Russia-Ukraine updates: US sanctions Russian military shipbuilder, diamond miner

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine lost 1,300 troops and claimed that Russia has lost 12,000 troops, to reporters Saturday.

"I can't say that I'm happy about their losses because it's not who I am. We're talking about human lives here, and those soldiers were brought to the war as cannon fodder, brainwashed and confused," Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy also commented on the humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians, saying the most successful corridor has been out of Sumy where tens of thousands were evacuated.

"It's a very difficult process and sometimes we have to invent unorthodox methods to facilitate that, because the Russians almost never observe cease-fire to allow evacuation of civilians," Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy also commented on discussions with Russia, saying he has been requesting direct talks at the highest level for over two years.

"At least we can see some progress now in that they also start to agree that dialogue is needed. But of course we would seek broader involvement of other world leaders, because in any talks about future firm security guarantees for Ukraine we will never trust only Moscow after such a bloody war it unleashed," Zelenskyy said.

-ABC News' Guy Davies

President Joe Biden authorized $200 million in new military assistance to Ukraine, to come from existing U.S. weapons stocks, the White House said Saturday.

Biden authorized "the drawdown of up to an aggregate value of $200 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Ukraine and to make the determinations required under such section to direct such a drawdown," the White House said in a press release.

-ABC News' Justin Gomez

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone with French President Emmanuel Macron and Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz, about the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, the Kremlin's press service reported on Saturday.

The Kremlin claimed "numerous facts of gross violations of international humanitarian law by Ukrainian security forces were cited - extrajudicial killings of dissenters, taking hostages and using civilians as human shields, placing heavy weapons in residential areas, near hospitals, schools, kindergartens."

The Kremlin also claimed, "nationalist battalions systematically disrupt rescue operations, intimidate civilians during evacuation attempts."

Putin "urged" Macron and Scholz to "influence the Kiev authorities so that such criminal actions would be stopped," according to a statement from the Kremlin.

The leaders spoke about the series of talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives in recent days. "It was agreed to continue contacts on Ukrainian issues," the Kremlin said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Saturday demanded the release of Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov, who Ukrainian officials allege was kidnapped by Russian forces.

"The city community is demanding his release. I am grateful to every Melitopol resident for this resistance," Zelenskyy said in a message posted on Facebook.

The organizer of Ukrainian rallies in Melitopol, Olga Gaisumova was also captured and the city's aid headquarters in the Shevchenko recreation center was seized by Russian soldiers, who cordoned off the building, local blogger and activist, Tatiana Kumok, told ABC News in an interview.

The occupiers told the civil defense in Melitopol that they are prohibited from going in the streets during the curfew, according to Kumok.

Zelenskyy claimed the Ukrainians have had tremendous success, dealing "biggest blow to the Russian army in decades."

"We have had extraordinary success. How the entire Ukrainian people resisted these invaders has already gone down in history. But we have no right to reduce the intensity of defense, no matter how difficult it may be for us. We have no right to reduce the energy of our resistance," Zelenskyy said.