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UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric commented on the possibility of Russia-Ukraine talks in Minsk by saying that the United Nations encourages all parties to negotiate.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had recommended to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the day that they sit down at the negotiating table. Putin is ready to send a mission to Minsk, Belarus' capital, for discussions with a Ukrainian group, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

"We would encourage all the parties to negotiate. The Secretary-General has been very clear that there is a need for restraint, there's a need to hold [back] the fighting and there's a need for dialogue," Dujarric said.

On his account, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said, on Friday, that the UN is monitoring how Western sanctions against Russia, implemented in response to its special military operation in Ukraine, may influence UN humanitarian efforts in that country.

"We're going to need to use cash for the delivery of assistance and we're going to need to use that cash safely. We're looking obviously at the impact of sanctions on our operations and we're doing this in coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross," Griffiths said.

On Thursday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced a $20 million allocation from the UN Central Emergency Reaction Fund to help Ukraine.

The Russian president Vladimir Putin authorized a special military operation in Donbass on Thursday, stressing that the Russian forces do not have any intention to occupy Ukraine; however, it will defend itself against Ukrainian forces if it must. Russia has previously stated that NATO's desire to expand eastward, including into Ukraine, poses a direct threat to Russia's national security.