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At least three people were killed in a Russian bomb attack on Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv, on Saturday afternoon, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Another 25 people were wounded in the attack, in which a guided aerial bomb hit a residential building, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said. According to Syniehubov, 16 people — including two children — were hospitalized. Russia has also continued to target Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Russia launched a new barrage of missiles and drones in an overnight attack on Ukraine, officials in Kyiv said Saturday, damaging energy facilities in the southeast and west and injuring at least two workers. Ukraine is struggling with a new wave of rolling blackouts after relentless Russian attacks on energy infrastructure that started three months ago took out half the country’s power generation capacity. In its eighth major attack on energy facilities overnight, Russia fired 16 missiles and 13 Shahed drones, the Ukrainian air force said. Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted 12 of the 16 missiles and all 13 drones launched by Russia, the air force said. Putin says Russia wants a buffer zone in Ukraine's Kharkiv but has no plans to capture the city State-owned power grid operator Ukrenergo said the strikes damaged equipment at facilities in southeastern Zaporizhzhia and the western Lviv region. Two energy workers were injured in Zaporizhzhia when a fire broke out at an energy facility, according to regional Gov. Ivan Fedorov. With no major changes reported along the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, where a recent push by the Kremlin’s forces in eastern and northeastern Ukraine has made only incremental gains, both sides have taken aim at infrastructure targets, seeking to curb each other’s ability to fight in a war that is now in its third year. Moscow’s overnight attack on Zaporizhzhia and Lviv follows Ukrainian military strikes on three oil refineries in southern Russia overnight into Friday. Air defenses destroyed five drones over the Sea of Azov and the country’s western Bryansk and Smolensk regions, the Russian Ministry of Defense said. A man was killed in shelling of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, according to regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov. A Russian strike on Kharkiv's TV tower is part of an intimidation campaign, Ukraine's Zelenskyy says The governor of eastern Ukraine's partly occupied Donetsk region said Saturday that Russian attacks had killed five people and wounded seven the previous day. In the Russia-controlled part of the region, Moscow-installed Gov. Denis Pushilin said three people were killed and four were injured in shelling by Ukrainian forces Saturday morning. A policeman was killed in the partly occupied region of Kherson as a result of a Russian drone attack on a checkpoint, the Ukrainian National Police said. Russian missile strikes on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv kill 6 and wound 11

Weeks after the decision allowing Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied weapons for limited strikes in Russian territory, the country is having some success in halting Russia’s new push along the northeast front, but military commanders are clamoring for restrictions on long-range missiles to be lifted. Deteriorating battlefield conditions forced the U.S. to permit Ukraine to use Western-supplied artillery and rocket systems to defend the eastern city of Kharkiv by targeting border regions where the Kremlin’s forces assemble and launch attacks. The impact was swift: Ukrainian forces pushed Russian positions back, won time to better fortify their own positions and even mounted small offensive actions. But commanders said that without the ability to use long-range guided missiles, such as ATACMS, their hands are tied. “We could target (Russian) brigade command points and the entire northern grouping, because they are located 100 to 150 kilometers from the front line,” said Hefastus, an artillery commander in the Kharkiv region who goes by his callsign. “Normal ammunition can’t get at them. With this kind, we can do a lot to destroy their centers of command.” The Ukrainian commanders interviewed spoke on condition that their callsigns be used, in line with brigade rules. The U.S. expanded the scope of its policy to allow counterstrikes across a wider region Friday. But the Biden administration has not lifted restrictions on Ukraine that prohibit the use of U.S.