Some more comments coming to us just now from Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg who is speaking to reporters in Bucharest.

He insists allies of Ukraine have stepped up, but that there is more to be done - "both to help Ukraine repair critical infrastructure but also to address the attacks itself [sic] by providing more air defence systems".

He says it is also important to ensure "that all these systems are Nato-standard and that they are functioning, also [providing] spare parts and ammunition".

He adds: "It is not all about adding more weapons, but making sure weapons provided by Nato allies can shoot down incoming Russian missiles and drones."

Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to use winter in Ukraine as a weapon of war, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg says.

Speaking to reporters as he heads into the summit of Nato foreign ministers, Stoltenberg says the defence alliance's members have delivered generators and spare parts to assist Ukraine to restore its destroyed energy infrastructure.

The Russian military has been targeting Ukraine's power grid with air strikes for weeks, leaving millions either without electricity or facing the prospect of a freezing winter without power.

"We have to be prepared for more refugees crossing into the rest of Europe" as a result of Russia's "deliberate attack on critical services", Stoltenberg says.

The situation in Ukraine is grim as winter sets in, but Ukraine's first lady was able to briefly share a lighter festive moment yesterday.

Olena Zelenska visited Downing Street in London where she added a decoration to the Christmas tree outside No 10, alongside Akshata Murty - wife of Prime Minster Rishi Sunak.

The leaders' wives had a final brief conversation - out of earshot of the cameras - and hugged each other goodbye.

Zelenska is in London for an international conference on preventing sexual violence during conflicts, and will address MPs in Westminster later.

Separate from the meeting of Nato foreign ministers, justice ministers from the G7 group of wealthy democracies are meeting in Germany this morning to discuss how best to investigate war crimes in Ukraine.

The meeting will discuss ways to "coordinate investigation of core crimes under international criminal law" more effectively, in light of the Russian invasion, according to the G7, external.

Justice ministers from the US, UK, France, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada are set to be be joined by their Ukrainian counterpart Denys Maliuska and the country's prosecutor general Andriy Kostin.

Ahead of the meeting, Maliuska called for a "compensation mechanism", as "Russia must pay the Ukrainian people for the damage it caused in this war".

He said the costs amount to about $150bn (£125bn) - not even including the damage to Ukraine's economy, or to the wounded and the families of victims who have been killed.

Image source, EPA

Images have emerged of residents, police officials and war crime prosecutors exhuming human remains from a mass grave in a village on the outskirts of Kherson.

Six bodies were recovered in Pravdyne, around 30 miles north-west of Kherson, two weeks after the city was reclaimed by Ukrainian forces.

According to a report in the New York Times, external, there is evidence of an atrocity as three bodies had their hands bound by rope and two had bullet holes in back of their skulls.

“I knew it would be hard but I wasn’t prepared for this,” local Serhiy Rebizhenko told the paper.

Image source, Reuters

Away from the Nato meeting in Romania, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia has shelled settlements in the Kherson region more than 250 times in the past week.

Russian forces retreated from the west bank of the Dnipro River earlier this month, but have been shelling towns and villages, including the southern city of Kherson, from new vantage points on the opposite bank.

In his regular nightly address, Zelensky also said Russian forces had damaged a pumping station supplying water to Mykolaiv.

Russia is capable "of nothing but devastation", he stated, adding that Moscow is attempting to take revenge on Ukraine "for the fact that Ukrainians have repeatedly defended themselves from them".

"Ukraine will never be a place for devastation," he said.

Zelensky added that Ukraine was "actively working to create a special tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine".

During the ministerial meetings in Bucharest, the secretary general Jens Stoltenberg discussed Nato's early insight into the war in Ukraine.

He said "the war didn't start in February 2022, it started in spring 2014", when Russia annexed Crimea.

He added that Nato was prepared for it well in advance and highlighted the intelligence Nato had eight years ago.

Stoltenberg also mentioned the part Romania had played in facilitating support for Ukraine from other allies - adding there may be a "step up" of help for Romania in the coming days.

