The United Nations said it's verified the deaths of nearly 100 children in Ukraine in April alone -- and officials believe the actual figure to be considerably higher.

"More children have been injured and faced grave violations of their rights, millions more have been displaced," UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Omar Abdi said at Thursday's U.N. Security Council meeting. "The war in Ukraine, like all wars, is a child protection and child rights crisis."

Education also "came to a standstill" when Russia invaded, Abdi said.

One in every six UNICEF-supported schools in eastern Ukraine was damaged or destroyed as of last week, Abdi said.

"These attacks must stop. All parties must honour their legal and moral obligation to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, to respect international humanitarian and human rights law, and to ensure the rights of children are upheld," Abdi said.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

"Difficult" negotiations are underway between Ukraine and Russia to coordinate the evacuation of seriously wounded fighters from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol in exchange for an unspecified number of Russian prisoners of war, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

"We are currently negotiating only 38 severely wounded fighters that can't walk," she said.

-ABC News' Irene Hnatiuk

Russia "will be forced to take retaliatory steps both of military-technical and of other nature in order to stop the threats to its national security" in response to Finland’s possible accession to NATO, according to state-run TASS citing a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The ministry added, "Finland joining NATO will seriously harm bilateral Russian-Finnish relations and the maintenance of stability and security in the North European region."

Russia will conduct a "special analysis" and take necessary measures for national security if Finland joins NATO, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

"There is an order from the president, the supreme commander-in-chief, that a list of measures be composed to strengthen our western flanks in connection with the strengthening of the eastern flank of NATO," Peskov told reporters during a daily briefing. "NATO has been enlarging towards us. So, clearly, all of that will be elements of a special analysis and the elaboration of measures necessary for maintaining a balance and providing our security."

"Everything will depend on the manifestation of the further [NATO] enlargement process -- how far the military infrastructure will grow towards our borders," he added.

When asked whether Finland's accession to NATO -- the world's biggest military alliance -- would pose a threat to Russia, Peskov told reporters: "Of course it will."

"Another enlargement of NATO does not make our continent more stable and secure," he said.

Peskov's comments followed a joint statement released by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin announcing their support for Finland applying to join NATO.

President Joe Biden signed the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022 into law on Monday, giving him authority to lend or lease defense equipment to Ukraine and other Eastern European nations.

It passed the Senate by unanimous consent and the House of Representatives with 417 votes.

A similar lend-lease program was enacted in 1941 to provide pivotal aid to Allied nations in the battle against Nazi Germany.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy tweeted that he's "grateful" to Biden for signing the law, adding, "I am convinced that we will win together again. ... Like 77 years ago."

-ABC News' Alexandra Hutzler