As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its 163rd day, we take a look at the main developments.
Here are the key events so far on Friday, August 5.
Get the latest updates here.
Diplomacy and economy
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Russia said on Friday it was ready to discuss prisoner swaps with the United States through an existing diplomatic channel, a day after basketball star Brittney Griner was handed a nine-year prison sentence for a drugs offence.
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A German government source said the European Union intends to put together another financing package for Ukraine by September that will amount to about 8bn euros ($8.15bn).
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Ukraine has called for the deal that relaxes Russia’s blockade of its Black Sea grain exports to be extended to include other products, such as metals, according to a Financial Times report.
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A Turkish bulk carrier is expected to arrive in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Chornomorske on Friday and will be the first vessel to arrive at a Ukrainian port during Russia’s invasion, the Odesa regional administration said.
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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he will launch a fact-finding mission to uncover the “truths” about a jail where dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war died in a bombing strike last week.
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Three more ships filled with grain will sail from Ukraine on Friday, Turkey’s defence minister says.
Fighting
- Russia may launch an offensive in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson to try to win back momentum in the war, and it has been building up forces there, Ukrainian General Oleksiy Gromov said.
- He added Ukrainian forces had recaptured two villages near the eastern city of Sloviansk but had been pushed back to the outskirts of the town of Avdiivka after being forced to abandon a coal mine regarded as a key defensive position.
- NATO members are working closely with defence companies to ensure Ukraine gets more weapons and equipment to be prepared for the long haul in its war, according to NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg.
- Human rights group Amnesty International accused Ukraine of endangering civilians by basing troops in residential areas in a report that Kyiv likened to Russian propaganda and disinformation.
Energy
- A standoff over the return of a turbine that Russia says is holding back gas supplies to Europe showed no sign of being resolved, with Moscow saying it needed documentation to confirm the equipment was not subject to sanctions.
