Up to date August 31, 2023 at 11:50 a.m. EDT|Printed August 31, 2023 at 2:21 a.m. EDTRussian President Vladimir Putin, left, throughout a gathering in Moscow on Aug. 23; North Korean chief Kim Jong Un throughout a gathering of the ruling Employees’ Occasion at its headquarters in Pyongyang in early 2023. (Pool/Sputnik/Kremlin; KCNA/KNS/AP)Russia and North Korea are “actively advancing” negotiations for weapons that may be used within the warfare in Ukraine, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated at a information convention. She referred to as the event new and “deeply troubling,” as Washington’s tensions with Pyongyang and Moscow deepen.In Russia, the funeral of a outstanding Wagner Group commander, Dmitry Utkin, befell Thursday, impartial Russian media reported. Utkin, who died in the identical aircraft crash that killed the mercenary group’s chief, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, final week, was considered one of Prigozhin’s high associates, in addition to a reputed operational chief of the group in Ukraine, Syria and elsewhere. The U.S. Treasury Division had sanctioned Utkin for his involvement in Ukraine. Prigozhin was buried in a secret ceremony in St. Petersburg on Tuesday, his press service stated.Right here’s the most recent on the warfare and its influence throughout the globe.“Russia is negotiating potential offers for vital portions and a number of varieties of munitions from the DPRK for use towards Ukraine,” Thomas-Greenfield stated, utilizing the abbreviation for North Korea’s official title, the Democratic Folks’s Republic of Korea. She accused Russian Protection Minister Sergei Shoigu of utilizing his go to to North Korea final month as a possibility to “attempt to persuade Pyongyang to promote artillery ammunition to Russia.” She additionally condemned Shoigu’s attendance on the secretive state’s army parade, which featured weapons prohibited by the U.N. Safety Council.Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean chief Kim Jong Un exchanged letters after Shoigu’s go to to Pyongyang in July, Thomas-Greenfield stated. She added that one other group of Russian officers traveled to North Korea “for follow-up discussions about potential arms offers,” and that negotiations could embrace shopping for uncooked supplies that might be used for Russia’s “protection industrial base.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated in response to the report of the Putin-Kim letters that “Moscow and Pyongyang keep good relations.” He stated Thursday, “That is our neighbor, a vital neighbor in its area, so these relations shall be additional developed.”Ukraine is investigating its army medical commissions for corruption after discovering that some branches have accepted bribes in trade for falsified well being paperwork that made males ineligible to draft. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in his nightly handle that the variety of males faraway from army registers by the medical commissions elevated tenfold in some areas since February and that it was “completely clear” there have been “corrupt choices.” He stated bribes from $3,000 to $15,000 have been paid to flee the draft, whereas different eligible males have been in a position to flee overseas.Outgoing British Protection Minister Ben Wallace — a key determine in making London a high protection provider of Kyiv — shall be changed by former Vitality Minister Grant Shapps, Downing Road introduced Thursday. Wallace introduced his plans to resign in July after 4 years within the place. “ “The UK is revered all over the world for our armed forces and that respect has solely grown extra because the warfare in Ukraine,” Wallace wrote in his resignation letter. Shapps pledged to proceed Britain’s “assist for Ukraine of their combat towards Putin’s barbaric invasion.”British protection firm BAE Techniques will open an workplace in Kyiv to extend its provide of weapons, gear and different army know-how, Zelensky’s workplace stated in a press release Thursday. BAE is the U.Okay.’s largest protection contractor and has already been offering Kyiv with weapons, such because the L119 and M777 artillery programs, Zelensky stated. The most recent settlement “paves the best way for us to work collectively to supply extra direct assist to the Ukrainian armed forces,” BAE chief govt Charles Woodburn stated in a press release, Reuters reported.Russia will focus on an alternative choice to the Black Sea grain cope with Turkey this week, the Russian International Ministry stated. Russian International Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, are anticipated to fulfill in Moscow over a proposal to ship grain to Turkey with the monetary assist of Qatar. The grain can be processed in Turkey and exported to international locations “in want,” the Russian International Ministry stated. The Kremlin has additionally stated the leaders of Russia and Turkey would meet in Russia “quickly.”Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to “one of the vital disruptive durations in many years for world meals safety,” based on a report from the U.S. Workplace of the Director of Nationwide Intelligence. It additionally stated that Russian forces stole about 6 million tons of Ukrainian wheat from areas they managed for export and Russia’s personal consumption.Operations at a army airfield in Pskov, Russia, returned to regular Thursday after it was struck this week in a drone assault that broken 4 Il-76 planes, based on Russia’s state-run Tass information company. A barrage of missiles and drone assaults towards Kyiv adopted the strike early Wednesday, killing two folks within the Ukrainian capital. Russia had reported drone strikes in at the very least six of its areas.Russia skilled at the very least 25 “separate drone assaults” in August, based on a every day intelligence replace from Britain’s Protection Ministry on Thursday. It stated most of the drones “reached their targets, which possible signifies that Russian air defence is having issue detecting and destroying them.” Russia might be reconsidering its air protection methods to raised equip itself towards these assaults, it added.Ukraine’s overseas minister has lashed out at these criticizing the tempo of the nation’s counteroffensive. Dmytro Kuleba, talking in Spain on Thursday, stated “criticizing the gradual tempo of [the] counteroffensive equals … spitting into the face of [the] Ukrainian soldier who sacrifices his life each day,” he advised reporters at a gathering of European overseas ministers, Reuters reported. “I’d advocate all critics to close up, come to Ukraine and attempt to liberate one sq. centimeter by themselves,” he added.Putin is battling the falling ruble and rising costs as sanctions chew: When Putin addressed high financial officers final week after a bruising month during which the Russian ruble plummeted to a 16-month low towards the U.S. greenback, he sought to set a assured tone, Catherine Belton, Jeff Stein and Robyn Dixon report.However he couldn’t keep away from addressing a rising weak point that’s stalking the financial system as Western sanctions chew ever deeper, and one which has been exacerbated by the ruble’s plunge.“Goal information reveals that inflationary dangers are growing, and the duty of reining in worth progress is now the primary precedence,” Putin stated. “I ask my colleagues within the authorities and the Central Financial institution to maintain the scenario underneath fixed management.”The federal government’s spending on Russia’s protection trade is bringing Putin’s warfare dwelling to many Russians for the primary time.Natalia Abbakumova and Robyn Dixon contributed to this report.