Ukraine, Briefly

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• US President Joe Biden and NATO allies met on Thursday to discuss responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as the alliance seeks measures to discourage Moscow from intensifying its attacks, the Hill reported. President Biden also voiced support for expelling Russia from the Group of 20 even as Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this week, he planned to attend a G-20 summit later this year.

• The Group of Seven nations issued a statement Thursday warning Russian President Vladimir Putin against using chemical, biological or nuclear weapons in Ukraine, highlighting growing concerns that Putin, facing setbacks on the battlefield and from sanctions, will resort to more extreme actions.

• The US, along with the G-7 and the European Union, also unveiled a new round of sanctions targeting more than 400 individuals and entities, including the Russian legislature and its members, additional members of the Russian power elite and state-owned defense companies, the Washington Post reported. The economic measures are the latest in a far-reaching sanctions package the West has unleashed on Moscow as punishment for the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

• Dozens of countries met Thursday to pledge their support for the International Criminal Court’s investigation into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, offering money, technology and expertise to the inquiry, which was launched shortly after Russia’s invasion began a month ago, the Associated Press reported. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for global protests against Russia’s invasion, while urging NATO to provide Ukraine with “effective and unrestricted” aid to end the bloody war, Al Jazeera added.

• A Russian landing ship was destroyed and two other boats were damaged in the Russian-held Ukrainian port city of Berdyansk, according to Ukrainian officials, the BBC noted. The destruction follows a barrage of Russian missiles which damaged apartment buildings, shattered trees, and set at least one home on fire in central Kyiv on Wednesday, the Hill wrote.

• The United States formally accused unnamed members of Russia’s military of perpetrating war crimes in Ukraine, according to Politico. Meanwhile, the Kremlin ordered the expulsion of a number of US diplomats from Russia in what has been described as a tit-for-tat move following Washington’s move to expel 12 Russian diplomats last month, Reuters reported.