"Ukraine's Shifting Front Line and Exclusive Interview with Malawi's President: Friday Briefing"

Despite months of grueling combat, little territory has changed hands in the Ukraine-Russia conflict this year. However, Russia has gained the most ground, with a net increase of 183 square miles compared to Ukraine's 143 square miles. The situation remains largely unchanged, with Ukraine making small gains in the south and Russia taking more land in the northeast. Ukrainian forces have made limited progress in the Verbove-Robotyne salient, but face challenges such as minefields and fortifications. The defense ministers of France and the U.K., as well as the NATO secretary general, visited Kyiv to show support for Ukraine's counteroffensive. Meanwhile, a self-proclaimed anti-Putin partisan group claimed to have conducted operations inside Russia. Russia's ability to maintain its aircraft fleet is being strained by the prolonged war, and a joint venture between Rheinmetall and the Ukrainian defense industry has been approved to develop military vehicles in Ukraine.