Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on its Western allies to speed up the pace of supplying weapons to his country, as Russia continues to gain fresh ground along Ukraine's eastern frontlines.

NATO and the EU have vowed to ramp up cooperation to back Ukraine, which is fighting a war with Russia.

The Biden administration is privately encouraging Ukraine’s leaders to signal an openness to negotiate with Russia, the Washington Post reports.

NATO says it has no plans to deploy troops and infrastructure to Sweden and Finland once the two Nordic countries become a member of the Western military alliance, as the process to ratify Sweden and Finland as the newest members of the 30-member bloc has been formally launched.

Amid growing friction, China has called on the NATO military alliance to avoid attempts to start a new Cold War, describing its expansion to the Asian-Pacific region as dangerous.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have warned that the war in Ukraine could last years.

Russian forces continue to push for full control of the breakaway Donbas region in eastern Ukraine as the military operation completes 100 days.