Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv uses Flamingo missile to bomb space centre and Russian jets

The US has backed Japan in its territorial dispute with Russia after Vladimir Putin visited a group of disputed islands on Thursday.

US Ambassador to Tokyo George Glass said Washington recognises Japanese sovereignty over the islands and remains “unwavering” in its support for Japan.

“The United States remains unwavering in its support of its most important ally and in its recognition of Japanese sovereignty over the Northern Territories,” Glass said on X, using the Japanese name for the Kuril islands visited for the first time by Putin on Thursday.

“At a time when the US-Japan Alliance is dedicated to cultivating prosperity across the Indo-Pacific, we strongly oppose any action that undermines its peace and stability,” Glass added.

As Vladimir Putin once again convenes with Kim Jong Un over regional security matters, here is a clip of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky mocking the Russian president over his reliance on North Korea from earlier this week.

Russian ​president Vladimir Putin told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that Moscow and Pyongyang were cooperating across all areas and coordinating efforts to ensure ⁠regional security and stability, North Korean state media KCNA reported on Saturday.

Putin said in a message to Kim marking the anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule that ⁠he was confident Russia and ​North ⁠Korea would continue “constructive joint work” on bilateral and international issues, KCNA said.

Kim had visited Pyongyang’s ⁠Liberation Tower on Friday to pay tribute to ​Soviet ⁠soldiers who fought Japan ‌in World War Two, KCNA reported. A wreath at the tower in Kim’s name bore the words: “We do ‌not forget the feats of the ‌Soviet army martyrs.”

Kim said the legacy of blood ties and combat friendship between the two countries had become a cornerstone ⁠of their expanding relations, KCNA reported.

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev also sent Kim greetings, KCNA said.

​Russia has asked Washington and Ankara ⁠to explain reports of possible plans to ⁠transfer ​to ⁠Kyiv a “substantial arsenal” ⁠of US ​weapons ⁠and ammunition ‌held by Turkey, the spokeswoman ‌for Russia’s foreign ‌ministry said on Saturday.

Such ⁠a transfer would cause “serious harm … to our bilateral relations with Washington and ‌Ankara,” spokeswoman Maria ​Zakharova ‌said in ⁠a statement.

A Russian strike on an apartment block in southeastern Ukraine on Saturday killed a three-month-old baby and wounded 11 people, local officials said.

Drones hit the building in the town of Marhanets, said Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense also said that it had targeted warehouses and infrastructure at the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Izmail and Yuzhnyi.Ukraine’s Air Force said that Russia launched 152 drones over the country Saturday, of which 124 were destroyed.

Russian troops ​have taken control of 19 settlements in southeastern Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions over ⁠their summer campaign, the Russian defence ministry said on Saturday.

In a statement, the ministry ⁠cited a ​report by ⁠Pyotr Bolgarev, commander of the eastern group of ⁠forces. It did not name ​the ⁠settlements.

Separately, the ‌ministry said its forces had recently taken control of the ‌settlement of Rybalskoye in ‌Zaporizhzhia region, news agency Interfax reported.

Reuters could not independently verify ⁠the battlefield reports.

Russian advances on the frontline have slowed this year even as Moscow has intensified its ballistic strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.

On ‌Wednesday, Ukrainian president ​Volodymyr Zelensky said his forces ‌had recaptured ⁠745 square km (288 square ⁠miles) of Russian-held land this year ‌across ​the southeastern front.