Joe Biden arrives in Europe for Ukraine war summits, NATO to bolster eastern flank

Joe Biden arrives in Europe for Ukraine war summits, NATO to bolster eastern flank

Russian forces bombed areas of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Wednesday and U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Brussels for a series of summit meetings on the war while NATO's chief said the alliance was bolstering battle groups in Eastern Europe.

NATO, G7 and EU summits will on Thursday discuss the conflict, which began on Feb. 24 and has caused more than 3.6 million refugees to flee the country and already led to the unprecedented isolation of Russia's economy.

Responding to a slew of sanctions that have already frozen assets and hit individuals and firms, President Vladimir Putin said Moscow planned to switch gas sales made to "unfriendly" countries to roubles, alarming international markets.

Biden's visit could also shine light on a dispute with European allies, some of whom are heavily reliant on Russian oil and gas, over whether to impose further energy sanctions.

The issue has been a "substantial" topic and the subject of "intense back and forth" in recent days, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters.

The U.S. plans to announce more sanctions on political figures and oligarchs, he said.

Biden will start his visit by meeting NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who on Wednesday said the alliance will boost