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
Ukraine to send a delegation to meet with Russia for talks
Ukraine will send a delegation on Wednesday to meet with Russia for a second round of talks aimed at stopping the fighting, a spokesman for Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told ABC News.
Russia earlier announced it was sending a delegation to sit and wait for possible talks but that Ukraine had not confirmed it would talk part in the negotiations.
Ukraine and Russia held talks on the Belarus-Ukraine border two days ago but without a breakthrough, according to officials.
Ukraine's foreign minister Wednesday morning said it was ready to negotiate but not to accept Russian ultimatums.
-ABC News' Patrick Reevell
Over 800,000 people have fled Ukraine, UNHCR says
Some 836,000 people have fled Ukraine since Russia launched an invasion there on Feb. 24, according to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
About 453,000 of them have gone to neighboring Poland, UNHCR said.
More than 4 million refugees from Ukraine may need protection and assistance in neighboring countries in the coming months. Meanwhile, an estimated 12 million people in Ukraine are in need of emergency assistance and protection, according to UNHCR.
-ABC News' Zoe Magee
Children 'in grave danger' as Russian forces close in on Ukrainian capital
Children in Ukraine "are in grave danger, especially from the threat of explosive weapons," international humanitarian group Save the Children warned Wednesday.
"Children injured in conflict zones are at even greater risk than adults due to their specific vulnerabilities and treatment needs for blast wounds," Save the Children said in a statement. "Younger children injured in blasts are particularly at risk of death compared to adults and need to be treated differently."
At least 14 children have been killed in Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24, according to the United Nations.
Save the Children, which has been delivering essential humanitarian aid to children and their families in Ukraine since 2014, called for an immediate end to violence amid fears that many more lives are at risk as Russia's military operation intensifies in major cities and satellite images purportedly show a miles-long convoy of Russian forces closing in on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
Harris stops short of calling for Putin's ouster
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris stopped short of calling for Russian President Vladimir Putin's ouster on Wednesday while urging for an end to the invasion of Ukraine.
"What we want is that the Ukrainian people will be free and that they will be safe. But we are now at a place where obviously Russia has yet again invaded Ukraine and we must stand in solidarity with our allies and make sure there are severe and swift consequences which is what we've been doing," Harris told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an interview on "Good Morning America".
When asked whether there is anything more the United States and its allies could be doing, Harris argued that the actions taken thus far have already had an effect.
"We are seeing the impact of the work that we have done. We are seeing the ruble in a free fall. We are seeing the stock market in Russia has essentially closed. What we have seen is that the credit rating of Russia is now junk," she said. "So, what we know is that we're having an impact and we're taking it quite seriously."
When pressed again that Putin appears to be willing to take the cost and is not backing down, Harris insisted: "We're going to do everything that we can to support the Ukrainian people."
"We are doing that through our security assistance, through economic assistance, humanitarian assistance," she added. "We're not going to let up."
Harris dodged a question about whether about whether U.S. intelligence now suggests that Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, will fall to Russian forces.
"This is Putin's war, and we are very concerned and we are monitoring it," she said. "We are fully aware that if there's any intentional targeting of civilians, that we are looking at the fact that there may be a violation, very well may be a violation of international law. So this is an issue that we should all be paying attention to. It is atrocious and it is a violation of all of the standards and principles that we as particularly NATO nations take seriously."
-ABC News Sarah Kolinovsky and Kelly McCarthy
Senate approves $1.5 trillion funding bill with supplemental aid to Ukraine
The Senate passed a $1.5 trillion government funding bill late Thursday that includes $13.6 billion in supplemental aid to Ukraine by a vote of 68-31.
The legislation will now head to President Joe Biden's desk for his signature.
In a statement, White House press secretary Jen Psaki thanked leaders for "getting this bill done" and said Biden "looks forward to signing it into law."
"With these resources, we will be able to deliver historic support for the Ukrainian people as they defend their country and democracy," she said in part.
The supplemental Ukrainian aid is split between defense and nondefense funding. The $1.5 trillion also includes funding for many of the administration's priorities as well as sizable amounts for defense spending.
-ABC News' Allie Pecorin and Justin Gomez