Three ships carrying a total of 58,041 tonnes of corn have been authorised to leave Ukrainian ports as part of a deal to unblock grain exports, as a Russian offensive forced Ukraine to cede territory in the east.
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DIPLOMACY/ECONOMY
* The war in Ukraine is the most dangerous moment for Europe since World War II, and Russia must not be allowed to win, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.
* The European Union intends to put together another financing package for Ukraine by September that will amount to about 8 billion euros ($A11.71 billion), a German government source said.
* A Turkish bulk carrier is expected to arrive in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Chornomorsk on Friday and will be the first vessel to arrive at a Ukrainian port during Russia's invasion, the Odesa regional administration said.
* Canada will send up to 225 personnel to Britain to train Ukrainian military recruits, starting with the first troops next week, Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand said.
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, Ukraine's General Oleksiy Gromov.
* Oleksiy said Ukrainian forces had recaptured two villages around the eastern city of Sloviansk, but had been pushed back to the town of Avdiivka's outskirts after being forced to abandon a coal mine regarded as a key defensive position.
* Reuters was not able to verify battlefield reports.
* NATO members are working closely with defence companies to ensure Ukraine gets more supplies of weapons and equipment to be prepared for the long haul in its war, the NATO chief said.
* The United States expects Russian officials to try and frame Ukrainian forces for an attack on the front-line Ukrainian town of Olenivka that killed prisoners held by Moscow-backed separatists, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said.
* Human rights group Amnesty International accused Ukraine on Thursday of endangering civilians by basing troops in residential areas in a report that Kyiv likened to Russian propaganda and disinformation.
ENERGY
* A stand-off 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.
Australian Associated Press
