"Putin's Rare Trip Abroad: Kyrgyzstan Visit and NATO Defense Ministers Meeting"

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Kyrgyzstan for his first known international trip this year, where he will meet with Eastern European leaders. Meanwhile, NATO defense ministers are meeting in Brussels to discuss the damage to critical undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. A coalition led by the United States, Denmark, and the Netherlands plans to establish F-16 fighter jet capacity in Ukraine and build a full-scale Ukrainian air force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced Putin and Hamas during his visit to NATO, and the US announced a $200 million security assistance package for Ukraine. Efforts are being made to use frozen Russian central bank reserves to help Ukraine, but legal challenges and financial risks remain. In battleground updates, Russian forces advanced toward Avdiivka, a Ukrainian drone downed in Russia killed three people, and Ukraine identified two traitors who gave intelligence to Russia for a missile attack. A Russian assault struck a school in southern Ukraine, killing four people.