May 22, 2022, Lysychansk, Ukraine: Smoke rises to the sky after Russian shells hit Lysychansk oil refinery. Lysychansk is an elongated city on the high right bank of the Donets River in the Luhansk region..The city is part of a metropolitan area that includes Syeverodonetsk and Rubizhne the three towns together constitute one of Ukraineis largest chemical complexes. The city is under attack by Russian army, it is bombed daily and people evacuate or live in bunkers. The town is about 10 km from the frontline, and Russian troops are moving towards it. Lysychansk Ukraine - ZUMAs197 20220522_zaa_s197_310 Copyright: xRickxMavex

Russia cannot be stopped from invading just because NATO forces are here. The Alliance understands this. At this week’s Madrid Summit, leaders agreed in conceptual terms that the most immediate threat to our security can only be countered by strengthening conventional military capabilities. From a Baltic point of view, the NATO summit can be regarded as successful.

In the afternoon, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that the EU and Russia had agreed that a procedure for the movement of goods between the Russian heartland and the Kaliningrad exclave should be drawn up. “Both sides have come to the conclusion that it is worth agreeing on a plan that does not violate the actual implementation of sanctions, because frankly Kaliningrad region is a very small part of Russia,” he said.