Live blog: Ukraine can join when members agree, conditions met — NATO chief

Tuesday, July 11, 2023

1557 GMT — NATO will extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the military alliance when "members agree and conditions are met", Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has told a news conference.

Stoltenberg's comments reflected the language in a communique issued by NATO leaders at a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier in the day it would be "absurd" if NATO leaders did not offer his country a timeframe for membership.

Asked about Zelenskyy's criticism, Stoltenberg said: "There has never been a stronger message from NATO at any time, both when it comes to the political message of the path forward for membership and the concrete support from NATO allies."

He added that previous accessions to the alliance had not been accompanied by a timeline, saying: "They are conditions-based, have always been."

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1619 GMT — Moscow: Russian forces advanced 1.5 km in eastern Ukraine

"Russian units launched a counterattack, advancing 1.5 kilometres (0.9 miles) along two kilometres of the front," Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has said on Russian state television.

But he said Ukrainian forces were still "trying to break through our defences in various areas", adding that in the past two days there had been "several waves of attacks".

On Ukraine's counteroffensive, which began last month, he said that "the enemy has not achieved its aims in any area".

Shoigu also said that a US decision to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions would "naturally have the effect of prolonging the conflict" and Russian forces were taking "additional measures" to defend themselves from this weapon.

"In the event that the United States supplies cluster munitions to Ukraine, the Russian armed forces will be forced to use similar weapons against the armed forces of Ukraine as a response," Shoigu said.

1612 GMT — 'Ukraine will make NATO stronger', Zelenskyy says in Vilnius

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pushed for Ukraine to join NATO in a speech in Vilnius, as alliance members gathered for a key summit in the Lithuanian capital.

"NATO will give Ukraine security, Ukraine will make NATO stronger," said Zelenskyy, standing alongside Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, before a Ukrainian army flag from the key battleground of Bakhmut was raised.

"Bakhmut is one of the most decisive battles for freedom in Europe," Zelenskyy said.

1539 GMT — Ukrainian pilots' F-16 training to start in August, say officials

A coalition of 11 nations will start training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets in August in Denmark, and a training centre will be set up in Romania, officials said on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Lithuania.

NATO members Denmark and the Netherlands have been leading international efforts to train pilots as well as support staff, maintain aircraft and ultimately enable the supply of F-16s to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

"Hopefully, we will be able to see results in the beginning of next year," Denmark's acting defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen told reporters following a signing ceremony.

1513 GMT — Russia says it knows what to do in response to Finland, Sweden joining NATO

The Russian foreign minister has said Moscow knows the steps to be taken to ensure its security in response to Finland and Sweden joining NATO.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Sergey Lavrov said the countermeasures will depend on the kind of military infrastructure deployed in these countries.

"I assure you that all legitimate security interests of the Russian Federation will be ensured. Appropriate measures, we know what these measures are and how to implement them in practice ... We are taking adequate steps, and I can assure you, in advance," he stressed.

Lavrov said he was astonished by the pace of Finland and Sweden's decision to abandon their neutral status and its advantages, which, according to him, included independence, good reputation, authority and beneficial trade and economic relations with Russia.

1440 GMT — Russia says NATO's Vilnius summit 'failed before it began'

In a statement on Telegram, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the US decision to send cluster ammunition to Ukraine "shocked" even its allies.

"A rare case: the summit began, having already failed. The US decision on cluster ammunition, which shocked even old US satellites, the public humiliation of Ukraine, the absence of any coherent concept of what is happening - this is the summit in Vilnius," she said in her remarks on the first day of the two-day NATO summit, which began in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.

1236 GMT — N. Korea slams US move to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions

North Korea has slammed the United States' decision to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions, while also expressing support for Russia.

"The US has made a very dangerous choice by deciding to offer such lethal weapons to Ukraine," said North Korean foreign minister Choe Son Hui in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

The move "brings to light once again its true colours as destroyer of peace regarding aggression and massacre as its national policy and mode of existence", she said.

Washington announced last week that it would provide the widely banned munitions to Ukraine for their counteroffensive against Russian troops.

1142 GMT — Russia calls French decision to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles 'erroneous'

Russia has said France's decision to send long-range missiles to Ukraine is "erroneous," and countermeasures will follow to mitigate risks.

"Of course, it remains to be clarified and found out exactly what (effective casualty) radius we are talking about. This, from our point of view, is an erroneous decision, fraught with consequences for the Ukrainian side. Because, naturally, this will force us to take countermeasures," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing in Moscow.

He added that the West's supply of new weapons to Ukraine "only aggravates its fate."

"These decisions (to supply heavier weapons) cannot, are not able to turn the course of the 'special military operation'. They can only aggravate the fate of the Ukrainian, Kiev regime," he said.

1133 GMT — France delivers long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, says military source

France has started delivering a significant number of SCALP cruise missiles to Ukraine, which will be integrated into non-Western warplanes, a French military source said.

The missiles, which can reach 250 km, would only be used within Ukraine's internationally-recognised borders, the source told reporters in a briefing at a NATO summit in Lithuania.

Paris did not consider it as an escalation given that Russia was firing missiles with a much larger range, the source added.

1047 GMT — Russia sees no grounds for peace talks with Ukraine - Ifax cites Matviyenko

Russia sees no grounds for peace talks with Ukraine, the Interfax news agency reported, citing Russian upper house speaker Valentina Matviyenko as saying during a visit to China.

1035 GMT — 'Absurd' if no timetable given for Ukraine's NATO bid— Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticised NATO's "uncertainty" and "weakness" over his country's possible membership as the alliance's leaders met in Vilnius, saying this encouraged Russian aggression.

In a message on Twitter, Zelenskyy said he received "signals" that a "certain wording is being discussed" by NATO over issuing an invitation to Ukraine to become a member.

