‘Admitting Ukraine to NATO may trigger WWIII’

Russia continues to pound dozens of Ukraine towns, warns of escalation

Russian missiles pounded more than 40 Ukrainian cities and towns, officials said on Thursday, as NATO allies meeting in Brussels unveiled plans to beef up Europe’s air defences after committing more military aid to Kyiv. The new pledges prompted Moscow to renew warnings that Western states’ help made them “a direct party to the conflict” and that admitting Ukraine to Western military alliance NATO could trigger World War Three.

“Kyiv is well aware that such a step would mean a guaranteed escalation to a World War Three,” deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council, Alexander Venediktov, told the state TASS news agency on Thursday as the United States vowed to defend “every inch” of allied territory. Moscow has repeatedly justified the Feb. 24 invasion that has killed tens of thousands of people, in what it calls a “special operation”, by saying Ukraine’s ambitions to join the alliance posed a threat to Russia’s security. NATO is not likely to quickly allow Ukraine to join, not least because its membership during an ongoing war would put the United States and allies into direct conflict with Russia.

In the past 24 hours Russian missiles hit more than 40 settlements, while Ukrainian air force carried out 32 strikes on 25 Russian targets, Ukraine’s Armed Forces General Staff said. The city of Mykolaiv came under massive bombardment, local officials said. “It is known that a number of civilian objects were hit,” regional governor Vitaly Kim said. Ukraine’s capital region was struck by Iranian-made kamikaze drones early on Thursday, officials said. It wasn’t yet clear if there were any casualties.

Also Read: Safety zone at Ukraine nuke plant not possible: Russian leader

NATO holds nuclear talks

NATO’s secretive Nuclear Planning Group met Thursday as the military alliance presses ahead with plans to hold a nuclear exercise next week as concerns deepen over President Vladimir Putin’s insistence that he will use any means necessary to defend Russian territory. Additional uncertainty comes from the fact that Russia is also due to hold its own nuclear exercises soon, possibly at the same time as NATO or just after, according to NATO diplomats.

India abstains from voting

India abstained in the UN General Assembly on a draft resolution that condemned Russia’s “illegal so-called referendums” and annexation of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine.

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