TOP HEADLINES

• DPRK leader Kim Jong Un told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that he was sure that the Russian army and people would triumph against "evil", in what he cast as the West's imperialism in its conflict with Ukraine.

• The export potential of Ukrainian ports on the Danube River has been reduced by nearly half a million tons of grain a month because of Russian attacks, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Wednesday.

• Ukraine said it struck Russian naval targets and port infrastructure early on Wednesday in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, in what appeared to be the biggest attack on the home of the Russian navy's Black Sea Fleet.

• The West needs to prepare for a long battle in Ukraine and to deal with an increasingly hostile Russia even after it is over, Czech military chief Karel Rehka told Reuters.

• Elements of a possible drone were identified on Romanian territory, the Romanian defense ministry said on Wednesday. A Russian drone attack early on Wednesday damaged port infrastructure in the Izmail district of southern Ukraine, just across the border from Romania.

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Kim Jong Un tells Putin Russia will triumph against 'evil'

DPRK leader Kim Jong Un told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that he was sure that the Russian army and people would triumph against "evil", in what he cast as the West's imperialism in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Before proposing a toast to Putin's health, the victory of "great Russia", Korean-Russian friendship and the health of all those present, Kim said he was confident Russia would win in what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.

"I am deeply convinced that the heroic Russian army and people will brilliantly inherit the tradition of victory, confidently demonstrate invaluable dignity and honor on the fronts of the special military operation," Kim said before raising a glass of wine.

"The Russian army and people will certainly win a great victory in the sacred struggle for the punishment of a great evil that claims hegemony and feeds an expansionist illusion," Kim added.

Putin and Kim were offered a menu including duck and fig salad, crab dumplings, sturgeon and beef with a choice of Russian wines, according to Kremlin reporters.

Western intelligence agencies suspect that Russia is looking to acquire DPRK weapons and ammunition to use in its military campaign in Ukraine, something both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied.

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