NATO debates ways to boost ties with Ukraine as war drags on

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (left) greets Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov during a meeting. Pic/AP

NATO defense ministers gathered on Thursday to discuss future relations with Ukraine as Russia's war on the country thwarts its hopes of joining the world's biggest security alliance soon.

The ministers were also due to take part in a separate meeting at NATO headquarters of the US-led Ukraine Contact Group - the forum Ukraine's supporters routinely join to try to drum up weapons and ammunition to help Kyiv fight the Russian invasion.

The NATO meeting comes before US President Joe Biden and his counterparts gather for a summit in Lithuania in a symbolic show of support for Ukraine. They are expected to underscore their determination to act should Russian President Vladimir Putin try to expand the war westward.

Australia stops Russia from establishing new embassy

The Parliament House, behind Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra. Pic/AP

Australia's Parliament passed legislation on Thursday to prevent Russia from building a new embassy near Parliament House citing threats of espionage and political interference, as tensions grow between Moscow and a major supporter of the Ukraine war effort.

"The government has received very clear security advice as to the risk presented by a new Russian presence so close to Parliament House," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters. The legislation would extinguish Russia's lease on the site of a second embassy. "We are acting quickly to ensure the lease site does not become a formal diplomatic presence," he added.

Captured Ukrainian soldiers face trial

The soldiers inside a glass cage during a hearing. Pic/AP

More than 20 Ukrainian soldiers who were taken prisoner during fighting in Ukraine went on trial in southern Russia on Wednesday. The captured soldiers were members of the Azov battalion - an elite Ukrainian armed forces unit - who have been designated as a terrorist group. There are also eight women who reportedly worked as cooks.

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