Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday warned that Russia may find a pretext to attack Ukraine with chemical or biological weapons.

The remarks of the alliance chief come hours after Ukraine accused Russia of using phosphorus bombs on civilians.

"We are concerned partly because we see the rhetoric and we see that Russia is trying to create some kind of pretext accusing Ukraine, the United States and NATO allies of preparing to use chemical and biological weapons," he told reporters after a NATO summit in Brussels, adding any use of chemical weapons would have widespread consequences.

He said that the repercussions on the use of chemical weapons would be felt across Europe.

"There is also a risk that it (a chemical weapons attack) will have a direct effect on people living in NATO countries because we can see contamination, we can see the spread of chemical agents or biological weapons into our countries," said Stoltenberg, whose&nbsp;term has been extended by a year due to the Russia-Ukraine war.

Notably, in a CNN interview, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia would use nuclear weapons in the context of the Ukraine conflict if it were facing an "existential threat".

Thursday marked the one month anniversary since Russia invaded Ukraine.

At least 1,035 people have been killed and 1,650 wounded, the United Nations human rights office said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-accuses-russia-of-using-phosphorus-bombs-to-kill-civilians-465207" hreflang="en">Ukraine accuses Russia of using phosphorus bombs to kill civilians</a>

Ninety children were among the dead, it said in a statement, adding that the true figures were believed to be considerably higher due to delays in reporting from areas with intense hostilities, including the southern besieged city of Mariupol.

Meanwhile, the Russian onslaught against Ukraine continues unabated. &nbsp;Russian troops have bombed areas of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and port city Mariupol on Wednesday.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/one-month-since-russia-invaded-ukraine-hundreds-dead-millions-displaced-when-will-it-end-465149" hreflang="en">One month since Russia invaded Ukraine: Hundreds dead, millions displaced - When will it end?</a>

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko&nbsp;says 264 civilians in the city have been killed by Russian attacks.

Satellite photographs showed massive destruction in Mariupol, once a city of 400,000 people, with columns of smoke rising from burning residential apartment buildings, reports Reuters.

Watch |&nbsp;NATO Chief Stoltenberg's term extended by a year due to Russia-Ukraine war

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/nato-chief-stoltenbergs-term-extended-by-a-year-due-to-russia-ukraine-war-465270/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday warned that Russia may find a pretext to attack Ukraine with chemical or biological weapons. The remarks of the alliance chief come hours after Ukraine accused Russia of using phosphorus bombs on civilians. "We are concerned partly because we see the rhetoric and we see that Russia is trying to create some kind of pretext accusing Ukraine, the United States and NATO allies of preparing to use chemical and biological weapons," he told reporters after a NATO summit in Brussels, adding any use of chemical weapons would have widespread consequences. He said that the repercussions on the use of chemical weapons would be felt across Europe. "There is also a risk that it (a chemical weapons attack) will have a direct effect on people living in NATO countries because we can see contamination, we can see the spread of chemical agents or biological weapons into our countries," said Stoltenberg, whose term has been extended by a year due to the Russia-Ukraine war. Notably, in a CNN interview, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia would use nuclear weapons in the context of the Ukraine conflict if it were facing an "existential threat". Thursday marked the one month anniversary since Russia invaded Ukraine. At least 1,035 people have been killed and 1,650 wounded, the United Nations human rights office said. Also read | Ukraine accuses Russia of using phosphorus bombs to kill civilians Ninety children were among the dead, it said in a statement, adding that the true figures were believed to be considerably higher due to delays in reporting from areas with intense hostilities, including the southern besieged city of Mariupol. Meanwhile, the Russian onslaught against Ukraine continues unabated. Russian troops have bombed areas of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and port city Mariupol on Wednesday. Also see | One month since Russia invaded Ukraine: Hundreds dead, millions displaced - When will it end? Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko says 264 civilians in the city have been killed by Russian attacks. Satellite photographs showed massive destruction in Mariupol, once a city of 400,000 people, with columns of smoke rising from burning residential apartment buildings, reports Reuters. Watch | NATO Chief Stoltenberg's term extended by a year due to Russia-Ukraine war (With inputs from agencies)

Russia may find pretext to attack Ukraine with chemical weapons: NATO chief

NATO leaders are meeting in Brussels for the extraordinary summit with the war-raging next door to decide on the next course of actions to defend all the allies

NATO leaders meet in Brussels, 'facing the biggest security crisis in a generation'

NATO leaders are all set meet in Brussels. They will address the consequences of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and decide on the next steps to strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defence.

NATO leaders to decide next steps to defend all allies during meet in Brussels

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg makes the opening remarks at a meeting in Brussels over the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis.

NATO leaders meet in Brussels to discuss Ukraine conflict

US president Joe Biden has arrived in Brussels to highlight western partnership. He will be attending NATO, European council meetings during his visit to Europe.

US President Joe Biden arrives in Brussels, tighter sanctions against Russia likely

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of using phosphorus bombs&nbsp;in his embattled country, urging&nbsp;NATO to provide military support.

The white phosphorus bombs were deployed in the eastern Luhansk Oblast region where an overnight shelling by the Russian forces killed four people, the Kyiv Independent reported.

According to the local governor Serhiy Haidai, the Russian forces attacked several towns in Luhansk Oblast using missiles and phosphorus bombs.

"The Russians are struggling. They can't advance. That's why they have started to use heavy weapons," the governor was quoted as saying.

This is not the first time that they have deployed phosphorus bombs in Ukraine. Earlier this month, a cop in Donbas region had accused Putin's forces of using phosphorus munition to attack civilians.

In a video address to NATO earlier in the day, Zelensky asked for military aid saying that children and adults are being killed by the Russian forces.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/one-month-since-russia-invaded-ukraine-hundreds-dead-millions-displaced-when-will-it-end-465149" hreflang="en">One month since Russia invaded Ukraine: Hundreds dead, millions displaced - When will it end?</a>

"This morning, by the way, phosphorus bombs were used. Russian phosphorus bombs. Adults were killed again and children were killed again," Zelensky said.

&nbsp;What is a phosphorous bomb?

White phosphorus is a substance used by militaries around the world in smoke, illumination and incendiary munitions, and is typically the burning element in tracer ammunition.

It burns brightly when exposed to air and produces a large amount of smoke, meaning it can be used to mark targets at night by lighting up an area on the battlefield or to create smokescreens during the day which

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-government-assesses-russian-forces-committed-war-crimes-in-ukraine-465050" hreflang="en">US government assesses Russian forces committed war crimes in Ukraine</a>

It is used mainly in the military, and other applications may include as a component in fertilisers, food additives and cleaning compounds. Initially, it was also used in pesticides and fireworks, but many countries have banned its use in several sectors.

The 1977 Geneva Convention restrict the deployment of white phosphorous bombs if they endanger civilians.

