Russia’s defence minister, Andrei Belousov, met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to boost military cooperation between the two countries. Belousov praised Moscow-Pyongyang ties, while Kim expressed unwavering support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. The visit came amid tensions over the deployment of North Korean troops in western Russia to aid in the conflict.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s foreign minister called on Nato to invite Kyiv to join the alliance in a meeting next week, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggesting placing Ukrainian territory under the Nato umbrella. MI6 chief Richard Moore warned that abandoning Ukraine would threaten British, European, and US security, urging continued support for Kyiv.
In response to Russian drone attacks, Ukraine appointed a new commander for its land forces and suffered power cuts in several regions. Russian forces claimed they had seized a village in Ukraine’s Donbas region, while Ukraine reported downing 47 attack drones. French President Emmanuel Macron pledged intensive support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion escalation.
Amid the conflict, Russia returned over 500 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers killed in combat, with Ukraine criticizing Russia for not announcing the return of its own soldiers’ bodies. Russia also sentenced Alexei Gorinov to another three years in prison for speaking out against Moscow’s military offensive in Ukraine. This comes after Gorinov was already serving a seven-year sentence for similar charges.
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