Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – March 25, 2022

By Ali Murat Alhas

ANKARA (AA) - Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments around the world.

As Russia's war on Ukraine continues, NATO leaders decided to bolster the alliance’s defense capabilities and to send further support to embattled Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who chaired the extraordinary meeting of the alliance in Brussels, said the nature of the Russia-Ukraine conflict would change "fundamentally" if Moscow used chemical weapons.

Some 15,800 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war, according to Ukraine, which also claims to have destroyed 108 aircraft, 124 helicopters, 530 tanks and scores of other armored carriers and artillery systems.

Wang Wenbin, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, urged the US and NATO to hold a dialogue with Russia to "solve the root cause of the Ukraine crisis" as a cool head and rational mind are needed, not adding fuel to the fire.

The conflict in Ukraine has led to a massive displacement of people as more than 3.67 million Ukrainians have fled the country, with Europe keeping the door open for refugees.

Meanwhile, the US will accept 100,000 Ukrainian refugees and others fleeing the Russian war, President Joe Biden announced.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking at the NATO summit, said it was in the common interest of all for some allies to lift restrictions on Turkiye's defense industry, adding Ankara supported Ukraine’s "territorial integrity and sovereignty."

French President Emmanuel Macron said he would work with Erdogan for a cease-fire and an agreement for "lasting peace" in Ukraine.

London has targeted Russian industries, banks and business elites with new sanctions, with Foreign Secretary Liz Truss saying the sanctions were aimed at "those aiding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including the Wagner Group, multiple defense companies and the Russian Railway."

Some 7,000 members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorist organization and Boko Haram terrorist group surrendered in northeastern Nigeria in the past week

China’s foreign minister arrived in Afghanistan on his maiden trip to the country after the exit of US-led foreign forces last year.

North Korea fired an “unidentified projectile” toward the East Sea, the South Korean military claimed, without disclosing further details.