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Ukraine Has a Flurry of Calls with Allies after Moscow Disorder

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy gestures during a joint press conference with African leaders, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 16, 2023. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy gestures during a joint press conference with African leaders, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 16, 2023. (Reuters)
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Ukraine Has a Flurry of Calls with Allies after Moscow Disorder

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy gestures during a joint press conference with African leaders, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 16, 2023. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy gestures during a joint press conference with African leaders, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 16, 2023. (Reuters)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his defense minister said they held a series of calls with Kyiv's allies on Sunday to discuss the "weakness" of Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's next counteroffensive steps.

The phone calls took place after an extraordinary failed mutiny by the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, that raised questions about Putin's grip on power as Ukraine presses a counteroffensive in its south and east.

"We discussed the course of hostilities and the processes taking place in Russia. The world must put pressure on Russia until international order is restored," Zelenskiy said after a phone call with US President Joe Biden.

According to the White House readout, the two leaders "discussed Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive, and President Biden reaffirmed unwavering US support."

Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine's defense minister, said he and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed Ukraine's counteroffensive and next steps to strengthen the forces.

"Things are moving in the right direction," Reznikov wrote on Twitter.

While Ukraine's officials said the Russia chaos works to Kyiv's advantage, it yet remains to be seen whether Zelenskiy and his army can capitalize on the Moscow disorder to reclaim territories now occupied by Russia.

Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's eastern military command, said on Sunday Kyiv's army advanced 600 meters (2,000 ft) to 1,000 meters over the previous day near Bakhmut, a city taken by Wagner forces in May after months of fighting.

But the gains have been incremental so far, with Zelenskiy saying recently the counteroffensive has been "slower than desired."

On Sunday, Zelenskiy said he and Biden had discussed expanding defense cooperation with an emphasis on long-range weapons, coordination ahead of the NATO summit in Vilnius next month and preparations for a "Global Peace Summit" he has promoted.

"Yesterday's events exposed the weakness of Putin's regime," Zelenskiy was quoted in the statement.

Separately, Zelenskiy said he had told Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a call about the "threatening situation" at Ukraine's vast, Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Zelenskiy warned earlier this week that Russia was considering carrying out an act of "terrorism" involving the release of radiation at the plant, an allegation denied by Russia.

"Ukraine's partners must demonstrate a principled response, in particular at the NATO Summit in Vilnius," he said.

The Ukrainian leader made similar comments in a statement announcing a phone call with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

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Putin Threatens Retaliatory Seizures of European Ships

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting aboard the Guards missile cruiser Varyag during the final stage of the Pacific Fleet's exercises off the coast of Sakhalin region, Russia, 12 August 2026. (EPA/Gavriil Grigorov Kremlin / Pool)
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting aboard the Guards missile cruiser Varyag during the final stage of the Pacific Fleet's exercises off the coast of Sakhalin region, Russia, 12 August 2026. (EPA/Gavriil Grigorov Kremlin / Pool)
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Putin Threatens Retaliatory Seizures of European Ships

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting aboard the Guards missile cruiser Varyag during the final stage of the Pacific Fleet's exercises off the coast of Sakhalin region, Russia, 12 August 2026. (EPA/Gavriil Grigorov Kremlin / Pool)
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting aboard the Guards missile cruiser Varyag during the final stage of the Pacific Fleet's exercises off the coast of Sakhalin region, Russia, 12 August 2026. (EPA/Gavriil Grigorov Kremlin / Pool)

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday threatened to seize ships belonging to European countries in retaliation for plans to sell off cargo seized from Russian "shadow fleet" vessels.

Several European companies have intercepted ships carrying Russian oil in contravention of European sanctions targeting the vital revenue source.

New sanctions passed last month permit EU members to sell the oil or any other cargo seized from the ships.

Moscow has bristled at the moves, with Putin calling it "piracy and banditry".

"We will be forced to respond in kind," the Kremlin chief said while overseeing naval drills in Russia's Far East.

Moscow would act "wherever we ourselves deem necessary and appropriate -- anywhere," he added.

Swedish court documents obtained by AFP earlier in August showed Stockholm will transfer to Kyiv a seized Russian ship suspected of transporting grain from occupied Ukraine.

Putin was speaking aboard the Russian cruiser Varyag off the island of Sakhalin, where Russia's navy was conducting drills.

The exercises come a week before joint US-South Korean war games, designed to simulate a possible invasion from North Korea.

Tensions are high in the region amid accusations from Kyiv and Seoul that Pyongyang and Moscow are further intensifying their military cooperation.

World

Pakistan Interior Minister in Iran to Discuss Regional Security

A handout photo made available by the Iranian Foreign Ministry Office shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (R) meeting with Pakistan's Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran on August 11, 2026. (Iran Foreign Ministry / AFP)
A handout photo made available by the Iranian Foreign Ministry Office shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (R) meeting with Pakistan's Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran on August 11, 2026. (Iran Foreign Ministry / AFP)
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Pakistan Interior Minister in Iran to Discuss Regional Security

A handout photo made available by the Iranian Foreign Ministry Office shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (R) meeting with Pakistan's Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran on August 11, 2026. (Iran Foreign Ministry / AFP)
A handout photo made available by the Iranian Foreign Ministry Office shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (R) meeting with Pakistan's Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran on August 11, 2026. (Iran Foreign Ministry / AFP)

Pakistan's interior minister is visiting Iran to discuss regional security, stability and other developments, the Pakistani foreign office said Wednesday, as Islamabad tries to mediate a resolution to the Middle East war.

