NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (R) shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after a joint press conference on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Vilnius on July 12, 2023.
This has been CNBC's live blog covering updates on the war in Ukraine. [Follow the latest updates here.]
NATO officials and leaders from its partner states continue their summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, focusing on Russia's war in Ukraine and the path forward for aspiring members.
G7 states signed a declaration outlining long-term security guarantees for Ukraine aimed at to deterring future Russian aggression, a day after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed frustration at NATO for its lack of a timeline giving specific details for his country's desired NATO membership.
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The Kremlin warned in a statement that Western security assurances for Ukraine were a "dangerous mistake" that would threaten Russia's national security and make Europe less safe.
NATO leaders stated that Ukraine's future is inside the military alliance, but it failed to give a timetable and said conditions still need to be met, including an end to the war.
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Meanwhile, Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine have come under repeated attack, with the capital as well as Odesa and Kherson enduring waves of drone strikes before and during the NATO summit. Ukraine's military says Russian forces have launched more than 350 strikes on the wider country in the last week.
Kremlin says it will respond 'using all means and methods at our disposal' to developments at NATO summit
The Kremlin slammed developments from the NATO leader summit held in Lithuania's capital saying the alliance has returned to "Cold War schemes."
"Taking into account the identified challenges and threats to the security and interests of Russia, we will respond in a timely and appropriate manner using all means and methods at our disposal," Russia's Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement, according to a Google translation.
"In addition to the decisions already taken, we will continue to strengthen the military organization and the country's defense system," the statement added.
— Amanda Macias
Biden reaffirms commitment to NATO and Ukraine: 'We will not waver'
President Joe Biden reaffirmed U.S. commitment to NATO and Ukraine following a two-day summit of the alliance's leaders in Lithuania's capital.
Biden, who faces re-election next year and has committed the lion's share of security assistance for Ukraine, described support for Kyiv's democracy as "the calling of our lifetime."
The U.S. has secured a war chest worth more than $41 billion for Kyiv since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion last year.
"We did what we always do. The United States stepped up, NATO stepped up and our partners in the Indo-Pacific stepped up," Biden said in an address in Vilnius. "We will not waver," he said.
Read the full story here.
— Amanda Macias
Zelenskyy thanks Biden, continues push to join NATO military alliance
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed off a tweet thanking U.S. President Joe Biden with "UkraineNATO33," a reference to Kyiv's ambition to become the 33rd NATO member.
During the NATO leader's summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Turkey agreed to support Sweden's membership bid to join the military alliance.
— Amanda Macias
No ships sail under Black Sea grain deal for a fourth day as the landmark agricultural deal faces expiry
No ships have left Ukrainian ports under the Black Sea Grain Initiative in the last four days, according to the U.N.-backed organization tracking export data.
The deal is set to expire in 5 days. The last ship to sail was over the weekend and carried 27,000 metric tons of corn to Tunisia.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, which was brokered between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations, created a humanitarian sea corridor for agricultural goods. Since its inception last July, more than 32 million metric tons of foodstuffs and agricultural products have left three key Ukrainian ports.
— Amanda Macias
Additional Western security packages for Ukraine will not trigger third world war, British PM Sunak says
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters on the sidelines of the NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, that he did not believe Western security assistance to Ukraine would provoke a third world war.
"I think the only person who's responsible for this conflict is [Russian] President [Vladmir] Putin. [He] is engaged in an unprovoked – an illegal – invasion of another country violating their territorial integrity and sovereignty. That is a flagrant breach of international law and the UN charter," he said.
"The person who can quickly end this war is President Putin and by withdrawing his forces [and] recognizing what he's doing is wrong," Sunak added.
Sunak added that the NATO alliance is "more confident and more united than ever" in its support for Ukraine.
— Amanda Macias
'You spend this money for not just fighting, you spend this money for our lives,' Zelenskyy says of U.S. help
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the NATO leaders summit for humanitarian and security assistance.
"I want to thank, too, all Americans who understand that it is more than $43 billion for today, it's big support. And I understand that this is all your money, but they have to know that you spend this money for not just fighting, you spend this money for our lives," Zelenskyy said during the bilateral meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania.
"I think that we save the lives for Europe, for all the world," Zelenskyy added.
Biden thanked Zelenskyy for acknowledging the commitment of the American people.
"It's about innocent people around the world and the absolute brutality with which [Russian President Vladmir] Putin is acting and the Russians are moving on," Biden said.
"Ukraine, the whole world has seen your courage," the U.S. leader said.
