Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:
- Nord Stream gas flows resume -
Russia resumes critical gas supplies to Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany following 10 days of maintenance.
But with the pipeline operating at only a fraction of its capacity, and Russia having already cut back or suspended supplies to a dozen EU members in retaliation for Western sanctions, Europe is still bracing for energy shortages.
The EU on Wednesday urged member states to reduce their gas consumption by 15 percent over the coming months to secure their winter stocks.
Russian gas giant Gazprom has cut gas flows to Germany through Nord Stream 1 pipeline by some 40 percent in recent weeks, blaming the absence of a Siemens gas turbine that was undergoing repairs in Canada, an explanation Germany rejects.
- Ukraine devalues currency -
Ukraine's central bank on Thursday devalues the national currency, the hryvnia, against the dollar to shore up its foreign reserves and improve the competitiveness of Ukrainian exports in the face of a collapsing economy.
The National Bank revises the official exchange rate from 29.25 hyrvnia to the dollar to 36.57 hyrvnia to the dollar.
"The new hryvnia rate will become an anchor for the economy and will add its resilience in conditions of uncertainty," the bank says.
- US to send more rocket launchers -
The United States promises to send four more HIMARS advanced rocket systems to Ukraine to help its forces fight Russia's advance in the eastern Donbas region.
"Ukraine needs the firepower and the ammunition to withstand this barrage and to strike back," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin tells reporters.
In an emotional speech to the US Congress, Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska evokes the high-profile death of Liza, a four-year-old who was killed in a strike on the central city of Vinnytsia last week, in asking Washington for air-defence systems.
"Help us to stop this terror against Ukrainians," Zelenska says.
- Kharkiv shelled -
Two people are killed and 19 injured by Russian shelling of Ukraine's second-biggest city of Kharkiv as Moscow steps up its bombardments two months after being driven back from the city's northern outskirts.
Regional governor Oleg Synegubov announces the deaths which come a day after three people were killed in shelling of a bus shelter in the city, including a 13-year-old boy.
- Ukraine lessons for China -
The head of the CIA, Bill Burns, says that China is probably looking to Ukraine for lessons on how to reassert its control over Taiwan.
Burns tells a security forum in Aspen, Colorado that Russia's experiences in the war could affect "how and when" Beijing would decide to use force against Taiwan.
Russia's failure to topple Ukraine's leadership in Kyiv showed that "you don't achieve quick, decisive victories with underwhelming force," he says.
"I suspect the lesson that the Chinese leadership and military are drawing is that you've got to amass overwhelming force if you're going to contemplate that in the future," he adds.