Mohsin Naqvi, previously involved in mediation efforts between Iran and the US, is known to be close to the powerful head of the Pakistani army, Asim Munir.

Iranian state news agency IRNA reported late Tuesday that Naqvi met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni.

"He is discussing bilateral relations, security, regional security and stability, and constructive engagement amongst the parties in the region and regional developments," Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad.

The Iranian government's website said Naqvi conveyed to Pezeshkian "a message from the Pakistani prime minister and the chief of the army", without specifying its content.

Tehran insists on retaining control of the Strait of Hormuz after the war and wants to charge fees for passage, repeatedly striking ships it accuses of attempting to circumvent its preferred route. The US has imposed a rival blockade on Iranian ports.

Attacks in the waterway, which was free to transit before the war, led to the collapse of an April ceasefire, and mediators have urged both sides to return to the terms of a subsequent June memorandum that set out a path for peace talks.

Last week Iran said it had agreed a route with neighboring Oman for ships transiting the strait and was finalizing arrangements for jointly managing the strategic waterway.

On Tuesday the US military announced that it had fired on a Panama-flagged cargo ship that attempted to break the American blockade of Iran's ports.

World

North Korea Fires Missile Ahead of Major US-South Korea Drills

People watch a news broadcast on a television screen showing a report on a missile launch, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, 12 August 2026. (EPA)
People watch a news broadcast on a television screen showing a report on a missile launch, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, 12 August 2026. (EPA)
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North Korea Fires Missile Ahead of Major US-South Korea Drills

People watch a news broadcast on a television screen showing a report on a missile launch, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, 12 August 2026. (EPA)
People watch a news broadcast on a television screen showing a report on a missile launch, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, 12 August 2026. (EPA)

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday toward the sea off the Korean peninsula's east coast, South Korean and Japanese authorities said, days ahead of major joint military exercises by Seoul and Washington long denounced by Pyongyang.

The missile was launched from the North's Wonsan area at about 6 a.m. (2100 GMT Tuesday), South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, six days after North Korea fired another ballistic missile from the same area.

The launch came ahead of South Korean and US military drills, dubbed Ulchi Freedom Shield, set to run from August 17 to August 27, aimed at countering Pyongyang's evolving nuclear and weapons capabilities.

Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, said the launch ‌was likely part of ‌North Korea's existing weapons development schedule, but the timing could also have been ‌selected ⁠to send a ⁠message ahead of the exercises.

"Even if it was a test of a weapon under development, choosing when to conduct it requires a political decision," Hong said.

There was no immediate statement from North Korea on the Wonsan launch, but Pyongyang on Wednesday afternoon criticized the nuclear ambitions of South Korea and Japan.

South Korea said North Korea also fired a ballistic missile from Wonsan on August 6, but Pyongyang did not report that launch in state media. Hong said that test may have failed to achieve its intended objective.

North Korea's series of tests this year has featured short-range ballistic missiles, artillery rockets and other tactical weapons.

Wednesday's ⁠launch was its 11th suspected ballistic missile test in 2026, according to South Korean ‌assessments.

South Korean and Japanese defense authorities said the missile flew about 700 ‌km (435 miles).

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff did not identify it as a short-range ballistic missile, saying authorities would conduct a detailed ‌analysis.

The omission leaves open the question of what type of missile it was, analysts said. Ballistic missiles with ‌ranges of 300 km to 1,000 km (186 miles to 620 miles) are generally classified as short-range.

Hong said the range, trajectory and launch site suggested it may have been a type of hypersonic missile, though a submarine-launched missile was also possible.

CONDEMNATION AND HEIGHTENED TENSIONS

South Korea and Japan both condemned the launch.

"Japan lodged a strong protest with North Korea through diplomatic channels at the Japanese Embassy ‌in Beijing and strongly condemned the action," Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters.

South Korea's Office of National Security convened an emergency meeting and expressed concern over North Korea's continued ⁠ballistic-missile launches following the ⁠August 6 firing. It urged Pyongyang to halt provocations that violate UN Security Council resolutions.

South Korea's military said it was maintaining readiness to respond "overwhelmingly" to any provocation under its combined defense posture with the United States.

The US Indo-Pacific Command said it was consulting closely with allies and partners, adding that its initial assessment was that the launch posed no immediate threat to US personnel or territory, or to its allies.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Moscow used North Korean ballistic missiles during a Russian attack that killed seven workers at a steel plant in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia.

In a statement, a North Korean Foreign Ministry official responsible for South Korean affairs said Seoul's plans to develop nuclear-powered submarines would heighten instability in the region, for a "serious challenge" to the North's security.

Pyongyang needed the capability to counter its adversaries' military moves with retaliatory strikes that would make their "survival and recovery impossible", the statement added.

In a separate commentary state news agency KCNA accused Japan of seeking nuclear weapons under the guise of peaceful use of atomic energy, citing its nuclear power program and debate among Japanese politicians over nuclear armament.