US President Joe Biden vowed to avoid a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia, saying the United States would not fight a third world war in Ukraine, but imposed new trade restrictions on Russia.

The Kremlin said the conflict in Ukraine would end when the West took action to address Russia's repeatedly raised concerns about civilian deaths in eastern Ukraine and NATO's eastward expansion.

On the other hand, the diplomatic confrontation escalates in the Security Council;

The Russian delegate, Vasily Nebenzia, accused the United States of using Ukrainian territory to conduct research he described as dangerous in the field of biological weapons.

Nebenzia said the Russian Defense Ministry has documents confirming the existence of a network of at least 30 biological laboratories in which experiments were conducted to develop deadly diseases.

The US ambassador to the Security Council, Linda Thomas Greenfield, denied the Russian accusations.

On the ground, clashes are raging between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the vicinity of the capital, and Moscow says that its air force has destroyed dozens of Ukrainian military installations, while Kyiv says that the progress of Russian forces has stopped, warning of a major Russian attack east of the capital.

Here are the latest developments on the 17th day of the war:

a minute ago

Reuters: Ukraine's president says 7,144 Ukrainians were evacuated from 4 cities via humanitarian corridors on Friday

Reuters: Ukraine's president says Russia has refused to let civilians out of the besieged city of Mariupol

Reuters: Ukraine's president says authorities will again try to deliver food and medicine to the besieged city of Mariupol

3 minutes ago

  • Satellite imagery company Maxar publishes photos showing the continued deployment of Russian military units near Kyiv

  • Maxar Corporation: Pictures show Russian military units firing heavy artillery towards residential areas

  • Maxar Corporation: Pictures show a number of houses and buildings erupting in fire across a town northwest of Kyiv

3 minutes ago

Reuters: Instagram says Russia's blocking of its services will affect 80 million users

39 minutes ago

  • The US Secretary of Energy: We continue to monitor the situation in Ukraine and are concerned about Russia's violations of the principles of nuclear safety.

  • US Secretary of Energy: No signs of a radioactive leak have appeared in Ukraine.

  • US Energy Secretary: We cannot confirm the allegations that electricity has been restored to the Chernobyl reactor.

  • US Secretary of Energy: We are concerned about the work of employees at the Chernobyl reactor and the Zaporozhye plant under duress and without rest.

  • US Secretary of Energy: Attacks that threaten nuclear safety in Ukraine and beyond must stop.