NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance countries agreed to strengthen support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian war, while Moscow announced that it had received from Kyiv a draft peace agreement that includes "unacceptable" elements.
Stoltenberg said at the conclusion of a two-day meeting of foreign ministers of NATO countries in Brussels that the allies had provided great support to Ukraine and had trained dozens of Ukrainian military personnel, and had agreed to increase this support.
He said that the sanctions imposed by the allies on Moscow are unprecedented and affect the Russian war machine.
Stoltenberg also announced that NATO countries will discuss the concept of strategic security at the Madrid conference next June, and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the ministers discussed in their meeting the concept of strategic security for the alliance during the next decade.
Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that his country is asking NATO for weapons "now before it is too late", and stressed that he will continue to urge Western countries to impose a complete ban on Russian energy imports.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he urged allies to provide more military support to Ukraine, "given its urgent need for air defense systems, anti-tank weapons, as well as light and heavy weapons."
Negotiation path
On the other hand, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said - today, Thursday - that Ukraine handed Russia a draft peace agreement yesterday that includes "unacceptable" elements, and represents a deviation from the proposals previously agreed upon by the two sides, as he put it.
Lavrov added that this highlights Kyiv's "real intentions and position of disrupting, or even undermining, talks by moving away from the understandings that were reached."
But he made it clear that "despite all the provocations", the Russian delegation will continue the negotiation process, and "press for a draft agreement for us that clearly and completely defines our positions and our initial and main requirements."
The Kremlin announced today that Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed with members of the Russian Security Council the military operation in Ukraine and negotiations with Kyiv.
Targeting my daughter Putin
The Kremlin also commented on the new sanctions announced by the United States yesterday against Moscow, targeting Russian banks and elites, and include Katerina and Maria, the two daughters of President Putin, who American officials believe are hiding their father's wealth.
"Of course, we consider these sanctions in themselves an extension of a very frantic attitude regarding the imposition of restrictions ... In any case, the continued approach to imposing restrictions on family members speaks for itself," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Peskov added that the Kremlin did not understand why Putin's two daughters were targeted. "This is something that is difficult to understand and explain. Unfortunately, this is the kind of adversary we have to deal with," Peskov said.
According to the details contained in the US sanctions decision announced yesterday, Putin's daughter, Katerina Tikhonova, works as an executive director in the field of technology, and her work contributes to supporting the Russian government and the defense industries in the country.
Washington said his other daughter, Maria Vorontsova, leads government-funded programs and has received billions of dollars from the Kremlin for gene research, which Putin personally supervises.
Putin has always kept his family and private life out of the spotlight.
The Kremlin often rejects questions about Putin's family, claiming to respect his right to privacy.