Also read |&nbsp;Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, NATO leaders prepare for an emergency summit

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(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of using phosphorus bombs in his embattled country, urging NATO to provide military support. The white phosphorus bombs were deployed in the eastern Luhansk Oblast region where an overnight shelling by the Russian forces killed four people, the Kyiv Independent reported. According to the local governor Serhiy Haidai, the Russian forces attacked several towns in Luhansk Oblast using missiles and phosphorus bombs. "The Russians are struggling. They can't advance. That's why they have started to use heavy weapons," the governor was quoted as saying. This is not the first time that they have deployed phosphorus bombs in Ukraine. Earlier this month, a cop in Donbas region had accused Putin's forces of using phosphorus munition to attack civilians. In a video address to NATO earlier in the day, Zelensky asked for military aid saying that children and adults are being killed by the Russian forces. Also read | One month since Russia invaded Ukraine: Hundreds dead, millions displaced - When will it end? "This morning, by the way, phosphorus bombs were used. Russian phosphorus bombs. Adults were killed again and children were killed again," Zelensky said. What is a phosphorous bomb? White phosphorus is a substance used by militaries around the world in smoke, illumination and incendiary munitions, and is typically the burning element in tracer ammunition. It burns brightly when exposed to air and produces a large amount of smoke, meaning it can be used to mark targets at night by lighting up an area on the battlefield or to create smokescreens during the day which Also read | US government assesses Russian forces committed war crimes in Ukraine It is used mainly in the military, and other applications may include as a component in fertilisers, food additives and cleaning compounds. Initially, it was also used in pesticides and fireworks, but many countries have banned its use in several sectors. The 1977 Geneva Convention restrict the deployment of white phosphorous bombs if they endanger civilians. Also read | Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, NATO leaders prepare for an emergency summit (With inputs from agencies)

Ukraine accuses Russia of using phosphorus bombs to kill civilians

World share markets were choppy on Thursday as the&nbsp;Russia-Ukraine&nbsp;war kept&nbsp;oil&nbsp;above $120 a barrel, while "stagflation" worries rose on renewed talk of aggressive U.S. interest rates hikes and slowing growth.

Europe's main stock indexes barely budged and government bond yields edged up toward multi-year highs hit earlier in the week as March PMI data came in reassuringly robust.

Focus was otherwise on a Thursday special&nbsp;NATO&nbsp;summit&nbsp;in Brussels, which U.S. President Joe Biden will attend, to discuss further responses to&nbsp;Russia's month-old invasion of&nbsp;Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation".

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-war-russia-can-never-win-a-nuclear-war-nato-chief-warns-465139">Ukraine war: Russia 'can never win a nuclear war', NATO chief warns</a>

Rabobank's head of macro strategy, Elwin de Groot, said markets would be watching what emerges closely, especially how unified&nbsp;NATO&nbsp;members remain and what Biden can offer European countries to help wean themselves off&nbsp;Russian gas.

"The&nbsp;NATO&nbsp;meeting is certainly important," de Groot said. "At the minimum you would expect the members to come up with preparations for a possible further escalation in the&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;war."

Wall Street futures were up a solid 0.6%&nbsp;ahead&nbsp;of trading there, but the mood seemed changeable.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific&nbsp;shares&nbsp;outside Japan recouped some of its early losses overnight but ended down 0.6% after more falls in China and Hong Kong.&nbsp;

Japan's Nikkei bucked the trend, rising 0.25% to a nine-week high as its exporters cheered the yen falling to its lowest against the dollar since 2015.

At 1000 GMT, the dollar was up 0.4% versus the yen, at 121.65, with expectations that the Bank of Japan will be far behind other top central banks in raising interest rates.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/more-than-half-of-ukrainian-children-displaced-by-war-says-un-465162">More than half of Ukrainian children displaced by war, says UN</a>

Hawkish

Driving some of the volatility, Federal Reserve policymakers on Wednesday signalled they stood ready to take more aggressive action to bring down decades-high inflation, including a possible half-percentage-point rate hike at the next policy meeting in May.

Those signals pushed all three main U.S. share benchmarks 1% lower overnight.&nbsp;

"The sharp hawkish repricing of Fed rate hike expectations has mainly benefited the U.S. dollar against low yielding currencies whose own domestic central banks are expected to lag well behind the Fed in tightening policy," MUFG currency analyst Lee Hardman wrote in a note to clients.

Oil&nbsp;and gas markets also remained hot amid the geopolitical uncertainty.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow would seek payment in roubles for gas sold to "unfriendly" countries, jolting energy markets, although Italy's President Mario Draghi said it planned to keep paying in euros.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/oksana-baulina-russian-journalist-killed-during-bombardment-in-kyiv-465090">Oksana Baulina: Russian journalist killed during bombardment in Kyiv</a>

Brent futures were little changed at $121.67 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures fell 41 cents, or 0.35%, to $114.5 a barrel

The bond market was starting to shift again with the yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes up at 2.37% and German bunds creeping over 0.52%.

"Inflation is really the big driver," Rabobank's de Groot said, adding that it was also behind falling consumer confidence.

EU leaders are expected to agree at a two-day&nbsp;summit&nbsp;starting on Thursday to jointly buy gas, as they seek to cut reliance on&nbsp;Russian fuels and build a buffer against supply shocks. But the bloc remains unlikely to sanction&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;oil&nbsp;and gas.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas Global Headlines: Ukraine: Russia attacks have killed 121 children

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-global-headlines-ukraine-russia-attacks-have-killed-121-children-465001/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

World share markets were choppy on Thursday as the Russia-Ukraine war kept oil above $120 a barrel, while "stagflation" worries rose on renewed talk of aggressive U.

