Russia Ukraine War News Live Updates: Nato set to welcome Finland, Sweden; Kharkiv pushes back Russian forces

Finland is expected to announce the intention of Thursday to join NATO with Sweden who is likely to follow immediately after that, diplomats and officials said when the Russian invasion of Ukraine resulted re -establishing European security and the Atlantic military alliance.

Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that they had reclaimed Pytomnyk, a village on the main highway in the north of the second largest Kharkiv city, about half the way to the Russian border.

Finland and Sweden are expected to be given membership quickly, opening the way to increase the presence of troops in the Nordic region during the one -year ratification period.

In a wider Nordic region, Norway, Denmark and three Baltic states have become NATO members, and the addition of Finland and Sweden is likely to make Moscow angry, who said NATO enlargement is a direct threat to its own security.

In other news, Moscow has imposed sanctions on the owner of the Polish section of the Yamal pipe that brought Russian gas to Europe, as well as former German unit from Russian gas producer Gazprom, whose subsidiary serves European gas consumption. Energy prices rise because the European Union weighs the possibility of embargo in Russian crude oil.