"It's unprecedented and absurd when (a) time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine's membership," Zelenskyy wrote.

"It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to NATO nor to make it a member of the Alliance," he added.

1017 GMT — G7 to make declaration on security assurances for Ukraine

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said that G7 nations will make a declaration on security commitments for Ukraine that would come into force when peace is reached.

"The G7 countries are going to make a joint declaration that expresses this and that will be fulfilled very concretely by the various countries," Scholz said, at the start of a NATO summit.

0952 GMT — Belarus is waiting for Wagner mercenary fighters, regular Russian troops - BELTA

Belarus is waiting for fighters from Russia's Wagner mercenary group to deploy on its territory and plans to exchange combat experience with them when they do, state news agency BELTA has cited the Belarusian defence ministry as saying.

Belarus is also waiting for a new batch of regular Russian troops to arrive to take part in joint training with the Belarusian armed forces, the ministry was cited as saying.

0945 GMT — Kremlin: moving NATO infrastructure towards Russia's borders is a mistake

European leaders do not seem to understand that moving NATO infrastructure towards Russia's borders is a mistake, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said.

Peskov, speaking as a NATO summit opens in Vilnius, told a news briefing that the Western military alliance's advance into central and eastern Europe had led to the current crisis around Ukraine in the first place.

0553 GMT — No 'timetable' for Ukraine's NATO bid but 'reform path' to be drawn up

NATO will lay out a path of reforms for Ukraine so that it can eventually join the alliance, but without giving a "timetable," White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said.

A "reform path for Ukraine" will be drawn up but "I can't put a timetable on it," Sullivan told reporters at the NATO summit in Vilnius, also announcing that President Joe Biden will meet Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday.

Sullivan ruled out any immediate entry for Western-backed Ukraine, given its ongoing war against Russian assault, saying this would "bring NATO into a war with Russia."

0742 GMT — Russia: US' arms supplies show no interest on Ukraine peace

By announcing plans to increase arms supplies to Ukraine, the United States makes clear that it is not interested in a diplomatic solution, the RIA news agency cited senior Russian diplomat Konstantin Gavrilov as saying.

Gavrilov also said in comments published on the day of a NATO summit in Lithuania that Europe would be the first to face "catastrophic consequences" if the war escalates.

0646 GMT — Key port for grain deal Odesa targeted by Russian drones: Ukraine

Ukraine has said that Russian attack drones overnight had targeted grain facilities at the southern port of Odessa, one of three maritime terminals key to an expiring export agreement between Moscow and Kiev.

"The air defence forces did not allow the enemy's plan to attack the grain terminal of one of the ports of Odesa to be realised," the regional governor Oleg Kiper said, in a statement, while the military said it had downed a total of 26 Russian attack drones in the latest barrage.

0626 GMT — Stoltenberg: NATO should remove Ukraine's membership action plan requirement

NATO allies should agree to remove the requirement of a Membership Action Plan (MAP) for Ukraine to become a member of the alliance in the future, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

"Ukraine has come a long way since we made the decision in 2008 that the next step would be a Membership Action Plan. Ukraine is much closer to NATO, so I think the time has come to reflect that in NATO decisions", Stoltenberg said before a summit of NATO leaders in Vilnius.

"All put together, including that we'll make clear that Ukraine will become a member, we'll remove the Membership Action Plan, (....) will send a very strong and positive message from NATO to Ukraine."

0325 GMT — Russia launches fresh airstrike on Kiev ahead of NATO summit

Russia launched an overnight air strike on Kiev, Ukraine's military has said, just hours before the start of the NATO summit in Lithuania that is to tackle security threats from Moscow.

"The enemy attacked Kiev from the air for the second time this month," Serhiy Popko, a head of Kiev's military administration, said in a post on the Telegram channel.

According to preliminary information, Ukraine's air defence systems shot down all the Iranian-made Shahed drones Russia launched before they reached their targets, Popko said. There was no immediate information about damage or casualties.

Air raid alerts blasted over Kiev for an hour and longer in other parts of Ukraine's east, according to Ukraine's Air Force.

0050 GMT — US pushes "most unfavourable" confrontation with Russia

The US is pushing NATO to the "most unfavourable" confrontation with Moscow with the decisions expected from the alliance's summit in Lithuania this week, while Kiev's allies are "losing" in Ukraine, Russian diplomats have said.

Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said the United States is preparing anti-Russian decisions at the NATO summit.

"Everything is being done to prepare the local public opinion for the approval of any anti-Russian decisions that will be made in Vilnius in the coming days," Antonov said in a post on the embassy's Telegram channel.

"The situation continues to slide towards the most unfavourable outcome in the confrontation between the Russian Federation and the members of the alliance"

2318 GMT — Biden to hold one-on-one meeting with Zelenskyy in Vilnius

US President Joe Biden will meet Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a one-on-one meeting on Wednesday in Lithuania, where NATO leaders were gathering for a summit, according to a US official.

NATO members on Monday sought to overcome divisions over how to put Ukraine on a path to membership on the eve of Tuesday's start of the summit.

2225 GMT — NATO summit seeks agreement on Ukraine bid

NATO leaders gather for a summit in Vilnius are seeking to overcome divisions on Ukraine's membership bid.

The summit in the Lithuanian capital will be dominated by the repercussions of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, with leaders set to approve NATO's first comprehensive plans since the end of the Cold War to defend against any attack from Moscow.

Diplomats said differences were narrowing over Ukraine's push for NATO membership. While NATO members agree Kiev cannot join during the war, they have disagreed over how quickly it could happen afterwards and under what conditions.

"We are still working on the wording ... but we already understand the fact that Ukraine will be in the Alliance," Zelenskyy said on Twitter.

For our live updates from Monday (July 10), click here.