Ukraine, Briefly

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• NATO leaders will formally invite Finland and Sweden to join the alliance on Wednesday after Turkey dropped its veto on their membership, NATO’s secretary-general announced Tuesday evening, opening the way for one of the group’s most substantial expansions in decades, the New York Times wrote.

• The number of fatalities from a horrific Russian attack on a busy shopping mall in central Ukraine has risen to at least 20, according to NPR. Ukrainian authorities said two missiles were fired Monday afternoon at the Amstor shopping center in Kremenchuk, where up to 1,000 people were reportedly present. Following the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the Russian government as “the largest terrorism organization in the world.” The United Nations Security Council, meanwhile, will meet on Tuesday to discuss the Russian strikes, the BBC noted.

• American basketball star Brittney Griner is due to go on trial in Russia on Friday for allegedly possessing marijuana, the BBC reported. The three-time WNBA league champion and seven-time All-Star, who is 31 years old, may be forced to spend 10 years behind bars if found guilty. Meanwhile, Russia added 25 US citizens, including first lady Jill Biden, to a “stop list,” as Moscow retaliates against expanding sanctions from the US and European nations, CNN added.

• The US Treasury Department said Tuesday that it will restrict the entry of Russian gold into the US, two days after President Joe Biden vowed that the US and other G-7 nations will prohibit its import, ABC News wrote.