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Added on the 18/05/2022 10:57:07 - Copyright : Euronews EN
Ukrainian air force planes are seen dropping flares and flying at very low altitude while MRLS, also known as 'Grad', are seen firing near Soledar. The fate of Soledar, a war-battered salt mining city in east Ukraine, is unclear, with Russian mercenary group Wagner claiming to control the gateway town while the Kremlin cautioned against declaring victory prematurely. IMAGES
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell decries Russia's attack on the Ukrainian port city Mariupol as "a massive war crime", as the bloc discusses imposing more sanctions on Moscow. SOUNDBITE
"The destiny of Ukraine is at stake, but our own fate also lies in the balance," says the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. SOUNDBITE
Sweden joining NATO shows Russian President Vladimir Putin "failed" in his Ukrainian war strategy of weakening the alliance, its chief Jens Stoltenberg says. The Kremlin's invasion not only prompted formerly non-aligned nations Sweden and Finland to come under NATO's defence umbrella, but now "Ukraine is closer to NATO membership than ever before," Stoltenberg adds. SOUNDBITE
US President Joe Biden says during his State of the Union address that Ukraine is capable of stopping Putin if the US provides Kyiv the "weapons it needs to defend itself." SOUNDBITE
NATO forces cross the Vistula River at Korzeniewo in Poland as part of the US-led defence alliance's Exercise Dragon 24, involving around 4,500 soldiers and almost 1,000 vehicles. Dragon 24 is itself part of Exercise Steadfast Defender 24, NATO's largest military exercise since the Cold War, which is designed to test its defences in the face of Russia's war on Ukraine. IMAGES