-provided ATACMS to strike inside Russian territory, according to three U.S. officials familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. The U.S. began providing Ukraine with long-range ATACMS earlier this year, but with rules, including that they cannot be used to strike inside Russia and must be used within sovereign territory, which includes land seized by the Russians. That prevents attacks on airfields and military infrastructure in Russia’s deep rear, underscoring a common Ukrainian complaint that Western allies anxious about potentially provoking Russia are undermining Ukraine's ability to fight effectively. Three dead in Kharkiv attack, Russia launches new barrage of missiles on Ukrainian energy facilities Ukrainian officials are pushing U.S. allies to be able to strike particular high-value targets inside Russia using ATACMS, which can reach over 100 kilometers (62 miles). “Unfortunately, we still cannot reach, for example, airfields and their aircraft. This is the problem,” Yehor Cherniev, deputy chairman of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence, said earlier this month. “That’s why we are asking (allies) to lift the restrictions to use long-range missiles against limited military targets in the territory of Russia.” Since late May, Ukraine has been able to target Russian troops and air defense systems 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the border in the Kharkiv region. Moscow opened a new front in the region on May 10, capturing village after village in a sweeping advance that caught Ukrainian troops unprepared. Though not a panacea, the move has greatly slowed Russia’s momentum, even allowing Ukrainian troops to make advances along the northeast border, including recently recapturing areas southwest of Vovchansk, according to local reports. Brigades there said high mobility army rocket systems, or HIMARS, were fired hours after permission was granted, destroying an air defense complex outfitted to launch the deadly missiles. At the time, the stakes were high as Ukrainian military leaders anticipated another assault designed to divert troops from other intense battlegrounds in the Donetsk region. First Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Havryliuk told The Associated Press that at least 90,000 Russian troops deep in Russian territory were gearing up for a new assault. “The HIMARS were not silent for the whole day,” Hefastus said, recalling the first hours when permission was granted to use the rocket systems. “From the first days, Ukrainian forces managed to destroy whole columns of troops along the border waiting for the order to enter Ukraine.” “Before, we couldn’t target them. It was quite complicated. All warehouses with ammunition and other resources were located a 20-kilometer distance beyond what we could hit,” he said. The dynamics shifted almost immediately, allowing Ukrainian forces to stabilize that part of the front line. Soldiers near a strategic area north of Kharkiv where fighting to push Russian troops back is ongoing said enemy troops had moved positions several kilometers back. Such claims could not be independently verified. What happened this week in the UK election campaign, from a betting controversy to Farage's ambition “Tactics have changed" as a result of Ukraine’s improved striking ability, said Kalina, a platoon commander for the Khartia Brigade. Before, they were only able to hit incoming infantry assaults; now, they can employ more artillery against Russian firing points. The U.S. decision came in the 11th hour, after much lobbying by Ukrainian officials and right as troops were preparing for combat in anticipation of Russia opening a new front in the northeast. Ukrainian officials are hoping to convince American allies to allow the use of ATACMS against specific targets. “It seems pretty absurd when the enemy is so actively advancing on our territory and striking with all types of missiles and calibers at Ukrainian territory and we cannot strike back inside the enemy’s territory where they hold logistics and supplies,” said Lys Mykyta, the commander of a drone company in the 103rd Territorial Defense Brigade. But Ukrainian officials said only desperate battlefield conditions are likely to convince American officials to walk back the restriction. Climate protesters arrested over spraying orange paint over Stonehenge monument The renewed invasion of the Kharkiv region, which drew in precious Ukrainian reserves, pushed the U.S. to have a change of heart on allowing self-defense strikes in Russian territory, Cherniev said. “Probably, the decision about the ATACMS will also be changed based on the situation on the ground,” he said. “I hope the decision will be made as soon as possible.”

The Italian coast guard has recovered 14 more bodies from last week's shipwreck in the Ionian Sea off the southern Italian coastline, bringing to 34 the number of known victims from the sinking. Dozens are still missing and presumed dead. The bodies, recovered on Friday, were transferred to a port in Calabria. Three coast guard ships were active in the air-and-sea search, some 190 kilometers (120 miles) from shore. Survivors reported that the motorboat had caught fire, causing it to capsize off the Italian coast overnight last Sunday, about eight days after departing from Turkey with about 75 people from Iran, Syria and Iraq on board, according to the U.N. refugee agency and other U.N. organizations. Eleven survivors were being treated on shore. Italian coast guard searches for dozens of migrants missing after their ship capsized The latest deaths bring to more than 800 people who have died or went missing and are presumed dead crossing the central Mediterranean so far this year, an average of five dead a day, the U.N. agencies said. Humanitarian groups have decried the deaths as evidence of the failure of European migration policy.  

