Lavrov: Supply of advanced rocket systems risks dragging third country into conflict. US also reportedly poised to sell armed drones to Ukraine. Russia tightens its grip on Sievierodonetsk, solidifying a shift in battlefield momentum.
Russia widens Europe gas cuts and halts Dutch, Danish and German contracts, but says the Russian navy will ensure the safe passage of ships carrying Ukraine’s wheat export supplies into the Mediterranean Sea if Ukraine demines its territorial waters.
The country has already stopped natural gas supplies to Bulgaria, Poland and Finland for their refusal to pay in rubles as part of efforts to economically isolate Russia amid its war in Ukraine.
In phone call with Zelenskyy, Turkey's Erdogan stresses need to create corridor for Ukrainian agricultural products. Six civilians reported dead in eastern Donetsk in an overnight missile strike. In Mariupol, the leader of Russia-backed separatists says his administration will nationalize some of the ships in the port.
"We are unable to count the dead and the wounded amid the street fighting," says mayor of Sievierodonetsk. Meanwhile, EU continues to fumble embargo on Russian oil.
The embattled country receives "so many" Harpoon anti-ship missiles and howitzers that it could "sink the entire Russian Black Sea Fleet." Germany and France call for immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian troops. In response to Sweden and Finland's bids to join NATO, Russia announces formation of new military units along its western border.
Russia warns supplying Ukraine with weapons capable of reaching its territory would be "a serious step towards unacceptable escalation." Western nations weigh allowing Russian oligarchs to buy their way out of sanctions.
Turkey's National Security Council says the country's current and future military operations on its southern borders, including with Syria, do not target its neighbors' sovereignty but are necessary for Turkish security.
“On this night we regard as different from all other nights, we try to interact in a different way and tell you a little about ourselves, our people’s history,” said Jason Isaacson, AJC’s chief policy and political affairs officer.
To solidify Russia's grip on captured territory, Putin simplifies the process for residents to acquire Russian citizenship and passports. Ankara, Moscow, and Kyiv hold talks to open a corridor via Turkey for grain exports from Ukraine.