The world's most influential military alliance has invited Australia to attend an upcoming summit, with China and Russia expected to dominate discussions.
Denmark's parliament has passed a much-debated bill put forward by the new government to scrap a public holiday to help finance increased defence spending.
Norwegian oil and gas workers normally don't see anything more threatening than North Sea waves crashing against the steel legs of their offshore platforms. But lately they have noticed a more troubling sight - unidentified drones buzzing in the skies overhead.
The 30 NATO allies have signed off on the accession protocols for Sweden and Finland, sending the membership bids of the two nations to the alliance capitals for legislative approvals.
Powerful explosions have rocked the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, a day after authorities said at least 21 people were killed when Russian missiles struck an apartment building near the Black Sea port of Odessa.
NATO has branded Russia the biggest "direct threat" to Western security after its invasion of Ukraine and agreed plans to modernise Kyiv's beleaguered armed forces, saying it stood fully behind Ukrainians' "heroic defence of their country".
Ukrainian forces are resisting a Russian assault on Sievierodonetsk, the largest city they still hold in the eastern Donbas region, but are weathering heavy artillery barrages.
Finland says it will apply to join NATO "without delay", with Sweden expected to follow suit, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine brings about the very expansion of the Western military alliance that Vladimir Putin aimed to prevent.
Sweden's ruling Social Democrats will decide on May 15 whether to overturn decades of opposition to NATO membership, the party says, a move that would almost certainly lead to Sweden asking to join the 30-nation alliance.
President Xi Jinping says his government supports talks to resolve international disputes, but opposes the use of sanctions, in China's latest attempt to describe an approach to Russia's bloody invasion of Ukraine.
NATO says it still sees no drawdown of Russian troops from near the Ukrainian border, two days after Moscow announced it would reduce its presence there, raising hopes of detente in a tense situation.
