Russia-Ukraine updates: US sanctions Russian military shipbuilder, diamond miner

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his cabinet on Wednesday that Russia will require payments for natural gas in rubles, saying he will refuse to accept payments in "compromised currencies," including the dollar and the euro, according to Russia's state-run news agency, TASS.

Putin said Russia will continue to supply natural gas to other countries.

"I made the decision to implement within the shortest possible time the package of measures to transfer payments - we will start with that - for our natural gas supplied to the so-called ‘unfriendly’ states to Russian rubles," Putin said.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday accused Russia's President Vladimir Putin of blocking hundreds of ships filled with wheat in the Black Sea.

"Our continent is being rocked by a tectonic shift not seen since the fall of the Berlin Wall. The consequences of this war on Europe's security architecture will be far-reaching. And I'm not just talking about security in military terms, but also energy security and even food security are at stake," she said in a speech to the European Commission.

Von der Leyen added: "The effects of the Russian war go beyond energy of course. They are also disrupting vital food supplies and driving food prices up."

The consequences of this disruption will be felt from Lebanon, Egypt and Tunisia to Africa and the Far East, according to von der Leyen.

"We should not forget that Ukraine alone provides more than half of the world food programs' wheat supply. The shelling and the bombing makes it impossible for Ukrainian farmers to sow," she said.

"I call on Putin to let those ships go. Otherwise, he will not only be responsible for a war and death, but also for famine and hunger. Let these ships go," von der Leyen added.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Wednesday that he expects allies to announce major increases to forces in the eastern part of the defense alliance at Thursday's summit.

Stoltenberg said the first step would be the deployment of four new NATO battle groups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. With the existing forces in place, there will be eight multi-national battle groups all along the eastern flank, from the Baltic to the Black Sea.

"We face a new reality for our security, so we must reset our deterrence and defense for the longer term," Stoltenberg said.

Stoltenberg said he expects allies will agree to provide additional support to Ukraine, including cybersecurity assistance and equipment to help Ukraine protect against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

He added that NATO has a responsibility to make sure the conflict does not escalate beyond Ukraine, as "this will cause even more death and even more destruction."

Stoltenberg also called on Belarus to end its complicity in the war.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

The first deliveries from the $800 million military assistance that U.S. President Joe Biden authorized for Ukraine a week ago have started to arrive, a White House official told ABC News on Wednesday.

The military aid package includes Stinger anti-aircraft systems, Javelin anti-armor weapons, light anti-armor weapons, AT-4 anti-armor systems and tactical unmanned aerial systems.

CNN was first to report the deliveries.

-ABC News' Justin Gomez