February 15, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Wednesday that the United States has “growing concern” about the partnership between China and Russia — and China’s tacit support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

She said that China is trying to “have it both ways.” She also expressed concern about Russia’s partnerships with Iran and North Korea.

However, Sherman said her message to those supporting Moscow is: “You're going to end up with an albatross around your neck.”

“The Ukrainians are going to deliver a strategic failure for Putin. And that's going to create a lot of problems for those who are supporting this unholy invasion going forward,” she said.

Although NATO allies "expect some sort of negotiation" with Russia over its war in Ukraine, they "are very focused on getting everything the Ukrainian military forces need" in the meantime, the United States ambassador to the military alliance, Julianne Smith, told CNN.

Regarding the United States specifically, Smith told CNN's Becky Anderson on Wednesday that she "doesn't see the US letting its foot off the gas. I see continued support." 

She added that NATO would not be backing down to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and "will do everything we can to continue to apply pressure on Moscow to affect his strategic calculus." 

NATO defense ministers are meeting in Brussels this week and a key topic of discussion has been dwindling ammunition stockpiles. Smith said allies would "continue to send strong signals to industry to turn on production lines where necessary," adding that NATO members are now looking at multinational or pooled buying of ammunition to "send an even stronger incentive to the private sector." 

With regards to fighter jets: Despite repeated requests from Ukraine, the Biden administration has flatly refused to entertain the idea of sending F-16 fighter jets to the embattled nation. 

Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO last spring, just months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the time that he would reject the effort, accusing the two countries of being “like guesthouses for terror organizations.” Those tensions have continued.

"This is a process we have to go through. What's been remarkable is the speed with which 28 other allies have gone forward with the ratification process," Smith said when asked whether any progress had been made in the ascension process. "But we want to continue to see those three countries come together and address some of the concerns that Turkey has raised." 

Russian forces are escalating attacks in eastern Ukraine in an effort to capture the strategically important city of Bakhmut.

Meanwhile, Western allies are reiterating their pledge to continue to provide support to Ukraine in a NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels, as Kyiv pushes for more aerial defenses, including fighter jets.

Catch up on the latest developments in Russia's war in Ukraine:

The European Union has announced the details of its upcoming tenth sanctions package against Russia, which is set to target industrial goods and technology. 

The bloc is slapping $11.8 billion (11 billion euros) of export bans on Russia to "deprive the Russian economy of critical technology and industrial goods," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday in a recorded statement from Strasbourg, France.

The bloc will also target goods in the construction sector, "which can be directed to Russia's military," she said. The EU will also place "controls on 47 electronic components that can be used in Russian weapons systems." 

The EU is set to coordinate with member states to carry out an overview of the Russian Central Bank's assets held in the bloc, which von der Leyen called "crucial" in light of public Russian assets being potentially used to fund reconstruction in Ukraine.

More on the sanctions: The bloc's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, outlined the EU's intentions to add almost 100 influential entities and individuals to its sanctions list for "their role in undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine."

The bloc has also decided to sanction Iranian entities connected with the supply of Iranian-made drones to Russia. 

In his closing remarks, Borrell outlined the EU's commitment to keep increasing pressure on Russia. Von der Leyen also called on the bloc's 27 member states to approve the proposed package quickly, as part of efforts to have it approved by the one-year anniversary of the Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

At least one person was killed on Wednesday in a Russian attack on a five-story apartment building in the town of Pokrovsk, in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, according to the Ukrainian emergency services.

Emergency responders rescued two people from the building, and at least two more were still trapped under the rubble as of 2:30 p.m. local time (6:30 a.m. ET), according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. One man was killed in the attack, and a further 12 wounded people have sought medical assistance.

Earlier, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine said it was investigating the attack as a war crime.

Russian forces struck the apartment building with multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) Smerch rockets, the head of Donetsk region military administration Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Telegram.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson visited Kyiv on Wednesday, where he did not rule out sending fighter jets to Ukraine but cautioned that action must be taken through a coordinated, international coalition. 

"We don't exclude anything right now," Kristersson said in a joint news conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "But at the same time, we also acknowledge the fact that we need an international coalition to do further steps."

Kristersson added that he fully understands Ukraine's case for asking that allies "do not take too long" to supply defense assistance. But he also noted the "very special situation" that Sweden is in as it applies for NATO membership alongside Finland.  

