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.
A look at the two leaders at the center of the war in Ukraine and how they both rose to power, the difference in their leadership and what led to this moment in history.
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Mar 10, 2022, 3:07 PM EST
Mike Pence visits Ukraine
Former Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, crossed the Polish border into Ukraine to meet with refugees on Thursday, an aide told ABC News.
The Pences were in Poland on a humanitarian visit with the evangelical aid organization Samaritan's Purse, the aide said. They were in Ukrainian territory for about an hour.
When White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked Thursday whether the Biden administration knew Pence was going to be at the Ukrainian border today, she responded that she would check.
Pence's team had not been in contact with the U.S. government regarding the trip "because he was there for humanitarian purposes," with Samaritan's Purse, the aide told ABC News.
Vice President Kamala Harris was also in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday to demonstrate U.S. support for NATO's eastern flank allies.
-ABC News' Ben Gittleson
Mar 10, 2022, 3:06 PM EST
Around 15,000 Ukrainian civilians evacuated from various cities, none from Mariupol
Around 15,000 civilians were evacuated from Ukrainian cities Thursday through humanitarian corridors that were operational, without major ceasefire violations reported, according to Ukrainian officials. However, no civilians have been evacuated from Mariupol, nor have humanitarian supplies been delivered into the city.
Members of the Ukrainian military help the residents evacuated from Irpin to get out of the truck after arriving at the area from where they can flee from the frontline town of Irpin, Kyiv region, Ukraine, March 10, 2022.
ROMAN PILIPEY/EPA-EFE/Shuttersto
From the Sumy region, more than 12,000 civilians were evacuated using 54 buses and 2,664 private vehicles, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Services.
Around 1,200 people were evacuated from Izyum on Thursday, according to Kharkiv's regional governor.
According to the Kyiv Region Police Department, 2,000 civilians were evacuated from Bucha and Irpin to Kyiv.
Residents coming from Bucha town, currently controlled by the Russian military, walk with luggage towards the Ukrainian checkpoint at the frontline in Irpin, Ukraine, March 10, 2022. Thousands of residents are feeling Irpin and Bucha, as well as other settlements near Kyiv which were most affected by the Russian invasion.
Roman Pilipey/EPA via Shutterstock
Irina Vereschuk, the deputy prime minister in charge of reintegration and temporarily occupied territories, said on Thursday that what's happening in Mariupol is "beyond a humanitarian disaster."
According to Vereschuk, Mariupol currently does not have power, gas or heat and there is very little communication with the outside.
Vereschuk said they had hoped it would be possible to get humanitarian supplies into and some civilians out of Mariupol, but heavy shelling and air bombardment has continued, so that has not been possible.
According to Vereschuk, there is an International Committee of the Red Cross humanitarian convoy in Zaporizhzhia that departs to Mariupol daily to deliver aid, including water, basic food supplies and medicine, but it is constantly forced to turn back.
Nearly all roads leading out of Mariupol have been destroyed, with only two remaining routes out of the city still intact and Ukrainian authorities are still trying to contact the appropriate Russian authorities to agree on a ceasefire, according to Vereschuk.
An ICRC convoy with humanitarian supplies arrived on Thursday in the southern Ukrainian city of Energodar, but a planned evacuation of residents by private transport had to be postponed to Friday morning after the shelling resumed, the city's mayor said.
-ABC News' Christine Theodorou
Mar 10, 2022, 2:54 PM EST
Inflation will be higher in coming months because of Russian invasion, Psaki says
Inflation rates in coming months will be higher than they would have been had Russia not invaded Ukraine, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday.
When asked by ABC News White House correspondent Mary Bruce how high the Biden Administration expects inflation rates to climb, Psaki said the energy and fuel prices will go up, but the increase will be "temporary and long-lasting."
While inflation rates are expected to decrease by the end of the year, "There is also no question that inflation may be higher for the next few months than it would have been without the Russia," Psaki said.
"What our focus is on now is doing everything we can to mitigate and reduce those prices and ensure there isn't a longer-term impact," Psaki said. "So I can't make new projections for you from here other than to convey that, yes, it is accurate that the invasion by President Putin into Ukraine has impacted global inflation, inflation in the United States, because of the impact it's had on energy prices -- and that is a significant contributor to inflation."
-ABC News' Molly Nagle
Mar 10, 2022, 2:09 PM EST
Biden speaks to Turkey's Erdogan to discuss invasion of Ukraine
President Joe Biden spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Thursday to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine, after Turkey hosted talks between Russia and Ukraine's foreign ministers.
"President Biden expressed appreciation for Turkey’s efforts to support a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, as well as Turkey’s recent engagements with regional leaders that help promote peace and stability," the White House said in a statement.
In this March 1, 2022, file photo, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends a joint news conference in Ankara, Turkey.
Presidential Press Office via Reuters, FILE
The two leaders also discussed opportunities to strengthen their bilateral ties. In a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the call was "constructive" and confirmed it was lengthy, lasting around an hour or more.
"It is important that [Turkey] is in a facilitator position in search for a solution, in case the Russia-Ukraine crisis deepens further," Erdogan told Biden, according to Turkey's Anadolu, a state-run news agency.
"Even organizing a tripartite meeting of foreign ministers of [Turkey], Russia, and Ukraine in Antalya is a diplomatic victory by itself," he told Biden, according to the news service.
According to Anadolu, Erdogan also told Biden "it is time to lift all unjust sanctions" on Turkey's defense industry.