World share markets were choppy on Thursday as the Russia-Ukraine war kept oil above $120 a barrel, while "stagflation" worries rose on renewed talk of aggressive U.S. interest rates hikes and slowing growth. Europe's main stock indexes barely budged and government bond yields edged up toward multi-year highs hit earlier in the week as March PMI data came in reassuringly robust. Focus was otherwise on a Thursday special NATO summit in Brussels, which U.S. President Joe Biden will attend, to discuss further responses to Russia's month-old invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation". Also read | Ukraine war: Russia 'can never win a nuclear war', NATO chief warns Rabobank's head of macro strategy, Elwin de Groot, said markets would be watching what emerges closely, especially how unified NATO members remain and what Biden can offer European countries to help wean themselves off Russian gas. "The NATO meeting is certainly important," de Groot said. "At the minimum you would expect the members to come up with preparations for a possible further escalation in the Ukraine war." Wall Street futures were up a solid 0.6% ahead of trading there, but the mood seemed changeable. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan recouped some of its early losses overnight but ended down 0.6% after more falls in China and Hong Kong. Japan's Nikkei bucked the trend, rising 0.25% to a nine-week high as its exporters cheered the yen falling to its lowest against the dollar since 2015. At 1000 GMT, the dollar was up 0.4% versus the yen, at 121.65, with expectations that the Bank of Japan will be far behind other top central banks in raising interest rates. Also read | More than half of Ukrainian children displaced by war, says UN Hawkish Driving some of the volatility, Federal Reserve policymakers on Wednesday signalled they stood ready to take more aggressive action to bring down decades-high inflation, including a possible half-percentage-point rate hike at the next policy meeting in May. Those signals pushed all three main U.S. share benchmarks 1% lower overnight. "The sharp hawkish repricing of Fed rate hike expectations has mainly benefited the U.S. dollar against low yielding currencies whose own domestic central banks are expected to lag well behind the Fed in tightening policy," MUFG currency analyst Lee Hardman wrote in a note to clients. Oil and gas markets also remained hot amid the geopolitical uncertainty. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow would seek payment in roubles for gas sold to "unfriendly" countries, jolting energy markets, although Italy's President Mario Draghi said it planned to keep paying in euros. Also read | Oksana Baulina: Russian journalist killed during bombardment in Kyiv Brent futures were little changed at $121.67 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures fell 41 cents, or 0.35%, to $114.5 a barrel The bond market was starting to shift again with the yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes up at 2.37% and German bunds creeping over 0.52%. "Inflation is really the big driver," Rabobank's de Groot said, adding that it was also behind falling consumer confidence. EU leaders are expected to agree at a two-day summit starting on Thursday to jointly buy gas, as they seek to cut reliance on Russian fuels and build a buffer against supply shocks. But the bloc remains unlikely to sanction Russian oil and gas. Watch | Gravitas Global Headlines: Ukraine: Russia attacks have killed 121 children

Shares, oil volatile ahead of NATO Russia-Ukraine summit

The head of NATO has stated that Russia must recognise that it can "never win a nuclear war."

Jens Stoltenberg also warned Moscow to halt its "dangerous, irresponsible nuclear language" in response to a question from Sky News journalist Mark Stone.

President Vladimir Putin declared his nuclear deterrent forces on high alert just days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.&nbsp;

Stoltenberg was speaking ahead of a special NATO summit scheduled for tomorrow.

The President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, has arrived in Brussels, where he will likely announce more sanctions against Russia.

NATO leaders are expected to agree on the deployment of four new battle groups on the alliance's eastern border, which will be based in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia.&nbsp;

At a news conference, Stoltenberg said, "I expect leaders will agree to strengthen NATO's posture in all domains, with major increases in the eastern part of the alliance on land, in the air, and at sea."

The new units will bring the total number of multinational groups along NATO's eastern flank to eight, bolstering existing forces in the Baltics and Poland.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

The head of NATO has stated that Russia must recognise that it can "never win a nuclear war." Jens Stoltenberg also warned Moscow to halt its "dangerous, irresponsible nuclear language" in response to a question from Sky News journalist Mark Stone.

The head of NATO has stated that Russia must recognise that it can "never win a nuclear war." Jens Stoltenberg also warned Moscow to halt its "dangerous, irresponsible nuclear language" in response to a question from Sky News journalist Mark Stone. President Vladimir Putin declared his nuclear deterrent forces on high alert just days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. Stoltenberg was speaking ahead of a special NATO summit scheduled for tomorrow. The President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, has arrived in Brussels, where he will likely announce more sanctions against Russia. NATO leaders are expected to agree on the deployment of four new battle groups on the alliance's eastern border, which will be based in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia. At a news conference, Stoltenberg said, "I expect leaders will agree to strengthen NATO's posture in all domains, with major increases in the eastern part of the alliance on land, in the air, and at sea." The new units will bring the total number of multinational groups along NATO's eastern flank to eight, bolstering existing forces in the Baltics and Poland. (With inputs from agencies)

Ukraine war: Russia 'can never win a nuclear war', NATO chief warns

Today, Russia-Ukraine war has entered its 29th day with continued attacks and bombardments. Armies of both countries have been involved in intense fights and scores of civilians have lost their lives in the conflict.

Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, NATO leaders prepare for an emergency summit

Amid Russia-Ukraine conflict, NATO warned China against giving military help to Russia and chemical weapons use. On the other side, NATO is ready to deploy 4 battle groups in east Europe.

Russia-Ukraine Crisis: NATO bolsters defences in east Europe

It is day 28 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and scores of civilians have lost their lives in the conflict. Armies of both countries have been involved in intense fights since Russian troops entered Ukraine. In a recent development, Joe Biden likely to announce more sanctions against Russia.

Day 28 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine: Joe Biden to visit Brussels for NATO Summit

Fears are mounting over Baltic states' security as nations fear that Russia will not stop with just Russian invasion of Ukraine and may encircle Latvia next.

NATO assures Latvia of support as Baltic states face threat from Russia amid invasion of Ukraine

China's Vice Foreign minister compared the QUAD's policies in the Indo-Pacific to NATO expansionism in Europe. Palki Sharma tells you why Beijing is making this controversial comparison.

Gravitas: China compares the QUAD to NATO

A senior Chinese diplomat has said that the US's Indo-Pacific strategy is as “dangerous” as NATO's eastward expansion in Europe resulting in Russia's military offensive against Ukraine.

QUAD as dangerous as NATO expansion, warns Chinese official

In a late addition to his Europe trip US president Joe Biden will travel to Poland at the end of the week. There are no current plans for him to set foot on Ukrainian soil however Joe Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Poland's president on Thursday.

Joe Biden to visit NATO member Poland for urgent talks

Aggressive China has alleged that the Quad alliance between the US, India, Japan and Australia aims to create an Asian NATO.

Aggressive China takes on Quad alliance: 'Quad aims to create Asian NATO'

French fighter jets and troops have joined NATO’s Baltic Air Policing in Estonia. Mirage 2000-5F jets will enhance air policing.

French fighter jets and troops bolster NATO air policing in Estonia

In the first weeks of the first major European land war of the 21st century, the United States has sent tank-killing weapons to Ukrainian forces, but not fighter jets. It is equipping embattled Ukrainian troops with lightweight “kamikaze” attack drones, but not, at least in an obvious way, conducting an aggressive cyberwar to degrade Russia’s technological advantage.

The White House will commit no U.S. or NATO planes to the skies above Ukraine, a move U.S. officials fear could risk turning a regional war into a global conflagration, but it is providing Ukraine with missiles that could accomplish the same task of destroying Russian aircraft.

Such is the tenuous balance the Biden administration has tried to maintain as it seeks to help Ukraine lock Russia in a quagmire without inciting a broader conflict with a nuclear-armed adversary or cutting off potential paths to de-escalation.

