Kyiv, Ukraine
Reuters
Ukraine’s future lies in NATO, the Western military alliance’s chief Jens Stoltenberg underscored on Thursday during his first visit to the country since Russia’s invasion 14 months ago.
“Let me be clear: Ukraine’s rightful place is in the euro-Atlantic family. Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO. And over time, our support will help you to make this possible,” Stoltenberg told reporters during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attend a joint news briefing, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on 20th April, 2023. PICTURE: Reuters/Alina Yarysh
He pledged continued military support for Ukraine, saying that, so far, NATO allies had trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops and provided 65 billion euros ($71.31 billion) of military aid alone.
“NATO stands with you today, tomorrow and for as long as it takes,” Stoltenberg stated, before inviting Zelenskiy to the NATO summit in Vilnius in July.
Ukraine’s NATO membership bid and robust security guarantees for the country will be high up on the summit’s agenda, he added.
In 2008, a NATO summit in the Romanian capital Bucharest agreed that Ukraine would eventually become a member of the alliance.
However, leaders have since stopped short of taking any concrete steps such as giving Kyiv a membership action plan that would lay out a timetable for bringing the country closer to NATO.
“We do not know when this war will end but we know that Russian aggression is a toxic pattern that must be stopped,” Stoltenberg said.
Meanwhile, a Russian warplane accidentally fired a weapon into the city of Belgorod near Ukraine late on Thursday, causing an explosion and damaging buildings, Tass cited the defence ministry as saying.
Local authorities reported a large blast in the city, which lies just across the border from Ukraine. The Regional Governor said two women had been injured.
“As a Sukhoi Su-34 air force plane was flying over the city of Belgorod there was an accidental discharge of aviation ammunition,” Tass cited the defence ministry as saying.
It did not say what kind of weapon was involved.
The Su-34 is a supersonic fighter-bomber jet.
The ministry said some buildings had been damaged and announced a probe was already under way, according to Tass.
Belgorod region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, announcing a state of emergency, said on Telegram there was a crater measuring 20 metres across on one of the main streets. Four cars and four apartment buildings were damaged, he added.
Video footage from the site showed piles of concrete on the street, several damaged cars and a building with broken windows. One shot showed what appeared to be car upside down on the roof of a store.
The Belgorod region is one of several parts of southern Russia where targets such as fuel and ammunition stores have been rocked by explosions since the start of what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine on 24th February, 2022.
CCTV fottage shows a bright flashing light in Kyiv, Ukraine, on 20th April, 2023. PICTURE: Reuters
ALIENS? FALLING SATELLITE? UNEXPLAINED FLASH PUZZLES KYIV ACCUSTOMED TO MISSILES
A flash of light that lit up the night sky above wartime Kyiv has led to widespread confusion, public speculation about what caused it, and lighthearted jokes about space aliens in a city more accustomed to Russian missile attacks.
Video clips posted on social media showed the sky over the Ukrainian capital suddenly illuminated by a bright light late on Wednesday. In one clip, a flaming object appeared to be crashing to the ground.
Kyiv authorities said an unknown aerial object had fallen from the sky at around 10.00pm local time on Wednesday, forcing them to announce an air alert in Kyiv and the surrounding region. Initial alarm gave way to questions about what had happened, which remained unanswered the next morning.
“After verification and clarification, the information regarding the possible use of enemy aircraft or an air strike with missile weapons was not confirmed,” the Kyiv City Military Administration wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Kyiv has regularly been struck by Russian missiles and drones that have hit civilian areas and forced residents to shelter underground. But residents including top officials seemed to enjoy speculating that the flash could be unrelated to the war.
Andriy Yermak, head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office, jokingly posted an emoji of a UFO.
One theory, that the flash was caused by a falling US satellite, was ruled out by the US space agency NASA. Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s air force, suggested a meteorite may have entered Earth’s atmosphere.
He said the Ukrainian air force, in charge of air defences, was not involved.
– OLENA HARMASH and DAVID LJUNGGREN, Kyiv, Ukraine/Reuters
