Ukraine

The European Parliament approved a resolution Wednesday (28 February) calling on the European Investment Bank (EIB) to repeal restrictions on financing ammunition and weapons production, putting pressure on the EU’s multibillion lending arm to ramp up security-related expenditure as Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its third year.

Zelensky met Balkan leaders at the “Ukraine-Southeast Europe” Summit in Tirana on Wednesday where he thanked them for their political and humanitarian support but stressed that, although “there are about 500 defence companies operating in Ukraine”, it is “not enough to win over [Vladimir] Putin”.

Several European countries have rejected the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine after the French president said "nothing should be ruled out." Russia, for its part, says it would make war with NATO inevitable.

Western foreign ministers from the G20 group of nations meeting in Brazil on Wednesday attacked Russia for its invasion of Ukraine as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov listened, diplomats said.

In a statement issued on February 22, two days before the second anniversary of the launch of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Turk said the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) had verified 30,457 civilian casualties during the war -- 10,582 killed and 19,875 injured, adding that the actual numbers were likely to be considerably higher.

In Brussels, NATO defence chiefs have ended two days of talks aimed at tackling the biggest challenges facing the western alliance, including the war in Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged the US Congress to pass a military aid package for Kyiv.

The decision comes amid differences between Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy and the general.

China has warned Ukraine about designating Chinese companies as "international sponsors of war," saying it could damage relations between the two countries, Reuters reported, citing unidentified sources familiar with the matter.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on Wednesday that Russia had violated global anti-terrorism and anti-racial discrimination treaties, but dismissed most of the charges Kyiv brought against Moscow stemming from its 2014 invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for an international investigation into the crash of a Russian military plane. The UN Security Council will meet on Thursday to discuss the incident.