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.

For previous coverage, please click here.

Two Men at War
Two Men at War
A look at the two leaders at the center of the war in Ukraine and how they both rose to power, the difference in their leadership and what led to this moment in history.
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'They even sent skis': Donations pile up at Poland-Ukraine border

Deb Parry, who is currently leading Save the Children’s team in Poland, told ABC News she has never seen anything like the outpouring of help on the Polish border.

“I’ve worked for Save the Children for 30 years and I’ve never seen anything like it. There’s a phenomenal amount of aid being sent. Everything these families could possibly need.”

“They even sent skis!” she exclaimed.

The donations are piling up all over Poland and being dropped near the crossings and reception centers throughout the country. Piles of skis and snowboards were stacked up at Dolhobyczow, a village near the Ukraine border.

“I’m not sure why people think they need skis,” Parry said.

Because of this effort by local communities, Save the Children can focus on things other than the distribution of necessities. More than 700,000 refugees have streamed across the Poland border since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 -- almost all of whom are women and children.

Save the Children is helping parents talk to their children about war. They have teamed up with the telecom companies providing SIM cards and hand out leaflets with information for how best to cope in these trying conditions.

“It’s important to keep children in some sort of a routine,” Parry explained, adding that parents or caretakers need to be careful about what they expose children to.

“Don’t have the news on all the time,” she said.

-ABC News' Zoe Magee and Chris Donato


Facebook, Twitter respond to Russia blocking services

Representatives from Facebook and Twitter provided updates about their services after the Russian government announced it would block both services.

Twitter security chief Yoel Roth said the company has not confirmed its services are completely disabled in Russia during a public panel Friday evening.

Meta, Facebook's parent company, put out a statement contending, "despite the Russian government’s announcement that they will be blocking Facebook, we are working to keep our services available to the greatest extent possible."

Meta added that "ads targeting people in Russia will be paused, and advertisers within Russia will no longer be able to create or run ads anywhere in the world, including within Russia."

-ABC News' Quinn Owen


Key national security officials to testify on Capitol Hill over Ukraine crisis

As tensions rise between the United States and Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, national security officials will appear on Capitol Hill March 8 at 10 a.m. for the House Intelligence Committee's annual worldwide threats hearing.

The public portion of the hearing will include CIA Director Bill Burns, FBI Director Chris Wray and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines. Burns notably traveled to Moscow last fall reportedly to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin over the troop buildup on Ukraine's borders and his plans to invade the country.

Publicly and privately, lawmakers have criticized the Biden administration over the pace and scope of intelligence sharing with Ukraine over the last week.

The officials will also testify before the Senate later in the week.

-ABC News' Ben Siegel


Zelenskyy slams NATO for denying no-fly zone request

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy angrily denounced NATO in a televised address Friday over its refusal to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

"Knowing that new strikes and casualties are inevitable, NATO has consciously taken the decision not to close the sky over Ukraine. All the people who will die from this day, will die also because of you," he said.

Zelenskyy accused NATO of creating a narrative "that the closure of the sky will allegedly provoke a war with Russia."

"It's a self-hypnosis of those who are weak, unconfident inside, though it can possess weapons a lot bigger than we do. You should have thought about people, about humanity," he said.

Zelenskyy said the alliance did agree to purchase 50 tons of fuel, but the president scoffed at the move.

"I don't know who you can defend and whether you are capable. You can't pay off with liters of diesel fuel for the liters of our blood, shed for our common Europe, for our common freedom, for our joint future," he said.

-ABC News' Patrick Reevell and Yulia Drozd


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