Latest developments:
Speaking ahead of next week’s Ukraine Recovery Conference in London, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country "will rebuild everything, restore everything."
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi postponed a planned trip to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on Wednesday due to security reasons.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday the war in Ukraine demonstrates the need to stand with Ukraine and continue to provide support.
Stoltenberg told reporters as he arrived at NATO headquarters that after launching its long-expected counteroffensive, Ukraine has made gains and liberated occupied land from Russian forces during fierce fighting.
“This is due to the courage, the bravery, the skills of the Ukrainian soldiers, but it also highlights and demonstrates that the support NATO allies have been giving to Ukraine for many, many months actually makes a difference on the battlefield,” Stoltenberg said.
He added that the more successful Ukraine is at this stage, the more pressure it will put on Russian President Vladimir Putin to come to the negotiating table and give Ukraine a stronger hand in peace talks.
Stoltenberg said if allies want enduring peace in Ukraine, they have to continue providing Ukrainian forces with military support.
Ahead of the meeting of NATO defense chiefs, the U.S.-led Ukraine Contact Group held its latest session Thursday in Brussels to discuss military assistance for Ukraine.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at the opening of the meeting that the fight in Ukraine “is a marathon, and not a sprint.”
“We will continue to provide Ukraine with the urgent capabilities that it needs to meet this moment as well as what it needs to keep itself secure for the long term from Russian aggression,” Austin said.
He highlighted the need to provide Ukrainian forces with air defense systems that are critical in protecting Ukrainian civilians from Russia’s aerial attacks.
“The Kremlin’s imperial ambitions have inflicted unimaginable suffering on the Ukrainian people, yet the Ukrainians continue to inspire us with their resilience, their bravery, and their unwavering commitment to keep their country free and secure,” Austin said.
Norway and Denmark announced a joint effort to provide thousands of artillery rounds to Ukraine.
“Ukraine has an urgent need for artillery ammunition. We have therefore decided to join forces with Denmark for a new donation, so that Ukraine receives the ammunition as quickly as possible,” Norway’s defense minister, Bjørn Arild Gram, said in a statement.
Ukraine’s military said Thursday it intercepted a Russian cruise missile as well as 20 explosive drones launched by Russia.
In Russian-controlled Crimea, Russian officials said their side downed nine Ukrainian drones.
Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
…
