This has been CNBC's live blog covering updates on the war in Ukraine. [Follow the latest updates here.]
NATO leaders met in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss providing further military aid to Ukraine, including potentially heeding President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's calls for fighter jets.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said ahead of the meeting that the military alliance planned to increase its ammunition stockpile targets as Kyiv is burning through shells at a rapid rate.
Stoltenberg also noted that its was more important that Finland and Sweden's applications to join NATO were ratified quickly than approved at the same time.
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Meantime, NATO member Norway agreed to send eight German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks and other equipment to Ukraine to aid in the war with Russia.
The Kremlin criticized NATO's continued involvement in the conflict Tuesday, saying the alliance was showing "hostility" toward Moscow every day.
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That comes as key parts of Ukraine come under renewed assault, with the eastern city of Bakhmut in particular facing heavy fire.
Britain's Ministry of Defense said Tuesday that forces belonging to Russia's mercenary Wagner Group have likely made further small gains around the northern outskirts of the city, including into the village of Krasna Hora.
Pentagon awards Northrop Grumman Army contract for more ammunition
The Pentagon awarded Northrop Grumman and Global Military Products Inc., a contract worth more than $522 million for the manufacture and delivery of 155 mm artillery ammunition. The U.S. Army contract is funded by the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
"This is an example of the Army's continued commitment to continue working closely with industry to support the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and award replacement contracts as quickly as possible, using undefinitized contract actions, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts, and other tools that accelerate acquisition timelines," the Pentagon wrote in a statement.
— Amanda Macias
Two ships leave Ukrainian ports under Black Sea Grain Initiative
Two vessels carrying more than 81,000 metric tons of grain and other food products have left Ukrainian ports, the organization overseeing the export of agricultural products from the country said.
The ships are destined for China and India and are carrying sunflower oil and sunflower meal.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal brokered in July among Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations, eased Russia's naval blockade and saw three key Ukrainian ports reopen.
So far, more than 700 ships have sailed from Ukrainian ports.
— Amanda Macias
NATO chief vows to 'step up and sustain support' for Ukraine
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said members of the alliance will "step up and sustain" support for Ukraine as Russia's war nears its one-year mark.
"Moscow underestimated Ukraine's bravery and NATO unity," Stoltenberg wrote in a tweet following a meeting of NATO defense ministers.
"We will step up & sustain our support for as long as it takes," he added.
— Amanda Macias
U.S. State Department says it is 'always looking' for people who may be responsible for war crimes in Ukraine
The U.S. State Department said a new report identified Russian officials, previously not sanctioned by the U.S., who are affiliated with a Kremlin program that abducts Ukrainian children and places them into camps.
"We are always looking for individuals who may be responsible for war crimes and atrocities in Ukraine," State Department spokesman Ned Price said following the report's publication.
The 35-page report compiled by the Conflict Observatory and Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab said Russian forces have relocated at least 6,000 Ukrainian children to more than 40 camps and facilities since the start of the war.
The authors of the reports said that all levels of the Russian government are involved in the expansive program.
— Amanda Macias
Ukraine's prime minister says Kyiv has raised more than $2 billion in financial support this month
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that his country is on track to raise more than $2 billion from the United States, the World Bank and other donors this month.
"I would like to thank our international partners for their continued financial assistance. In January, we received $4.2 billion from the European Union and the United States," Shmyhal said during a government meeting, according to an NBC News translation.
"We need these funds for critical expenses: financing salaries, pensions, and health care," he added.
— Amanda Macias
Ukrainians begin to rebuild destroyed homes in Bucha
Workers rebuild a damaged house in Bucha, near Kyiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
— Genya Savilov | AFP | Getty Images
Russian forces have relocated at least 6,000 Ukrainian children to camps since start of war, new report says
Russian forces have moved at least 6,000 Ukrainian children to camps and facilities across Russia for forced adoptions and military training, according to a new report.
The allegations detailed in the 35-page report, entitled "Russia's systematic program for the re-education and adoption of Ukraine's children," such as the abduction or detention of children, may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity.
The report, which took more than a year to produce, outlines the Kremlin's systematic efforts to abduct children, prevent their return to Ukraine and "re-educate" them to become pro-Russia.
Researchers identified a network of at least 43 camps and facilities where Russian authorities hold Ukrainian children. The youngest child at the adoption camp is four-months-old.
Read the full story here.
— Amanda Macias
Zelenskyy thanks Canada's top diplomat for Leopard 2 tanks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly for Ottawa's decision to provide Kyiv with Leopard 2 tanks.
"You help us not only on the battlefield but also financially, in the energy sector. I also want to note the political support of Ukraine, in particular at the United Nations," Zelenskyy told Joly, according to a readout provided by Kyiv.
"Your support for the Ukrainian army is invaluable in these turbulent times for us," Zelenksyy said.
