Vilnius has restricted the transit of goods sanctioned by the European Union (EU) into the Russian region sandwiched between NATO members Lithuania and Poland, infuriating Moscow. Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko are discussing possible joint measures against neighboring Lithuania over what Moscow calls a trade blockade on the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.On a visit to Kyiv, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the Ukraine conflict 'may last longer than we all hoped or expected,' but that did not mean acting passively, promising his hosts more long-range artillery and an aid package worth $201 million.At least nine people have been rescued so far, with more than 65 percent of the rubble, weighing around 170 tonnes, cleared by Monday evening. The death toll from a weekend shelling of an apartment building in the Donetsk town of Chasiv Yar has risen to 33.Kyiv said the operation was aimed at destroying an ammunition depot there. Ukrainian forces have killed at least six people in the Russian held town of Nova Kakhovka in the southern Kherson region.Governments, markets and companies are worried the shutdown might be extended because of the conflict. Europe's dependence on Russian energy continues to preoccupy its leaders as the largest pipeline carrying Russian gas to Germany was shut down for 10 days of annual maintenance.The bombardment is seen as a precursor to Moscow sending ground troops deeper into Donetsk province in a bid to seize the two main cities still under Ukrainian control, and ultimately, the whole of the wider Donbas region. However, Kyiv expects a renewed Russian assault after widespread shelling by Russian forces killed more than 30 people in just three days.However, a Russian-installed official said seven were dead and around 60 wounded, but added many more were still trapped under the rubble. Ukraine claims to have killed at least 52 Russians in a long-range rocket strike in the Russian held town of Nova Kakhovka in the southern Kherson region, territory it says it is planning to retake in a counter-offensive using up to 1 million troops.

Ukraine and Russia had shown they could talk, but 'for peace we still have a long way to go,' Guterres told reporters in New York. 'Today is an important and substantive step, a step on the way to a comprehensive agreement'. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said a 'critical step forward' had been made toward reviving Ukrainian grain exports but cautioned that 'more technical work will now be needed to materialize today's progress'. Turkey would also set up a coordination centre with Ukraine, Russia and the United Nations for grain exports, he said. In a statement, Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said an agreement would be signed next week when all parties meet again, adding the parties had agreed on joint controls for checking grains at harbors. Talks between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and UN officials on resuming Black Sea exports of Ukraine grain resulted in an agreement to form a coordination center in order to ensure the safety of routes, the Turkish defense minister said on Wednesday. (Cover: A view shows the embassy of Donetsk in Moscow, Russia, July 12, 2022. expressed the will to develop the state-to-state relations with those countries in the idea of independence, peace and friendship,' KCNA said. The move makes the DPRK the third country after Russia and Syria to recognize the two breakaway entities.ĭPRK's official media outlet KCNA confirmed on Thursday the country's Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui sent letters to her counterparts in both territories on Wednesday, recognizing their independence. In a statement, the Ukrainian office denounced the DPRK's decision as an attempt by Pyongyang to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and severed ties with the DPRK in response. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday that it has severed diplomatic relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in response to its decision to recognize the independence of territories in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.

Phantom brigade license to kill