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
Russia breaks cease-fire in Mariupol, local officials say
Russia has broken Sunday’s temporary cease-fire in Mariupol, two officials with the mayor’s office told ABC News.
The officials said Russia continued shelling during the first two hours of the cease-fire, which had been scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. local time.
Mariupol officials earlier said an evacuation of residents would begin at noon local time. Sunday’s planned evacuation was to come after a failed cease-fire on Saturday, Ukrainian officials said.
-ABC News’ Matt Gutman
US ‘stands ready’ to help detained WNBA star, Blinken says
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday reacted to WNBA star Brittney Griner being detained in Russia, saying “whenever an American is detained anywhere in the world, we of course stand ready to provide every possible assistance and that includes in Russia.”
Blinken noted that he was limited in what he could say, given privacy considerations. He made the comments on Sunday alongside Moldovan President Maia Sandu at a press conference.
He also brought up efforts to seek the release of Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed, two Americas who’ve been detained by Russia.
-ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez
1.5 million have fled Ukraine in 10 days: UN
More than 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion began, the head of the U.N. Refugee Agency said on Sunday.
"More than 1.5 million refugees from Ukraine have crossed into neighbouring countries in 10 days -- the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II," Filippo Grandi, the U.N. high commissioner for refugees, said on Twitter.
Mariupol civilians to evacuate under cease-fire
An official in Mariupol, a Ukrainian city besieged by the Russians, said a cease-fire on Sunday will allow citizens to evacuate.
The temporary cease-fire was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. local time, with an evacuation starting two hours later, Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of Donetsk Oblast, said on Facebook.
A similar plan had been announced for Saturday, but Russian shells continued to fall throughout the day.
US Restricts the export of luxury goods to Russia, Belarus
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced Friday that it will restrict the export of U.S. luxury goods to Russia and Belarus, as well as "certain Russian and Belarusian oligarchs and malign actors located worldwide," as a result of their actions in Ukraine.
The Department of Commerce said it will impose restrictions on the export, reexport and transfer of luxury items including certain spirits, tobacco products, clothing items, jewelry, vehicles and antique goods.
"Putin’s war of choice in Ukraine continues to take a devastating toll on innocent civilians in Ukraine, fueling one of the worst humanitarian crises Europe has seen in decades," Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a statement.
Raimondo added, "Putin and the oligarchs who fund him have gotten rich off of Putin’s rampant corruption and the exploitation of the Russian people. We will not allow Putin and his cronies to continue living in opulence while causing tremendous suffering throughout Eastern Europe. Today’s action takes away another source of comfort and reminds them that Russia is increasingly isolated."
-ABC News' Luke Barr