 The U.K.'s general election campaign is less than two weeks away now, and the prevailing trends don't appear to have changed much. The left-of-center Labour Party is the clear favorite to defeat Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives, with Keir Starmer looking set to replace him as U.K. leader on the morning of July 5. Given how condensed U.K. election campaigns are — it's not been a month since Sunak called the election for July 4 outside his residence at No. 10 Downing Street in the pouring rain — the leaders must be getting pretty tired. At least the European Championship soccer tournament has arrived — as has summer. Both should provide a distraction for one and all. Here are some things we’ve learned in the past week: Fancy a flutter Britain, it's often said, is a nation of gamblers. Mostly on horses, or the football. But the bookmakers can offer odds on almost anything. Climate protesters arrested over spraying orange paint over Stonehenge monument For general elections, there's a growing market over the date of the vote, as unlike most other democracies that decision rests solely in the hands of the prime minister. All everyone knew was that Sunak had to call an election by January 2025. For months, he'd been saying that his “working assumption” was that it would be in the second half of the year. Given the upcoming summer vacation period, most pundits and lawmakers in his Conservative Party, were predicting that it would likely take place in the fall. So it came as something of a surprise that Sunak announced the date on May 22. It wasn't that much of a surprise to some people apparently. The Gambling Commission, the industry's regulator, has revealed that it's investigating allegations that a string of people with links to Sunak bet on the timing of the July 4 contest before he announced it. The sums aren't massive but they are potentially hugely damaging for a party that, according to opinion polls, is facing a big defeat. Four people are said to be involved, including one of Sunak's bodyguards, who has been suspended, and two candidates for Parliament, one of whose husband happened to be the party's campaign chief. He's been put on a leave of absence, but the candidates haven't been suspended from the party. There's a growing expectation that more people may be implicated. French protesters are standing up to the far right ahead of the country's snap elections Sunak has said that he's “incredibly angry” about the allegations and said that anyone involved in using inside information to bet on the date of the election should face the full force of the law as well as being expelled from party. His opponents including, Keir Starmer have seized on the allegations and said Sunak should go further and suspend the candidates now. The odds for a Starmer win are 33-1, which means anyone fancying a flutter on that outcome would have to bet 33 pounds just to get one pound in return. Not really worth it, is it? Footie fever One thing that the public, including politicians, can bet on without knowing the outcome is Euro 2024, which is taking place in Germany. Both England and Scotland have qualified for the monthlong tournament, though neither has impressed. At least it's providing a distraction from the election coverage, for the leaders as well as the public. Three matches a day, all live on television. With summer finally making its presence felt, it's certainly going to be a boon for the pubs. Both Sunak and Starmer are keen football fans. For the record, Sunak supports Southampton, which has just been promoted back to the Premier League. Starmer supports Arsenal, which was just nipped to the title by Manchester City. Fistfight erupts in Italian Parliament as tensions rise over expanding regional autonomy He'll be hoping that he goes one better, come the morning of July 5. There's not much mileage in putting a bet on though. See above. Farage's ambition Nigel Farage, the self-styled political disruptor who was so instrumental in Britain's vote in 2016 to leave the European Union, has never readily undersold himself. He was at it again this week, as his Reform U.K. party launched its manifesto for government, though it wasn't a manifesto in fact. Farage, who only became leader of the party on June 4, said that it was a “contract” with the British public. Admitting that the document was “not something with which we’re going to govern the country,” Farage said he is aiming to become the leader of the opposition to Labour, which he claims has already won the election. Seeking to woo Conservative voters from the right, he said he wants to scrap the country's commitments to “net zero” and get net migration to zero.   Though Reform U.K. is third in most opinion polls, it's not expected to win many seats in the House of Commons. Bookmakers — yes, them again — think he is favorite to finally win a seat in Parliament, when he contests the southeastern seaside town of Clacton. If he does, it won't be for a lack of trying. This is the eighth attempt by the 60-year-old Farage. His aim is clear. He openly states he wants to be a candidate for prime minister by the next election, which will have to take place by 2029. He really doesn't undersell himself. Persistent polls In two weeks time, the results will be in. The left-of-center Labour Party remains favorite to win the most seats in the 650-seat House of Commons. While major pollsters give varying figures, all show a double-digit Labour lead, with relatively little change since Sunak called the election. According to Ipsos, Labour could win 453 seats and the Conservatives 115, with a Labour majority of 256, its biggest ever. Other pollsters have predicted something worse for the Conservatives, which have been in government since 2010. There are signs from some leading Conservative figures that they think that's the most likely outcome. Even Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt said the Conservatives aren't pretending that the party winning the election is “the most likely outcome” and said his own political future is “too close to call” — his constituency is in a leafy area outside of London, a traditional Conservative safe seat.

