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The U.S. reopened its embassy in Kyiv on Wednesday three months after it shuttered its doors and relocated staff members to other parts of the region.
"The Ukrainian people, with our security assistance, have defended their homeland in the face of Russia’s unconscionable invasion, and, as a result, the Stars and Stripes are flying over the Embassy once again," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
Earlier, a Russian soldier pleaded guilty in the first war crimes trial since the conflict began. The case will renew the focus on mounting allegations of atrocities committed by Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces. It comes as Moscow's troops gain full control of the key port city of Mariupol after the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance surrendered, ending a battle that came to symbolize the brutality of Putin’s war.
Putin faced a new setback on the global stage, meanwhile, with Nordic neighbors Finland and Sweden jointly submitting their applications to join NATO as Russia's war in Ukraine reshapes European security and boosts the West.
Here’s what to know today:
- The NATO chief hails a "historic moment which we must seize" as he receives the Nordic duo's applications in Brussels.
- The Kremlin says it has no information about the Russian soldier on trial in Kyiv and calls war crimes allegations "unacceptable."
- Uncertainty surrounds the fate of fighters who surrendered in the Azovstal steel plant and were taken to Russian-controlled territory.
- Ukraine wants to conduct a prisoner swap, but some figures in Russia have balked at the idea.
- The Senate has confirmed Bridget Brink as the new U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.