US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine Friday in talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, but their first call since the war began resolved no immediate issues, the Pentagon said.

Shoigu spoke with Austin at the Pentagon chief's request for about an hour, their first direct discussion since February 18, six days before Russia invaded Ukraine.

"Secretary Austin urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication," the Pentagon said in a statement.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the call, saying the two sides discussed current international security issues, "including the situation in Ukraine."

No other details were offered officially by either side, but a senior US defense official dampened expectations that any progress was made on the war situation beyond the reopening of a crucial line of communication between Moscow and Washington.

"The call itself didn't specifically solve any acute issues or lead to a direct change in what the Russians are doing or what they are saying," the official said.

The official added that the US call for a ceasefire was not a change in US policy toward the war, even as Washington has said it wants to support Ukraine with arms and funding in a longer effort to weaken the Russian military.

"Our call for a ceasefire is very much in line with what other allies and partners want to see happen," the official said.

French President Emmanuel Macron recently urged the two sides to negotiate a settlement.

On Friday German Chancellor Olaf Scholz asked Russian President Vladimir Putin in a call to agree to a ceasefire and negotiations, according to his office.

Scholz called for a ceasefire "as soon as possible to improve the humanitarian situation and make progress in the search for a diplomatic solution to the conflict," his office said.

The call also came as Finland and Sweden have expressed the desire to join the NATO defense alliance, a direct consequence of Russia's attack on Ukraine, which is not part of NATO.

Neither side would say whether NATO's expansion, which Russia has opposed, was discussed in the defense chiefs' call.

At the UN Security Council Friday, the United States branded as "ludicrous" Russian allegations that the US government had run a secret biological and chemical weapons program in Ukraine.

The allegations "are categorically false and ludicrous," said US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Richard Mills.

The defense chiefs' conversation came as Russian and Ukrainian forces battle along a long front line in eastern and southern Ukraine, with the Pentagon maintaining that Russia is weeks behind goals set in its war plan.

The Pentagon official said the Russians are "not making any major gains in the Donbas" region where the fighting is heaviest.

"Ukrainian artillery is frustrating Russian efforts to make much ground," the official said.

But Moscow has shown no indication of pulling back and is believed by Western intelligence to want to take control of a wide swath of southern Ukraine stretching along the Black Sea to Moldova.

War in Ukraine: Latest developments
Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) May 13, 2022 –

Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:

– Finland, Sweden discuss NATO bids –

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto speak to US President Joe Biden for just over half an hour, about their expected bids to join NATO, the White House says.

Niinisto says on Twitter he explained "Finland's next steps" towards becoming part of the transatlantic defence group, and that his country "deeply appreciates all the necessary support from the US".

But the two hitherto non-aligned countries face a potential hurdle from Turkey, whose President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he does not have a "positive opinion" of them joining the alliance.

Their foreign ministers say they are hoping to meet their Turkish counterpart in Berlin on Saturday, the day before they are expected to confirm their NATO bids.

Washington is "working to clarify Turkey's position", White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki says.

– Russia to suspend Finland's electricity supplies –

Russia will suspend electricity supplies to Finland this weekend, a supplier says, as tensions rise over Helsinki's NATO bid.

"We are forced to suspend the electricity import starting from May 14," said RAO Nordic, a subsidiary of Russian state energy holding Inter RAO. "RAO Nordic is not able to make payments for the imported electricity from Russia."

Finland's electricity network operator says it would be able to make do without Russian electricity.

– Pentagon chief talks to Russian counterpart –

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin urges Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to move immediately to implement a ceasefire in Ukraine, in their first conversation since before the war began, the Pentagon says.

"Secretary Austin urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and emphasised the importance of maintaining lines of communication," the Pentagon says in a statement.

A senior US defence official dampened expectations that any progress was made. "The call itself didn't specifically solve any acute issues or lead to a direct change in what the Russians are doing or what they are saying," the official says.

– G7 'strongly united' –

France says Group of Seven countries are "strongly united" in backing Ukraine until its "victory" against Russia, as Britain urges more weapons for Kyiv to keep up the pressure against President Vladimir Putin.

"It is very important at this time that we keep up the pressure on Vladimir Putin by supplying more weapons to Ukraine, by increasing the sanctions," British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says as she arrives for a second day of talks with her G7 counterparts in Germany.

– EU pledges extra aid –

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell pledges an extra 500 million euros ($520 million) in military aid for Ukraine at the G7 meeting.

The extra cash will raise the EU's total military aid for Ukraine to two billion euros, he says.

– 'Seize Russian assets': Kyiv –

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba calls on the major industrialised nations to seize and hand over Russian assets to help with rebuilding his war-torn country, as he meets the G7 club.

And he warns any omission of an embargo on Russian oil in the EU's next sanctions package, due to opposition from Hungary, would spell the end of the bloc's unity, calling it a "critical moment".

– War crimes suspect in court –

A Russian soldier accused of killing a civilian appears in a court in Kyiv ahead of the first war crimes trial since the start of the offensive.

Vadim Shishimarin, 21, allegedly gunned down an unarmed 62-year-old civilian who had witnessed a carjacking by fleeing Russian troops.

He faces possible life imprisonment on charges of war crimes and premeditated murder.

– UK sanctions Putin's inner circle –

Britain sanctions 12 members of Putin's "inner circle" including his reputed girlfriend, accusing them of hiding tens of billions of dollars on his behalf.

The list includes Putin's ex-wife Lyudmila Ocheretnaya and Alina Kabaeva, a former Olympic gymnast whom UK officials described as his "current partner", as well as Kabaeva's grandmother Anna Zatseplina.

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