'Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO,' alliance head Jens Stoltenberg says on Kyiv visit: Live updates

On the same day Russia reiterated its goal of keeping neighboring Ukraine from joining NATO, the military alliance's chief issued a defiant retort.

“Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO,” Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday on his first visit to Kyiv since the war began nearly 14 months ago.

In a news conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Stoltenberg pledged NATO's continued support and said the two leaders discussed a program that would help Ukraine "transition from Soviet-era equipment and doctrines to NATO standards.''

Stoltenberg has steadfastly endorsed Ukraine's eventual accession to NATO, but no pathway or timetable for membership has been set. Zelenskyy pushed for a roadmap, in addition to military aid in the form of fighter jets, artillery and armored equipment.

“The time has come for the leaders to define the prospects of Ukraine’s acquisition of NATO membership ... and to define security guarantees for our state for the period of such movement — that is, for the period before NATO membership,” Zelenskyy said.

Several hurdles remain before Ukraine can become part of NATO, and Russia's objection is a significant one.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Thursday that Ukraine joining NATO would pose a “serious, significant threat to our country.''

Latest developments:

►Denmark and the Netherlands said they plan to supply Ukraine with at least 14 refurbished Leopard 2 tanks by early 2024, one of the mounting signs the war is expected to extend into next year.

►The Wagner Group, a mercenary outfit fighting for Russia, attempted to purchase weapons from China but was rebuffed, the Financial Times reported.

►The image of a dying, pregnant woman being carried on a stretcher outside a maternity hospital after a Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Mariupol was chosen as the World Press Photo of the Year. Ukrainian photographer Evgeniy Maloletka of The Associated Press took the picture.

►Concerned about information leaks in the Kherson province, the Russians have increased patrols and home searches while encouraging the locals to join their armed forces, the Ukrainian military said Thursday.

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US and allies ponder banning most exports to Russia, report says

The United States and its allies are considering tightening sanctions to the point where most exports to Russia would be banned, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

The new approach under discussion, which aims to increase economic pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, would forbid all exports that are not exempted, rather than allow all exports that aren't banned, the news outlet said. Medicines and agricultural products would likely be exempted.

The proposal is being debated by Group of Seven officials and would seek to include European Union countries, which could present a major obstacle because of the bloc's unanimity requirement.

Even though sanctions have reduced the value of EU and G-7 exports to Russia by nearly half, the current figure still stands at $66 billion, helping fund Putin's wartime economy, Bloomberg said.

Counteroffensive has begun but not announced, Ukraine official says

Ukraine's long-expected spring counteroffensive appears to have already begun in stealth fashion.

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said some operations are under way, but the military is not about to announce them and alert the enemy.

"There will not be a day when the Armed Forces say: 'Tomorrow we will launch a counteroffensive,'" Malyar said. "This is impossible in the conditions of war, because this is classified information.''

Malyar reiterated Ukraine's goal of retaking all the territory Russia has claimed and keeping it from expanding, which requires both offensive and defensive maneuvers.

"That is why it is incorrect to speak narrowly about a counteroffensive,'' she said. "Because it is a huge complex of various actions and measures that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are currently carrying out."

EU proposal tries to mollify farmers about Ukrainian food exports

The EU is proposing financial support and "exceptional safeguard measures'' – likely temporary bans – on Ukrainian food exports to pacify farmers from five member countries upset that an influx of Ukrainian agricultural products is flooding their markets.

Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have announced their own bans on Ukrainian grain, and Romania is vulnerable to the market pressures as well. The proposals aim to maintain the bloc's unity while allaying concerns about prices sinking because of a glut of Ukrainian food.

"We underlined the importance of rapidly following a common EU approach, rather than unilateral solutions to avoid multiple bans and solutions which put the internal market at risk,'' the EU said in a statement.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO,' Stoltenberg says: Live updates