As Friday draws to an end in Kyiv and in Moscow, here are the key developments of the day:
The Russian military is stepping up its air and ground attacks in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, according to a senior U.S. defense official, but the official said the Russians have not made any significant advances so far. The Russian Defense Ministry said it is focusing on the Donbas. Pro-Russian forces have controlled parts of this region since 2014, but Ukraine's troops have maintained their hold on part of it.
President Biden visited Poland Friday, reassuring a vulnerable ally. He has been traveling along NATO's eastern flank, including a stop in a Polish town only 60 miles from the Ukrainian border. He met with U.S. troops stationed near Poland's border with Ukraine and with Polish President Andrzej Duda.
Ukraine says that Moscow's negotiating positions have become more "appropriate" as the Russian military advance has stalled in some places. Ukraine's foreign minister repeated calls for more sanctions on Russia and more military aid to Ukraine to help convince Moscow to start moving past ultimatums. Russia has demanded that Ukraine recognize Crimea as part of Russia, and Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states.
In Kyiv, Russia has apparently halted its ground offensive. Russian forces are digging in and showing no signs of trying to advance on the capital. Ukrainian forces say they've regained most of suburban Irpin.
Biden and the European Commission president announced a new task force to find ways to reduce Europe's dependence on Russian natural gas by next winter. Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin has long used energy to coerce and manipulate its neighbors. "He's used the profits to drive his war machine," Biden said.
In depth
A month into the war, more than half of Ukrainian children are displaced.
Some Russians are fleeing Russia. Not because of the war, but because of their own government.
At Ukraine's largest children's hospital, the war's youngest casualties describe what they've been through.
The Russian airstrike on a theater in Mariupol, Ukraine, may have killed 300 people sheltering there.
A top Russian journalist found a pig's head and antisemitic slur left at his door — the latest in a series of acts of intimidation inside Russia.
Ukrainian journalists are reportedly being held hostage by Russian forces.
The Russian TV editor who protested the war on live TV will face a fine for her actions.
Earlier developments
You can read more news from Friday here, as well as more in-depth reporting and daily recaps here. Also, listen and subscribe to NPR's State of Ukraine podcast for updates throughout the day.
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