LIVE: Biden Demands that Intelligence Leaks Stop

On Friday, the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol continued with the support of the United Nations. Negotiations to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine remain stalled. Below are the main developments of this conflict as they happen.

Reuters censors testimony by Mariupol witness - Russia’s deputy ambassador to UNReuters censors testimony by Mariupol witness - Russia’s deputy ambassador to UN

Reuters has heavily censored and distorted testimonies by a woman evacuated from Mariupol in order to adjust her words to its own claims about the city’s shellings by the Russian army, Dmitry Polyansky said at an informal Arria Formula meeting of the UN Security Council, devoted to crimes by the Ukrainian military.

"The Reuters story creates an impression that the woman, Natalya Usmanova, is scared by Russian strikes and apparently hates Russia for what it has done to Ukraine," Polyansky said. He stressed that at the same time Reuters preferred to keep quiet about what the woman said loudly and clearly on Russian television.

Polyansky showed this video of Usmanova saying something Reuters did not dare quote in its story. The woman evacuee literally said:

"I do not wish to return to Ukraine. Honestly. My family’s vote was unanimous. Even if we ever decide to return, we will return only to Mariupol, to the Donetsk People’s Republic. And not to Ukraine," Usmanova said.

Yet, a Reuters spokesperson said the news organization stood by its reporting: "We are still seeking to verify key aspects of Natalia Usmanova's account. We are committed to reporting on the conflict on Ukraine in an impartial and independent way."

"It is deplorable that Western journalists in most cases participate in censorship and conceal undesirable information from their readerships and audiences," Polyansky concluded.

Biden demanded to stop leaks about the exchange of intelligence information with Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking with senior U.S. intelligence and defense officials, said recent media reports about U.S. intelligence exchanges with Ukraine were "counterproductive," NBC television reported, citing administration officials.

According to one official, during a phone call with CIA Director William Burns, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haynes and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Biden said such revelations were "taking away from our goal." Another official said Biden demanded that such leaks, which are of concern to the administration, be stopped.

The network noted that the agencies declined to comment.

As the media noted earlier, the U.S. has set clear limits on the intelligence information that Washington passes to Kiev.

For example, it stressed that the United States had so far refused to provide Ukraine with information about potential targets inside Russia.

US embassy in Moscow warns Americans to avoid public gatherings on May 9

The US embassy to Russia has called on US citizens to avoid public gatherings and festivities marking Victory Day in Moscow, according to the security alert statement published on the embassy’s website on Friday.

The embassy pointed out that in the past years, there had been heightened police presence surrounding such events.

"Given the ongoing tensions, US citizens should avoid large public gatherings," the statement says.

The diplomatic mission advised the US citizens to stay alert, carry IDs and have a personal security plan in case of emergencies.

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Ukraine evacuates 500 civilians from Mariupol. Andrily Yermak, the head of the office of President Volodymyr Zelensky, confirmed that 500 civilians were evacuated from Mariupol on Friday. He thanked the United Nations (UN) for its assistance in the evacuation efforts.

U.S. First Lady travels to the Black Sea. On Friday, Jill Biden, the first lady of the United States, traveled to the Romanian military base of Mihail Kogalniceanu, near the Black Sea, to show her support for the U.S. troops deployed in the area.

"On Romanian soil and on the way to dinner with our troops," she tweeted at a base where some 2,000 U.S. soldiers, 500 French troops, and 300 Belgian servicemen are stationed. Later, Biden traveled on Air Force Two to Bucharest, the capital of Romania.

On Saturday, she will meet with representatives of the government of President Klaus Iohannis, U.S. Embassy officials, and educators working with Ukrainian children.

Romania is a member of NATO and part of the European Union. Currently, it hosts 900,000 Ukrainian refugees, making it the country with the most displaced people after Poland. 

Russia criticizes the West for prolonging the Ukrainian conflict. While Western countries are calling for an early cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, "they are doing everything to prevent it" with their actions, said Alexei Zaitsev, deputy director of the Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said at a briefing on Friday.

Arms deliveries to Ukraine are increasing and the U.S. alone has sent US$3.8 billion worth of military products, he said, adding that Western military supplies will prolong hostilities, cause new destruction of civilian infrastructure, and cost more civilian lives.

Against this backdrop, the Russia-Ukraine peace talks are "in a state of stagnation," Zaitsev said and denied the allegation that Russia could use nuclear weapons, calling such speculation "a deliberate lie." Russia firmly adheres to the principle that "there can be no winners in a nuclear war, and it should not be unleashed," he noted.