Live blog: NATO has no plans to deploy troops to Ukraine — Stoltenberg

Thursday, April 4, 2024

1808 GMT — NATO has no plans to deploy troops to Ukraine, and Kiev has made no such request, the alliance's chief has said.

Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference following NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs meetings in Brussels that "Russia's brutal war against Ukraine has entered its third year. And, as Ukraine continues to fight for its independence, the allies continue to support Ukraine. The situation on the battlefield is difficult. This is an argument for increasing, not decreasing, our support."

"And we have seen how Russia is now pushing along the front line and how Russia is mobilising more troops but also how they are willing to sacrifice men and material for marginal gains," he said.

More updates 👇

1806 GMT — Zelenskyy accuses Moscow of cynically targeting civilians

Russian attacks killed at least eight people in eastern Ukraine, authorities have said, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of cynically targeting civilians.

Russian forces have stepped up their aerial bombardments in recent weeks, with Zelenskyy calling nearly daily for his Western backers to deliver air defence systems to save Ukrainian lives.

"A few air defence systems could fundamentally change the situation," Zelenskyy said in an evening address posted on social media.

1758 GMT — Blinken pushes for urgently needed aid for Ukraine

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said more aid is urgently needed for Ukraine following a NATO meeting of foreign ministers, adding the message from allies in Brussels was clear that the US Congress vote on aid for Ukraine cannot happen soon enough.

Blinken, speaking to reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels, said support for Ukraine is especially important as countries such as China, North Korea and Iran are helping Russia build up its defence industrial base.

1656 GMT — Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant 'on verge' of another blackout: Ukraine

Ukraine’s national nuclear energy provider has said that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is "on the verge" of another blackout after an off-side power supply line was disconnected following Russian shelling in the area.

A statement by Energoatom on Telegram said the plant is currently connected to the nation’s power grid only through a power supply line that was recently restored by efforts of Ukrainian power industry specialists.

It said the plant could have another blackout should the last power line disconnect, which would be a “serious violation of the conditions for the safe operation of the plant.”

1556 GMT — Ukraine strikes may have hit 15 percent of Russian refinery capacity: NATO official

Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries may have disrupted more than 15 percent of Russian capacity, a NATO official has said, adding that the alliance believed Moscow still lacked sufficient munitions and manpower to launch a successful offensive.

Russia and Ukraine have both used drones to strike critical infrastructure, military installations and troop concentrations in their more than two-year-old war, with Kiev hitting Russian refineries and energy facilities in recent months with some strikes entering 1,000 km into Russian territory.

1500 GMT — IMF expects high-level discussion on Ukraine budget support

The International Monetary Fund has said that it expects discussions on "timely disbursements of budget support" to Ukraine at a ministerial roundtable during spring meetings in Washington later this month.

"Timely and predictable external financing is critical for sustained sustaining the hard-earned economic gains," IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack said in a scheduled press briefing.

"We do expect discussions during the spring meetings to discuss the situation facing Ukraine and the criticality of timely disbursements of budget support for Ukraine.

1430 GMT — Russia ready for 'honest' peace agreement with Ukraine: Moscow

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Moscow is ready for an "honest" peace agreement with Ukraine that would take into account Moscow's security interests.

Speaking at a meeting with ambassadors of foreign countries in Moscow, Lavrov put forward another condition for the peace treaty - Kiev has to recognise Russia's territorial gains over Ukraine's territory.

The minister called an "ultimatum" Zelenskyy's 10-point peace plan, pushing Russia to surrender and return to the 1991 borders.

1014 GMT — 'No doubt' Russia targeting Paris Olympics: Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron said he had "no doubt" Russia was targeting the Paris Olympics including with disinformation.

"I have no doubt, including in the information space," he said when asked if Russia would target the Games which begin on July 26.

"It is feeding every day the idea that we can't do this or that, that there's a risk."

1003 GMT — Alliance work to 'cement Ukraine's path' towards membership: NATO chief

The NATO chief said that the alliance is working to "cement Ukraine's path" towards membership, reiterating NATO's commitment to continued support to Kiev amid Russia's over the two-year-old war.

