Russian President Vladimir Putin is moving swiftly to take control of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s operations in Africa and the Middle East, days after his renegade ex-protege died in a plane crash that the US and UK have tied to the Kremlin.
(Bloomberg) — Russian President Vladimir Putin is moving swiftly to take control of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s operations in Africa and the Middle East, days after his renegade ex-protege died in a plane crash that the US and UK have tied to the Kremlin.
Turkey’s foreign minister will meet with Russia’s defense chief on Friday for talks on the Black Sea grain corridor — a topic that’s also expected to come up at in talks next week between Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s anti-graft crackdown is fueling speculation that he may dismiss Ukraine’s defense minister. Ukraine is investigating the crash of two Mi-8 helicopters on Tuesday in the Donetsk region during a combat mission, with six service members killed. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he got “positive feedback” from the bloc’s foreign ministers about his proposal to set aside 20 billion euros ($21.7 billion) over the next four years for military aid to Ukraine.
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Markets
WTI crude oil rose 2% following headlines on Russia and OPEC+ agreeing to announce further steps next week. Key OPEC+ members Saudi Arabia and Russia have kept output suppressed in recent months in an effort to tighten the oil market, pushing US futures higher. Read more: Russia Agrees on Further OPEC+ Oil-Export Cuts, Novak Says
Wheat prices have been boosted by signs of increasing global grain demand as well as jitters about escalating hostilities in the Black Sea. A Putin-Erdogan meeting in Sochi, southern Russia, on Monday is likely to focus on a revamped grain transit plan.
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