LIVE UPDATES: Moscow, Kiev Reach Progress on Ukraine's Neutral Status, Russian Negotiator Says

""[Biden] described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia as it conducts brutal attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians."

"The conversation focused on Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine ... The President underscored his support for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis," the statement said.

"President Biden, who just passed me in the West Wing, tells me his nearly two hour call with President Xi ‘went well’," CNN White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins said via Twitter.

The term "rail war" usually refers to guerrilla actions to disrupt railroads aiming to disable troops, equipment and supplies deliveries.

"First of all, I would like to draw the attention of Western media representatives who arrived in Dnepropetrovsk. Russian aviation did not and does not have any combat missions to strike the hospital building or other buildings in Dnepropetrovsk," Konashenkov added.

"If I told you they spoke about the situation in Ukraine it would not be a scoop," Dujarric said. "That’s what the meeting focused on."

According to Xi, the ongoing dialogue and prevention of civilian casualties remain the main priority in Ukraine.

“Mr. Volodymyr Zelensky @ZelenskyyUa, President of the Republic of Ukraine, will speak from Kiev to the National Assembly on Wednesday March 23 at 3 p.m. [14:00 GMT],” he tweeted, reiterating the legislature's support for Ukraine.

In late February, the European Union decided to finance assistance to the armed forces of Ukraine in the amount of 500 million euros for the first time.

"Sanctions are not designed to be permanent and they are a tool," the official said. "If we do see the results that we are trying to achieve in terms of an end of Russia’s aggression and restoration of Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty and territorial integrity, then our hope would be that - many of the tools that we are using - that we would also see an end to those tools."

In addition, the official said that discussions about a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky will be appropriate after sides agree on a deal.

The call began at 9:03 a.m. EST (13:03 GMT). The two leaders were expected to discuss bilateral issues and the Russian military operation in Ukraine as Washington warns Beijing against supporting Moscow.

“In addition to taking additional measures alongside our European and G7 partners, we are working to expand the coalition of countries adopting these measures alongside us,” the officials said.

"The crisis in Ukraine is not what we would like to see," Xi added.

The United Nations has neither the mandate nor the technical capabilities to investigate claims about the existence of biological programs in Ukraine, UN Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu said on Friday.

"The United Nations currently has neither the mandate nor the technical operational capacity to investigate this information," Nakamitsu said.

Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov has explained that the broadcast of Putin's speech at the Crimean Spring concert at Luzhniki was suddenly interrupted due to technical failure.