Plans to increase the number of Nato troops on high-alert to 300,000 should be “in place by next year”, says the Nato chief.

Answering a question from the UK’s Financial Times newspaper, Jens Stoltenberg acknowledges that the plan requires that allies “contribute the forces they have promised to contribute”.

He adds that he’s “confident” that countries will be good to their word, as they have been before.

But he does not provide a country-by-country breakdown in response to the reporter’s question.

We've just heard Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressing concerns about the growing partnership between Moscow and Beijing.

Stoltenberg told reporters China is "substantially" building up its military, including nuclear weapons.

He added the country was "bullying its neighbours and threatening Taiwan", as well as monitoring and controlling its own citizens and "spreading Russian lies and disinformation".

The Nato chief stressed that Beijing is "not our adversary" but added there were serious challenges to security.

Global challenges demand global solutions, he added.

The Nato chief has appeared in front of the cameras to speak to reporters again.

Jens Stoltenberg is holding his second press conference of the day from the military alliance's summit in Madrid.

Stay with us and we’ll let you know what he says.

Image source, Taras Dumenko/Facebook

British billionaire Richard Branson has been pictured on a visit to Ukraine.

The Virgin Galactic founder has visited Antonov Airport near Kyiv, according to the head of the local military administration on Facebook.

The area was occupied by Russian forces earlier in the war and the airport heavily damaged during intense fighting.

Branson was interested in reconstruction of the facility, said Taras Dumenko.

The official added that Branson was "constantly speaking out in support of Ukraine, its sovereignty [and] territorial integrity".

We've been reporting in recent weeks about the battles in eastern Ukraine, as Russia fights to expand its control of the region known as the Donbas.

Before the February invasion, Russian-backed separatists already controlled parts of the area and had declared them as the Luhansk and Donetsk "People's Republics".

Days before the invasion, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia was recognising the independence of the two breakaway regions.

Now Russia's ally Syria has done the same, according to the state news agency Sana.

It quotes an official source from Syria's foreign ministry as saying the country now recognises the "independence and sovereignty of both self-declared Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics".

The source added that Syria would "agree on frameworks for strengthening relations" with the Russian-backed regions, "including establishing diplomatic relations in accordance with established norms".

Read more: Why Russia is trying to capture eastern Ukraine

Image source, .

Image source, EPA

Ukraine has received 144 prisoners of war in an exchange with Russia, the intelligence directorate of its defence ministry says.

In a Telegram post, officials describe this as the "largest" such swap between the two warring nations so far.

It said 95 of the prisoners returned to Ukraine had been captured while defending the vast Azovstal metal works in the southern port city of Mariupol - and nearly half of these belonged to the controversial Azov regiment.

The update adds that most of the soldiers have been received with "serious injuries" - and are being treated for gunshot wounds, shrapnel injuries, burns and fractures.

It did not say how many prisoners had been returned to Russia in the swap.

As we've been reporting, the Nato summit in Madrid has been focusing on the war in Ukraine, with fresh long-term commitments pledged at today's talks.

Nato will continue helping Ukraine for as long as it takes, according to the alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg.

He said Nato's door is "open", with Finland and Sweden's accession a testament to this.

Responding to today's developments, Ukraine praised Nato for having a "clear-eyed stance" on Russia.

In a tweet, the country's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said a "strong position" on Ukraine can ensure stability in the Euro-Atlantic is protected.

Image source, PA Media

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has commended Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's "leadership" on the issue of getting grain out of Ukraine.

The pair, meeting at the Nato summit, discussed Finland and Sweden's accession to the bloc, with Johnson welcoming an agreement between Turkey (an existing member) and the Nordic counties allowing them to join the alliance.

Johnson told Erdogan that Finland and Sweden's accession to Nato "will make the alliance stronger as we look ahead to a more dangerous decade", a Downing Street spokesman said.

On the issue of grain exports, Johnson "stressed that President Putin's ongoing blockade of Ukraine's ports is creating an international humanitarian crisis, both in Ukraine and around the world," the spokesman added.

Image source, Reuters

More now on the attack in the southern city of Mykolaiv, which we reported on earlier.

Local authorities say three people died and five people were injured when a Russian missile hit a residential building.

The city's mayor said eight missiles hit the city and has urged residents to evacuate.

Now a Russian Defence Ministry spokesman has said Moscow's forces hit a training base for "foreign mercenaries" near the city, according to Reuters news agency.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify the reports on the incident.

Image source, EPA

President Volodymyr Zelensky has estimated the monthly cost of defending Ukraine against Russia's invasion at about $5bn.

This is a war for the right to dictate conditions in Europe - for what the future world order will be like," he said, in his virtual address to delegates at the Nato summit in Madrid.

The Ukrainian leader called for more weapons, finance and sanctions "to stop Russia's ability to pay for the war".

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has today reiterated that Ukraine can continue to count on the alliance's support and assistance for "as long as it takes" in its battle with Russia.

Sophie Williams
Reporting from Kremenchuk

Here in Kremenchuk, a number of people are still searching for their missing relatives after a Russian missile hit a Ukrainian shopping centre on Monday. Many have been posting images of their loved ones to social media in the hope of finding news.

We met 18-year-old Dariya Kokhanovska. Her mother, Larysa, worked as a cleaner in the Comfy store inside the shopping mall. Dariya hasn’t seen her mother since she left for work on Monday.

"The police have asked me to give a DNA sample - the result will be in two days. What the result will be, we don’t know," she says.

