NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday paid a surprise visit to Kyiv, marking his first trip to Ukraine since Russia began its full-scale invasion last year.

Deutsche Welle (DW) reported today that in the Ukranian capital, Stoltenberg paid tribute to those who had lost their lives defending their country against Russian forces. He also reviewed Russian military relics on exhibit at a prominent Kyiv square. The visit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation supremo comes as Ukrainian forces ready for their spring counteroffensive after Russia’s attempts to advance during the winter, particularly in the area around the town of Bakhmut, proved unsuccessful.

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The 31-member NATO has vowed to assist Ukraine in defending itself from Russian aggression.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, has been urged by Stoltenberg to attend a NATO summit in July, reported the German publication, DW.

With Moscow claiming it had seized four regions of Ukraine, Kyiv began a request to join NATO military alliance.

During the last 24 hours, Russia launched a series of attacks against targets in Ukraine, including 26 unmanned Shahed-136 drones, of which Ukrainian air defences shot down 21, Ukraine’s general staff said on Thursday.

According to Ukrainian forces, some of the Russian airstrikes succeeded in hitting their civilian and military targets. There were also reported casualties among civilians.
Moreover, Ukraine claimed to have successfully repelled 55 ground assaults in the Donetsk region, including those near the hotly disputed town of Bakhmut.