ANKARA

A NATO-Ukraine Council meeting will be held at Ukraine’s request on Wednesday.

“The meeting will be held at ambassadorial level," NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah said in a statement on Tuesday.

She said that Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is also expected to brief allied states via video conference on the “battlefield situation and priority capability needs.”

The spokesperson added that the meeting “comes after recent waves of heavy Russian strikes against Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.”

Dakhlallah reiterated NATO’s commitment to “further bolstering Ukraine’s defences.”

Ukraine has openly stated its desire to join the NATO alliance.

While not offering to admit Ukraine to the alliance, NATO has strengthened ties with Kyiv since the war with Russia began in February 2022.