Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Black Sea grains export deal renewed

* Reuters could not verify battleground reports. ECONOMY * Britain will help Kazakhstan develop export routes bypassing Russia, British Foreign Minister James Cleverly said on a visit to the Central Asian nation on Saturday, where he also signed a memorandum on supplies of critical minerals. RECENT IN-DEPTH STORIES * EXCLUSIVE-Russians flood Kazakhstan with sanction-busting requests * INSIGHT-North of Bakhmut, another key battle tests Ukraine's defences * SPECIAL REPORT-Wagner’s convicts tell of horrors of Ukraine war and loyalty to their leader * ANALYSIS-Patchwork fixes to Ukraine grain shortfall leave world vulnerable a year into war (Compiled by Reuters editors)

A deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukrainian grain was renewed for at least 60 days - half the intended period - after Russia warned any further extension beyond mid-May would depend on the removal of some Western sanctions. PUTIN AND ARREST WARRANT

* Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Crimea on Saturday on an unannounced visit to mark the ninth anniversary of Moscow's annexation of the peninsula from Ukraine. * Putin met with the top command of his military operation in Ukraine, including Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, at the Rostov-on-Don command post in southern Russia, state media reported on Sunday.

* Putin also made a working trip to Mariupol, Russian media reported on Sunday, the Russian occupied southern port city that was the site of some of the fiercest fighting early in the war. * Xi Jinping walks a diplomatic tightrope as he heads to Moscow on Monday, seeking to present China as a global peacemaker while strengthening ties with Putin, his closest ally, who faces war crimes charges over his Ukraine war.

* Putin may not see the inside of a cell in The Hague anytime soon, but his arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court could hurt his ability to travel freely and meet other world leaders, who may feel less inclined to speak to a wanted man. * Moscow has repeatedly denied accusations that its forces have committed atrocities during the invasion, which it calls a special military operation.

DIPLOMACY, NATO * Three senior U.S. security officials held a video call with a group of their Ukrainian counterparts to discuss military aid to Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff said.

FIGHTING * Ukrainian forces outside the battered eastern city of Bakhmut are managing to keep Russian units at bay so ammunition, food, equipment and medicines can be delivered to defenders, the army said on Saturday.

* Russia's Wagner mercenary group plans to recruit approximately 30,000 new fighters by the middle of May, its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday. * Reuters could not verify battleground reports.

ECONOMY * Britain will help Kazakhstan develop export routes bypassing Russia, British Foreign Minister James Cleverly said on a visit to the Central Asian nation on Saturday, where he also signed a memorandum on supplies of critical minerals.

RECENT IN-DEPTH STORIES * EXCLUSIVE-Russians flood Kazakhstan with sanction-busting requests * INSIGHT-North of Bakhmut, another key battle tests Ukraine's defences * SPECIAL REPORT-Wagner’s convicts tell of horrors of Ukraine war and loyalty to their leader * ANALYSIS-Patchwork fixes to Ukraine grain shortfall leave world vulnerable a year into war (Compiled by Reuters editors)