West showcases unity against Russia, NATO adds more troops

Brussels, March 24

Western leaders showcased their unity against Russia’s war in Ukraine on Thursday, with Washington seeking more military aid for Kyiv, NATO assigning more troops to its eastern flank and London imposing fresh sanctions against Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on NATO, EU and G7 countries all meeting in Brussels on Thursday to help Kyiv fight the invasion, which has killed thousands and driven a quarter of Ukraine’s 44 million people from their homes.

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“We agreed to strengthen our deterrence and defence for the longer-term. We also agreed to give further support to Ukraine and to continue to impose costs on Russia,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

NATO agreed on Thursday to set up four new combat units in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia. More jets will be deployed, it added.

“NATO has yet to show what the alliance can do to save people,” Zelenskiy told the summit. 

15,000 Russian troops killed: NATO

A NATO official estimated that up to 15,000 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine so far and up to 40,000 persons have been killed, wounded, taken prisoner or are missing.

Lavrov’s stepdaughter on UK sanctions list

Britain on Thursday imposed sanctions on more Russian lenders, including Gazprombank and Alfa Bank, as well as a woman who, London said, was the stepdaughter of Putin’s veteran foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. — Reuters

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