Ukraine invited to NATO summit in Brussels scheduled for April 6-7 amid Russia's invasion

In a massive development, Ukraine has been invited to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit, which is scheduled for April 6 and 7. The North Atlantic Council meeting will take place at the NATO headquarters in Brussels and will be chaired by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. According to the press release, the other non-member states invited are Georgia, Finland, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. 

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who is also a Vice-President of the European Commission, has also been invited to join the first session. 

US' next round of Economic sanctions on Russia to focus on supply networks

On Tuesday, the United States' Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said that the subsequent round of economic sanctions against Russia will focus on supply networks, which would hit yet another sector of the country's economy. In the wake of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the United States and its allies imposed a barrage of sanctions on the country, including those targetting Russian leaders and billionaires, as well as significant Russian banks. 

The US hopes to damage "the Kremlin's ability to operate its war machine" by broadening the scope of its sanctions, according to Adeyemo, who spoke to a London think tank audience. The sanctions, according to Adeyemo, will also target Russia's alternative military suppliers.

According to a report by The Telegraph UK, US President Joe Biden, UK PM Boris Johnson and European leaders will also discuss the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. According to the White House, the meeting will be held on Tuesday afternoon.

Ukraine claims proposal for security guarantees ensure protection

Mykhailo Podolyak, the political adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, earlier in the day said that Ukraine's proposal for security assurances includes numerous guarantor nations, including the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), Turkey, France, and Germany. Taking to Twitter, he stated that the aforementioned countries will be legally and actively involved in protecting Ukraine from any aggression. 

Podolyak went on to say that the Ukrainian delegation had pledged to settle the Crimean Peninsula issue exclusively through bilateral negotiations within 15 years after Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter, "Briefly. Security guarantees treaty with an enhanced analogue of Article 5 of NATO. Guarantor states (USA, UK, Turkey, France, Germany etc.) legally actively involved in protecting from any aggression. Implementation through a referendum & parliaments of the guarantor states."

Image: AP