Russian President Vladimir Putin's "special military operation” into Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with troops crossing the border from Belarus and Russia. Moscow's forces have since been met with “stiff resistance” from Ukrainians, according to U.S. officials.
Russian forces retreated last week from the Kyiv suburbs, leaving behind a trail of destruction. After graphic images emerged of civilians lying dead in the streets of Bucha, U.S. and European officials accused Russian troops of committing war crimes.
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.
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Mar 24, 2022, 10:08 AM EDT
Russia says talks with Ukraine continue virtually
Russia said Thursday that peace talks with Ukraine are continuing and are being held via video conference.
"Negotiations by the Russian and Ukrainian delegations on a draft treaty on the settlement of the situation in Ukraine, its neutrality and guarantees of its security are currently ongoing via video-conferencing. Military, political, and humanitarian aspects are being discussed," Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova said during a press briefing.
"We hope that Kyiv will still come to realize the inevitability of a peaceful solution to the problem of demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, its transformation into a neutral state," she added. "The sooner representatives of the Kyiv regime understand this, the sooner the special military operation will be completed."
Mar 24, 2022, 10:00 AM EDT
Ukraine accuses Russia of forcibly deporting Mariupol residents
Ukraine claimed Thursday that residents of Mariupol who have survived Russian bombardment are now being forcibly deported to Russia.
"The Russian Federation has launched a new phase of terror against the city of Mariupol," the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. "According to available information, the Russian army has forcibly deported about 6,000 Mariupol residents to Russian filtration camps in order to use them as hostages for political pressure on Ukraine."
"At the same time, the Russian armed forces are firing on evacuation columns trying to leave Mariupol for the unoccupied territory of Ukraine," the ministry added. "Russian troops continue to hold a humanitarian convoy of buses that arrived a few days ago from Mariupol from Zaporizhia."
Children play in front of a building damaged in fighting during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in the besieged southern port of Mariupol, Ukraine, March 23, 2022.
Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
According to the ministry, some 15,000 residents of the besieged port city in southeastern Ukraine are in danger of being forcibly deported to Russia, with Russian troops confiscating peoples' passports and other identification documents.
"Such actions by Russia are a gross violation of the laws or customs of war, the rules of international humanitarian law," the ministry said.
The ministry called on world leaders to "take urgent action to save the lives of residents of Mariupol and other Ukrainian cities who have been in an inhumane siege by the Russian army."
"The international community must impose new tough sanctions on Russia to stop its deadly military machine, as well as cut off all business ties with Russian companies to stop funding Russia's war against Ukraine," the ministry said.
-ABC News Julia Drozd
Mar 24, 2022, 9:55 AM EDT
US says it will accept 100,000 refugees from Ukraine
U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday will announce a range of new sanctions against Russia targeting the majority of the Duma and Russian elites, according to senior administration officials.
The new sanctions will also impact "over 40 Russian defense companies," the officials said.
Biden will also announce that the U.S. will welcome up to 100,000 refugees from Ukraine and provide $1 billion in new humanitarian aid.
"To meet this commitment we are considering the full range of legal pathways to the United States and that includes U.S. refugee admissions program, parole and immigrant and non-immigrant visas," an official told reporters.
Volodymyr, 80, rests inside his apartment, damaged by shelling, in Kyiv, Ukraine on March 23, 2022.
Rodrigo Abd/AP
The humanitarian aid money will go toward providing food, shelter, clean water, medical supplies and other forms of assistance, according to the official.
Biden will also announce that the U.S. will provide $11 billion over the next five years to address food security threats and malnutrition across the world. This will be done through the Feed the Future initiative.
New sanctions from the G7 and EU will also prohibit the Central Bank of Russia from making any transactions involving gold, officials said.
-ABC News' Justin Gomez
Mar 24, 2022, 9:51 AM EDT
NATO leaders discuss how to give Ukraine anti-ship missiles
The mood at NATO's emergency summit in Brussels has been "sober" and "resolute" so far, according to senior U.S. administration officials.
"There was a very strong sense that that we are facing a significant historical moment, and very strong support from all the leaders who spoke about the need to defend our democracy," one of the officials told reporters during a telephone briefing Thursday.
The officials said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelesnkyy, who addressed NATO leaders remotely, spoke "very eloquently" and "repeated his requests for continued and increased Western security assistance."
"But notably, there was not a request for a no-fly zone," an official added. "There was also not a request for NATO membership."
U.S. President Joe Biden was the first NATO head of state to speak after Zelenskyy's speech and noted that Thursday marks one month since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. He discussed the sanctions that have already been imposed and expressed strong support for Ukraine as well as humanitarian and military aid and reaffirmed his support for Article 5, which is the cornerstone of NATO and states that an attack on one member is an attack on all members.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, seated left, and President Joe Biden, listen as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a meeting during a NATO summit to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the alliance's headquarters, March 24, 2022 in Brussels.
Evelyn Hockstein/AP
China was also a topic of discussion among "many of the speakers," officials said, as the world watches whether Beijing offers any military or economic assistance to Moscow.
"We need to continue to call on China not to support Russia in its aggression against Ukraine, and that we need China to call for a peaceful end of the conflict as a responsible member of the international community," an official told reporters.
NATO allies are now consulting about "providing anti-ship missiles to Ukraine," following the Ukrainian navy's attack on a Russian ship earlier Thursday, though officials noted "there may be some technical challenges with making that happen."
When asked whether there were discussions about NATO responding to a potential chemical attack by Russian forces in Ukraine, the officials told reporters: "Yes, there were some references to that."
"It's something that NATO as a military alliance is already postured to do," one official said, "and it's something that they're recognized that they need to continue to do given the various scenarios that could emerge as part of this conflict."
