
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.


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.
