Russia-Ukraine updates: Kyiv will strengthen NATO, Zelenskyy says

Thank you for joining us, this blog is now closed. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war on Tuesday, July 11.

• NATO leaders said Ukraine’s future is in the alliance during the first day of the Vilnius summit but stopped short of announcing a timeline or formal invitation into the military bloc.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the crowd in the Lithuanian capital and said NATO will give Ukraine security and his country will make the alliance stronger.
• Before the start of the summit in Vilnius, Russia conducted overnight air raids on Kyiv with Iranian-made Shahed drones. Ukraine said it shot them all down.
• Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, warned of an “appropriate” response in the event of “possible NATO enlargement”.