Presidents of Ukraine

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky secured fresh promises of military aid during weekend visits to France and Germany to boost his nation's weapons stockpile ahead of a widely expected counter-offensive against Russia.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed Ukraine as "the beating heart of today's European values" in a deeply symbolic visit to Kyiv on Tuesday as Russia marked its World War Two Victory Day.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kiev on Tuesday to mark the Europe Day celebration of peace and unity, as Ukraine delivered a symbolic retort to Moscow's Victory Day parade.

Moscow on Thursday accused the US of masterminding a drone attack on the Kremlin, a charge denied by Washington, and said Ukrainian sabotage on Russian territory had reached "unprecedented momentum".

Moscow said President Vladimir Putin was working from the Kremlin the day after the attack, which it said was a Ukrainian attempt to kill him.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at Amsterdam's airport late Wednesday for an unannounced visit to the Netherlands, with a trip to the International Criminal Court on his agenda, local media reported.

All NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will eventually become a member of the alliance, but the main focus now is to ensure that the country prevails over Russia, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Friday, Reuters reports.

The US has reportedly warned Kyiv since January that Ukrainian forces will not be able to hold the key city in Donbass - Bakhmut, and has repeatedly called for a withdrawal, the Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing intelligence documents.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made a surprise visit to Kyiv. This is his first visit to Ukraine since the Russian aggression began and is being read as a clear sign of solidarity ahead of preparations for a Ukrainian counter-offensive.

Stoltenberg honored the memory of the fallen Ukrainian soldiers and inspected destroyed Russian weapons in the center of Kyiv.

They were invited to speed up this process, Ukrainian parliamentarian Alexei Goncharenko said, RIA Novosti reports.
"Rada appealed to NATO member countries and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly to speed up Ukraine's entry into the Alliance," Goncharenko wrote on his Telegram channel.

Day 411 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours: