NATO chief visits Ukraine for 1st time since Russia invaded

By LORNE COOK and SAMYA KULLAB
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has visited Ukraine for the first time since Russia invaded more than a year ago. It is a highly symbolic trip that underscores the alliance’s commitment to helping Kyiv defend itself. The Kremlin quickly warned that Ukraine must not be allowed to join NATO. Russia has given various and shifting justifications for going to war. But it has repeatedly pointed to the expansion of the military alliance toward its borders in recent years, including citing fears that Kyiv would be admitted. Images published in local media showed Stoltenberg apparently paying tribute to fallen Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv’s St. Michael’s Square.