(NewsNation) — Refugees from the Russian invasion of Ukraine reached two million Tuesday as another round of peace talks ended with little progress.
Overnight Tuesday, a temporary cease-fire between the forces of Moscow and Kyiv was declared to evacuate civilians from five major cities in Ukraine including the capital. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the partial truce took effect in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernigiv, Sumi and Mariupol.
U.S. defense officials said Russia has complete combat power inside Ukraine, but Russian forces are running low on food and fuel as the 40-mile long convoy inches toward the capital Kyiv.
“Morale continues to be a problem for many of the Russian forces,” said Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby.
Now, the United States is sending 500 more troops to NATO’s Eastern Europe flank, including sending refueling aircraft to Greece. The new troops will bring the number of U.S. forces in the region to 10,000.
President Joe Biden held a call Monday with the leaders of France, Germany and the U.K. to determine whether to keep imposing sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin. Biden has made a point to restrict Russia financially instead of militarily.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration is in a “range of discussions” with Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Iran for oil, alleviating reliance on Russian energy. The White House is currently weighing a ban on Russian oil and gas.
At the same time, Poland is considering providing Ukraine with fighter jets — a decision that could put the country in direct conflict with Russia and Belarus.
The National Security Council is now helping collect evidence of possible war crimes Russia has committed, including human rights abuses. A new round of talks is set for Thursday.