Navigating this path has led to a tangle of decisions and sometimes tortured distinctions when it comes to what kinds of assistance Washington should provide, even as the situation on the ground evolves, pictures of dead civilians circulate around the globe, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine pleads with Congress and President Joe Biden to do more to help.

The balancing act informs every aspect of U.S. policy about the war, including the scope of the punishing sanctions imposed on the Russian economy, the granularity of the battlefield intelligence provided to Ukrainian troops, the killing power of the weapons systems coming over the border and whether, as Biden did this past week, to label President Vladimir Putin of Russia as a war criminal.

CIA officers are helping to ensure that crates of weapons are delivered into the hands of vetted Ukrainian military units, according to U.S. officials. But as of now, Biden and his staff do not see the utility of an expansive covert effort to use the spy agency to ferry in arms as the United States did in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union during the 1980s. They have judged that such a campaign would be an unnecessary provocation, in part because NATO supply lines remain open and there is a functioning government in Kyiv, Ukraine.

The new war has forced a recalculation on other fronts. In one example, U.S. officials have floated the idea of Turkey’s government providing Ukraine with the sophisticated S-400 anti-aircraft system. It is the very system, made by Russia, that U.S. officials punished Turkey — a NATO ally — for buying from Moscow several years ago. Now U.S. diplomats see a way to pull Turkey away from its dance with Russia — and give the Ukrainians one of the most powerful, long-range anti-aircraft systems in existence.

In the White House and the Pentagon, there have been active debates over which lethal weapons delivered to Ukraine meet the nuanced interpretations of what international law allows. U.S. officials acknowledge that the judgments of government lawyers are valuable only up to a point and that all that really matters is the judgment of one person: Putin.

The Russian president has his own complex calculus about when the military support to Ukraine from the United States and its NATO allies crosses the line. He has his own reasons not to escalate, given the combined power of the NATO members and his own military’s evident difficulties against Ukrainian forces. But he is also unlikely to accept defeat or a stalemate in Ukraine without further testing U.S. resolve, despite explicit public warnings from Washington against the use of chemical, biological or even nuclear weapons.

U.S. intelligence about Putin’s decision-making is maddeningly imprecise, and the West does not have a strong track record predicting what he might consider an aggression that cannot be tolerated. CIA Director William Burns told Congress this month that Putin’s views had “hardened over the years.”

The Russian threshold could also be changing by the day or even the hour. On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested that his country was prepared to raise the costs for any nation helping the Ukrainians in their struggle, declaring that all vehicles shuttling weapons into Ukraine would be considered legitimate military targets.

A Clash Over Fighter Planes

On Wednesday, the task of articulating the intricacies of the U.S.’ military policy toward Ukraine fell to a group of generals under a barrage of questions from top members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees.

Biden has made clear that he will not accede to Zelenskyy’s insistent pleas that NATO impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine. Clearing hostile aircraft from the skies would put the United States and its allies in combat with Russian forces. And a required step for a no-fly zone — suppressing enemy anti-aircraft weaponry — would mean attacking Russian air defense installations inside Russian territory.

But during the closed-door session, lawmakers pressed members of the Pentagon’s Joint Staff about another flashpoint: the administration’s decision not to help supply Ukraine with the MiG-29 fighter jets that Poland has offered and that Zelenskyy has said his forces desperately need.

Administration officials have said the move would be “escalatory,” and, according to people briefed on the exchanges, the lawmakers asked the generals if there was any hard intelligence that the jets might push Putin toward intensifying the conflict by treating the United States as a “co-belligerent” in the war.

Intelligence officials have, in fact, told the administration that the MiGs could trigger a Russian move against NATO. During the congressional briefing, the generals said that the main issue was the capability of a MiG-29 to threaten Russian soil.

In contrast to a Javelin anti-tank missile that has only limited range on the battlefield, a MiG-29 could fly from Kyiv to Moscow in a matter of minutes, the generals said, a capability that the Kremlin might see as a direct threat.

The same day, the White House put forth another consideration: that to be delivered to Ukraine, the MiGs would have to take off from an air base in a NATO country, possibly inviting retaliation on NATO territory by the Russians.

As a matter of international law, the provision of weaponry and intelligence to the Ukrainian army has made the United States a co-belligerent. But while Putin has made threats about launching attacks to impede the military assistance, he has not yet acted to stop it by attacking bases in neighboring countries — NATO allies — where the equipment originates.

That could change, U.S. officials said, especially if Putin thinks he is cornered or in danger of losing.

“It is a fine line the administration is still walking in every dimension of its support for Ukraine,” said Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a former senior intelligence official who specialized in Russia and is now at the Center for a New American Security. “They are trying to figure out, how do you get right up to the line without crossing over in a way that would risk direct confrontation with Russia?”

Planes with pilots might be off the table, but armed drones are not. This past week, Biden announced that the United States would ship small Switchblade drones to Ukraine that could be used to blow up Russian armored vehicles. The single-use kamikaze drones have bladelike wings; do not require either a long runway or a complex satellite uplink; and can be controlled to dive-bomb tanks or troops, self-destructing when they explode.

Unlike the large Predator and Reaper drones used for decades in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries, the portable drones pose no threat to Russian soil. Still, the White House authorized an initial shipment of only 100 of them to Ukraine — a small batch that could be intended to see how Putin reacts to their deployment on the Ukrainian front lines. Depending on the response, hundreds or thousands more could be on the way.

The proposal for Turkey to supply Ukraine with Russian-made S-400 anti-aircraft systems would also test what Putin is willing to accept from NATO — and how far a NATO ally that in recent years often appeared to be building bridges to Moscow is willing to go in reiterating its commitment to the alliance and backing Ukraine.

The idea came up when Wendy Sherman, the deputy secretary of state, visited Turkey two weeks ago. Sherman declined to talk about her discussions.

A different senior U.S. official said the United States knew the proposal would anger Putin. Ukraine already uses Turkish-made drones, but Turkey is worried that providing the anti-aircraft systems could make the country a target of Russia’s wrath.

At the same time, the upside for Turkey could be substantial: It was suspended by the Trump administration from the F-35 fighter program — in which it was a buyer and a manufacturer of parts for the advanced aircraft — after its purchase of the Russian S-400s. A deal to send the anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine could open the door to reentry into the F-35 program.

The State Department declined to comment. Officials at Turkey’s embassy in Washington did not respond to messages seeking comment.

The Conflict of the Future, Delayed

The Ukraine war features tank columns and trenches, all features of Europe’s bloody conflicts of the past century. Thus far, there is little evidence that the United States — or Russia — is eager to escalate the conflict in the 21st century battleground of cyberspace.

Days before the war began, there was a flurry of cyberattacks on Ukrainian financial institutions and government ministries, including one that was found and partly neutralized by Microsoft. A European satellite system sometimes used by the Ukrainian military was also hit, knocking out service, although it is still unclear whether the Russians carried out the attack.

