Russia-Ukraine updates: Putin says 'certain positive movements' in negotiations
A third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine ended without any resolution.
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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Latest headlines:
- Ukrainian air force claims Russia carried out false flag airstrike in Belarus
- UN has credible reports of Russian cluster bomb use, attacks on health care
- Putin claims 'certain positive movements' in Ukraine negotiations
- Russian general prosecutor wants Meta declared 'extremist organization'
- Putin orders Russian military to help volunteer fighters from Middle East travel to Ukraine
Israeli prime minister meets with Putin
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office said he is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin Saturday evening.
The two last spoke on Wednesday. Bennett's office said the White House is aware of the meeting.
The prime minister is being accompanied by several Israeli advisers including Dr. Eyal Hulata, Shimrit Meir and the prime minister’s spokesperson, Matan Sidi. Israeli Construction and Housing Minister, Zeev Elkin, is also attending the meeting and assisting with language translation.
-ABC News' Bruno Nota
Russia claims troops took control of more settlements, damaged Ukraine's military infrastructure
Russia's Defense Ministry on Saturday claimed its troops continued to disable military infrastructure in Ukraine and took control of Ukrainian settlements.
Russia claimed its troops took control of seven Ukrainian settlements and that Russian-backed troops in Donetsk moved 7 kilometers forward, Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said at a briefing.
"Units of the Russian Armed forces are advancing as a wide front and have taken control over populated areas of Mala Tokmachka, Marfopil, Remivka, Novokarlivka, Orlinske, Volodine and Malynivka," Konashenkov said.
Konashenkov claimed that Luhansk's Russian-backed troops took hold of the settlements of Golikove, Nevske and Katerynivka.
Russia claimed it destroyed five radar stations and two Buk M-1 air defense systems and that it downed four Su-27 aircrafts over Zhytomyr and one Su-27 aircraft near Nizhyn, according to Konashenkov.
Konashenkov also said that Russian troops are resuming their offensive "due to the Ukrainian side's unwillingness to influence the nationalists or prolong the ceasefire," Konashenkov said.
-ABC News' Anastasia Bagaeva
US State Department tells Americans to depart Russia 'immediately'
The U.S. State Department on Saturday updated its travel advisory for Russia amid the war in Ukraine and Russia's tightening crackdown on dissent, reporting and travel and the worsening economic situation, including declined credit cards and cash shortages.
"U.S. citizens should depart immediately," the advisory warns, adding, "If you wish to depart Russia, you should make arrangements on your own as soon as possible."
The State Department warned Americans, "If you plan to stay in Russia, understand the U.S. Embassy has severe limitations on its ability to assist U.S. citizens, and conditions, including transportation options, may change suddenly."
The State Department further warned U.S. citizens may be harassed by "Russian government security officials" or face "arbitrary enforcement of local law," something they've warned about for years.
The U.S. embassy has issued detailed instructions on how to flee the country, including over land borders by car and bus as well as limited flights.
-ABC News' Conor Finnegan
Russia says it is restarting offensive operations in cease-fire areas
Russia’s Defense Ministry on Saturday announced it will now begin offensive actions again in Ukraine, having never observed the cease-fire it announced earlier in the morning.
A Defense Ministry spokesman, in a briefing, accused Ukraine’s government of failing to restrain “nationalists” or observe the cease-fire saying, “at 18:00 Moscow-time offensive actions are renewed.”
In reality, Russia has continued to shell Mariupol and Volnovakha in Ukraine’s east throughout the day, despite having declared a temporary cease-fire and humanitarian corridor to allow civilians to leave.
Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of using the cease-fire period to move forces closer to Ukrainian positions.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has said evacuations could not take place today because of shelling. The ICRC branch in Donetsk told ABC News earlier, that its team in Mariupol was forced to take shelter because of shelling.
-ABC News' Patrick Reevell
Russians running out of food, gas: US official
The Russian forces charging toward Kyiv haven't made progress in the last day as they face Ukrainian resistance and low food and gas supply, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters Tuesday.
However, it could be a deliberate pause, the official said. "Part of the stall could be ... as a result of their own self-determined sort of pause in operations -- that they are possibly regrouping, rethinking, reevaluating," the official said.
The U.S. believes Russian forces "have committed now more than 80% of what was their pre-staged combat power," the official added.
The official said some Russian soldiers weren't told they were going into combat. The official said "not all of them were apparently fully trained and prepared."
The strong Ukrainian resistance has also hurt morale, according to the official.
Russia has now launched more than 400 missiles on Ukraine, the official said. The U.S. believes Russia has launchers that could be used for thermobaric weapons, but cannot confirm their use, the official said.
Russian forces are making the most progress in the south. Russians are attacking Kherson in south Ukraine, which "appears very much to be contested city at this point," the official said.
Russians are also approaching Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine, and while they haven't yet entered the city, "they are close enough now that they could attack Mariupol with long range fires," the official said.
Two towns on the path to Mariupol are believed to be occupied by the Russians, according to the official.
The U.S. believes the Russians hope to move north out of Mariupol up to the heavily-contested city of Kharkiv. The official said they believe Russian forces are trying to encircle Kharkiv.
The U.S. official noted that they've seen "certain risk-averse behavior by the Russian military" over the last week.
"Take the amphibious assault, for instance. They put those troops ashore a good 70 kilometers away from Mariupol because they knew Mariupol was going to be defended and they could put them ashore in an uncontested environment. And they still haven't reached Mariupol," the official said.
"They are not necessarily willing to take high risks with their own aircraft and their own pilots," the official said.
"And of course we're seeing that on the ground -- the fairly slow and steady progress that they have made, and you guys are seeing it for yourselves on the ground where ... units are surrendering, sometimes without a fight."
-ABC News' Matt Seyler