The US and Ukraine begin negotiations to increase their military cooperation

The representatives from the Department of State, Department of Defense, and National Security Council met with Ukrainian counterparts to begin negotiations on long-term security commitments between the two countries, reads a press release of the US Department of State.

Russian warship seen listing in Black Sea after Ukrainian sea drone attack on base

Ukraine said it had carried out a sea drone attack on a Russian naval base, as footage showed a damaged Russian warship listing heavily in the Black Sea early Friday, CNN reports.

Niger’s ousted president warns of ‘devastating’ coup impact

Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum said Thursday he is being held hostage by the country’s military as he warned in a Washington Post op-ed that the junta’s power grab could have “devastating consequences” for the region, where Russian mercenaries have established a foothold, CNN reports.

CNBC: China’s the top importer of Ukrainian grain, and could save the Black Sea deal

The United States and its Western allies are looking to China to help resolve the calamitous domino effect of Russia’s exit from a crucial U.N.-backed agriculture deal, CNBC reports.

Russian rouble tumbles to over 16-month low past 94 vs dollar

The Russian rouble tumbled over 2% to a more than 16-month low past 94 against the dollar on Wednesday, pressured by political risk, falling oil prices and concerns the finance ministry may switch to foreign currency purchases this month, Reuters reports.

EU tightens sanctions against Belarus and targets marching industry

The European Union announced on Thursday that it has tightened sanctions on Belarus due to its support for Moscow in the Ukrainian war, expanding its blacklist and imposing restrictions on exports, especially drone technology, AFP reports.

Georgia bans export, reexport of cars from U.S., EU to Russia and Belarus

Georgia's Finance Ministry on August 2 said the exporting and reexporting of U.S. cars to Russia and Belarus was banned as of August 1, RFE reports.

Russia adds Norway to its list of unfriendly countries

Russia has added Norway to its list of “unfriendly countries” for allegedly targeting Russian diplomats abroad, further worsening its relations with the West, AP reports.

Romania will authorize the access of 30 ships from Ukrainian ports

The Romanian authorities have declared that in two days they will allow the passage of almost 30 ships waiting to arrive in Romania from the Ukrainian ports on the Danube. Even though the Danube and its estuaries are congested with shipping trying to get to and from Ukrainian ports, trade continues despite Russian attacks, Reuters and Digi24 report.

Russian shelling hits a landmark church in the Ukrainian city of Kherson

Russian shelling on Thursday damaged a landmark church in the city of Kherson that once held the remains of the renowned 18th-century commander who exerted Russian control through the southeast parts of modern Ukraine and annexed the Crimean Peninsula, AP reports.

Niger: US announces partial evacuation of embassy

The United States has ordered the partial evacuation of its embassy in Niger following last week's coup, BBC reports.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy tries to calm spirits after Poland accused Ukraine of ingratitude

Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed for calm on Tuesday evening in an effort to end a diplomatic row sparked by a series of "unacceptable" comments by Polish President Andrzej Duda's foreign policy adviser that led to the summoning of Poland's ambassador to the Ukrainian ministry of Foreign Affairs, reports POLITICO. Zelenskiy said that no political incident can damage the relations between the two peoples.