Two climate protesters were arrested Wednesday for spraying orange paint on the ancient Stonehenge monument in southern England, police said. The latest act by Just Stop Oil was quickly condemned by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as a “disgraceful act of vandalism.” Labour leader Keir Starmer, his main opponent in the election next month, called the group “pathetic" and said the damage was “outrageous.” The incident came just a day before thousands are expected to gather at the 4,500-year-old stone circle to celebrate the summer solstice — the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. English Heritage, which manages the site, said it was “extremely upsetting” and said curators were investigating the damage. Just Stop Oil said on the social media platform X that the paint was made of cornstarch and would dissolve in the rain. Wiltshire Police said the pair were arrested on suspicion of damaging one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stonehenge was built on the flat lands of Salisbury Plain in stages starting 5,000 years ago, with the unique stone circle erected in the late Neolithic period about 2,500 B.C. Some of the stones, the so-called bluestones, are known to have come from southwest Wales, nearly 150 miles (240 kilometers) away, but the origins of others remain a mystery. Just Stop Oil is one of many groups around Europe that have gained attention — and received a lot of blowback — for disrupting sporting events, splashing paint and food on famous works of art and interrupting traffic to draw attention to global warming. The group said it acted in response to the Labour Party's recent election manifesto. Labour has said that if it wins the election on July 4, it would not issue further licenses for oil and gas exploration. Just Stop Oil backs the moratorium but said it is not enough. In a statement, the group said Labour, which is leading in polls and widely expected by pundits and politicians to lead the next government, needs to go further and sign a treaty to phase out fossil fuels by 2030. “Continuing to burn coal, oil and gas will result in the death of millions,” the group said in a statement.

Sixty-four people were missing in the Mediterranean Sea and several were rescued after their ship wrecked off Italy’s southern coast Monday, United Nations’ agencies said in a statement. In a separate shipwreck, rescue workers evacuated dozens of suspected migrants but found 10 bodies trapped below the deck of a wooden boat off Italy’s tiny Lampedusa island, the German aid group Resqship wrote on Monday on the X social media platform. Greece: 32 migrants dead, more than 100 rescued after fishing vessel capsizes The boat that wrecked about 200 kilometers (125 miles) off Calabria had set off from Turkey eight days earlier, but caught fire and overturned, the U.N. agencies said, citing survivors. The search-and-rescue operation started following a mayday call by a French boat, the Italian coast guard said in a statement. The boat was sailing in a border area where Greece and Italy carry out search-and-rescue operations. The survivors and people still missing at sea came from Iran, Syria and Iraq, the U.N. agencies said. Deadly shipwreck: How it happened, and unanswered questions The Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Center immediately diverted two merchant vessels sailing nearby to the scene of the rescue. Assets from the European border and coast guard agency Frontex also helped. The survivors were brought to the Calabrian port of Roccella Jonica, where they were disembarked and entrusted to the care of medical personnel. One of the 11 rescued migrants died soon after, the coast guard said. In the second shipwreck, the crew aboard Resqship’s boat, the Nadir, found 61 people on the wooden boat, which was full of water. “Our crew was able to evacuate 51 people, two of whom were unconscious,” it added. “The 10 dead were in the flooded lower deck of the boat.”

The French Pacific territory of New Caledonia is shortening its overnight curfew and reopening its international airport that was closed to commercial flights for more than a month because of deadly violence that wracked the archipelago where pro-independence Indigenous Kanaks want to break from France. La Tontouta airport that links New Caledonia's capital, Nouméa, to Sydney, Tokyo, Singapore and other Pacific hubs will reopen Monday, the territory's high commissioner announced in a statement Sunday. The overnight curfew is also being shortened by two hours, its start pushed back from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., because of “the improvement in the situation and in order to facilitate the gradual return to normal life,” the high commissioner said. Violence that flared on May 13 over controversial voting reforms led to nine deaths, including two gendarmes, and widespread destruction of shops, businesses and homes. Tourists trapped by the airport's closure were evacuated on military flights. With France now plunged into frenzied campaigning for snap parliamentary elections, French President Emmanuel Macron has suspended the reforms that would have altered voting rights in New Caledonia. The revolt prompted France on May 15 to impose a state of emergency on the archipelago and rush in reinforcements for police who were overwhelmed by armed clashes, looting and arson. Both sides of New Caledonia’s bitter divide — Indigenous Kanaks who want independence and those loyal to France — erected barricades, either to revolt against authorities or to protect homes and properties. Pro-independence protesters erected barricades of charred vehicles and other debris, turning parts of Nouméa into no-go zones.