More from Jens Stoltenberg now, who says the result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine is the opposite of Vladimir Putin's stated aims - in that it will lead to more Nato presence on his borders.

Given the Russian president often blames its aggression the Western alliance for expanding into eastern Europe after the fall of the Soviet Union, Stoltenberg points out the outcome of the invasion was to increase the volume of troops and military equipment in states that border Russia.

The secretary general also notes it will almost certainly result in Nato expanding in terms of its members as well, with Sweden and Finland in the advanced stages of joining, breaking their long-standing policies of neutrality.

Jens Stoltenberg went on to say that the Black Sea is of "great strategic importance" to Nato, and since 2014, the alliance has increased its presence there.

It comes after Ukraine said yesterday that a Russian warship had entered the Black Sea that was capable of firing cruise missiles.

"We are working more closely with the Black Sea nations, Georgia and Ukraine, two close partners," the Nato chief said.

"We did that before the war and of course, we're doing more now after the war.

"The Black Sea requires that Nato is addressing all the challenges we see in the region.

"That's part of our overall adaptation of this alliance - responding to a more aggressive aggression."

Image source, Nato

Jens Stoltenberg has made his speech, reaffirming Nato's support for Ukraine against Russian aggression.

The Nato secretary general opened by telling the conference that Nato was prepared to defend every inch of its territory from attack.

He emphasised the alliance was "not party to the conflict", but did say its members were providing "unprecedented support" to the country so it could defend itself from Russia.

He went on to accuse Russia of increasing "waves of brutality" in its invasion, as well as noting the financial cost on European and other countries.

"Indeed we are all paying a price for Russia's war in Ukraine, but the price we pay is in money whereas for Ukraine it is paid in blood."

Stoltenberg said Nato must not allow Russia to win, because it would mean President Vladimir Putin and other authoritarian leaders would become more confident to use violence to achieve their aims, adding that "there can be no lasting peace if the oppressor wins".

Jonathan Beale
Defence correspondent

The public message from Nato is that its support for Ukraine is unwavering.

That will be the goal of this meeting too – even if, behind the scenes, there may be differences over what kind of military support to give Ukraine, and even how best to seek an end to the conflict.

For now the consensus appears to be that it is for Kyiv to decide how it pursues its objectives, with Ukraine’s foreign minister to brief his Nato counterparts this evening on the latest situation.

Some allies are already stepping efforts to help Ukraine through the winter, as Russia continues to target its power supplies. More aid such as generators and winter clothing for troops is expected.

The foreign ministers will also discuss China , which has been named for the first time in the Nato's blueprint - or Strategic Concept - document.

China is seen as a challenge not a threat, but Russia has reminded the alliance of the dangers of becoming too economically dependent on an authoritarian state.

Image source, Reuters

Ukraine's First Lady, Olena Zelenska, has said Ukrainians are fighting for their very lives and urged people not to forget their plight at Christmas.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she says the war was not just for the freedom of the people of Ukraine, but was one of opposing world views.

She acknowledges people are getting tired of the war, but urges the British people not to get used to the tragedy of what was happening in her country over the festive season.

Zelenska, who is due to address the UK Parliament later, says she hoped Britain would continue to offer political, financial and humanitarian help. She is due to address the British parliament later today.

Image source, Reuters

Nato foreign ministers have travelled to Romania, where they will meet shorty to discuss the war across the border in Ukraine.

The Western defensive alliance has promised unwavering support to Kyiv as Russia continues to target Ukraine's infrastructure, which has left millions people facing winter power cuts - including in the capital.

The gathering in Bucharest is expected to discuss how best to assist Ukraine throughout the cold winter months.

But there are reported differences among Nato allies over what kind of military support to give to Ukraine.

Good morning and welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine, as Nato foreign ministers gather in Romania to review their response to the war in Ukraine.

The Western defensive alliance's leader, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, will be giving the opening speech from the Romanian capital shortly at 08:00 GMT - stick with us for updates.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock