Ukraine has claimed full control of the eastern logistics hub of Lyman, its most significant battlefield gain from Russia in weeks, providing a potential staging post for further attacks to the east while heaping further pressure on the Kremlin.
With the war in Ukraine's east raging on, Kyiv has received a major boost with the European Union recommending it becomes a candidate to join the bloc, in what would be a dramatic geopolitical shift following Russia's invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says his army has inflicted serious damage on Russian forces despite the fall of the key port city of Mariupol.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged the West to give Ukraine tanks, planes and missiles to fend off Russian forces as his government said Moscow's forces were targeting the country's fuel and food depots.
Western leaders meeting in Brussels will agree to strengthen their forces in Eastern Europe and increase military aid to Ukraine as the Russian assault on its neighbour entered its second month.
