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

The White House is not engaging in speculation about how high crude oil prices will spike but said Americans will not be asked to stay home to cut down on gas usage.

"We’re neither going to make a prediction, or -- nor are we going to tell Americans to stay home," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday.

Some House Democrats, such as Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on Tuesday morning, have suggested that asking the federal government and private business to encourage working from home would ease the demand for fuel and help keep prices stable.

But Psaki dismissed the suggestion of ramping up work from home, as the administration has been working to move into the "endemic" phase of COVID-19, returning to more normalcy.

Upon arriving in Texas on Tuesday afternoon, U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters that there's little he can do about the soaring gas prices, blaming Russia for sparking the crisis.

"They're gonna go up," Biden said about gas prices after arriving in Fort Worth. "Can't do much right now. Russia's responsible."

-ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky

Despite losing troops, ground vehicles and aircraft in the fighting, Russia’s invading forces remain roughly 95% intact, a senior U.S. defense official said at a press briefing Tuesday.

Ukrainian resistance efforts are continuing to slow down Russian forces, particularly in the north, where they have not moved any closer to Kyiv’s city center since yesterday, the official said. Fighting and resistance against the Russian advance on Chernihiv and Kharkiv have been reported as well, the official said.

Russian air and missile attacks are increasing as the ground effort has been frustrated, and bombardment of the capital continues, he added. Much of the airspace of Ukraine, in the north and south, is under some umbrella of “Russian surface-to-air missile capability,” the official said.

"We still have every reason to assess that their effort is to encircle and force the surrender of Kyiv,” the official said.

In the south, Russians advancing to the northwest out of Crimea are about 25 miles out of Mykolayiv, the official said. Russian forces have isolated the city of Mariupol and continue to bombard it, he added.

In addition, Ukraine’s military is struggling to overcome shortages of fuel and food, he said.

The deconfliction line set up last Tuesday about has been used by the U.S. and Russia about a dozen times now, but so far only for test calls to make sure "somebody's picking up on the other end."

-ABC News' Mattew Seyler

The safety of the hundreds of staff who are still on duty at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is becoming more precarious, according to multiple agencies.

About 210 personnel have on duty since Feb. 24, the day before Russian military forces entered the disaster site, and have not rotated out, according to the agency.

Nuclear material and facilities demand continuous coverage, which requires employees to operate on a rotation, fixed, or modified shifts, according to a publication from the U.S. Department of Energy. There are many psychological and physiological impacts that can affect work performance, safety, and security without an organization, the material states.

Today, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine told the IAEA that it is becoming increasingly urgent and important for the safe management of the site to replace the current personnel.

While the staff has access to food, water and medicine to a limited extent, the situation is worsening, Ukraine’s nuclear regulator told the IAEA.

"I'm deeply concerned about the difficult and stressful situation facing staff at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and the potential risks this entails for nuclear safety. I call on the forces in effective control of the site to urgently facilitate the safe rotation of personnel there," Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, said in a statement Tuesday.

Ukraine's nuclear regulator also asked the IAEA to lead the international support needed to prepare a plan for replacing the current team, which will include pausing the handling of nuclear material at the site, which includes decommissioned reactors as well as radioactive waste facilities

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

Starbucks announced Tuesday it will immediately suspend all its operations in Russia, condemning the "horrific attacks on Ukraine by Russia."

"We continue to watch the tragic events unfold and, today, we have decided to suspend all business activity in Russia, including shipment of all Starbucks products," the company's chief executive officer, Kevin Johnson, said in a statement.

The company said its licensed partner agreed to immediately pause store operations and provide support for its nearly 2,000 workers.

"Through this dynamic situation, we will continue to make decisions that are true to our mission and values and communicate with transparency," Johnson said.

-ABC News' William Gretsky