Ukraine says its preparations for a spring counter-offensive are almost complete. When it’s launched, probably in the south, it will mark a pivotal moment in the conflict. But the Russians have had nearly six months to prepare the ground – and build an elaborate array of defenses. Breaking through will present a huge challenge.

 The powerful sister of North Korea’s leader says her country would stage more provocative displays of its military might in response to a new U.S.-South Korean agreement to intensify nuclear deterrence to counter the North’s nuclear threat, which she insists shows their “extreme” hostility toward Pyongyang.

In a long-awaited phone call, Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Xi Jinping said that his government wants to act as a mediator in the Russian-Ukrainian war by sending a peace envoy to Ukraine, the media reported, a government statement published by state television did not say whether the Chinese envoy will visit Russia.

 NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg defiantly declared Thursday that Ukraine’s “rightful place” is in the military alliance and pledged more support for the country on his first visit to Kyiv since Russia’s invasion just over a year ago.