— Amanda Macias
81-year-old man killed by shelling in Kherson, local authorities say
An 81-year-old man was killed by shelling in Ukraine's southeastern Kherson region and his 82-year-old wife was injured, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on Telegram.
Kherson has endured regular shelling since its liberation by Ukrainian forces from Russian occupation as Russian troops attack the territory. Kherson was also hit by a wave of drone attacks, as were Kyiv and Odesa, ahead of and during the ongoing NATO summit in Vilnius.
— Natasha Turak
Zelenskyy thanks G7 leaders for security guarantees, says they will aid Ukraine's children
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for the G7's declaration of security guarantees for his country, standing onstage alongside leaders of those countries and the EU at the NATO summit in Vilnius.
He thanked each leader by name, and said that the guarantees would create new opportunities for Ukraine and help provide more security to Ukraine's children, thousands of whom have been killed, injured, forcefully deported or made to become refugees since the start of Russia's invasion.
— Natasha Turak
G7 countries sign declaration outlining long-term security guarantees for Ukraine
The Group of Seven (G7) coalition on Wednesday revealed a long-term security framework for Ukraine saying it will seek to implement a reform agenda to help provide Kyiv with "the good governance necessary to advance towards its Euro-Atlantic aspirations."
"We consider Russia's illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine to be a threat to international peace and security, a flagrant violation of international law, including the UN Charter, and incompatible with our security interests," the G7 said in a joint declaration of support.
"We will stand with Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression, for as long as it takes."
— Ruxandra Iordache
Kremlin says NATO security guarantees for Ukraine are a 'very dangerous mistake'
In lieu of an invitation to join NATO, Kyiv's allies in the G7 have proposed a package of security guarantees for Ukraine set to be outlined Wednesday at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
The measures would be long-term and aimed at deterring Russia from future attacks. The Kremlin criticized the news and responded with a warning.
"We consider this to be badly mistaken and potentially very dangerous," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"Because by providing any kind of security guarantees for Ukraine, these countries would be ignoring the international principle on the indivisibility of security. By providing guarantees to Ukraine, they would be impinging on the security of the Russian Federation," he said.
Peskov also claimed that any such measures would put Europe in danger.
"By taking such a decision, these countries will make Europe much more dangerous for many many years to come. And of course they will do a disservice to us, something we will take into account."
Russia launched a full-scale war on Ukraine in February 2022, using Kyiv's desire to join NATO as a premise for the invasion. Moscow does not call the invasion a war but rather its "special military operation."
— Natasha Turak
The biggest risk is if Putin wins: Stoltenberg
The greatest risk of the war in Ukraine is if Russian President Vladimir Putin wins, NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told an audience at a summit of the alliance in Vilnius alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Asked about the threat of potential Russian reprisal over NATO expansion, Stoltenberg replied: "There is war going on in Europe and there is no risk-free option. No risk-free option for NATO allies either."
"But the biggest risk is if president Putin wins," he said. "Because then the message is that when he uses military force, when he violates international law, when he invades a neighbor, then he gets what he wants. So that is exactly why it is important for NATO allies to support Ukraine. Because it will be a tragedy for Ukraine if President Putin wins, but it will be dangerous for us. It will make us more vulnerable."
— Natasha Turak
Germany will send additional Patriot missiles and launchers to Ukraine
Zelenskyy thanked Germany for agreeing to provide Ukraine with more Patriot launchers and missiles, expressing his appreciation on Telegram after meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the NATO summit in Vilnius.
"We continued the conversation about security guarantees for Ukraine on the way to NATO with Chancellor Scholz. Thank you for your support!" he said, according to a Google translation.
"There is an agreement on additional Patriot launchers and missiles for them from Germany. This is very important for protecting life in Ukraine from Russian terror!"
He added, "I am grateful for Germany's readiness for long-term, long-term support of Ukraine and our defense of freedom. Long-term support programs are the best signal to everyone in the world that our Europe will remain a space of security and peace."
— Natasha Turak
The best security guarantee for Ukraine is to be in NATO, Zelenskyy says
Asked by CNBC's Steve Sedgwick whether any new security guarantees discussed with NATO members would suffice in deterring Russia, Ukraine's President Zelenskyy replied that the only real security guarantee is being a member of NATO, as no NATO member has ever been attacked by Russia.
China strikes back against NATO Vilnius criticism
China has struck back against a Tuesday NATO statement that Beijing's "stated ambitions and coercive policies challenge" the bloc's security and interests.
