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Russia is the “most direct threat” to the international order because of its invasion of Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday in Tokyo. Finland is expected to announce its intention to join NATO with Sweden likely to follow soon after, diplomats and officials said, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reshapes European security. Follow FRANCE 24’s live blog for all the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
2:50am: NATO to welcome Nordic members as Ukraine pushes back Russian forces
Finland is expected to announce on Thursday its intention to join NATO with Sweden likely to follow soon after, diplomats and officials said, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reshapes European security and the Atlantic military alliance.
NATO allies expect Finland and Sweden to be granted membership quickly, five diplomats and officials told Reuters, paving the way for increased troop presence in the Nordic region during the one-year ratification period. Read full story
In the wider Nordic region, Norway, Denmark and the three Baltic states are already NATO members, and the addition of Finland and Sweden would likely anger Moscow, which says NATO enlargement is a direct threat to its own security.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has cited the issue as a reason for his actions in Ukraine, which has also expressed a desire to eventually join the alliance.
1:00am: Pro-Moscow leaders of occupied region seek to join Russia
The Russian-occupied region of Kherson in Ukraine plans to ask President Vladimir Putin to incorporate it into Russia by the end of 2022, Russia’s TASS news agency reported on Wednesday, quoting the military-civilian administration there.
Kherson is the first region set to be annexed since Moscow began its military campaign in February saying it needed to disarm Ukraine and protect its Russian-speakers from “fascists”. That rationale has been dismissed by Ukraine and the West as a baseless pretext for an imperialist war of aggression.
The Kremlin said it was up to residents living in the region to decide whether they wanted to join Russia.
But Hennadiy Lahuta, the ousted Ukrainian governor of the Kherson region, told reporters in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro that the population wanted only “a speedy liberation and return to the bosom of their homeland, their mother – Ukraine”.
9:07pm: US ambassador to Russia met with Russian officials on narrow range of issues says State Department
US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan met with Russian officials on Wednesday to discuss a narrow range of issues in the bilateral relationship, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
“Ambassador Sullivan is discussing issues in the bilateral relationship with his Russian counterparts. These tend to be quite narrow. In many cases, these tend to be centered on the functioning of our embassy,” Price told a daily news briefing.
9:03pm: Germany says it is assessing Russian announcement on Gazprom Germania sanctions
Germany is examining an announcement from Russia that it is imposing sanctions on parts of Gazprom Germania, a spokesperson for the Economy Ministry said on Wednesday, adding that it has no details.
“The German government and Federal Network Agency, as trustees of Gazprom Germania, are already in the process of taking the necessary precautions and preparing for various scenarios,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
9:00pm: More than 560 Ukraine National Guard soldiers killed in war, says Kyiv
More than 560 soldiers from Ukraine’s National Guard, a force which includes the Azov regiment currently holed up in Mariupol’s steelworks, have been killed since the war with Russia began, its leader said Wednesday. Besides the 561 dead, an additional 1,697 troops had been wounded since the invasion began on February 24, National Guard chief Oleksiy Nadtochy said in an online briefing.
Wednesday’s statement marked a rare move as both Ukrainian and Russian officials have been tight-lipped about their losses in the war.
8:08pm: Ukraine proposes swapping injured Azovstal defenders for Russia prisoners
Ukraine has proposed to Russia that badly injured defenders in the Azovstal plant in the port of Mariupol be swapped for Russian prisoners of war, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Wednesday.
“There is no agreement yet. Negotiations are continuing,” she said in an online post.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and REUTERS)
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