President Joe Biden met with the prime ministers of Australia, India and Japan on Thursday where the Quad leaders discussed the conflict in Ukraine.

"The Quad leaders discussed the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and assessed its broader implications. They agreed to stand up a new humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mechanism which will enable the Quad to meet future humanitarian challenges in the Indo-Pacific and provide a channel for communication as they each address and respond to the crisis in Ukraine," the White House said in a statement.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle

French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted about his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying, "At this point, he refuses to cease his attacks on Ukraine. Maintaining the dialogue to avoid human tragedies is absolutely necessary. I will continue my efforts and contacts. We must avoid the worst."

He added, "A dialogue to protect populations, to obtain moves that will avoid human tragedies, to put an end to this war: this is the meaning of my commitment alongside President Zelensky and the international community. My determination is and will remain total."

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou and Ibtissem Guenfoud

Canada announced a new program on Thursday that will "cut through red tape" to expedite arrivals for Ukrainians seeking temporary or permanent residency, said Sean Fraser, Canada's minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship.

"There is no limit on how many can apply," Fraser said.

"All those who arrive in Canada as part of these measures will be eligible for open work permits and will quickly be able to work if they so choose," Fraser noted.

He went on, "Our commitment to Ukrainians goes beyond the historic ties between Canada and Ukraine and beyond the cultural connections between our people. It's a commitment to humanity."

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

The U.S. Treasury and State Departments are expected to announce new sanctions against Russian oligarchs on Thursday, according to a White House official.

The sanctions will expand upon recently announced EU sanctions, block specific oligarchs’ travel to the U.S. and target the oligarchs’ relatives, according to the official.

-ABC's Ben Gittleson

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