It is day 504 of the war in Ukraine. Follow developments in Ukraine and Russia here in this live blog.
Russian ambassador to US: NATO wants more troops on our border
This week’s NATO summit in Vilnius shows the alliance’s intent to concentrate more troops on its borders with Russia, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoli Antonov said. “We have nowhere to retreat,” Antonov told Russia’s state news agency TASS.
According to Antonov, the statements made by NATO members in the Lithuanian capital also confirmed the “anti-Russian push” of the alliance, which has deployed all its resources “in the fight against our country”. Antonov: “Every effort is being made to prepare local public opinion for the approval of the anti-Russian decisions that will be taken in Vilnius in the coming days.” The summit in the Lithuanian capital is largely dominated by the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Antonov sees that differences of opinion on Ukraine’s ambition for NATO membership are diminishing. “The situation continues to slide towards the most unfavorable outcome in the confrontation between the Russian Federation and the members of the alliance,” said Antonov.
This live blog is based on reports from our correspondents and editors BNR, The Guardian, ANP, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Associated Press, CNN, BBC, CNBC, Sky News and Agence France-Presse. BNR also uses online reports from news agencies Tass, RIA Novosti and Interfax (Russia) and Belta (Belarus). Since the reporting of these agencies is not verifiable and cannot be qualified as independent, in these cases the origin of the report is explicitly stated.
Source: BNR

Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.