OSLO (Reuters) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday the alliance was ready to deploy more troops to Kosovo to quell violence in the ethnically divided north.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, during a visit to Tokyo Thursday, expressed his "regret" at his Chinese counterpart Li Changfu's refusal to meet with him this week, especially in light of the recent "provocative" maneuvers carried out by Chinese fighter jets near US military aircraft.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged European leaders Thursday to boost their support for his country to join NATO and the European Union, at an unprecedented summit in Moldova, a small country that also fears Russia could destabilize it.

 On Wednesday, Tan Kefei, The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said that The United States should bear full responsibility for current difficulties hindering China-U.S. military exchanges.