The leaders of the developed democracies of the world are gathering for the G7 summit in Hiroshima from Friday and are preparing to apply new sanctions against Russia. The G7 leaders will discuss the idea of ​​an international peace summit regarding Ukraine, a Reuters source said, and Zelensky will personally come to their meeting in Japan, a Bloomberg source said.

Highlights of the war in Ukraine, day 449, LIVETEXT:

07:01 Is Putin’s government creaking? From images of Prigozhin to Russian oligarchs under pressure

06:54 Zelensky will fly to the G7 summit on Sunday – press

06:52 Why Putin’s attempts to blackmail Europe with the help of energy failed

06:03 Following Great Britain, the European Union announces restrictions on trade in Russian diamonds

05:51 Ukraine: a new nighttime alarm in Kyiv and other cities

01:11 G7 Hiroshima Summit: US Announces ‘Significant’ New Sanctions Against Russia / PLUS: What We Can Expect & What Leaders Are Hoping For

A brief summary of recent events:

• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his government wants to take pragmatic steps to prevent sanctions against Russia from being circumvented, appearing to moderate US calls for a broader export ban.
• G7 leaders will discuss how to monitor Russia’s diamond trade with a view to introducing restrictions at a later stage, an EU official said. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to announce a ban on Russian diamonds and metal imports from Russia, including copper, aluminum and nickel.
• A Patriot missile battery damaged by a Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian front has been repaired, the Pentagon said Thursday.
• British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Russia has the “intent and capability” to attack the West’s underwater energy and communications lines.
• On Thursday, Ukraine said it had repelled Russian attacks in and around Bakhmut and gained a kilometer in some places, buying time for “certain planned actions”.
• Pope Francis hopes to send peace envoys to the presidents of Ukraine and Russia to try to negotiate a ceasefire, a Catholic website reported Thursday.
• Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Emmanuel Macron “disgusting” and “Putin’s friend”, says an aide to Johnson from his days as head of government in London.
• Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, accused regular Russian army units on Thursday of retreating 570 meters north of the eastern Ukrainian town of Bakhmut, leaving his fighters’ flanks exposed.
• This year, the Ukrainian military purchased hundreds of drones with funds collected by anti-corruption agencies from corruption settlements.
• Romania is moving ahead with a series of impressive military purchases: 2 billion euros for 2 Scorpene submarines from the French naval group / 1 billion euros for 54 Abrams M1A2 tanks from the United States / used minesweepers from the UK and NSM stealth anti-ship missiles for missile carriers of the Navy.
• On Thursday, the Kremlin said that the decision to freeze the bank accounts of Finnish embassies and consulates in Russia was a response to the unfriendly actions of the “collective West.”
• The Ukrainian military said on Wednesday that the self-propelled guns they received from Western partners last year are “or not” the best in the world.
• The Pentagon overstated the cost of ammunition, missiles and other equipment it sent to Ukraine by about $3 billion, a mistake that could pave the way for more weapons to be sent to Kyiv to defend it against Russian forces.
• The Black Sea grain “corridor” has not yet resumed operations, despite claims by Turkey and Russia to extend the agreement, a senior Ukrainian official said on Thursday. The agreement was extended on Wednesday for two months.
• Rail service between Simferopol, the capital of the Crimean peninsula, and the city of Sevastopol has been suspended after a grain train derailed, Russia’s regional leader said Thursday. The reason for the derailment was “interference by third parties”.
• The Kremlin confirmed that Moscow will be visited by a delegation of African countries hoping to present their initiative to end the conflict in Ukraine. Dmytro Peskov said that Moscow is ready to listen to “any proposal” that would contribute to the settlement of the conflict.

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• The events of Thursday, the 449th day of Russian aggression, were broadcast LIVE on HotNews.ro