What has been missing thus far is a large-scale Russian cyberattack that knocks out the power grid or communications systems inside Ukraine, which for the most part continue to operate despite the withering Russian barrage of artillery and airstrikes.

Until the invasion began, U.S. Cyber Command had a unit based in Kyiv that was helping the government fend off attacks. It is now operating from a nearby NATO country. There is fragmentary evidence that the United States and its allies worked to counter some of the attacks and to prevent others from being launched. But action seems to have been limited.

Inside the Biden administration, there is a view that Putin could be choosing his moment to launch a cyberattack against the U.S. financial system in retaliation for the devastating financial sanctions imposed on his country by the United States and its allies. Unless and until that happens, the administration appears resolved not to launch a significant first strike and invite retaliation — especially given the risks to the U.S. economy and financial system if Russia were to target them.

Keeping the Temperature Down

“The water in Afghanistan must boil at the right temperature,” Pakistan’s then-president, Gen. Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, told his intelligence chief as Pakistan began supplying the mujahedeen in their grueling battle against Soviet troops in neighboring Afghanistan.

In other words, hot enough to convince the Russians that the country was not worth the struggle but not so hot as to provoke a broader war in the region.

The weapons that helped turn the tide of that conflict, shoulder-fired Stinger surface-to-air missiles, are now being unloaded from cargo planes in NATO countries and delivered to Ukrainian troops on the front lines to help keep Russia from controlling the skies.

U.S. officials are divided on how much the lessons from Cold War proxy wars, like the Soviet Union’s war in Afghanistan, can be applied to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Some officials say those conflicts established that the great powers could ship small arms and missiles to proxy forces without triggering a wider war.

At the same time, Ukraine is far more important to Putin than Afghanistan was to Soviet leaders.

Given Russia’s bloody history with Stinger missiles, U.S. officials have been wary of advertising their use in Ukraine. During a trip to an airfield near Ukraine’s border this month with Gen. Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reporters watched Stinger missiles being unloaded from a cargo plane but were barred from disclosing the whereabouts of the base.

Even after two senior U.S. officials told the House Armed Services Committee during a public hearing that Stinger missiles were among the munitions being sent to Ukraine, spokespeople avoided using the S-word from the lecterns at the White House and Pentagon.

Until this past week. On Wednesday, the White House released a detailed list of the weapons it was providing as part of an $800 million package of arms to Ukraine.

At the top of the list: “800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems.”

In the first weeks of the first major European land war of the 21st century, the United States has sent tank-killing weapons to Ukrainian forces, but not fighter jets.

