Russia's military invasion of Ukraine continues.
Russian and Ukrainian forces are fighting in various parts of Ukraine, and many civilians have fled the country. We will update the situation in Ukraine on the 18th (Japan time), including the status of the battle and diplomacy of the countries concerned.
(There is a 6-hour time difference between Japan and Ukraine and Moscow, Russia)
U.S. newspaper reporter arrested in Russia: U.S. ambassador meets for the first time
Evan Geruszkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and a U.S. citizen, was arrested by authorities on March 3 for espionage in Russia.
Mr. Geruszkovich was subsequently indicted, but according to Russian state media, he denied it completely, saying that he was "just working as a journalist."
Regarding Mr. Geruszkovich, U.S. Ambassador Tracy in Moscow said on Twitter on the 30th, "He was allowed to visit him for the first time since he was unjustly detained, and he appeared to be in good physical condition and in good condition," and once again called for his immediate release.
The U.S. government has previously said that President Biden has asked the Russian side to release him, and Secretary of State Blinken has said in a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that it is "unacceptable," but the Russian side has not responded to his release and is expected to be trialed.
Ukraine's agricultural products Neighboring Poland and other countries are banned from imports
In countries bordering Ukraine, agricultural products from Ukraine that can no longer be transported by sea to Africa and other countries due to Russia's military invasion of Ukraine are being brought in by land as a transit point to use other European ports.
However, there are limits to transportation capacity such as freight trains and trucks, and as a result of Ukrainian agricultural products being distributed in each country, farmers in their own countries are hit by low prices, and protests are occurring.
Among them, Poland and Hungary announced on June 15 that they would ban imports of Ukrainian agricultural products until June 6 to protect their farmers, and Slovakia also announced an import ban on June 30.
Ukraine's Ministry of Agriculture and Food has expressed its understanding of the plight of neighboring farmers, but wants to find solutions more rigorously for Ukrainian farmers, and is calling for a review of the import ban.
In addition, the EU = European Union, which has been supporting the export of agricultural products from Ukraine, said on the 17th that measures taken by Poland and other countries are unacceptable and indicated that it will discuss the response.
As Russia's military invasion is prolonged and maritime transportation of Ukrainian agricultural products is delayed, there are concerns about the impact of the import ban on neighboring countries.
Slovak Minister of Defense "13 MiG-29s handed over to the Ukrainian Air Force"
Slovak Defense Minister Nagy posted on social media on the 17th, "Thirteen MiG-13s have been safely delivered to the Ukrainian Air Force, and we stand with Ukraine," and announced that the planned provision of all 29 former Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets had been completed.
Slovakia, together with Poland, also a neighbor of Ukraine, has been providing MiG-13s, and on the 29rd of last month, Defense Minister Nagy announced that he had delivered four aircraft.