Kristersson also noted Sweden's "steadfast support for Ukraine's EU integration," adding, "You are European. You belong to Europe, and you belong in the EU."

Zelensky thanked Sweden for its support and defense package. 

"Just recently Sweden has allocated nearly $1 billion in defense assistance to Ukraine. Thank you for your support," Zelensky said during the press conference. "Our soldiers are especially looking forward to the recently approved aid package — the brilliant Swedish Archers, one of the best artillery systems in the world." 

"Today, Sweden is among the top 5 suppliers of critical equipment for the recovery of our power grid after the Russian strikes. This is a clear indication of how much Sweden values people and humanity," Zelensky added. 

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that while Russian President Vladimir Putin shows no indication he wants peace, he "must realize" that he can't win his war in Ukraine.

"Almost one year since his brutal invasion, President Putin shows no sign that he is preparing for peace. On the contrary, he is launching new offensives and targeting civilians, cities and critical infrastructure," Stoltenberg said at a joint news conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Brussels.

Stoltenberg said that "as we face the greatest security crisis in a generation," NATO is taking further steps to strengthen the alliance defenses.

"We are reinforcing our presence and readiness from the Black to the Baltic Sea, including in Poland," he said. 

Stoltenberg said that during his meeting with Duda earlier Wednesday, the two also discussed the role of Belarus in Putin's war in Ukraine. 

"Belarus continues to host and support Russian forces and is deepening its political and military integration with Russia. We call on Belarus to end its complicity in the war," Stoltenberg said. 

Duda said Poland will continue to expand its military capabilities, and the country's defense budget for 2023 will increase to more than 4% of GDP. 

"We would like to have as many stockpiles of NATO equipment as possible" in case of a possible attack, he said. 

Tensions are mounting at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border amid concerns by Ukrainian officials about a Russian spring offensive. 

In rare access since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, a CNN team visited Belarus’s southwest border near northwest Ukraine, accompanied by state border officials.

CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen and his team were 100 meters (more than 300 feet) away from the Ukrainian side, where they saw the Belarusian government’s fortification of the border area with barbed wire in a carefully orchestrated and tightly controlled press tour. 

According to the CNN team on the ground, the Ukrainian side of the border is heavily barricaded with several layers of barbed wire and earth mounds to stop anyone from going through.

Ukraine and Belarus share a 1,000-kilometer (more than 600 miles) frontier, much of it sparsely populated and thickly forested. 

Belarusian officials told CNN the border crossing from their side in the small town of Dyvin is still functioning but that the Ukrainian side has closed the crossing. 

Ukraine has closed all border crossings to Belarus, except to occasionally allow entry to Ukrainian refugees who are looking to return to their home country, out of concern Belarus could be used for a further invasion by Russia. 

The CNN team could see a Ukrainian flag on Ukraine’s side of the border crossing and a red and white flag which is associated with the Belarusian opposition — a move Belarusian authorities called a “provocation.” 

Some context: Russia used the territory of Belarus as one of its launch pads for the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Joint military drills over the last year between Belarus and Russia have contributed to concerns that Belarusian troops could join Russia's forces in Ukraine, but Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly dismissed speculation that his troops would directly join the fighting in Ukraine. 

CNN's Tim Lister contributed to this post.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that the situation in the eastern city of Bakhmut is "the most difficult out of all" areas in Ukraine. 

"That direction is the most difficult, the heaviest. I would also mention the Vuhledar area. Overall, it is not easy for our people in the east," said Zelensky, speaking during a joint news conference in Kyiv alongside Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. 

"This war is so costly for our country. Nevertheless, people are strong, they are defending, and they are standing," Zelensky said. "They understand that they are the fortress for Ukraine to prepare for the de-occupation of all territories."

"They are standing firm and fulfilling their task, destroying the enemy's forces to the maximum," he added. "It is difficult, but they are holding on." 

Asked about the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, Zelensky replied that it has been the "hardest year in the history of independent Ukraine."

"I believe that yes, there are many challenges ahead of us and that our country will be tested. Still, I believe this was the hardest time in our lives," Zelensky said. "On this day, we should not forget all those who are defending our borders, our people and our homes."