He also thanked Joly for visiting his war-weary country.
— Amanda Macias
International community will support Ukraine until Putin ends his war, Milley says
U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley said allies will back Ukraine for as long as it takes to repel Russia's invasion.
"Until Putin ends his war of choice, the international community will continue to support Ukraine," Milley said following a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, an alliance of nations that has bolstered Kyiv.
Milley told reporters at NATO's headquarters that more than 50 countries are contributing to Ukraine's fight against Russia.
"Russia has lost," Milley said. He added that the Kremlin has failed "strategically" and that Russian forces are "paying an enormous price on the battlefield."
— Amanda Macias
Ukrainians celebrate Valentine's Day as Russia pounds eastern Ukraine
Ukrainians celebrate Valentine's Day as Russia's invasion of Ukraine nears its one-year anniversary.
— Getty Images
Kyiv clamors for fighter jets as war nears ‘critical’ phase
Ukraine renewed its appeal to Western countries for fighter jets to help frustrate Moscow's invasion, as senior defense officials from the United States and its NATO allies said the war with Russia is approaching a critical stage.
With the war set to enter its second year at the end of next week, the Ukraine contact group met at NATO headquarters in Brussels and Ukraine made its requirements clear.
Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, when asked what military aid his country is seeking now, showed reporters an image of a fighter jet.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pushed hard for combat planes last week when he visited London, Paris and Brussels on just his second foreign trip since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, 2022. His plea came days after Western allies pledged to provide Kyiv with tanks.
Moscow's forces have been pressing in the east of Ukraine while bolstering their defensive lines in the south. The war has been largely static during the winter months, though both sides are expected to launch offensives when the weather improves.
— Associated Press
Russia's Prigozhin admits links to what U.S. says was election-meddling troll farm
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, said on Tuesday that he founded and financed and the Internet Research Agency, a company Washington says is a "troll farm" which meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Prigozhin, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, spent years operating on behalf of the Kremlin in the shadows, but has emerged in recent months as one of the most high profile figures connected with Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
He has previously admitted interfering in U.S. elections, but his statement on Tuesday appears to go further than before in outlining his specific links to the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency (IRA).
"I was never just the financier of the Internet Research Agency. I thought it up, I created it, I managed it for a long time," Prigozhin said in a post shared on social media by the press service of his Concord catering group.
"It was created to protect the Russian information space from the West's boorish and aggressive anti-Russian propaganda," Prigozhin said.
Prigozhin was first sanctioned by the United States over his links to the Internet Research Agency in 2018 and charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on his inquiry into Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. election said that Internet Research Agency sought to sow discord in the United States through "information warfare." It sought to sway the 2016 election in favour of Trump, Mueller's report said.
— Reuters
Moldova reopens airspace after temporary closure
Moldova has reopened its airspace hours after closing it due to security concerns, its aviation authority said Tuesday.
Air Moldova, the country's national airline, announced the closure of the country's airspace in a Facebook post earlier in the day.
"Dear passengers, at this moment, the airspace of the Republic of Moldova is closed. We are waiting for the resumption of flights," the carrier wrote, according to a Google translation.
A source at Chisinau International Airport told Reuters the closure was due to security concerns. The Moldovan government did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment.
The small eastern European nation, which shares a border with Ukraine, has faced increasing disruption over recent days.
Moldova's President Maia Sandu on Monday accused Russia of trying to bring down the country's government and prevent it from joining the European Union.
The claims, which the Kremlin rejected, come just days after Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita disbanded her government Friday. Hours prior, the country's defense ministry said a Russian missile had violated its airspace during a renewed attack on Ukraine.
— Karen Gilchrist
Norway to send 8 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine
Norway will send eight German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks and other equipment to Ukraine to aid in the war with Russia, the NATO country's government said on Tuesday.
"It is more crucial than ever to support Ukraine's fight for freedom," Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a statement.
Norway said it will also send four special purpose tanks from its armored engineering and bridge layer category, with the exact selection depending on what Ukraine needs the most.
Norway, which shares a border with Russia in the Arctic, has 36 Leopard 2 tanks in total.
— Reuters
Stoltenberg: More important Sweden, Finland join NATO soon than together
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that it is more important that Finland and Sweden's applications to join the military alliance are ratified expediently than at the same time.
"The main question is not whether Finland and Sweden are ratified together. The main question is that they are both ratified as full members as soon as possible," Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels, ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers.
The neighboring countries applied in tandem to join NATO last year in wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and their bids have been ratified by all members apart from Hungary and Turkey.
Western officials have said they would prefer both countries to join together for ease of integration. But Turkey has proven a major sticking point in negotiations, with President Tayyip Erdogan pushing back against Sweden's bid.
Stoltenberg said he was "confident" both countries would become full members, in a process that he is aiming to conclude "as soon as possible."
