Here's a look ahead and a roundup of key developments from the past week.
What to watch
Reports of fueled speculation of whether it could be Ukrainian counteroffensive, but there's no confirmation from Kyiv. Russia said it and killed hundreds of troops in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, although Ukraine dismissed the claims.
President Biden has a busy week hosting the Danish prime minister on Monday and the British prime minister on Thursday. The war in Ukraine will feature on the agenda for both visits.
Countries on NATO's eastern flank, known as the Bucharest Nine, will hold a summit in Slovakia on Tuesday. The group has strongly of Ukraine and called Russia "the most significant and direct" security threat.
NATO's chief hopes to bring Sweden into the military alliance this month, but Turkey and Hungary to approve the Nordic country's bid.
The European Commission looks set to on some farm imports from Ukraine within five countries in central and Eastern Europe.
What happened last week
Russia kept up its assault on Kyiv. Ukraine's air defenses shot down many of the drone and missile strikes over its capital, but some caused damage and casualties. Ukrainian officials the largest drone attack in Kyiv since the invasion began in 2022, lasting more than five hours and killing one person. A missile attack in Kyiv on Thursday .
Fighters backed by Ukraine have been waging a guerrilla-style campaign 's Belgorod region.
Drone strikes , lightly damaging several apartment buildings. Ukrainian but avoided claiming responsibility for the attack.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly argued Ukraine "has a right" to strike outside its borders. conveyed a harder stance than what the U.S. has said: The Biden administration publicly opposes Ukrainian . Dmitry Medvedev, a senior Russian official and former president, reacted to Cleverly by "officials could be considered as a legitimate military target."
Europe has mixed views on Ukraine's bid to join NATO. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is in NATO, and France is for Ukraine to join the alliance. But Germany put a damper on things, this is not the time to talk about it in the midst of war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has lobbied for his country to become part of NATO, also acknowledged it would be "" to join during the war.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry issued showing troops putting a finger to their lips to keep silent. Accompanying text said, "There will be no announcement of the start." The messaging built suspense about a major counteroffensive Ukraine has planned for months. Earlier in the week, Zelenskyy , "we are ready."
In-depth
Ukrainian workers describe .
What Secretary of State Antony Blinken sees as .
Zelenskyy accepts Ukraine .
Russia reports several drone strikes .
She had a dream job. Now, .
An alleged Russian spy whale is in Sweden — and danger. .
On the State of Ukraine podcast: The Ukrainian fighters . And, are international sanctions finally
Special report
Russia's war in Ukraine is changing the world:
Earlier developments
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