Russia-Ukraine updates: Russian missile strikes hit multiple Ukrainian cities

Dozens of injuries were reported in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.

Russia has continued a nearly 19-month-long invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Recently, though, the Ukrainians have gone on a counteroffensive, fighting to reclaim occupied territory.

For previous coverage, please click here.


0

Zelenskyy pushes for NATO membership invite ahead of summit

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again called on Tuesday for NATO to invite Ukraine to become a member, offering a strongly worded statement as the coalition leaders gathered for a summit in Lithuania.

Ukraine "deserves respect," Zelenskyy said in a statement posted on Twitter.

"It's unprecedented and absurd when time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine's membership," he said. "While at the same time vague wording about 'conditions' is added even for inviting Ukraine. It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to NATO nor to make it a member of the Alliance."

Keeping Ukraine out of NATO amounts to a "motivation" for Russia to "continue its terror," he said.

"Uncertainty is weakness," he added.

Russia rebutted the statement a short while later.

"This is potentially very dangerous for European security. Indeed, it is fraught with great dangers, and those who will make this decision should be aware of that," Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, said when asked to comment on Ukraine's possible fast-track admission to the coalition.


Biden to meet with Zelenskyy at NATO summit

President Joe Biden will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania this week, an administration official told ABC News.

The meeting comes as Zelenskyy pushes for a spot in NATO, despite Biden's public comments this weekend that he doesn't think that's the right move at this moment.

Biden has instead suggested a relationship similar to Israel and the U.S., with strong security commitments.

-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett and Molly Nagle


Turkey agrees to advance Sweden's bid to join NATO

Turkey and Sweden have reached a deal to advance the latter country's bid to join NATO, according to NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg.

"This is an historic step which makes all #NATO Allies stronger & safer," Stoltenberg tweeted along with a photo of him and the two leaders shaking hands.

Turkey and Sweden have agreed to work on "legitimate security concerns," according to NATO.

Sweden has resumed arms exports with Turkey and "will present a roadmap as the basis of its continued fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," according to NATO.

The two countries agreed to set up economic cooperation through the Türkiye-Sweden Joint Economic and Trade Committee, NATO said.

-ABC News' Will Gretsky


Zelenskyy previews participation in NATO summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined his agenda for the NATO summit in Vilnius in his evening address.

Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian government is "working to make the algorithm for gaining membership as clear and fast as possible."

The president also added, in regards to the summit, "there may be good weaponry-related news."

"The priorities are absolutely clear: air defense for our cities, for all communities throughout the country, we are working to create a full-fledged sky shield," he said.

-ABC News' Will Gretsky


Prigozhin 'likely' killed in Russian plane crash, US says

Wagner Group leader Yevgency Prigozhin was "likely" killed in a plane crash near Kuzhenkino, Russia, on Wednesday, the Pentagon said.

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said there is no information to suggest a surface-to-air missile brought down the plane. Nine others, including Wagner's co-founder, Dmitry Utkin, are also presumed dead.

"We don't have any information to indicate right now ... there was some type of surface to air missile that took down the plane ... we assessed that information to be inaccurate," Ryder said.

He added, "But beyond that, I'm really just not going to have any further information. What was it, something that came ... from inside the plane? Again, I don't have any additional insight to provide on that."

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez