LIVE UPDATES: Ukrainian President Zelensky Says He's Ready to Talk With Putin

"We must act, taking into account the priorities of our country. There must be an actor than can talk to Russia. Who will talk to Russia when everyone is throwing bridges? We are not planning a package of sanctions to leave this channel open," Kalin told CNN Turk.

Dujarric declined to disclose the name and a position of the affected employee in deference to the privacy of the individual and the “sensitivity of the matter.”

Earlier, US President Joe Biden said that new anti-Russian sanctions would hit the aerospace industry, in particular, to create spacecraft, if possible. US and allied sanctions will limit Russia's imports of high-tech products by 50%, which will have a significant negative impact on "the possibility of modernizing the Russian military industry."

"It's too early to make such conclusions," Peskov said, commenting on Lukashenko's words.

The meaning of what is happening and the moment chosen for this purely hostile action are obvious — to increase pressure, increase blackmail and intimidation in order to weaken Russia's position, to deprive it of the opportunity to fully work on the UN platform, she said.

“We are not in direct communication with Russian tactical commanders on the ground [in Ukraine] or involved in this operation. I have no new conversations to speak to either between General [Mark] Milley and General Valery Gerasimov or between Secretary [Lloyd] Austin and [Russian] Minister [of Defense] Shoygu. There has been no communication,” the official said during a press briefing.

Earlier, Vladimir Zelensky called on US President Joe Biden to deliver a special message on Ukraine during his State of the Union speech later on Tuesday.

“Ukraine is the heart of Europe, and now I think Europe sees Ukraine is something special for this world. That's why [the] world can't lose this something special,” Zelensky told CNN and Reuters.

"Very powerful forces want to disrupt this process. And I pray to god that Zelensky and his team hold out and do not slide into the breakdown of the negotiation process," Lukashenko said, as quoted by the state-run Belta news agency.

On Monday, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova claimed Russia had used a thermobaric weapon during its special operation in Ukraine. Markarova did not provide any evidence to support her claim.

Canada bans Russian ships and fishing vessels from entering its ports and internal waters, Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra said on Tuesday.

"Today… Omar Alghabra, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly, and the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard Joyce Murray, announced that the Government of Canada intends to ban Russian-owned or registered ships and fishing vessels in Canadian ports and internal waters. The ban is expected to be in effect later this week through orders made pursuant to the Special Economic Measures Act," the statement read.

Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with Reuters, said Ukraine would demand legally binding security guarantees if NATO closed the door on the country's prospects of joining the alliance.

Ukrainian media claim that there were two explosions near the TV tower.