Sergey Lavrov

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Russia continues its slow push in Ukraine

The top Russian and US envoys gathered on July 8 for a Group of 20 foreign ministers meeting in Indonesia, with the host immediately telling them the Ukraine war must end and differences be resolved through negotiations.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said today that the country's embassy in Sofia cannot work normally at the moment. According to him, the decision to expel dozens of diplomats and administrative officials is an "illegal mess up" of a prime minister with a "pro-American orientation".

At least 17 people were killed and dozens wounded on July 1 in missile strikes on Ukraine's Odessa region, a day after Russian troops abandoned positions on a strategic island in a major setback to the Kremlin's invasion.

The news came after NATO leaders wrapped up a summit in Madrid, with US President Joe Biden announcing $800 million in new weapons for Ukraine.

"The European Union and NATO have formed a coalition to fight Russia", said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

"Bulgaria sends aid to Ukraine through Poland". In practice, the resigned Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov admitted this in an interview with the Guardian, given before the no-confidence vote this Wednesday.

His statement comes after a question about how Bulgaria's position on the war will change if it fails to form a new coalition.

Lavrov added that he would gladly accept the invitation of the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, to gather for talks on the territory of Belarus.
"I do not see any possibility for Ukraine to make any proposals, but we will not propose anything either. We presented our proposals a long time ago. Now the ball is on their side," Lavrov said.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu has told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Moldova pays large sums of money for Russian gas - and the country's intentions to join the EU have been known for years.

"Russia has an unblemished reputation and is not ashamed", the Russian foreign minister told a BBC correspondent in Moscow.

Turkey's foreign minister said today that a plan to alleviate the global food crisis by restarting Ukraine's grain exports along a maritime corridor was "reasonable" and required more talks with Moscow and Kyiv to ensure the safety of ships, Reuters reported.