0650GMT//Putin woos Kyrgyz Pres. Japarov; coup deposes pro-Russia African leader; leaks from negotiations favour Russia

PUTIN IN KYRGYZSTAN: Vladimir Putin on Wednesday offered to upgrade relations with Kyrgyzstan at a meeting with the Kyrgyz. Pres. Sadyr Japarov in Bishkek. He praised Japarov and said that under his leadership, Kyrgyzstan was a "stable and reliable" partner. Putin will attend a summit meeting of the Kremlin-led CSTO security group in Bishkek today. (COMMENT>> Putin's mission to Kyrgyzstan is part of the Kremlin's charm offensive to woo Central Asian states. Earlier this month, the leaders of the five Central Asian states were in the White House, signing various business deals with Donald Trump. Putin has since hosted the Kazakh Pres. Kassym Jomart Tokayev for a state visit.)

LEAKS ARE BOOSTING RUSSIA: Senior Russian officials have described leaks of telephone transcripts between Steve Witkoff, Trump's chief negotiator, and Yuri Ushakov, an adviser to Putin, as an attempt to derail the Ukraine peace process. Kremlin-linked media said that the leaks were part of an EU-Ukraine plot to "stab Witkoff in the back". (COMMENT>> The leaks suit the Kremlin. They show off superior Russian statecraft and spread division between Ukraine's Western allies. By talking publicly about the leaks, Russian officials keep them in the headlines.)

AFRICAN COUP UPSEATS PRO-RUSSIA LEADER: A coup in Guinea-Bissau has overthrown the Russia-allied president. Umaro Sissoco Embaló said that he had been arrested on Wednesday by the army. He has travelled to Russia four times since the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine to meet with Putin, including to the 2024 Victory Day Parade –,Russia's 'blue ribbon' annual propaganda event. (COMMENT>> Guinea-Bissau hasn't been a focus for the Kremlin's Wagner mercenary focus, but it was still part of a group of pro-Russia West African states. Still, it may suit the Kremlin that the army has grabbed power in Guinea-Bissau. Its client states in West Africa are generally controlled by the military.)

BELARUS SUPPLIES RUSSIA WITH FUEL: Belarus has increased by 50-fold supplies of refined oil products to Russia since the start of October to make up for a shortfall in Russian refined products, the Vedomosti newspaper reported. Ukrainian drone attacks have knocked out a large proportion of Russia's refinery capacity. (COMMENT>> Belarus has been a staunch ally of the Kremlin since the start of the war in Ukraine, but the US has increasingly targeted it. The US has lifted sanctions on Belarus' national airline in exchange for the release of dozens of political prisoners.)