In the first weeks of the first major European land war of the 21st century, the United States has sent tank-killing weapons to Ukrainian forces, but not fighter jets. It is equipping embattled Ukrainian troops with lightweight “kamikaze” attack drones, but not, at least in an obvious way, conducting an aggressive cyberwar to degrade Russia’s technological advantage. The White House will commit no U.S. or NATO planes to the skies above Ukraine, a move U.S. officials fear could risk turning a regional war into a global conflagration, but it is providing Ukraine with missiles that could accomplish the same task of destroying Russian aircraft. Such is the tenuous balance the Biden administration has tried to maintain as it seeks to help Ukraine lock Russia in a quagmire without inciting a broader conflict with a nuclear-armed adversary or cutting off potential paths to de-escalation. Navigating this path has led to a tangle of decisions and sometimes tortured distinctions when it comes to what kinds of assistance Washington should provide, even as the situation on the ground evolves, pictures of dead civilians circulate around the globe, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine pleads with Congress and President Joe Biden to do more to help. The balancing act informs every aspect of U.S. policy about the war, including the scope of the punishing sanctions imposed on the Russian economy, the granularity of the battlefield intelligence provided to Ukrainian troops, the killing power of the weapons systems coming over the border and whether, as Biden did this past week, to label President Vladimir Putin of Russia as a war criminal. CIA officers are helping to ensure that crates of weapons are delivered into the hands of vetted Ukrainian military units, according to U.S. officials. But as of now, Biden and his staff do not see the utility of an expansive covert effort to use the spy agency to ferry in arms as the United States did in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union during the 1980s. They have judged that such a campaign would be an unnecessary provocation, in part because NATO supply lines remain open and there is a functioning government in Kyiv, Ukraine. The new war has forced a recalculation on other fronts. In one example, U.S. officials have floated the idea of Turkey’s government providing Ukraine with the sophisticated S-400 anti-aircraft system. It is the very system, made by Russia, that U.S. officials punished Turkey — a NATO ally — for buying from Moscow several years ago. Now U.S. diplomats see a way to pull Turkey away from its dance with Russia — and give the Ukrainians one of the most powerful, long-range anti-aircraft systems in existence. In the White House and the Pentagon, there have been active debates over which lethal weapons delivered to Ukraine meet the nuanced interpretations of what international law allows. U.S. officials acknowledge that the judgments of government lawyers are valuable only up to a point and that all that really matters is the judgment of one person: Putin. The Russian president has his own complex calculus about when the military support to Ukraine from the United States and its NATO allies crosses the line. He has his own reasons not to escalate, given the combined power of the NATO members and his own military’s evident difficulties against Ukrainian forces. But he is also unlikely to accept defeat or a stalemate in Ukraine without further testing U.S. resolve, despite explicit public warnings from Washington against the use of chemical, biological or even nuclear weapons. U.S. intelligence about Putin’s decision-making is maddeningly imprecise, and the West does not have a strong track record predicting what he might consider an aggression that cannot be tolerated. CIA Director William Burns told Congress this month that Putin’s views had “hardened over the years.” The Russian threshold could also be changing by the day or even the hour. On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested that his country was prepared to raise the costs for any nation helping the Ukrainians in their struggle, declaring that all vehicles shuttling weapons into Ukraine would be considered legitimate military targets. A Clash Over Fighter Planes On Wednesday, the task of articulating the intricacies of the U.S.’ military policy toward Ukraine fell to a group of generals under a barrage of questions from top members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees. Biden has made clear that he will not accede to Zelenskyy’s insistent pleas that NATO impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine. Clearing hostile aircraft from the skies would put the United States and its allies in combat with Russian forces. And a required step for a no-fly zone — suppressing enemy anti-aircraft weaponry — would mean attacking Russian air defense installations inside Russian territory. But during the closed-door session, lawmakers pressed members of the Pentagon’s Joint Staff about another flashpoint: the administration’s decision not to help supply Ukraine with the MiG-29 fighter jets that Poland has offered and that Zelenskyy has said his forces desperately need. Administration officials have said the move would be “escalatory,” and, according to people briefed on the exchanges, the lawmakers asked the generals if there was any hard intelligence that the jets might push Putin toward intensifying the conflict by treating the United States as a “co-belligerent” in the war. Intelligence officials have, in fact, told the administration that the MiGs could trigger a Russian move against NATO. During the congressional briefing, the generals said that the main issue was the capability of a MiG-29 to threaten Russian soil. In contrast to a Javelin anti-tank missile that has only limited range on the battlefield, a MiG-29 could fly from Kyiv to Moscow in a matter of minutes, the generals said, a capability that the Kremlin might see as a direct threat. The same day, the White House put forth another consideration: that to be delivered to Ukraine, the MiGs would have to take off from an air base in a NATO country, possibly inviting retaliation on NATO territory by the Russians. As a matter of international law, the provision of weaponry and intelligence to the Ukrainian army has made the United States a co-belligerent. But while Putin has made threats about launching attacks to impede the military assistance, he has not yet acted to stop it by attacking bases in neighboring countries — NATO allies — where the equipment originates. That could change, U.S. officials said, especially if Putin thinks he is cornered or in danger of losing. “It is a fine line the administration is still walking in every dimension of its support for Ukraine,” said Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a former senior intelligence official who specialized in Russia and is now at the Center for a New American Security. “They are trying to figure out, how do you get right up to the line without crossing over in a way that would risk direct confrontation with Russia?” Planes with pilots might be off the table, but armed drones are not. This past week, Biden announced that the United States would ship small Switchblade drones to Ukraine that could be used to blow up Russian armored vehicles. The single-use kamikaze drones have bladelike wings; do not require either a long runway or a complex satellite uplink; and can be controlled to dive-bomb tanks or troops, self-destructing when they explode. Unlike the large Predator and Reaper drones used for decades in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries, the portable drones pose no threat to Russian soil. Still, the White House authorized an initial shipment of only 100 of them to Ukraine — a small batch that could be intended to see how Putin reacts to their deployment on the Ukrainian front lines. Depending on the response, hundreds or thousands more could be on the way. The proposal for Turkey to supply Ukraine with Russian-made S-400 anti-aircraft systems would also test what Putin is willing to accept from NATO — and how far a NATO ally that in recent years often appeared to be building bridges to Moscow is willing to go in reiterating its commitment to the alliance and backing Ukraine. The idea came up when Wendy Sherman, the deputy secretary of state, visited Turkey two weeks ago. Sherman declined to talk about her discussions. A different senior U.S. official said the United States knew the proposal would anger Putin. Ukraine already uses Turkish-made drones, but Turkey is worried that providing the anti-aircraft systems could make the country a target of Russia’s wrath. At the same time, the upside for Turkey could be substantial: It was suspended by the Trump administration from the F-35 fighter program — in which it was a buyer and a manufacturer of parts for the advanced aircraft — after its purchase of the Russian S-400s. A deal to send the anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine could open the door to reentry into the F-35 program. The State Department declined to comment. Officials at Turkey’s embassy in Washington did not respond to messages seeking comment. The Conflict of the Future, Delayed The Ukraine war features tank columns and trenches, all features of Europe’s bloody conflicts of the past century. Thus far, there is little evidence that the United States — or Russia — is eager to escalate the conflict in the 21st century battleground of cyberspace. Days before the war began, there was a flurry of cyberattacks on Ukrainian financial institutions and government ministries, including one that was found and partly neutralized by Microsoft. A European satellite system sometimes used by the Ukrainian military was also hit, knocking out service, although it is still unclear whether the Russians carried out the attack. What has been missing thus far is a large-scale Russian cyberattack that knocks out the power grid or communications systems inside Ukraine, which for the most part continue to operate despite the withering Russian barrage of artillery and airstrikes. Until the invasion began, U.S. Cyber Command had a unit based in Kyiv that was helping the government fend off attacks. It is now operating from a nearby NATO country. There is fragmentary evidence that the United States and its allies worked to counter some of the attacks and to prevent others from being launched. But action seems to have been limited. Inside the Biden administration, there is a view that Putin could be choosing his moment to launch a cyberattack against the U.S. financial system in retaliation for the devastating financial sanctions imposed on his country by the United States and its allies. Unless and until that happens, the administration appears resolved not to launch a significant first strike and invite retaliation — especially given the risks to the U.S. economy and financial system if Russia were to target them. Keeping the Temperature Down “The water in Afghanistan must boil at the right temperature,” Pakistan’s then-president, Gen. Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, told his intelligence chief as Pakistan began supplying the mujahedeen in their grueling battle against Soviet troops in neighboring Afghanistan. In other words, hot enough to convince the Russians that the country was not worth the struggle but not so hot as to provoke a broader war in the region. The weapons that helped turn the tide of that conflict, shoulder-fired Stinger surface-to-air missiles, are now being unloaded from cargo planes in NATO countries and delivered to Ukrainian troops on the front lines to help keep Russia from controlling the skies. U.S. officials are divided on how much the lessons from Cold War proxy wars, like the Soviet Union’s war in Afghanistan, can be applied to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Some officials say those conflicts established that the great powers could ship small arms and missiles to proxy forces without triggering a wider war. At the same time, Ukraine is far more important to Putin than Afghanistan was to Soviet leaders. Given Russia’s bloody history with Stinger missiles, U.S. officials have been wary of advertising their use in Ukraine. During a trip to an airfield near Ukraine’s border this month with Gen. Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reporters watched Stinger missiles being unloaded from a cargo plane but were barred from disclosing the whereabouts of the base. Even after two senior U.S. officials told the House Armed Services Committee during a public hearing that Stinger missiles were among the munitions being sent to Ukraine, spokespeople avoided using the S-word from the lecterns at the White House and Pentagon. Until this past week. On Wednesday, the White House released a detailed list of the weapons it was providing as part of an $800 million package of arms to Ukraine. At the top of the list: “800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems.”

For the US, a tenuous balance in confronting Russia

During NATO drills, a US military plane crashed in Norway. Four American Marines have lost their lives in the tragic crash.

US Military plane crashes in Norway during NATO drills, 4 American Marines killed

Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said on Saturday that the US is going to provide his country a Stryker mechanized infantry company for its battlegroup under NATO's drive to bolster its eastern flank.

"The USA agreed to provide a Stryker company," he told a press conference with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. "This is a strong sign to all of our allies in NATO."

"I wanted to underscore the importance of the announcement that Bulgaria has established and is leading a NATO multinational battlegroup. It is an important step and we fully support it," Austin said.

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It comes after Bulgaria's foreign ministry announced the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats.&nbsp;

The EU member said they had breached international conventions on diplomatic ties, a formulation often used by the ministry to designate espionage.&nbsp;

Petkov said Bulgaria would continue to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine and take in Ukrainian refugees from the war, but it was not considering sending any weaponry to Kyiv for the time being as his Black Sea country was too close to the conflict.

