U.N. ousts Russia from rights council; Ukraine braces for new attacks.

The U.N. General Assembly voted 93 to 24 on Thursday, with 58 abstentions, in favor of a resolution suspending Russia out of “grave concern” over reports of “gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights.” It was only the second suspension in the 47-member council’s history, following the ouster of Libya in 2011.
Ukraine is pleading for urgent weapons transfers as Russia sets its sights on the east after failing to seize the capital, Kyiv. Airstrikes continued Thursday, Ukrainian officials said, with Russia seemingly undeterred as its pariah status deepened with a new round of sanctions and expelled diplomats.

NATO members agreed to “further strengthen and sustain our support to Ukraine,” Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said after a meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers. Declining to give specifics, Stoltenberg said NATO is providing both Soviet-era and modern systems in preparation for “a long haul” in Ukraine.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters after the meeting that, “we’re looking day in and day out at what we believe they most need, to include new systems that have not heretofore been provided.”