Wagner paramilitary group fighters have started working as “instructors” for the Belarusian territorial defense forces, Minsk announced on Friday (July 14th), three weeks after Wagner’s failed rebellion in Russia. “Training sessions with units of territorial troops are taking place near Asipovichy”, in the east of the country, explained the Belarusian Ministry of Defense. According to him, “Wagner’s fighters act as instructors in a number of military disciplines”. Follow our live.
The counter-offensive “is not advancing so quickly”, admits kyiv. The kyiv counter-offensive, faced with resistance from Russian forces, “don’t go so fast”admitted on Friday the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration Andriï Yermak. “If we see that something is not right, we will say so. Nobody is going to embellish”, he added. Ukraine will not negotiate with Russia as long as Moscow’s troops are on Ukrainian territory, Andriï Yermak also argued. “Our position is very clear. Even thinking about these negotiations is only possible after Russian troops leave our territory”the official said.
Towards a renewal of the grain agreement in the Black Sea? Russian President Vladimir Putin is “All right” with Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the agreement on grain exports to be renewed (it is due to expire on Monday), the Turkish president said on Friday. Asked by Russian press agencies, the Kremlin spokesman did not confirm the statements of the strongman of Ankara.
Westerners are attacking the head of Russian diplomacy. Americans and Europeans on Friday denounced the attitude of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during talks in Jakarta with the countries of Southeast Asia. His participation was not “neither constructive nor productive”, noted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell said for his part that Sergei Lavrov had lost his temper with criticism of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.