Russia-Ukraine updates: US to ban Russian carriers from its airspace

Biden will announce the news in his State of the Union address, a source said.

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

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

Russians moving from Belarus towards Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, don't appear to have advanced closer towards the city since coming within about 20 miles, although smaller advanced groups have been fighting gun battles with Ukrainian forces inside the capital since at least Friday.

Russia has been met by sanctions from the U.S., Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting Russia's economy and Putin himself.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Feb 25, 2022, 2:39 PM EST

EU to sanction Putin, Lavrov: Latvian government

The European Union announced Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will be included on its second round of sanctions, according to the Latvian and French governments.

It's unclear what, if any, financial impact these asset freezes have on either figure.

Hours before the decision was made, top EU diplomat Josep Borrell diplomat said even these EU sanctions on Putin and Lavrov would "certainly" not be enough.

"We are facing a full-fledged invasion of a country by another. It's not a special forces operations like Russia pretends us to believe -- it's a fully-fledged invasion with bombing, with killing of civilians, with confrontations among two armies," he told reporters. "This is the worst thing that has happened in Europe, if I may say, since the end of the Cold War, and nobody knows what's happening afterwards. Nobody knows which are the real intention of Putin."

Damaged Ukrainian military equipment is seen in the aftermath of Russian shelling outside Mariupol, Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2022.
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

Servicemen of the National Guard of Ukraine take positions in central Kyiv on Feb. 25, 2022.
Gleb Garanich/Reuters

-ABC News' Conor Finnegan

Feb 25, 2022, 2:24 PM EST

Russia restricts Facebook

Russia is restricting its use of Facebook, according to its parent company, Meta.

Nick Clegg, vice president of global affairs at Meta, said in a statement Friday, "Yesterday, Russian authorities ordered us to stop the independent fact-checking and labelling of content posted on Facebook by four Russian state-owned media organizations. We refused. As a result, they have announced they will be restricting the use of our services."

“Ordinary Russians are using our apps to express themselves and organize for action," he continued. "We want them to continue to make their voices heard."

Feb 25, 2022, 2:19 PM EST

Czech Republic, Poland ban Russian carriers from airspace

Poland and the Czech Republic said Friday they are banning Russian carriers from their airspace.

The United Kingdom on Thursday suspended the foreign carrier permit held by Russian airline Aeroflot.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

Feb 25, 2022, 1:54 PM EST

Zelenskyy says, 'We are all here'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has posted a selfie-style video showing himself standing outside the president’s office in central Kyiv Friday night along his defense minister, prime minister and parliamentary leader.

Zelenskyy, in combat fatigues, said to the camera that Ukraine’s army is there and will win.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video showing himself standing outside the president’s office in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 25, 2022, along his defense minister, prime minister and parliamentary leader.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy/Facebook

"We are all here. Our military are here, as are our people and whole society. We're all here defending our independence and our country. And we'll go on doing that," he said.

President Joe Biden held a secure call with Zelenskyy on Friday, according to a White House official.

-ABC News' Patrick Reevell, Fidel Pavlenko

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