Russia-Ukraine war live updates: Russia?s invasion of Ukraine pushes Finland, Sweden closer to NATO

Sanctions on Russia must remain until troops leave Ukraine, U.K. saysGlobal security under threat, E.U. official saysRussian military ramps up attacks in Donbas amid losses, U.K. says Swedish foreign minister says joining NATO would help stabilize countryUkraine has spent $8.3 billion on war so far, finance minister saysE.U. proposes setting up trade corridors for Ukrainian grain exportsUkrainian court begins war crimes trial for Russian soldierWhat is NATO, and why isn’t Ukraine a member? Almost 100 children were killed in Ukraine in April, UNICEF saysRand Paul, lone Senate holdout, delays vote on Ukraine aid to next weekWhite House would support Finland’s efforts to join NATO, Psaki says Finland’s membership would give NATO significant combat boostInside Mariupol’s besieged steel plant, a symbol of bravery and terrorUkraine’s Eurovision commentator streams from a bomb shelterAs NATO expansion looms, Russia’s rhetoric becomes more aggressiveSanctions on Russia must remain until troops leave Ukraine, U.K. saysGlobal security under threat, E.U. official saysRussian military ramps up attacks in Donbas amid losses, U.K. says Swedish foreign minister says joining NATO would help stabilize countryUkraine has spent $8.3 billion on war so far, finance minister saysE.U. proposes setting up trade corridors for Ukrainian grain exportsUkrainian court begins war crimes trial for Russian soldierWhat is NATO, and why isn’t Ukraine a member? Almost 100 children were killed in Ukraine in April, UNICEF saysRand Paul, lone Senate holdout, delays vote on Ukraine aid to next weekWhite House would support Finland’s efforts to join NATO, Psaki says Finland’s membership would give NATO significant combat boostInside Mariupol’s besieged steel plant, a symbol of bravery and terrorUkraine’s Eurovision commentator streams from a bomb shelterAs NATO expansion looms, Russia’s rhetoric becomes more aggressiveMUKACHEVO, Ukraine — A 21-year-old Russian soldier is standing before a Kyiv court on Friday in the first war crimes trial of the conflict, according to the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office. Earlier this week, a regional military official in Luhansk wrote on his Telegram channel that Ukrainian forces repeatedly blew up Russia’s pontoon bridges to prevent advances.River crossings are highly risky in combat zones, the assessment said, and the attempts reflect how Russian commanders are under pressure to make progress in Donbas.Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said Friday that joining NATO would help stabilize the country, as well as benefiting other nations around the Baltic Sea.“Swedish NATO membership would raise the threshold for military conflicts and thus have a conflict-preventing effect in northern Europe,” Linde told reporters while presenting a report on security to parliament.“Military nonalignment has served us well, but we are in a new situation now,” she added.The report, titled “Deterioration of the security environment — implications for Sweden,” concluded that “if both Sweden and Finland were NATO members, all Nordic and Baltic countries would be covered by collective defence guarantees.”“The current uncertainty as to what form collective action would take if a security crisis or armed attack occurred would decrease,” it added.Her comments come a day after Finland’s leaders committed to applying to join the 30-nation alliance.Sweden and Finland have remained outside the U.S.-led Cold War alliance since it was founded in 1949, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is forcing both nations to pick a side.Sweden is likely to follow Finland’s lead, and Stockholm could apply for NATO membership as early as Monday, Reuters reported.Six months into the war, Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko announced Thursday the country has spent $8.3 billion combating Russian troops, Reuters reported.Marchenko’s announcement provided a first glimpse of the economic toll the war has taken on Ukraine and the resources it could have used for development.Funds earmarked for the economy were used to purchase weapons and repair them, Marchenko told the news agency. But it also has the advantage of giving prosecutors access to fresh evidence, including eyewitness testimonies.“The evidence is very fresh in Ukraine, and it’s being gathered very professionally, from what I have seen,” said Robert Goldman, a war crimes and human rights expert at American University’s Washington College of Law.In the weeks leading up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance of mainly Western countries, deployed thousands of additional troops to Eastern Europe to shore up its defenses.Since then, member countries have delivered weapons, ammunition and other military aid to Ukrainian forces.But Ukraine does not belong to NATO, whose 30 members are united by a mutual defense treaty.