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Added on the 17/05/2022 19:10:44 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
As NATO celebrates its 75th anniversary in the shadow of the war in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba asks allies for more Patriot air defence systems. SOUNDBITE
The defence of Europe without Ukraine would be a "futile task", Kyiv's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tells the press as he arrives for a meeting of his North Atlantic Treaty Organization counterparts in Brussels. Speaking after greeting the US-led defence alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Kuleba adds that he believes the Ukrainian armed forces to now be currently "the strongest and the most battle-hardened army in Europe" as its war against Russia's invading forces drags on towards a third year. Kuleba and his NATO counterparts on Wednesday are set to agree on a plan for reforms aimed at helping Ukraine towards eventual membership in the alliance. IMAGES
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's foreign minister, and Jens Stoltenberg, NATO's Secretary General, meet in Brussels at the NATO foreign ministers meeting. As Finland joins the military alliance, Ukraine is also pushing for eventual NATO membership, but Western diplomats say that remains a still distant prospect. IMAGES
The NATO flag flies in front of Finland's foreign ministry in Helsinki, as the country becomes becomes the 31st member of the US-led alliance. Last year, the Kremlin's all-out invasion of Ukraine upended Europe's security landscape and prompted Finland to drop decades of non-alignment. IMAGES
Finland's Foreign Minister, Pekka Haavisto, confirms to the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee that his country wants to join NATO, against the backdrop of war in Ukraine and tensions with Russia. SOUNDBITE
Supporters of Zambian President Lungu hold a rally in Lusaka during a tense presidential race, which has been marked by clashes between rival supporters. The presidential election will take place on Thursday. IMAGES.