Extract from ABC News
Ukraine's future lies in NATO, the Western military alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg said during his first visit to the country since Russia's invasion 14 months ago.
Key points:
- Mr Stoltenberg met with Mr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, affirming Ukraine's "rightful place" in NATO
- Russia advertises for men to volunteer in latest war campaign
- Denmark and The Netherlands say the will send Ukraine more tanks on top of those already promised
"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," Mr Stoltenberg told reporters during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.
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 ($105.95 billion) of military aid alone.
"NATO stands with you today, tomorrow and for as long as it takes," Mr Stoltenberg said, before inviting Mr Zelenskyy to July's NATO summit in Lithuania.
The NATO secretary-general's visit is likely to irk Russia, which regards the alliance as a hostile military bloc bent on encroaching on what it sees as its sphere of influence and opposes Ukraine's efforts to join NATO.
The Kremlin told reporters on a conference call on Thursday that one of the aims of what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine was to prevent Ukraine ever joining NATO.
"…otherwise it will present a serious, significant danger to the security of our country," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Ukraine announced a bid for fast-track membership of NATO last September after the Kremlin said it had annexed four Ukrainian regions that its troops have partially occupied.
Russia calls for 'real' men
The Russian military launched a video campaign to lure more professional soldiers to fight in Ukraine which challenges those interested to show they are "a real man" and swap what it casts as hum-drum civilian life for the battlefield.
The ad, set to stirring music, follows a report from British military intelligence and Russian media reports that suggest Moscow is seeking to recruit up to 400,000 professional soldiers — on a volunteer basis — to bolster its forces in Ukraine.
The ad has so far been released on major Russian social networking sites.
The ad, which invites men to sign a contract with the Russian Defence Ministry for a salary starting at 204,000 roubles ($3,717) a month, shows a man in supermarket dressed in military uniform holding a heavy machine gun. He is then shown in the uniform of a security guard with the question:
"Is this the kind of defender you dreamt of becoming?"
Next in the video, a man is walking through the fog with other soldiers on what looks like a battlefield. He is then shown as a gym instructor helping a client lift weights.
"Is this really where your strength lies?" the video asks, before cutting to a taxi driver taking a client's fare who then transforms into a soldier on the battlefield.
"You're a real man. Be one," says the ad.
After launching a partial mobilisation drive in September which prompted tens of thousands of Russian men to flee the country to avoid being drafted, the authorities are playing down the possibility of a second mobilisation call — despite a move to introduce electronic call up papers to clamp down on draft dodgers — and are seeking to recruit volunteers instead.
Posters seeking professional soldiers have sprung up in the Russian capital in recent weeks declaring that "Our Profession is to defend the Motherland."
The posters, which say the army is looking for gunners, sappers, military medics, drivers and tank commanders, promise potential recruits "respect, an honourable profession and decent pay".
Danes, Dutch to donate tanks
Denmark and the Netherlands have announced that they plan to provide Ukraine with at least 14 refurbished German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks, to be supplied from early 2024.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called it "a significant donation" which came on top of a contribution by Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany, announced in February, to supply at least 100 older Leopard 1 A5 tanks.
In a joint statement, the Danish and Dutch defense ministers said the estimated cost of 165 million euros "to jointly acquire, refurbish and donate" will be equally divided between the two NATO members.
In January, Germany agreed to send 14 newer Leopard 2 A6 tanks from its military's current stocks, and raised the number to 18 in February.
Acting Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen stressed that the tanks were not Danish but are "bought in collaboration with the Netherlands."
Denmark currently has Leopard 2 A7 tanks which are a "different and newer model than the one we are donating now," Mr Lund Poulsen added.
On Twitter, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba wrote that "We are deeply grateful for this contribution."
Wires/ABC
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