Russia-Ukraine updates: US to ban Russian carriers from its airspace

Biden will announce the news in his State of the Union address, a source said.

Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymr Zelenskyy, are putting up "stiff resistance," according to U.S. officials.

The attack began Feb. 24 as Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation."

Russians moving from Belarus towards Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, don't appear to have advanced closer towards the city since coming within about 20 miles, although smaller advanced groups have been fighting gun battles with Ukrainian forces inside the capital since at least Friday.

Russia has been met by sanctions from the U.S., Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting Russia's economy and Putin himself.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Feb 25, 2022, 5:23 PM EST

Zelenskyy warns Russia will try to 'storm' Kyiv tonight

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned in a televised address moments ago that he believes Russian forces will "storm" the capital of Kyiv overnight.

“The night will be more difficult than the day,” he said, as the sound of shelling and loud booms from airstrikes could be heard over Kyiv.

"We cannot lose Kyiv," he said.

-ABC News' Patrick Reevell

Feb 25, 2022, 5:13 PM EST

Proposed talks of diplomacy come 'at the barrel of a gun': State Dept.

The State Department expressed doubts Friday that Moscow-led efforts to set up talks between Kyiv and the Kremlin in Minsk, Belarus, could yield any meaningful results against the backdrop of an ongoing invasion.

"You've heard us say before that over the course of several weeks leading up to the events that we've seen recently in Ukraine -- the assault on Ukraine, its sovereignty, its territorial integrity, and really, its people -- that Moscow engaged in a pretense of diplomacy," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said during a briefing. "Now, we see Moscow suggesting that diplomacy take place at the barrel of a gun, or as Moscow's rockets, mortars, artillery, target the Ukrainian people. This is not real diplomacy. Those are not the conditions for real diplomacy."

Price added that if Putin were serious about diplomacy, "He should immediately stop the bombing campaign against civilians, order the withdrawal of his forces from Ukraine, and indicate very clearly -- unambiguously to the world -- that Moscow is prepared to de-escalate. We have not seen that yet."  

When pressed on if the U.S. would still support Ukraine entering into such talks, or if the State Department had specifically advised Ukraine against engaging with Russia, Price largely demurred, but said that the countries were "operating in pure lockstep."

-ABC News' Shannon Crawford and Zoha Qamar

Feb 25, 2022, 4:43 PM EST

Russians not making as much progress as they hoped: Pentagon

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Friday that Russian troops aren't making as much progress in Ukraine as they hoped, and in some cases, Ukrainian forces are successfully fighting back.

Ukrainian soldiers sit atop an apc in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022.
Vadim Ghirda/AP

However, "we have seen continued movement by Russian forces into Ukraine both from the north and from the south,” Kirby said, and the amphibious assault on Mariupol in eastern Ukraine “is being conducted today.”

Kirby stressed that the U.S. and other countries will continue providing defensive support to Ukraine.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

Feb 25, 2022, 4:13 PM EST

Ukraine Railway Company adds evacuation trains from Kyiv to western cities

The Ukraine Railway Company said it's adding a number of evacuation trains running from Kyiv to cities in western Ukraine.

The company said the trains can hold about 10,000 people per day.

A woman reacts as she waits for a train trying to leave Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2022.
Emilio Morenatti/AP

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

Related Topics

Sponsored Content by Taboola