convoy near Prybirsk (distance along the road is approx. 40 miles,) Feb. 28, 2022
In this aereal image, a Russian military convoy and burning homes are seen north of Kyiv, stretching from near Antonov airport in the south to the northern-end of the convoy near Prybirsk (distance along the road is approximately 40 miles) on Feb. 28, 2022.
Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

"When it comes to a no-fly zone... we have to accept the reality that involves shooting down Russian planes," Johnson said. "That's a very, very big step that is simply not on the agenda of any NATO country."

Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said NATO should be prepared to defend the most vulnerable part of NATO, which is the Baltic countries, and need to move from a "forward presence to forward defense, and from air policing to air defense."

Johnson also said, "If Vladimir Putin thinks he's going to push NATO back by what he's doing, he's gravely mistaken. This will end up with a fortified and strengthened NATO on his Western flank -- you'll have more NATO, not less NATO."

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

Mar 01, 2022, 11:43 AM EST

136 civilian deaths reported

A spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said 136 civilians have been killed in Ukraine, including 13 children.

Emergency personnel carry a body out of the damaged local city hall of Kharkiv, March 1, 2022, destroyed by Russian shelling.
Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images

Another 400 Ukrainian civilians have been wounded, spokesperson Liz Throssell said.

A destroyed bridge near the town of Bucha in the Kyiv region of Ukraine, Feb. 28, 2022, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues.
Maksim Levin/Reuters

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