Anti-racism groups joined French unions and a brand-new left-wing coalition in protests in Paris and across France on Saturday against the surging nationalist far right as frenzied campaigning is underway ahead of snap parliamentary elections. The French Interior Ministry said 21,000 police and gendarmes would be deployed at the rallies with authorities expecting between 300,000 and 500,000 protesters nationwide. In Paris, those who fear that the elections will produce France's first far-right government since World War II gathered at Place de la Republique before marching through eastern Paris. According to the Paris police, 75,000 people turned out, in spite of rainy and windy weather. They held placards reading “Liberty for all, Equality for all and Fraternity with all” — a reference to France's national motto — and “Let’s break frontiers, documents for all, no to the immigration bill.” Some chanted “Free Palestine, viva Palestina,” and wore keffiyeh scarves. Among them was Nour Cekar, a 16 year-old high school student from the Paris region, who has French and Algerian parents and wears the hijab. “To me, the extreme right is a danger because it supports an ideology based on the fear of the other, whereas we are all French citizens despite our differences,” she told The Associated Press. Cekar said she will vote for the left-wing coalition because “it is the only political party that addresses racism and Islamophobia.” “I fear the rise of the National Rally because I am afraid that they will ban the hijab in name of women's liberty. I am a woman and I should be able to decide what I want to wear. I am a free woman,” she said, adding that she is insulted on social media and in the streets on a daily basis because of her headscarf. Macron urges moderate politicians to regroup to defeat the far right in French elections Against the backdrop of music of French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura, the crowd chanted “Everyone hates racism.” “France is made up of people of different origins. It is its strength. The National Rally wants to break that,” 68-year-old Mohamed Benammar, a French doctor with Tunisian roots who works in a Paris public hospital, told AP. “We provide medical care to everyone, without worrying about their nationality, the color of their skin or their religion, unlike the fascists (extreme-right leaders) that single out Black, Arabs or Muslim people,” he said. Although his son told him that it was useless to protest, Bennamar said he's convinced that it is important to make his voice heard. “I am here to send a strong signal to politicians. We won’t stay silent in front of the far right,” he said. Police in Paris reported “numerous attempts at damage” by protesters. At least one person was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. An AP journalist said police used tear gas against demonstrators who tried to vandalize a bus stop and advertising boards. In the French Riviera city of Nice, protesters marched down Jean Médecin Avenue, the city’s main shopping street, chanting against the National Rally, its leader Jordan Bardella as well as against President Emmanuel Macron. Organizers said 3,000 took part, while the police put the number at 2,500. UK economy flatlined in April in a blow to the governing Conservatives ahead of the July 4 election Nice is traditionally a conservative stronghold, but has over the past decade turned firmly in favor of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally and her far-right rival Eric Zemmour. Crowds have been gathering daily ever since the anti-immigration National Rally made historic gains in the European Parliament elections on Sunday, crushing Macron's pro-business moderates and prompting him to dissolve the National Assembly. New elections for the lower house of parliament were set in two rounds, for June 30 and July 7. Macron remains president until 2027 and in charge of foreign policy and defense, but his presidency would be weakened if the National Rally wins and takes power of the government and domestic policy. "We need a democratic and social upsurge — if not the extreme right will take power,'' French unions said in a statement Friday. "Our Republic and our democracy are in danger.'' They noted that in Europe and across the world, extreme-right leaders have passed laws detrimental to women, the LGBTQ+ community, and people of color. To prevent the National Rally party from winning the upcoming elections, left-wing parties finally agreed Friday to set aside differences over the wars in Gaza and Ukraine and form a coalition. They urged French citizens to defeat the far right. Macron dissolves the French parliament and calls a snap election after defeat in EU vote French opinion polls suggest the National Rally — whose founder has been repeatedly convicted of racism and antisemitism — is expected to be ahead in the first round of the parliamentary elections. The party came out on top in the European elections, garnering more than 30% of the vote cast in France, almost twice as many votes as Macron’s party Renaissance. Macron's term is still on for three more years, and he would retain control over foreign affairs and defense regardless of the result of the French parliamentary elections. But his presidency would be weakened if the National Rally wins, which could put its 28-year-old party leader Bardella on track to become the next prime minister, with authority over domestic and economic affairs.

