Politics
Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Oleksii Reznikov as Ukraine’s defence minister. The president stated that the defence ministry requires a fresh approach, particularly in addressing the corruption issues that have affected military contracts (Mr Reznikov is not implicated in any of the allegations). Rustem Umerov has been appointed as the new minister. As the head of the State Property Fund, Mr Umerov has a track record of combating corruption. He is also a Tatar from Crimea. Meanwhile, Antony Blinken, the secretary of state of the United States, visited Kyiv to offer further American support to Ukraine.
Mr Zelensky visited front-line areas in the battle against Russia. The deputy defence minister claimed that Ukraine has regained control of 47 square kilometres of land around Bakhmut since launching its counter-attack in early June. A Russian missile attack on Kostiantynivka, a city near the front line, resulted in the death of at least 17 people.
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, met Vladimir Putin in Russia’s southern city of Sochi to negotiate a new agreement that would facilitate the safe transportation of Ukrainian grain exports across the Black Sea. Turkey played a crucial role in the previous agreement. Russia once again attacked the Ukrainian side of the Danube river. The ports in that area serve as an alternative shipping route for Ukrainian exports amidst the Russian blockade.
2023-09-07 09:20:20
Link from www.economist.com
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