Russia-Ukraine War News: Kremlin Silent on Reports of Putin-Kim Meeting; drones shot down near Moscow

Russian authorities said air defense systems shot down three Ukrainian drones early Tuesday near the capital, Moscow, and a fourth over the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula. The mayor of Moscow said one of the drones was destroyed in the village of Zavidovo, north of the capital, where the official residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin is located. There was no immediate comment from Kiev and the Russian Defense Ministry reported no damage.

Here is the latest news on the war and its repercussions around the world.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the air defense intercepted two drones on the Kaluga and Tver regions outside Moscow and another on the Istra district, closer to the city. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the drones were flying towards the capital and falling debris damaged a private facility in Istra. He said the drone shot down over Zavidovo in the Tver region did not cause any damage. La Poste could not independently verify these claims. Moscow accuses kyiv of being responsible for the resurgence of attempted drone attacks in recent weeks. Ukrainian officials did not confirm Kyiv’s involvement in individual drone attacks targeting Moscow, but they said the targets in Russia were part of the war.

Arms talks between Russia and North Korea ‘advanced actively’ according to Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the National Security Council. US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said Putin and Kim are likely to meet in Vladivostok, a port city in eastern Russia not far from North Korea. White House officials have not publicly confirmed that a meeting will take place, but have expressed growing concern over relations between Moscow and Pyongyang. The White House said last week that Putin and Kim exchanged letters, the Post reported.

Putin did not join the Black Sea Grain Initiative after meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday to discuss grain exports. Putin reiterated that his country would join the grain deal when restrictions on Russian exports are lifted. Moscow withdrew in July from the agreement negotiated by Ankara and the United Nations to lift the blockade of Ukrainian cereals and direct shipments to countries struggling with food insecurity. Erdogan said Turkey had worked with the United Nations to prepare suggestions intended to assuage Russia’s concerns. “I think it’s possible to get results with this new process,” he said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the grain deal should not be reinstated by caving in to Russian demands., The official Ukrainian news agency reported. He called Russia’s insistence on meeting his terms “blackmail”.

Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska said her family had been forced to live apart because of the war., in an interview on the personal toll of the conflict published on Tuesday. “We have the opportunity to see each other but not as often as we would like. My son misses his father,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s wife told the BBC. “It may be a little selfish, but I need my husband, not a historical figure, by my side,” she added.

Romania’s Defense Ministry has dismissed allegations that Russian drones entered the country in an attack on Ukrainian ports on the Danube. “The drone attacks carried out by the Russian Federation do not pose any direct military threat against our national territory or the territorial waters of Romania,” he added. The statement comes after Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said drones “fell and exploded” on Romanian territory.

Russia discusses the possibility of holding a joint naval exercise with North Korea, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told reporters on Monday. “Why not, they are our neighbours,” Shoigu reportedly said.

Cuba has identified a human trafficking system that has compelled its citizens to fight for Russia. and against Ukraine, according to its foreign ministry. The human trafficking ring operated in Cuba and Russia, and authorities were working to “neutralize and dismantle it”, the ministry said.

The trial of a Swedish national accused of spying for Russian military intelligence has opened in Stockholm Monday, the Associated Press reported. The suspect, who has denied any wrongdoing, was arrested in November and is accused of collecting sensitive information against Sweden and the United States on behalf of Russia for nearly a decade, the report said. PA.

Who is Rustem Umerov, Zelensky’s choice for Ukraine’s defense minister? Ukraine’s president has appointed a new defense minister after a year and a half of war: Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar who rose through the ranks of the private sector and played a key role in high-stakes negotiations, reports Miriam Berger and Serhiy Morgunov.

Umerov’s appointment, which parliament will have to formalize in the coming days, follows the resignation of Oleksii Reznikov, who took office in November 2021. corruption as Ukraine seeks to project a tough line on the issue to its Western donors,” they write.

David L. Stern, Lyric Li, Jennifer Hassan, Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff, Natalia Abbakumova, and Ellen Nakashima contributed to this report.