President Vladimir Putin said he'd sought an "open dialogue" with the West.
Almost a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine, the two countries are engaged in a struggle for control of areas throughout the east and south.
Putin's forces pulled out of key positions in November, retreating from Kherson as Ukrainian troops led a counteroffensive targeting the southern port city. Russian drones have continued bombarding civilian targets throughout Ukraine, knocking out critical power infrastructure as winter sets in.
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CIA Director William J. Burns traveled to Kyiv and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukrainian intelligence officials last week, a U.S. official told ABC News.
The director "reinforced our continued support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression," according to the official.
The Washington Post first reported the meeting earlier Thursday.
-ABC News' Cindy Smith
The Pentagon announced Thursday evening that it will provide Ukraine with $2.5 billion in additional aid for its efforts fighting Russian forces.
This is the 13th drawdown of equipment from the Department of Defense's inventories for Ukraine since August 2021, the agency said.
The package includes several weapons and equipment such as 59 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and 90 Stryker armored personnel carriers, the DoD said.
-ABC News' Luis Martinez
The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog group said Thursday that he is worried the world is becoming complacent about the "very precarious" situation posed by the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine.
Russian forces seized the plant, Europe's largest, in March 2022 and it has repeatedly come under fire in recent months, raising fears of a nuclear disaster. Rafael Grossi, director general of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is working to set up a safe zone around the facility.
"I think the situation is very precarious," Grossi told reporters in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. "I worry that this is becoming routine, that people may believe that nothing has happened so far, so is the director general of the IAEA crying wolf?"
Grossi said two major explosions occurred near the plant on Thursday, adding to the alarming situation.
"We know every day that a nuclear accident or an accident having serious radiological consequences may take place," said Grossi before travelling to Moscow for talks with Russian officials.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday pleaded with leaders of the European Union to pursue new sanctions against Russia's nuclear industry and energy carriers.
During a joint news conference in Kyiv with European Council President Charles Michel, Zelenskyy said he believes a tenth package of sanctions "could be even more effective" than the previous ones.
"The time has come, in particular, for sanctions against the Russian nuclear industry, against all its branches, organizations and all entities that work for the Russian missile program," Zelenskyy said.
He also expressed his frustration over Germany's hesitation to send Leopard tanks Ukraine.
"The issue of tanks remains relevant and very sensitive," Zelenskyy said. "It depends on many reasons and, unfortunately, does not depend on the will of Ukraine. We create pressure as hard as we can politically, but the essential thing is that our pressure is well-reasoned."
Zelenskyy added, "Against thousands of tanks of the Russian Federation, as I told our colleagues, only the courage of our military and the motivation of the Ukrainian people are not enough."
Since the United Kingdom announced last week it will send Challenger 2 tanks to Russia, the German government has faced mounting pressure to follow suit, or at least allow NATO allies such as Poland to supply Ukraine with German-made Leopard tanks.
"The delivery of Leopard tanks to Ukraine is still a matter of dispute in the Bundestag (national parliament)," according to a statement released Thursday by the German government, which added that the issue is still the subject of "heated debate."