Dariya herself heard the explosions. She instantly picked up the phone to call her parents. Her father answered but her mother did not.

"For now, all I can say is that I feel emptiness," she says.

At least 18 people are known to have died and 25 are still in hospital.

"We are a peaceful country," Dariya says. "Russia attacked a peaceful country.

"Putin is under God. And he sees everyone. Everyone who is firing rockets on peaceful cities."

Image source, EPA

The Indonesian president is visiting Ukraine and Russia in an attempt to re-start peace talks.

President Joko Widodo - also known as Jokowi - is also looking for ways to free up exports of grain.

Before the war, Ukraine had been one of Indonesia's biggest wheat suppliers.

Indonesia currently holds the rotating presidency of the G20 group of nations. Widodo is one of six world leaders the United Nations has appointed as "champions" of a Global Crisis Response Group, formed to address the threat of hunger and destitution posed by the war.

Indonesia condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but has tried to maintain relations with Moscow.

Widodo will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before travelling to Russia for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Indonesian leader has said he will urge Putin to agree to a ceasefire.

Image source, EPA

A British man has lodged an appeal after being sentenced to a death by a court in a Russian-run area of eastern Ukraine, the Interfax news agency reports.

Shaun Pinner was captured while serving with the Ukrainian army and tried as a mercenary in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, by a court which is not internationally recognised.

Alongside him were fellow Briton Aiden Aslin and Moroccan national Brahim Saaudun.

Pinner was captured while fighting to defend the southern city of Mariupol.

His family say he should be considered a prisoner of war and describe the trial as illegal.

Pinner's lawyer said she would petition for a pardon if the appeal was rejected, according to the Interfax report.

Image source, PA

The leaders of Sweden and Finland have thanked Boris Johnson for getting behind their efforts to join Nato.

The British prime minister says he's "absolutely thrilled" that the two Nordic nations are poised to join the Western military grouping.

Following a meeting between the trio of leaders, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said Johnson had been "very supportive".

And Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said the backing of her British counterpart had been "crucial".

Image source, EPA

If you're just joining us, here's a short round-up of today's comments from Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg at the alliance summit in Madrid.

• He confirmed that Finland and Sweden are being formally invited to sign up to the 30-member military alliance - which he said showed Nato's door remained open to new joiners
• He said Ukraine could continue counting on Nato's assistance in the face of Russia's invasion for "as long as it takes"
• As part of the long-term support, Kyiv can expect to receive the likes of fuel, medical supplies and body armour as it transitions from Soviet-era equipment to Nato-standard gear

The heads of state present at the meeting in Spain issued a declaration, external. It again condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and said Nato would significantly increase its commitment to deterrence and defence.

Image source, EPA

Answering questions from reporters, Jens Stoltenberg told the Nato press conference that Ukraine's allies are "prepared for the long haul".

The message from leaders in the room this morning was of strong support for Ukraine, with additional assistance, weapons and equipment also pledged, he said.

"Wars are unpredictable but we have to be prepared for the long haul," he added.

When asked when Ukraine could potentially join Nato, Stoltenberg did not give a specific answer, but did reiterate that the alliance's door "is open".

The focus now is supporting Ukraine on the battlefield, he said, as not only is the country fighting for its own independence, it is also fighting for values important to Nato.

These include sovereignty, the territorial integrity of every nation, and security, he said.

Asked for more detail on timescale for the two Nordic Nations, Stoltenberg reiterates that all 30 Nato members' parliaments need to agree to their accession.

While he says he can't promise anything on behalf of those parliaments, "the message in the room is that throughout the alliance there is a strong will to work with parliaments so they can do the ratification as soon as possible".

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg has confirmed that Finland and Sweden are being formally invited to join his military alliance.

The path was cleared for the two Nordic nations after an announcement yesterday that they’d reached a security agreement with Turkey – the only country in the alliance that was proving resistant.

The pair made their applications to join last month.

Stoltenberg calls this the “fastest accession process ever”, and says he expects the speedy progress to continue.

He says Nato’s 30 member countries must now individually ratify the requests by Finland and Sweden in their own parliaments.

The two applicants are expected to show that they meet Nato’s standards in politics and law, and in their armed forces. It’s thought this next step will be relatively straightforward for two functioning democracies with strong militaries.

Nato officials have previously said the process could take “a couple of weeks” – much faster than has been seen previously.

A German official was earlier quoted saying “there is no concrete timeline, but it will be fast”.

We've just heard that Jens Stoltenberg has pledged Nato's long-term support to Ukraine, by expanding its commitments to the nation.

But what does this mean in practice?

According to Stoltenberg, Ukraine will receive:

• secure communications
• fuel
• medical supplies
• body armour
• equipment to counter mines and chemical and biological threats
• hundreds of portable anti-drone systems

He added this will help Ukraine transition from Soviet-era equipment to modern Nato equipment.

Turning now to Sweden and Finland's applications to join Nato, Jens Stoltenberg says this demonstrates that the alliance's door "is open".

The two previously neutral Nordic nations are set to be formally invited to join Nato tomorrow after existing member Turkey lifted its objections to their membership.

The deal is a culmination of weeks of work, including an 11th hour agreement yesterday, that will be good not just for Sweden and Finland, but also for Turkey and Nato as a whole, Stoltenberg said.

Stoltenberg added that it demonstrates that Russia's President Putin did not succeed in "getting less Nato" and the opposite has happened.