TOP HEADLINES

· Zaporizhzhia Regional Governor Yevgeny Balitsky says shelling of the Russian-controlled nuclear power plant there had "almost stopped." Balitsky, who was installed by Moscow, said Russian troops would not leave the nuclear power station, and that it would never return to Ukrainian control. READ MORE BELOW

· Russia's army chief said his troops in Ukraine were "focused on completing the liberation" of Donetsk. "The situation on the frontline has stabilized and the main efforts of our troops are now focused on completing the liberation of the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic," Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov said in a briefing.

· President Vladimir Putin said Russia was aiming for a speedy end to the conflict in Ukraine and that fighting should end as soon as possible. "Our goal is... to end this conflict. We are striving for this and will continue to strive... so we will seek to make sure that it all ends, and the sooner, the better," Putin told reporters.

· U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia has shown no real interest in ending the conflict in Ukraine, as Putin voiced hope for a speedy resolution. 

· The Kremlin said that "significant progress" had been achieved towards its stated goal of "demilitarizing" Ukraine.

· DPRK has delivered arms to Russia's private military group Wagner, the White House said, calling the mercenary enterprise a "rival" for power to the defense and other ministries in the Kremlin. The U.S. will boost sanctions against Wagner following Pyongyang's sale of infantry rockets and missiles to the group last month, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, said national security spokesman John Kirby.

· The U.S. Congress is expected to approve a $45 billion aid package for Kyiv as Russia said it would rather cut oil production than agree to a price cap imposed by Western countries over its attack on Ukraine.

· A group of Ukrainian military mechanics left NATO member Lithuania after being trained to repair German artillery howitzers being supplied to Kyiv to defend against Russia's offensive. The 16 mechanics spent the last two weeks in the central town of Rukla, several of them after receiving an introductory course in Germany.

· A Russian court jailed a man for three years over spreading "false information" about Russia's offensive in Ukraine on a pirate radio station, as Moscow steps up its crackdown on media reporting. The court found Vladimir Rumyantsev, a 61-year-old worker in Vologda city in northwest Russia, guilty of broadcasting "false information" that was "full of hatred" against the Russian army, the regional court said on Telegram. 

IN DETAIL

Zaporizhzhia governor:  Nuclear plant would never return to Ukrainian control

The top official in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region said that shelling of the Russian-controlled nuclear power plant there had "almost stopped."

Speaking on Russian state television, Russian-installed Regional Governor Yevgeny Balitsky said that Russian troops would not leave the nuclear power station, and that it would never return to Ukrainian control.

The Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's largest, was captured by Russian forces in March, soon after start of the conflict. The plant remains near the frontlines, and has repeatedly come under fire in recent months, raising fears of a nuclear disaster. 

Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of shelling the facility. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is attempting to broker an agreement around the plant's security, proposing to create a safe zone around it. 

Russian officials praised progress in talks with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in Moscow.