Russia’s War in Ukraine: US, EU Allies Pledge Arms for Kyiv, as Finland, Sweden Veer Closer to NATO

Russian forces have continued their new offensive in the east of Ukraine, assaulting cities and towns along a front hundreds of kilometers long, in what could be a potentially pivotal battle for control of the country’s industrial heartland. The Kremlin said it had launched a new phase of the invasion of Ukraine as fighting raged in the Donbas region and officials urged civilians to flee. “Another phase of this operation is beginning and I am sure it will be a very important moment in this entire special operation,” Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said “the battle for Donb…