TOP HEADLINES

• Russia's defense minister is meeting with Kim Jong Un, the leader of Democratic People's Republic of Korea, in Pyongyang to discuss military issues and regional security as the neighbors pledged to boost ties. Sergei Shoigu is one of the first Russian defense minister to visit the DPRK since the fall of the Soviet Union. READ MORE BELOW

• Ukraine's domestic intelligence agency has admitted for the first time to sabotaging the Kerch Bridge that links Crimea with the Russian mainland last October. Vasyl Malyuk, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, said his agency was behind the attack in a television interview.

• Russian forces struck port infrastructure in the Odesa region in an overnight missile attack, killing a security guard and damaging a cargo terminal, according to the region's governor. Ukrainian ports have been regular targets for Russian attacks since Moscow withdrew from the Black Sea grain export deal.

• President Vladimir Putin told African leaders in St Petersburg that Russia would send up to 50,000 tons of grain for free to six African countries to compensate in his opening speech to the Russia-Africa summit. The nations include Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Central African Republic and Eritrea. READ MORE BELOW

• Russia's Federal Security Service says it has found traces of explosives on board a foreign vessel en route from Turkey to Russia that had previously entered a Ukrainian port. It was the second such announcement this week involving a foreign ship heading to Russia to pick up grain.

• NATO says it will step up surveillance of the Black Sea region as it accused Russia of attempting to stop Kyiv's agricultural exports by exiting the deal which secures the safe passage of ships carrying grain from Ukraine.

• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian forces had achieved "very good results" on the front line in an evening address, promising to provide details of their apparent successes. 

• The leader was in Dnipro in southeastern Ukraine on Thursday to discuss the situation on the battlefield and how to strengthen air defenses as Kyiv tries to turn around what has been a slow start to its much vaunted counter-offensive in occupied Ukraine.

• The FSB said it had thwarted a planned "terrorist attack" against one of the country's Black Sea Fleet warships and arrested a Russian sailor, according to Russian news agencies. The Russian secret service said the sailor had been detained in possession of two homemade bombs and was suspected of passing state secrets to Ukraine.

• The U.S. and Russia have blamed each other for a lack of progress on nuclear arms control following a U.S. proposal to open talks on a "framework" that would preserve curbs on strategic nuclear weapons deployments when the current limits expire in 2026.

• Kyiv could drop a threatened boycott of next year's Paris Olympics if athletes from Russia and Belarus compete under a neutral flag rather than their national colours, Ukraine's sports minister has announced.

IN DETAIL

Shoigu meets Kim Jong Un, Putin greets African leaders

Walking past intercontinental ballistic missiles and previously unseen military drones, Kim Jong Un gave Russia's defense minister a tour of the newest and most advanced weaponry in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Russia's Sergei Shoigu and a high-ranking Chinese delegation are in Pyongyang as Kim's first-known foreign guests since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the country marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice.

It is also one of the first times a Russian defense minister has visited neighboring Pyongyang since before the collapse of the USSR, with photographs in DPRK state media showing Kim walking with Shoigu through a vast defense exhibition showcasing the country's nuclear missiles.

Kim and Shoigu had earlier discussed "matters of mutual concern in the field of national defense and security and on the regional and international security environment," news agency KCNA said.

Kim has been a strong supporter of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, with Washington accusing the DPRK of supplying Moscow with rockets and missiles, a claim Pyongyang has denied.

During the visit, Kim told Shoigu "about the weapons and equipment which were invented and produced" under his nation's defense plan and "repeatedly expressed belief that the Russian army and people would achieve big successes," KCNA added.

Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin on Thursday hosted leaders of African countries for a summit in Saint Petersburg, as the continent braces for the consequences of the collapse of the Ukraine grain export deal.

The Russian leader used his opening speech at the conference to promise up to 50,000 tonnes of free grain supplies to six African countries.

"In the coming months we will be able to ensure free supplies of 25,000 to 50,000 tonnes of grain to Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Central African Republic and Eritrea," he said in the speech.

Seventeen African leaders including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are expected at the Russia-Africa summit set to take place on Thursday and Friday.

The Kremlin has accused Western countries of trying to prevent African states from participating in the summit.

The end of a deal that has allowed Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea to global markets, including Africa, is expected to dominate the agenda.

Over a year, the deal allowed around 33 million tonnes of grain to leave Ukrainian ports, helping to stabilize global food prices and avert shortages.

Moscow has sought to reassure African partners, saying it understands their "concern" on the issue and is ready to export grain for free to African countries that need it.

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