Malaysia Airlines Flight 17

NATO's new chief Mark Rutte visited Kiev on Thursday, a major show of support for Ukraine in his maiden trip in the role.

Kiev relies on billions of dollars in Western military aid to fight the Russian invasion, with the NATO Secretary-General a powerful voice corralling support for Ukraine on the global stage.

Mark Rutte, selected as the new NATO Secretary General, is a staunch critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a dedicated supporter of Ukraine. His nearly 14 years as the Dutch Prime Minister have honed his ability to broker concessions.

Day 703 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

Day 701 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

"Russia accuses me of helping a fellow journalist leave the country. My arrest in absentia is just as effective as being poisoned in absentia, it's absurd. But I don't know to which countries extradition requests have been made, so my world traveling will definitely be limited."

Arrest in absentia for the Bulgarian journalist from the Bellingcat group of investigative reporters Christo Grozev was requested by Russia. He is accused in a case of "illegal crossing of the border of the Russian Federation". The prosecutor's office turned to the Lefertov Court of Moscow, TASS reported.

Igor Girkin, also known by the alias Igor Strelkov ("Shooter") is one of the main pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine. He was convicted a few months ago for shooting down flight MH17 in 2014.

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Russia announced a Christmas truce in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a Christmas truce across the entire front in Ukraine from noon tomorrow until midnight on January 7.

Russia on Monday said more than 60 soldiers were killed in a Ukrainian strike on Russian-controlled territory in a New Year assault, the biggest loss of life reported by Moscow so far.

Kiev took responsibility for the strike, which it said took place in the occupied city of Makiivka in eastern Ukraine on New Year's Eve.

A Ukrainian strike on a complex in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Makiivka killed 63 Russian troops, the Russian defence ministry announced on Monday.