"Russia's brutal war against Ukraine has entered its third year, and as Ukraine continues to fight for its freedom, allies continue to support Ukraine," Jens Stoltenberg said in his opening remarks at the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council.

"The situation on the battlefield is difficult," he said, and stressed: "This is an argument for stepping up our support, not scaling down."

1001 GMT — Russia and NATO are now in 'direct confrontation' — Kremlin

Russia and NATO are now in "direct confrontation", the Kremlin said as the military alliance marked its 75th anniversary.

NATO's successive waves of eastern enlargement are a fixation of Moscow, who went to war with Kiev two years ago with the stated aim of preventing the alliance from coming closer to Russia's borders.

Instead, the war has galvanised NATO, which has expanded again with the entry of Finland and Sweden.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "In fact, relations have now slipped to the level of direct confrontation."

NATO was "already involved in the conflict surrounding Ukraine (and) continues to move towards our borders and expand its military infrastructure towards our borders", he said.

0942 GMT — Russian air attacks kill five in northeast Ukraine

Russian air attacks killed five people in northeast Ukraine, authorities said, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of cynically targeting civilians.

Russian forces have stepped up their aerial bombardment of Ukraine recently, cutting power to thousands of people as they repeatedly strike the country's electricity grid.

Drone attacks on Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv killed four people, including three rescuers responding to an earlier strike, Mayor Igor Terekhov said.

0932 GMT — War would come to Europe if Ukraine fails, German foreign minister warns

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for increased military support for Ukraine, warning that its defeat would bring war to Central Europe.

"If Ukraine cannot continue to defend itself, then the Russian war of aggression threatens to move further towards European borders, towards our own NATO borders," she told reporters in Brussels.

"If Ukraine cannot continue to defend our freedom, then this war threatens to be 8 hours' drive away from Berlin, or another 8 hours' drive away from Brussels, the heart of our European Union, the heart of our NATO alliance," Baerbock stressed.

0906 GMT — Russian strike on Kharkiv 'despicable': Zelenskyy

Overnight Russian strikes on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv that killed four people including three rescue workers were "despicable", President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

"A despicable and cynical attack, when the rescuers arrived at the scene of the strike, the terrorists attacked again. As a result of the attack, four people were killed," he said.

2343 GMT — Top diplomats to mark 75 years of NATO

NATO foreign ministers are meeting to celebrate the 75th anniversary of their alliance, having agreed to start planning for a greater role in coordinating military aid to Ukraine.

On the second day of a meeting in Brussels, the ministers will mark the signing in Washington on April 4, 1949, of the North Atlantic Treaty that established the transatlantic political and military alliance.

"As we face a more dangerous world, the bond between Europe and North America has never been more important," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. "We will continue to strengthen our alliance," Stoltenberg told reporters.

"And we will continue to work with our partners across the globe for peace and security."

2341 GMT — Russian drone attack kills three in Kharkiv: Ukraine officials

Russia has launched drones against Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, and three rescue workers were killed in another attack while responding to the scene, the city's mayor and the region's governor alleged.

According to Oleh Synehoubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, the rescuers were killed by a Russian drone strike when they had just arrived at the scene of the first attack.

He said four strikes had targeted the city of Kharkiv and that the upper floors of a residential building had been damaged.

2149 GMT — France denies Russian claim of discussion on potential Ukraine talks

Russia has said that its Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu discussed the potential for talks on the Ukraine conflict during a rare telephone call, a claim that Paris immediately denied.

The unexpected call, which Moscow said was initiated by France, marks a rare instance of high-level contact between the two countries, whose ties have been severely strained by the two-year Ukraine war.

"Readiness for dialogue on Ukraine was noted. The starting points could be based on the Istanbul peace initiative," the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement on the call.

It did not elaborate on what it meant, and a source close to Lecornu was quick to deny such a conversation took place.

For our live updates from Wednesday, April 3, click here.