— Karen Gilchrist
U.S. Defense Secretary Austin: Ukraine has urgent requirements
Ukraine has urgent requirements in terms of more military aid, said United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Tuesday, as he also reaffirmed that the United States and NATO allies in general were there to support Ukraine over the long haul.
"That shared resolve will sustain Ukraine's momentum in the weeks ahead," said Austin at a NATO meeting in Brussels. "The Kremlin is still betting that it can wait us out."
— Reuters
Kremlin says NATO is becoming more involved in Ukraine
The Kremlin said Tuesday that NATO is becoming increasingly involved in the conflict in Ukraine and demonstrating hostility to Russia on a daily basis.
"NATO is an organization which is hostile to us and which proves this hostility every day," Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, according to Reuters reporters based in Russia.
"It is trying its best to make its involvement in the conflict around Ukraine as clear as possible," Peskov added.
NATO defense ministers are meeting in Brussels Tuesday to discuss extending their military supplies to Ukraine, including potential fighter jets.
Moscow has said NATO's provision of weapons to Ukraine is extending the conflict and raising the possibility of further escalation.
— Karen Gilchrist
Germany signs contracts with Rheinmetall to restart ammunition production
Germany has signed contracts with arms manufacturer Rheinmetall to restart the production of ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft guns it has delivered to Kyiv, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Tuesday.
"We will quickly start our own production of Gepard ammunition at Rheinmetall. I am very happy we have been able to guarantee the delivery of this important part of air defense," Reuters reported Pistorius as saying ahead of a meeting with NATO ministers in Brussels.
— Karen Gilchrist
Russian rouble dips near 10-month low vs dollar
The Russian rouble struck its weakest mark since late April on Tuesday, hurt by lower foreign currency revenue inflows from hydrocarbon exports and a continued recovery in imports as companies build new supply chains.
At 0726 GMT, the rouble was 0.1% weaker against the dollar at 73.88, having hit 73.9850 during the session, its lowest point since April 25.
The Russian currency lost 0.3% to trade at 79.26 versus the euro and shed 0.3% against the yuan to 10.83.
The rouble's weakening from around the 68 mark to the dollar in mid-January to current levels can be explained mainly by foreign exchange market dynamics and imports, Alfa Capital analysts said.
— Reuters
Ukraine is fighting for the rights of 'every nation,' says IMF chief
The International Monetary Fund's managing director Kristalina Georgieva said Tuesday that Ukraine is fighting not just in defense of its national sovereignty but to protect the international rule of law.
"In Ukraine, people strongly believe they're fighting not just for themselves, they're fighting for the right of every nation to exist and run its own affairs," the director of the United Nations financial institution said at the World Government Summit in Dubai.
Georgieva said that a problem which is Ukraine's problem today can tomorrow "be a problem for many other countries," adding that it is in "everybody's interest" to defend a rules-based global system.
"If we blow up rule of law internationally, how are we going to keep it domestically?" she said. "It is for everyone, everybody's interest to defend it."
— Karen Gilchrist
NATO's Stoltenberg says new Russian offensive now underway
NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday backed reports that Russia has launched a fresh offensive in Ukraine, days before the first anniversary of its invasion.
"I think the reality (is) that we're seeing the start already," Stoltenberg told reporters ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
"What Russia lacks in quality, they try to compensate (for) in quantity, meaning that the leadership, the logistics, the equipment, the training, don't have the same level as the Ukrainian forces, but they have more forces," he added.
Stoltenberg said ministers would discuss increasing the military alliance's ammunition stockpile targets Tuesday, as well consider Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's calls for fighter jets.
— Karen Gilchrist
Russia's Wagner Group making small gains around Bakhmut, UK says
Wagner Group forces have "almost certainly made further small gains around the northern outskirts of the contested Donbas town of Bakhmut, including into the village of Krasna Hora," Britain's Ministry of Defense said in a tweet Tuesday.
However, organized Ukrainian defense in the area means the tactical Russian advance to the south of the town "has likely made little progress," it added.
In the north, in the Kremina-Svatove sector of Ukraine's eastern Luhansk region, Russian forces are making "continuous offensive efforts," though each local attack "remains on too small a scale to achieve a significant breakthrough," the British intelligence service said.
— Karen Gilchrist
Kremlin rejects claims it is plotting to destabilize Moldova
The Kremlin on Tuesday pushed back against accusations that it is attempting to destabilize Moldova's government.
Moldova's President Maia Sandu said Monday that Russia was intending to use foreign saboteurs to undermine her government and prevent it from joining the European Union.
That comes just days after Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita resigned Friday.
"Such claims are completely unfounded and unsubstantiated," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement.
The foreign minister added that Ukraine was stirring tensions and trying to draw Moldova "into a tough confrontation with Russia."
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week that his intelligence authorities had uncovered a Russian plan "for the destruction of Moldova."
— Karen Gilchrist
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— Karen Gilchrist
