For now, links to six news reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Tass, Agence France-Presse and the Kyiv Post, and to commentary from the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and JUNE 19 entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Russia and North Korea sign partnership deal that appears to be the strongest since Cold War, by Kim Tong-Hyung | AP  SEOUL — Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a new partnership that includes a vow of mutual aid if either country is attacked, during a summit today that came as both face escalating standoffs with the West. READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, Tass, and AFP.

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U.S. arms giant Northrop Grumman to produce medium caliber ammo in Ukraine, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  A senior executive from the security and aerospace behemoth Northrop Grumman on Monday said his firm plans to fabricate ammunition in Ukraine, in the first open-source announcement by a major American arms producer of intent to manufacture munitions in the country. READ MORE . . .

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Washington allows Kiev to hit Russian troops near Sumy region with U.S. weapons — advisor. From Tass. WASHINGTON — The United States believes Kiev can use American weapons to hit Russian troops stationed on Russian territory on the border with Ukraine’s Sumy Region, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. An authorization to use U.S. weapons to strike the Russian territory, he told PBS, “extends to anywhere that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s peace summit falls short of engaging Global South — can Ukraine expand its coalition? by Nate Ostiller | The Kyiv Independent  While 92 countries participated in the peace summit on June 15 and 16, several key countries declined to ultimately sign a joint communique. Since the original document was released, three countries—Rwanda, Iraq, and Jordan—have seemingly withdrawn their signatures. Notably absent from the list of countries that signed the document were. . .. READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED