- British foreign secretary Liz Truss in an interview with The Telegraph says she wants to see Ukraine’s neighbour Moldova “equipped to NATO standard”, to guard it against any threats from Russia.
- Russian energy giant Gazprom says it had stopped all natural gas supplies to Finland as it had not received payment in roubles.
- Washington says it is “confident” that Turkey’s concerns about the admission of Sweden and Finland into NATO will be addressed.
- Russia’s defence ministry says the last group of Ukrainian forces holed up in Mariupol’s Azovstal steelworks has surrendered.
- A US consular officer has visited the detained American basketball star Brittney Griner in Russia, the US Department of State confirms.
Finland’s president holds talks with Turkey’s Erdogan
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto says he held “open and direct” talks with Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan to discuss Finland’s bid for NATO membership.
Erdogan has publicly questioned whether Finland and Sweden should be allowed to join the military alliance.
“I stated that as NATO allies Finland and Turkey will commit to each other’s security and our relationship will thus grow stronger,” Niinisto tweeted after the call.
“Finland condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Close dialogue continues.”
Russia taking control of Mariupol ‘significant’: AJ correspondent
Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig, reporting from near the eastern city of Bakhmut, says Russia gaining full control of port city Mariupol was a “significant” blow for Ukraine, and allows Moscow to have a “landbridge” to the annexed Crimea.
“For Ukrainians, it’s a significant loss in terms of territory, but also in terms of morale,” he said.
“As long as those fighters were holding in Mariupol, it gave the forces here and the Ukrainian people a sense of hope that they could hold it … but now those Ukrainian fighters are in the hands of Russia, and that could be used in future negotiations and a possible prisoner exchange.”
Russia declares travel ban on Biden, Blinken
Russia has announced it was banning entry to 963 Americans including US President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and CIA chief William Burns.
