UKRAINE

One of the last Ukrainian defenders of Sievierodonetsk said he withdrew in a boat, bitter to be leaving after weathering a weeks-long Russian onslaught on the ruined city but happy to be alive as he and others crossed the river to higher ground.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned his fellow G7 leaders not to give in to "fatigue" and said Ukraine would need long-term help.

In Ukraine, war raises spectre of devastating Stalin-era famine

How credible are Ukraine's battlefield statistics?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday Britain was willing to assist with demining operations off Ukraine's southern coast and was considering offering insurance to ships to move millions of tonnes of grain stuck in the country.

Lithuania must raise defence spending to 3% of GDP to enable it to host a much larger number of NATO troops, its president said ahead of NATO summit that will address how to counter rising security threats posed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Indonesian president to visit Kyiv, Moscow this month: minister

'We are ready', Ukraine towns insist as Russians advance

The European Union is divided on how to help poorer nations fight a growing food crisis and address shortages of fertilisers caused by the war in Ukraine, with some fearing a plan to invest in plants in Africa would clash with EU green goals.

The Chechens fighting Russia on the front line

On Friday, Johnson's Downing Street office said Britain stood ready to offer Zelensky a major new training programme with the potential to train 10,000 new and existing Ukrainian soldiers every 120 days.

Latvia on Thursday made a last pitch for the deployment of more NATO troops in the Baltics, two weeks before NATO leaders are set to decide the future military line-up on the alliance's eastern flank in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Lithuanian parliament on Thursday called for the criminal prosecution of Russia's leadership for its invasion of Ukraine and what it said is the wide-scale forced deportation of Ukrainians to Russian territory.

EU leaders vow to back Ukraine in visit to war-torn Kyiv

In the tunnels of Azovstal, traces of Ukraine's resistance

Ukraine parades new French Caesar howitzer

Russia has barred as many as 29 UK journalists, including journalists from the BBC, the Guardian, Times and the Independent, from entering the country.

Pope Francis has taken a new series of swipes at Russia for its actions in Ukraine, saying its troops were brutal, cruel and ferocious and that the invasion violated a country's right to self-determination.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine could create "new vulnerabilities" in Europe to illegal drugs by triggering shifts in smuggling routes and potentially exposing more people to narcotics, the Lisbon-based EU drugs agency warned on Tuesday.

Many in attendance spoke of a massive surge in demand as countries ramp up production, both to send munitions to Ukraine and to beef up their own arsenals.

As the United Nations tries to broker a path for grain from Ukraine and temper worries about a global food crisis, hundreds of mines laid along the Black Sea present a practical nightmare that will take months to resolve even after any agreement.