NATO leaders are preparing on Wednesday to sign a major package of support for the alliance's eastern European members to show a united stance to confront Russia's offensive on Ukraine, as Moscow set a single condition for ending the war.

This comes in parallel with NATO's announcement of reaching an agreement on Finland and Sweden joining the alliance after Turkey backed down from its opposition to the move, while Ankara said it "got what it wanted."

On Tuesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced at the alliance's three-day summit that the decision represented a "fundamental shift in deterrence and defense" in the alliance's policy.

Stoltenberg echoed previous statements before the summit, calling the move "the most comprehensive overhaul of our collective deterrence and defense since the Cold War."

NATO has repeatedly affirmed its full support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian (European) attack

The alliance is preparing to agree to deploy more equipment near Russia – including heavy weapons and increased troop numbers in NATO's multinational groups in Eastern Europe;

Expand the size of the rapid reaction forces from 40,000 to 300,000 soldiers.

It is noteworthy that the NATO Response Force, is usually under national command, but the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe can request its deployment in one of the other countries of the Alliance.

NATO allies are still finalizing details of the exact composition of expanded battlegroups in Eastern Europe, as some member states seek to avoid costly permanent military bases.

Surrender is a condition

In a related context, Russia revealed that the only way to stop the war on Ukraine is Kyiv's surrender, laying down its weapons and implementing Moscow's conditions.

"The Ukrainian side can end (the conflict) within one day. National units must be ordered to lay down their arms, Ukrainian soldiers must be ordered to lay down their arms, all conditions set by Russia must be fulfilled. Then everything will be over within one day".


In another context, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the United Nations to send a commission of inquiry to the site of the Russian bombing that targeted a shopping center in the city of Kremenchuk.

In a speech before an emergency session of the Security Council convened at the request of Ukraine, Zelensky demanded the expulsion of Russia from its permanent seat on the Council, and the establishment of a court to look into what he described as terrorist acts committed by Russia.

The Ukrainian president also called on the Security Council to remain in permanent session until Russia stops its war on his country.

The deputy head of Zelensky's office announced that the number of victims of the Russian missile attack that targeted the shopping complex had risen to 20, and about 60 wounded, while about 40 people were still missing.

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In a related context, the leaders of the Group of Seven pledged at the conclusion of their meeting that Russia would pay a heavy price for its invasion of Ukraine.

The United States began implementing sanctions against Moscow that were approved during the G7 summit targeting 70 Russian entities, including the arms industry group Rostec. The sanctions also included a ban on the import of Russian gold.

On the other hand, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov believed that the West's continued provision of weapons to Ukraine would prolong the conflict and be counterproductive.


After the G7 summit ended, the US Treasury announced imposing sanctions on the Russian defense sector, as well as banning the import of Russian gold.

It also announced the imposition of sanctions on dozens of individuals and entities linked to Russia.

Battles intensify

On the ground, Al-Jazeera correspondent reported hearing sirens in the Ukrainian capital, while the Donbass region is witnessing an intensification of battles, especially in the city of Leschansk.

The Ukrainian governor of Luhansk, Sergey Gaidi, confirmed that 8 civilians, including a child, were killed, and 21 people were wounded, in a Russian bombing that destroyed large parts of the city, targeting tunnels and bridges.

Gaidi said that the fighting continues around the city of Lyschansk from different axes, explaining that the Ukrainian forces will continue to defend the city for as long as possible.

He stressed that it is dangerous for the local population to stay in the city, which is being destroyed on a daily basis, noting the difficulty of humanitarian aid entering the city, and explaining that there are enough food and medicine stocks for weeks.

The Ukrainian General Staff also acknowledged that the Russian forces had made progress, describing it as partial on the southwestern axis of the city of Lyschansk.


In the Mykolaiv district, in the south of the country, Al-Jazeera correspondent reported that there were 6 explosions on Tuesday in separate areas.

Al-Jazeera correspondent, quoting eyewitnesses, said that some of the explosions targeted Ukrainian military barracks.

For its part, the Ukrainian army announced that it had targeted Russian crowds in Mykolaiv and Kherson with five air strikes.

The pro-Russian forces in Lugansk also said that they stormed the Lyschansk oil refinery, and that Ukrainian forces began withdrawing from the city to reduce their losses.

And it announced that it had completed combing the town of Volchiarovka, located on the outskirts of the city of Lysichansk, which it had seized two days ago.

The TASS news agency quoted Russian military sources as saying that the battles between the Russian forces and the Ukrainian forces are taking place in the southern and western parts of the city, and in the industrial area.

Turkey imposes its conditions

On Tuesday, NATO announced that an agreement had been reached on Finland and Sweden joining the alliance, after Turkey reversed its opposition to the move.

After hours of talks on the sidelines of an alliance summit, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that Turkey was no longer opposed to Finland and Sweden's candidacy for membership in the bloc.

"Turkey has agreed to Sweden and Finland to join NATO," Stoltenberg said, describing the progress made in this regard as "substantial" while "the world is facing the most serious security crisis in decades."

And Turkey - a member of the alliance since 1952 - was opposed to Sweden and Finland joining the alliance, as it accused them of harboring militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party, an organization that Ankara considers "terrorist", and it condemned the two countries' hosting of supporters of the Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom it accuses of orchestrating a coup attempt. in July 2016.

But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan eventually declared that Ankara had extracted "full cooperation" from Finland and Sweden against the PKK militants and their allies.

"Turkey got what it wanted," the Turkish presidency said in a statement.