TOP HEADLINES

· The U.S. said a surveillance drone crashed into the Black Sea after a Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted it and struck its propeller in an incident condemned as "unsafe" by the U.S. military. READ MORE BELOW

· The Kremlin said Russia's goals in Ukraine could only be achieved by military force at the moment, and that Kyiv needed to accept "new realities" on the ground before peace could be reached. READ MORE BELOW

· Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says Poland could give Ukraine Russian-made MiG fighter jets in the coming four to six weeks.

· The Kremlin said the Black Sea grain deal could not "stand on one leg" as Moscow criticized the West for not doing enough to remove obstacles to Russia's own agricultural and fertilizer exports.

· Informal dialogue between the United Nations and parties to the Black Sea grains deal continue over an extension, a U.N. spokesperson said, adding that the in-person talks with Russia had already ended.

· President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine's future depended on the outcome of battles in key points in the east of the country. "It is very tough in the east - very painful," he said.

· French President Emmanuel Macron received Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the Elysee Palace on Monday for a working dinner where he underscored the need for European "unity" on the Ukraine conflict.

· Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, has approved an amendment that would punish those found guilty of discrediting "volunteer" groups fighting in Ukraine, extending a law that censors criticism of Russia's armed forces.

· Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered a top Russian arms manufacturer to double its production of high-precision rockets, reports the TASS news agency.

· The Kremlin reaffirmed it does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague, according to the the TASS news agency. Russia along with the U.S., China and 31 other nations have not ratified the Rome Statute, the treaty that set up the ICC.

· UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and U.S. President Joe Biden discussed the need to remain steadfast in their support of Ukraine, according to London's Downing Street office. 

IN DETAIL

U.S. says drone crashes into Black Sea after Russian intercept

A Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted and struck the propeller of a U.S. military MQ-9 "Reaper" surveillance drone on Tuesday, causing it to crash into the Black Sea in an incident condemned as "unsafe" by the U.S. military.

Two Russian Su-27 jets carried out the intercept of the American high altitude drone, and one of them collided with it at 7:03 a.m. (0603 GMT). Several times before the collision, the Russian fighter jets dumped fuel on the MQ-9 and flew in front of it in unsafe maneuvers, the U.S. military said in a statement.

"Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9," U.S. Air Force General James Hecker, who oversees the U.S. Air Force in the region, said in a statement.

"In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash."

There was no immediate comment from Moscow.

The U.S. military said the incident followed a pattern of dangerous behavior by Russian pilots operating near aircraft flown by the U.S. and its allies, including over the Black Sea. The Black Sea lies between Europe and Asia and is bordered by Russia and Ukraine among other countries.

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Military force needed for Ukraine goals – Kremlin

The Kremlin said Russia's ambitions in Ukraine could only be achieved by military force at the moment, and that Kyiv needed to accept the "new realities" on the ground before a peaceful settlement could be reached.

"We have to achieve our goals. Right now this is only possible by military means due to the current position of the Kyiv regime," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by Russian state news agencies.

Russia claims it is fighting in Ukraine to "liberate" Russian speakers in the eastern Donbas from what it has called a neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv. Ukraine and the West say this is a baseless pretext put forward to justify a war of aggression and Moscow's attempts to seize swathes of Ukrainian land.

Peskov added that Ukraine would have to accept the "new realities" that have emerged since Moscow launched what it calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine last February.

"All of Moscow's requirements are well known," he added. "The de-facto situation and new realities are also well known. Without taking into account this set of issues, the transition to a peaceful settlement is impossible."

Moscow has repeatedly said that Ukraine would need to accept Russia's claimed absorbed territories of four regions of Ukraine that it partly occupies.

Moscow has blamed Kyiv for a breakdown in talks about a ceasefire, which stalled in the first weeks of the conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he will only consider peace settlements after Russian troops leave Ukrainian territory.

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