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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Poland says it's 'ready' to hand over all its MiG-29 fighter jets to US air base in Germany

Poland announced Tuesday it is "ready" to "immediately" hand over all its MiG-29 fighter jets to a U.S. air base in Germany to boost Ukraine's fight against Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked the West and NATO to supply Ukraine with fighter jets.

The Polish government said in a statement that will provide its Russian-made MiGs to the Rammstein Air Base "free of charge," placing them "at the disposal" of the U.S. government, and asked the United States to backfill them "with used aircrafts with corresponding operational capabilities."

"The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies -- owners of MiG-29 jets -- to act in the same vein," the statement added.

A senior U.S. defense official told ABC News: "We have seen the Polish government’s announcement and have nothing to offer at this time."

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State told ABC News they are working with the Polish government and consulting with NATO allies on this.

"This is Poland's sovereign decision to make. We have in no way opposed Poland transferring planes to Ukraine. There are a number of challenging practical question," the spokesperson said. "In the meantime, we continue to surge security assistance for Ukraine and deliveries are ongoing."

A senior U.S. diplomat told ABC News that the U.S. was not "pre-consulted" on this news. U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that she found out about Poland's announcement while driving to Capitol Hill to testify.

"To my knowledge, it wasn't pre-consulted with us that they plan to give these planes to us, but as you know, we have been having consultations with them for a couple of days now about this request from the Ukrainians to receive this aircraft, and, were they to donate them, whether we would be able to help support backfill in their own security need," Nuland said.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou and Luis Martinez

Editor's note: This post was updated to reflect the correct fighter jet models as MiG-29s, not MiG-19s.


Ukraine claims Russian general was killed in fighting near Kharkiv

Ukrainian intelligence claimed Tuesday that a Russian general was killed in fighting near the eastern city of Kharkiv. If confirmed, this would be the second general Russia has lost in Ukraine in a week, according to reports from Russian media last week.

Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency identified the general as Vitaly Gerasimov, chief of staff of the 41st Army.

Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency also published audio of an alleged intercepted phone call between two officers from Russia’s FSB intelligence agency discussing Gerasimov’s death.

Russia has not confirmed or denied the death.

The executive director of the open source group Bellingcat, Christo Grozev, said he had confirmed Gerasimov’s death with a Russian source. Grosev said Bellingcat had also identified the FSB officer in the alleged recording.

Last week, the 41st Army’s deputy commander, Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, was confirmed by Russian media to have been killed.

-ABC News' Patrick Reevell


Zelenskyy asks UK parliament to increase pressure of sanctions, make Ukrainian skies safe

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to the U.K.'s parliament Tuesday, asking it to increase the pressure of sanctions and "make our Ukrainian skies safe."

Zelenskyy has been asking NATO and the West to enforce a "no-fly" zone over Ukraine, but the U.S. and its allies have declined the request.

The Ukrainian president was greeted with rousing applause from members of the House, who stood before he spoke.

In his speech, Zelenskyy quoted Shakespeare, saying, "We have to be or not to be. This is a Shakespearean question. Not that I have the answer, but…Yes it is to be."

He also paraphrased the words of Winston Churchill.

"We will not give up. We will continue fighting for our land whatever the costs. We will fight in the fields, in the seas, in the streets. We will fight on the banks of different rivers," Zelenskyy said.

"We do not want to lose what we have," Zelenskyy said.

-ABC News' Joe Simonetti and Matt Gutman


European Commission releases proposal to make EU independent from Russian fossil fuels before 2030

The European Commission on Tuesday released its proposed plan to make the European Union independent from Russian fossil fuels before 2030, starting with gas.

The plan "will seek to diversify gas supplies, speed up the roll-out of renewable gases and replace gas in heating and power generation," according to the European Commission.

This plan could reduce the EU's demand for Russian gas by two-thirds before the end of the year, according to the European Commission.

"We must become independent from Russian oil, coal and gas. We simply cannot rely on a supplier who explicitly threatens us," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.

Von der Leyen said she would be discussing the Commission's proposal with European leaders in Versailles later this week.

"Putin's war demonstrates the urgency of accelerating our clean energy transition," the European Commission wrote on Twitter.

Just before the invasion of Ukraine, the EU reported wholesale gas prices were around 200% higher than a year ago. The invasion aggravated the energy crisis even further.

The EU said it is reliant on imports of fossil fuels— gas, oil and coal— to meet its needs.

Last year, Russia provided around 45% of the EU's total gas imports, 27% of the EU's total crude oil imports and 46% of the EU's hard coal imports, according to the European Commission.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou


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