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Canadian soldiers board a plane in Quebec City for deployment to Latvia.
Photo:
Jacques Boissinot / dpa
NATO and the G7 countries are taking an even tougher stance on Russia.
This is the result of the summit meeting in Brussels, which was also attended by US President Joe Biden.
The western defense alliance is significantly increasing its presence on the eastern flank.
The most important western industrialized countries threatened Russia with further sanctions and want to isolate the country more internationally.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz made it clear that the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine is a prerequisite for a diplomatic solution to be successful.
The NATO statement speaks of a "strategic error" by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The NATO countries warned Russia of far-reaching consequences if chemical or biological weapons were used in Ukraine.
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the use of chemical weapons could also affect the population of NATO countries.
The so-called ABC units of NATO were put on increased readiness.
The developments at a glance.
The military situation
On the ground, the fronts hardly changed, the Ukrainian army said it held its positions.
According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Russian troops are still trying to
encircle Kiev
.
British and US sources in the security apparatus confirmed
Ukrainian counterattacks
near Kiev.
According to the Ukrainian military, Russia has stepped up its airstrikes.
More than 250 missions were recorded within 24 hours, according to the morning report of the Ukrainian general staff.
The Defense Ministry said more than 1,800 airstrikes had been launched on Ukraine since the Russian attack began on February 24.
In addition, hundreds of missiles were fired from land and sea at Ukrainian targets.
The humanitarian situation
More than half of all children in Ukraine have been
displaced
since the Russian invasion began
.
The United Nations Children's Fund Unicef estimated around 4.3 million refugees among the country's 7.5 million children on Thursday.
Of these, more than 1.8 million went to neighboring countries, while 2.5 million stayed in Ukraine.
According to the United Nations refugee agency, around 3.7 million people have left Ukraine since the war began.
The US announced on Thursday that it plans to take in
up to 100,000 refugees from Ukraine
.
That says Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for worldwide protests against the Russian attack.
"Come in the name of peace, come with Ukrainian symbols to support Ukraine, freedom and life!" he said in a video address.
Ukraine has requested at least 200 tanks from NATO.
“They have more than 20,000 tanks.
Ukraine has asked for one percent,” he said in a video link to the NATO summit.
“We don't have a clear answer so far.” The situation is similar with the requested aircraft and defense systems for missiles.
Moscow says so
The Russian government warned of a
breakdown in diplomatic relations between the two countries
in the face of new US sanctions .
"The economic war declared on Russia threatens to completely collapse bilateral relations," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, according to the Interfax agency.
»Of course, that is not in our interest, because we assume that diplomatic relations should serve national interests, the interests of the people (...).«
What is still happening today
In the evening, the heads of state and government of the EU met in Brussels.
US President Joe Biden was also expected as a guest.
The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyj should be connected via video.
At the meeting, which lasts until Friday, the EU intends to set up a "solidarity" fund for Ukraine, according to the draft summit conclusions.
The funds are to come from an international donor conference, but the date and location have not yet been set.
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"Don't step on your windows!"
as /dpa/AFP/Reuters
