Ukraine war: Counteroffensive 'progressing', Odesa strikes, Western tanks 'burning' Putin claims

Ukraine's army is moving forward on the battlefield, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday. 

"The more territory the Ukrainians can liberate, the better their position will be at the negotiating table," he said during a meeting with US President Joe Biden. 

His remarks came as the US announced a 301 million euro package of military aid for Kyiv, aimed at strengthening its air defences. 

Ukraine says it is continuing to gain ground against Russia, with its forces claiming on Tuesday to have captured more territory in the direction of Bakhmut if only by some 250 metres.

NATO head Stoltenberg agreed there had been progress, but added it was still too early to make an assessment. 

"The support that we are providing together to Ukraine is now making a difference on the battlefield as we speak," he said. "It's still early days."

Russia has not acknowledged any Ukrainian advances. 

Russia's former president said on Wednesday there were no "moral limits" stopping Moscow from targeting hostile states' undersea communication cables.

Dmitry Medvedev made the comments on Telegram given what he called Western complicity in the Nord Stream pipeline blasts last year.

This comes as US media report Washington was aware of a Ukrainian plot to blow them up. Kyiv has denied it destroyed the pipelines.

Unexplained explosions in September ruptured both Nord Stream 1 and the newly built Nord Stream 2, carrying gas from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea.

The incident fuelled energy price rises and has been labelled an environmental catastrophe, as vast amounts of as were released into the atmosphere. 

Russia's President claimed on Tuesday his army has mauled Ukrainian forces, destroying armour supplied by the West. 

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