Bulgaria, once Moscow's closest ally during the Cold War era but a NATO and European Union member state, is establishing a battlegroup of up to 1,000 troops under the operational command of NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

The battlegroup is expected to host troops from other allied countries as well.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-russia-conflict-time-for-meaningful-talks-says-president-volodymyr-zelenskiy-463642">Ukraine-Russia conflict: Time for meaningful talks, says President Zelensky</a>

Speaking after chairing a NATO summit, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the 30-nation organization will send parts of the NATO Response Force and elements of a quickly deployable spearhead unit to the alliance’s eastern flank. It’s the first time the force has been used to defend NATO allies.

In response to Europe’s biggest security crisis in decades, Stoltenberg said, “We are now deploying the NATO Response Force for the first time in a collective defense context. We speak about thousands of troops. We speak about air and maritime capabilities.”

“There must be no space for miscalculation or misunderstanding. We will do what it takes to protect and defend every ally, and every inch of NATO territory,” he said.

The NRF can number up to 40,000 troops, but Stoltenberg said that NATO would not be deploying the entire force. Parts of a spearhead unit known in NATO jargon as the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, which is currently led by France, will also be sent.

The announcement came after NATO members, ranging from Russia’s neighbor Estonia in the north down around the west of conflict-hit Ukraine to Bulgaria on the Black Sea coast, triggered urgent consultations Thursday about their security amid concerns from the invasion.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said on Saturday that the US is going to provide his country a Stryker mechanized infantry company for its battlegroup under NATO's drive to bolster its eastern flank.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said on Saturday that the US is going to provide his country a Stryker mechanized infantry company for its battlegroup under NATO's drive to bolster its eastern flank. "The USA agreed to provide a Stryker company," he told a press conference with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. "This is a strong sign to all of our allies in NATO." "I wanted to underscore the importance of the announcement that Bulgaria has established and is leading a NATO multinational battlegroup. It is an important step and we fully support it," Austin said. It comes after Bulgaria's foreign ministry announced the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats. The EU member said they had breached international conventions on diplomatic ties, a formulation often used by the ministry to designate espionage. Petkov said Bulgaria would continue to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine and take in Ukrainian refugees from the war, but it was not considering sending any weaponry to Kyiv for the time being as his Black Sea country was too close to the conflict. Bulgaria, once Moscow's closest ally during the Cold War era but a NATO and European Union member state, is establishing a battlegroup of up to 1,000 troops under the operational command of NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe. The battlegroup is expected to host troops from other allied countries as well. Also read | Ukraine-Russia conflict: Time for meaningful talks, says President Zelensky Speaking after chairing a NATO summit, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the 30-nation organization will send parts of the NATO Response Force and elements of a quickly deployable spearhead unit to the alliance’s eastern flank. It’s the first time the force has been used to defend NATO allies. In response to Europe’s biggest security crisis in decades, Stoltenberg said, “We are now deploying the NATO Response Force for the first time in a collective defense context. We speak about thousands of troops. We speak about air and maritime capabilities.” “There must be no space for miscalculation or misunderstanding. We will do what it takes to protect and defend every ally, and every inch of NATO territory,” he said. The NRF can number up to 40,000 troops, but Stoltenberg said that NATO would not be deploying the entire force. Parts of a spearhead unit known in NATO jargon as the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, which is currently led by France, will also be sent. The announcement came after NATO members, ranging from Russia’s neighbor Estonia in the north down around the west of conflict-hit Ukraine to Bulgaria on the Black Sea coast, triggered urgent consultations Thursday about their security amid concerns from the invasion. (With inputs from agencies)

US to provide Stryker army company to Bulgaria under NATO's drive to bolster its eastern flank

Four people were declared dead when a US military aircraft crashed during the NATO training exercises in northern Norway. According to the Reuters report, Ivar Bo Nilsson, of Nordland police, said: “It is regrettably confirmed that all four on board the plane have perished.”

Earlier, the local police and the country's Joint Rescue Coordination Centre&nbsp;(JRCC) announced that the aircraft was spotted with ‘major damage’.<o:p></o:p>

According to the official statement from the Norwegian Armed Forces, the MV-22B Osprey aircraft, assigned to the II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) US military unit, was "on a training mission in Nordland County, northern Norway on Friday" with a crew of four on board.<o:p></o:p>

The CNN reported that the damaged aircraft was spotted from one of the rescue helicopters and it appeared to have crashed in the municipality of Beiarn. Nordland Police chief of staff, Bent Arne Eilertsen, told public broadcaster NRK on Saturday that the aircraft has suffered a bit of damage.

<o:p>Also read |&nbsp;</o:p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/taiwan-issue-needs-to-be-handled-properly-xi-tells-biden-during-video-call-463654">Taiwan issue needs to be handled properly, Xi tells Biden during video call</a>

"What we have been told is that it is an American plane with Americans on board," Eilertsen said.<o:p></o:p>

The US Marine Corps confirmed that the aircraft was taking part in NATO exercises.<o:p></o:p>

"The aircraft was participating in Exercise Cold Response 2022," the Corps said. According to NATO's website, Cold Response 2022 is a long-planned exercise bringing together NATO allies and their partners which aims to test their ability to work together in cold weather conditions.

<o:p>Also read |&nbsp;</o:p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-reports-first-covid-19-deaths-in-more-than-a-year-463705">China reports first COVID-19 deaths in more than a year</a>

"Although the nature of military service is inherently dangerous, the safety of our Marines, Sailors, Allies and partners is our top priority," the statement said.<o:p></o:p>

The aircraft was reported missing at 6:26 p.m. local time on Friday while heading toward the town of Bodø, located north of the Arctic Circle, the Norwegian Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) said.<o:p></o:p>

(With inputs from agencies)

Four people were declared dead when a US military aircraft crashed during the NATO training exercises in northern Norway. According to the Reuters report, Ivar Bo Nilsson, of Nordland police, said: “It is regrettably confirmed that all four on board the plane have perished.