"The China-related content of the communiqué disregards basic facts, wantonly distorts China's position and policies, and deliberately discredits China. We firmly oppose and reject this," a spokesperson for the Chinese mission to the European Union said on Tuesday, according to a Google translation.
Western nations have floated pursuing a tactic of de-risking their commercial relationship with China, aiming to reduce their economic vulnerability alongside their reliance on Beijing's resourcing, manufacturing and products.
They have meanwhile been calling on China to use its influence as a key trade partner of Russia to mediate a diplomatic solution to Moscow's war in Ukraine.
"NATO's repeated declaration in its communiqué that it is a 'nuclear alliance' will only further aggravate regional tensions. China is deeply concerned about this," the spokesperson added.
"We are telling NATO that China will firmly safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests, and resolutely oppose NATO's 'eastward expansion into the Asia-Pacific'. Any actions that damage China's legitimate rights and interests will be resolutely fought back."
— Ruxandra Iordache
Zelenskyy thanks Biden for cluster munitions, acknowledges decision was a 'challenge'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked U.S. President Joe Biden for his support while speaking to an audience in at the NATO summit in Vilnius, acknowledging that the recent and controversial decision to send Ukraine cluster munitions was a "challenge."
More than 120 countries have bans on them under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, including many NATO member states. There was significant opposition to Biden's move in Congress.
Cluster munitions have one of the highest failure rates of all classes of weapons, as their bomblets are meant to explode on impact but often do not, instead exploding years later and causing devastating harm to civilians. They also often miss their intended targets and affect areas far beyond their target range.
Russia has been using cluster bombs in its attacks on Ukraine.
— Natasha Turak
'Most urgent task' now is to deliver more weapons to Ukraine, Stoltenberg says
The most urgent task now is to ensure Ukraine has enough weapons to defend itself against Russia's invasion, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
"Of course, guarantees, documents, councils, meetings are important. But the most urgent task now is to ensure enough weapons to Ukraine and President Zelenskyy and his armed forces," he said in a press conference alongside the Ukrainian president.
"Therefore it has been extremely important in this meeting that we have seen new announcements from NATO allies. France has decided to deliver its long-range cruise missiles. Germany just announced yesterday a new big package over more air defense systems, more armored vehicles," he added. "The United States announced a new package of ammunition and weapons and many other allies are also making new announcements."
"So the most urgent task is to ensure that Ukraine prevails," Stoltenberg said, "because unless Ukraine prevails, then there's no [NATO] membership to be discussed at all."
— Natasha Turak
'Understandable' that Ukraine cannot join NATO during war, Zelenskyy says
It is "understandable that Ukraine cannot join NATO when at war," but an invitation to join the alliance would still have been ideal as a symbolic move, similar to the invitation to join the EU, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during his press conference with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy had called NATO's lack of a timeline for his country to join "absurd." NATO officials have stressed Ukraine's future place in NATO but said that it should happen when peace is established and certain security conditions are met.
— Natasha Turak
NATO presents three-part package that will bring Ukraine 'closer' to alliance
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced a multi-year, three-part package meant to bring "Ukraine closer to NATO."
It will set up "a new NATO-Ukraine Council, and re affirming that Ukraine will become a member of NATO and removing the requirement for the Membership Action Plans," Stoltenberg said during a press conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Vilnius.
— Natasha Turak
Zelenskyy pushes for security guarantees in the absence of NATO membership
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined three priorities for his country during the NATO summit in Vilnius.
Speaking to journalists, he named weapons packages, an invitation to join NATO, and a guarantee of security measures from allies as priority items on his agenda.
On the invitation to NATO, he said, "We want to be on the same page with everybody, with all the understanding, and for today what we hear and understand that we'll have this invitation when security measures will allow, so I want to discuss with our partners all these things."
Zelenskyy stressed the need for "security guarantees for Ukraine on the way to NATO." He expressed frustration at the alliance on Tuesday over its lack of a clear timeline for Ukraine's future accession to NATO, something that several other members have been hesitant about due to the risk of pulling the wider group into war with Russia. Leaders of other NATO states including the U.S. and Germany said that an invitation to join the organization would come after peace in Ukraine was established and certain security conditions had been met.
— Natasha Turak
G7 to announce long-term security framework for Ukraine
G7 nations are expected to announce a framework guaranteeing Ukraine's long-term security on Wednesday, bloc member London said in an emailed statement.
"The joint declaration, expected to be signed by all members of the G7, will set out how allies will support Ukraine over the coming years to end the war and deter and respond to any future attack," Downing Street said.