Tensions in Italy's lower house erupted into a fistfight, sending an opposition lawmaker to hospital, over a controversial government proposal that opponents say will further impoverish the poor south. Video of the fight Wednesday shows lawmakers converging on 5-Star Movement lawmaker Leonardo Donno, who opposes the changes, after he tried to hand an Italian flag to regional affairs minister Roberto Calderoli. Calderoli, a firebrand lawmaker from the Lega party with northern roots, drafted the contested expansion of regional autonomy that would mostly benefit regions like Lega strongholds of Veneto and Lombardy. Italian media reported that Donno was taken to the hospital for evaluation after being hit in the head and the chest. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, interviewed on Sky TG24, expressed disappointment at the scene. “I have no words,'' Tajani said. “We need to set another example, not punches to resolve political problems. It’s not braggadocio, it’s not shouting, it’s ideas that need to be explained well to persuade voters.” The proposal would give additional regions expanded autonomy in specific functions, a move that the opposition says will further increase the north-south divide in Italy. Currently, five regions are granted autonomy, which in part reduces the tax revenue due to the central government in Rome. They range from Trento-South Tyrol in the north, which is comprised of the autonomous provinces of Trento and South Tyrol, to Sicily in the south. The other three are Friuli-Venezia Giulia in the northeast, Aosta in the northwest, and the island of Sardinia.

NATO defense ministers gathered Thursday hoping to agree on a new plan to provide long-term security assistance and military training to Ukraine amid Russia's full-scale invasion, after Hungary promised not to veto the proposal as long as it’s not forced to take part. The ministers are meeting over two days at NATO headquarters in Brussels in the last high-level talks before a summit hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington on July 9-11, where the military organization’s leaders are expected to announce financial support for Ukraine. Ukraine’s Western allies are trying to bolster their military support as Russian troops launch attacks along the more than 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, taking advantage of a lengthy delay in U.S. military aid. European Union money was also held up by political infighting. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who is chairing Thursday’s meeting, said that Ukraine’s beleaguered armed forces need longer-term predictability about the kinds of weapons, ammunition and funds they can expect to receive. “The whole idea is to minimize the risk for gaps and delays as we saw earlier this year,” Stoltenberg told reporters. The hold-up, he said, “is one of the reasons why the Russians are now able to push and to actually occupy more land in Ukraine.” Since Russia’s full-fledged invasion in February 2022, Ukraine’s Western backers have routinely met as part of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, run by the Pentagon, to drum up weapons and ammunition for Kyiv. A fresh meeting was held at NATO headquarters on Thursday. Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair said that his country would send Ukraine 2,300 rocket motors, and that 80,000 more of the devices are being tested. "Pending the results of those tests, we intend to ship more packages of these motors to our Ukrainian partners in the future,” he told reporters. While the contact group meetings have resulted in significant battlefield support, they have been of an ad-hoc and unpredictable nature. Stoltenberg has spearheaded an effort to have NATO take up some of the slack. The idea is for the 32-nation military alliance to coordinate the security assistance and training process, partly by using NATO’s command structure and drawing on funds from its common budget. Stoltenberg said he hopes Biden and his counterparts will agree in Washington to maintain the funding level for military support they have provided Ukraine since Russia launched its full-fledged invasion in February 2022. He estimates this at around 40 billion euros ($43 billion) worth of equipment each year. On Wednesday, Hungary announced that it would not veto the plan as long as it’s not forced to take part. “I asked the Secretary-General to make it clear that all military action outside NATO territory can only be voluntary in nature, according to NATO rules and our traditions,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said. “Hungary has received the guarantees we need.” The world’s biggest security alliance does not send weapons or ammunition to Ukraine as an organization, and has no plans to put troops on the ground. But many of its members give help on a bilateral basis, and jointly provide more than 90% of the country’s military support. The other 31 allies see Russia’s war on Ukraine as an existential security threat to Europe, but most of them, including Biden, have been extremely cautious to ensure that NATO is not drawn into a wider conflict with Russia. NATO operates on the basis that an attack on any single ally will be met with a response from them all.