South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in Kyiv on Saturday and will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, his office said. The previously unannounced visit follows Yoon’s attendance at the NATO summit in Lithuania and an official stop in Poland.
Time’s running out on the Black Sea safe transit deal that’s allowed Ukraine to export millions of tons of grain in the past year. The agreement, initially brokered by Turkey and the UN, expires on Monday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters he hopes a letter sent to Vladimir Putin by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres this week will help to secure an extension. Russian President Vladimir Putin says he’s still deliberating, and Moscow has frequently derided the pact as unfair to its interests.
Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the east and south continues in at least three areas and reportedly made small gains on Friday. The ground battles come at a time a top US intelligence officer has termed the war at a stalemate. Wagner mercenaries have emerged in Belarus as military trainers, the first official sign of the group’s presence in the country since the attempted mutiny in Russia last month. The Wagner instructors had previously been deployed in Africa, according to the the Institute for the Study of War reported, which cited Belarusian government and independent sources.
Latest Coverage
- Russian Wagner Mercenaries Reemerge in Belarus as Troop Trainers
- BRICS Leaders to Discuss Russian War in Ukraine at August Summit
- Lindner Says Further Ukraine Aid Must Be Outside EU Budget
- Russia to Participate China’s Military Exercise in Japan Sea
- Ukraine Bonds Set for Weekly Gain; BofA Stays Overweight
Coming Up
- Black Sea grain export deal set to expire Monday
- Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov in Thailand to open consulate in Phuket
Markets
Oil Heads for Third Weekly Gain
Oil headed for a third weekly gain as supply disruptions in Africa and a reduction in shipments from Russia tightened the market. Russian flows are finally starting to decline, four months after the country was due to slash output.