"As Ukraine makes strategic progress in their counteroffensive, and the degradation of Russian forces begins to infect Putin's front line, we are stepping up our formal arrangements to protect Ukraine for the long term," British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.
He is currently attending a July 11-12 NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where members of the defense alliance have set aid to Ukraine at the top of the agenda.
"Supporting their progress on the pathway to NATO membership, coupled with formal, multilateral, and bilateral agreements and the overwhelming support of NATO members will send a strong signal to President Putin and return peace to Europe," Sunak said.
— Ruxandra Iordache
Russia launches air strike against Kyiv for second day
Russian forces launched an air attack against Ukrainian capital Kyiv for the second consecutive night, the Kyiv military administration said on Telegram, according to a Google translation.
"After a break of more than a week, the enemy launched Iranian drones over Kyiv for the second day in a row. The air alert lasted more than 2 hours," it said.
The military force claimed it destroyed enemy targets and shared no information on casualties and damage sustained at this time.
In Google-translated comments on Telegram, the Ukrainian air force said that Russian troops attacked Ukraine overnight from the north-eastern direction, using Iranian-made Shahed-136/131. A total of 15 drones participated in the strike, the force detailed, without specifying the number of units involved in the attack against Kyiv.
CNBC could not independently verify developments on the ground.
— Ruxandra Iordache
Latest Russia attacks could be 'demonstrative response' to the NATO Vilnius summit, ISW says
Russia's latest military offensives, including air strikes against Ukrainian capital Kyiv, may be a "demonstrative response" to the Vilnius summit of the U.S.-led NATO alliance, which is meeting again today, the Institute for the Study of War said in its Tuesday report.
"Russia's drone strikes on port infrastructure also coincide with the first day of the NATO summit in Vilnius and are likely intended to discourage NATO members from providing more military aid to Ukraine," the think tank said.
NATO nations have unanimously expressed support for Ukraine, although Kyiv's membership bid has yet to progress.
"Russia may be threatening the Black Sea grain deal to message the deal's original broker, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that his recent statement of support for Ukraine's NATO membership and the return of the five Ukrainian Azovstal commanders on July 7 has not gone unnoticed and is not appreciated by the Kremlin," the ISW added.
Turkey on Monday finally endorsed the entry of Sweden into the military coalition — an accession that the Kremlin has warned could have "negative consequences."
— Ruxandra Iordache
Zelenskyy gets warm reception at NATO, but remains frustrated
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and first lady Olena Zelenska arrived in Lithuania's capital on Tuesday as the NATO summit convenes and leaders discuss ongoing support for Kyiv amid Russia's ongoing war.
The group's secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, stressed{=null} that Ukraine would receive a "strong, positive message on the path forward" regarding its membership.
But Zelenskyy remains frustrated that NATO has failed to lay out a timeline or give specific details for his country's future NATO membership, calling it{=null} "unprecedented and absurd" on Telegram.
Kyiv has been pushing for accession into NATO following Russia's full-scale invasion, but officials of the security alliance have previously said its membership is unlikely to proceed{=null} while war is waged on Ukrainian territories.
— Michele Luhn and Amanda Macias
Kremlin 'struck' by speed of Finland and Sweden's NATO ascension
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the Kremlin was "struck" by the speed with which "neutral status" countries such as Finland and Sweden opted to join the NATO military alliance.
"We were struck by the speed that both Finland and Sweden renounced their neutral status, renounced the advantages that this neutral status provided them for many decades, provided them with relatively independent role, provided them with a reputation and authority both in Europe and on the international stage," Lavrov told reporters in Moscow during a press conference with visiting Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi.
Lavrov also said that Finland and Sweden have given up "special trade and economic investment and other relations with the Russian Federation" by joining NATO.
Lavrov's comments follow NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's announcement that Sweden would become the 32nd member to join the military alliance. Finland became a NATO member in April.
— Amanda Macias
Kyrylo Barashkov shows off his own bunker in Kyiv
Kyrylo Barashkov, a 43-year-old immigration lawyer, in his own bunker in Kriukivschina, a small town near Kyiv on July 10, 2023. After several missiles exploded near his house outside Kyiv, Kyrylo Barashkov decided the only way to keep his family safe was to build his own bunker.
— Sergei Supinsky | AFP | Getty Images
Read CNBC's previous live coverage here:
NATO says Ukraine can join when conditions are met; Zelenskyy slams 'absurd' lack of timeline
