The Russian invasion

Russian President Vladimir Putin during the opening speech at the summit. Valery Sharifulin / AP 

The Russian InvasionThe Grain Agreement  

Russia to give free grain to countries in Africa 

Russian President Vladimir Putin promises free grain to six African countries in the coming months, he said at the opening of the Russian-African summit in St. Petersburg, Reuters reports. According to the president, Russia is heading for a record harvest and can take Ukraine's place as a grain supplier to Africa.  

- In the coming months, we will be able to ensure free deliveries of 25,000 to 50,000 tons of grain to Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, the Central African Republic and Eritrea, he says in the speech.  

The statement comes just over a week after Russia pulled out of the grain agreement with Ukraine that allowed the country to export its grain. After the end, the IMF has calculated that grain prices may increase by up to 15 percent.  

US President Joe Biden and mass graves in Butja, Ukraine. AP 

The Russian invasion. The outside world's response 

Biden: US shares evidence of Russian war crimes with ICC  

US President Joe Biden has decided that the US can share evidence from the investigation into Russian war crimes in Ukraine with the International Criminal Court in The Hague (ICC). The New York Times reports. 

The Pentagon has previously resisted sharing the evidence directly with the ICC, saying it could pave the way for prosecution of US troops. 

Russia has been accused of targeting civilians and "committing atrocities" in several Ukrainian cities, including Butja, where evidence of mass graves, torture and executions has been reported.  

It is the first time that the United States, which is not a member of the ICC, cooperates with The Hague.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Hiro Komae / AP  

The Russian invasion. The outside world's response  

Japan wants to change arms rules for exports to Ukraine  

Japan wants to relax its arms regulations to be able to export arms to Ukraine, writes the South China Morning Post. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida came out and called on the ruling coalition to find a way around the guidelines that control defense exports.  

This despite the fact that many Japanese are against the sale of weapons abroad. Japan has previously concluded that it can export vehicles and ships equipped with lethal weapons systems to countries with which it cooperates on security issues, as long as the equipment is not used in combat.  

In 1967, Japan adopted several guidelines that prohibited the sale of arms to countries subject to a UN arms embargo and nations engaged in, or likely to be involved in, an armed conflict.  

US Foreign Minister Blinken with his Russian counterpart Lavrov, archive photo. Alex Brandon / AP  

The Russian invasion|The response of the outside world 

Source: US and Russia in monthly secret meetings  

Former US officials are holding regular diplomatic talks with top Kremlin officials, a US source told the independent Russian-exile Moscow Times.  

The source, who himself attended meetings in Moscow, says that the Russian-American talks are held at least twice a month. Through the talks, the parties want to gain an understanding of the other side's "red lines" in the hope of avoiding further conflict.  

It is not clear from the Moscow Times article whether the White House is participating. However, the newspaper refers to an earlier article from NBC, which then wrote that Joe Biden's administration knows about these meetings but that it is not taking place under the direction of Washington.