Four people were declared dead when a US military aircraft crashed during the NATO training exercises in northern Norway. According to the Reuters report, Ivar Bo Nilsson, of Nordland police, said: “It is regrettably confirmed that all four on board the plane have perished.” Earlier, the local police and the country's Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) announced that the aircraft was spotted with ‘major damage’. According to the official statement from the Norwegian Armed Forces, the MV-22B Osprey aircraft, assigned to the II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) US military unit, was "on a training mission in Nordland County, northern Norway on Friday" with a crew of four on board. The CNN reported that the damaged aircraft was spotted from one of the rescue helicopters and it appeared to have crashed in the municipality of Beiarn. Nordland Police chief of staff, Bent Arne Eilertsen, told public broadcaster NRK on Saturday that the aircraft has suffered a bit of damage. Also read | Taiwan issue needs to be handled properly, Xi tells Biden during video call "What we have been told is that it is an American plane with Americans on board," Eilertsen said. The US Marine Corps confirmed that the aircraft was taking part in NATO exercises. "The aircraft was participating in Exercise Cold Response 2022," the Corps said. According to NATO's website, Cold Response 2022 is a long-planned exercise bringing together NATO allies and their partners which aims to test their ability to work together in cold weather conditions. Also read | China reports first COVID-19 deaths in more than a year "Although the nature of military service is inherently dangerous, the safety of our Marines, Sailors, Allies and partners is our top priority," the statement said. The aircraft was reported missing at 6:26 p.m. local time on Friday while heading toward the town of Bodø, located north of the Arctic Circle, the Norwegian Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) said. (With inputs from agencies)

Four dead as US military aircraft crashes in northern Norway during NATO exercises

Russia’s war on Ukraine is causing a strategic re-think in Finland, which shares a 1300-km border with Russia.

Though Finland has remained militarily non-aligned, the country has been a member of the European Union and a partner of NATO. However, Finn leaders are now contemplating formally joining the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), a political and military alliance of countries in Europe and North America.

Notably, it was the growing proximity to the NATO and US that led to Russia's invasion and the ongoing war on Ukraine.

To better understand Finland's stance, WION spoke to Ritva Koukku-Ronde, Finland's Ambassador to India.

According to the diplomat, the Government of Finland is looking at the security situation in Europe and discussing to prepare a White Paper assessing their security situation, which will be followed by a parliamentary discussion.

She added that the country was having this discussion in a relatively short duration and also working closely with Sweden and NATO countries.

When queried on Russia's warning (threat of political and military consequences) against any move by Finland and Sweden to join NATO, she said that every independent and sovereign country has the right to make their decisions on choosing who their allies are and not.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-russias-advance-halts-in-ukraine-us-warns-china-over-backing-putin-463300">As Russia's advance halts in Ukraine, US warns China over backing Putin</a>

"It is the right of independent Finland to make own security and other decisions, just as it is for Ukraine. Of course, Ukraine's sovereignty should be respected and, in this case, Russia has strongly violated international laws and the UN Charter with its aggression. Finland, European Union and a majority of international community condemns this one-sided aggression.”

At a time when Russian troops continue their attack on Ukraine, Russia's “militarily non-aligned” neighbour Finland is taking part in 'Cold Response 2022', a military exercise of troops from NATO countries.

When this was pointed out, the ambassador said, "Finland is militarily non-aligned, but we are a partner in NATO, and we are traditionally exercising with NATO partners and Nordic countries. This exercise is also part of regular exercises which we had planned a very long time ago. The coincidence is now the Russian aggression, which has taken all of us by surprise.”

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/norway-prepared-for-up-to-100000-ukraine-refugees-says-pm-jonas-gahr-stoere-463453">Norway prepared for up to 100,000 Ukraine refugees, says PM</a>

On how Russia would see the ‘Exercise Cold Response 2022’ happening at this time, Finland's top diplomat said that it was for Russia, as an independent country, to think the way they do over these exercises.

However, she mentioned that Finland, as an independent nation, had the right to exercise its military capabilities and this exercise is a part of that. "Finnish defence is totally interoperable with NATO forces and it is good to train every now and then.”

"We always take our time on preparing carefully… The security assessment is underway… Most probably it would be completed during spring and let's see what happens after that and what is the situation,” she replied on the question regarding when Finland would decide on joining NATO formally as a member.

Russia’s war on Ukraine is causing a strategic re-think in Finland, which shares a 1300-km border with Russia. Though Finland has remained militarily non-aligned, the country has been a member of the European Union and a partner of NATO.

Russia’s war on Ukraine is causing a strategic re-think in Finland, which shares a 1300-km border with Russia. Though Finland has remained militarily non-aligned, the country has been a member of the European Union and a partner of NATO. However, Finn leaders are now contemplating formally joining the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), a political and military alliance of countries in Europe and North America. Notably, it was the growing proximity to the NATO and US that led to Russia's invasion and the ongoing war on Ukraine. To better understand Finland's stance, WION spoke to Ritva Koukku-Ronde, Finland's Ambassador to India. According to the diplomat, the Government of Finland is looking at the security situation in Europe and discussing to prepare a White Paper assessing their security situation, which will be followed by a parliamentary discussion. She added that the country was having this discussion in a relatively short duration and also working closely with Sweden and NATO countries. When queried on Russia's warning (threat of political and military consequences) against any move by Finland and Sweden to join NATO, she said that every independent and sovereign country has the right to make their decisions on choosing who their allies are and not. Also read | As Russia's advance halts in Ukraine, US warns China over backing Putin "It is the right of independent Finland to make own security and other decisions, just as it is for Ukraine. Of course, Ukraine's sovereignty should be respected and, in this case, Russia has strongly violated international laws and the UN Charter with its aggression. Finland, European Union and a majority of international community condemns this one-sided aggression.” At a time when Russian troops continue their attack on Ukraine, Russia's “militarily non-aligned” neighbour Finland is taking part in 'Cold Response 2022', a military exercise of troops from NATO countries. When this was pointed out, the ambassador said, "Finland is militarily non-aligned, but we are a partner in NATO, and we are traditionally exercising with NATO partners and Nordic countries. This exercise is also part of regular exercises which we had planned a very long time ago. The coincidence is now the Russian aggression, which has taken all of us by surprise.” Also read | Norway prepared for up to 100,000 Ukraine refugees, says PM On how Russia would see the ‘Exercise Cold Response 2022’ happening at this time, Finland's top diplomat said that it was for Russia, as an independent country, to think the way they do over these exercises. However, she mentioned that Finland, as an independent nation, had the right to exercise its military capabilities and this exercise is a part of that. "Finnish defence is totally interoperable with NATO forces and it is good to train every now and then.” "We always take our time on preparing carefully… The security assessment is underway… Most probably it would be completed during spring and let's see what happens after that and what is the situation,” she replied on the question regarding when Finland would decide on joining NATO formally as a member.

‘Security assessment underway, Finland could join NATO by spring', Finnish envoy to India tells WION

Its been three weeks since Russian invasion of Ukraine dominated the headlines. Russia believes that it was betrayed by the West, the promise made by NATO that it will not expand to the east. Is Ukraine paying for NATO's gambles?

Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Is Ukraine paying for NATO's gambles?

NATO has rejected requests for an armed peace mission in Ukraine. Earlier on Tuesday, NATO member Poland had suggested that Western alliance must provide humanitarian to Ukraine. Instead NATO is now looking to booster its Eastern flank following in the Russian invasion. This is what NATO chief had to say after meeting NATO Defence Ministers.

NATO rejects Ukraine 'Peace Mission', instead seeks to bolster its eastern flank

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