CBOT wheat posts biggest weekly gain since start of Ukraine war on weather worries

* Wheat climbs as weather concerns drive short-covering

* Rain forecasts hover over grain market

* Corn flat, soybeans lower on U.S. planting weather questions

CHICAGO, April 26 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) wheat futures turned higher for a seventh trading day on Friday on a weather-driven surge that pushed the most-active contract to its biggest weekly gain since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Soybean futures inched down, and corn stayed fairly flat as traders watched for U.S. planting delays as heavy showers are forecast in the Midwest in the coming days.

Corn also drew support from stronger-than-expected weekly U.S. export sales, though slower soybean exports underscored competition from Brazil, analysts said.

CBOT's July wheat futures settled up 1-3/4 cents at $6.22-1/4 a bushel. Earlier in the session, that contract hit a high of $6.33-1/4 a bushel, the contract's highest price since Jan. 11.

Dry weather in parts of southern Russia and the central U.S., as well as freezing weather in parts of Europe continued to propel short covering, although weather forecasts showed greater chances of rain next week in both regions.

"They need rain last week," said Darin Fessler of Lakefront Futures. "The wheat's going backwards in a big way and in a hurry."

The European Commission on Thursday cut its forecast for the European Union's main wheat crop in 2024/25 to a new four-year low, underscoring a drop in area after rain-disrupted planting.

Analysts said that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's weekly crop progress and conditions report released late on Monday - which showed 50% of winter wheat in good to excellent condition, down from the previous week's report at 55% of the crop good to excellent - added fuel to the futures rally this week.

But the price surge was expected to ease going into next week, they said.

"I think they kind of overdid it," said Joe Davis, director of Commodity Sales at Futures International. He expected wheat to bump up slightly or flatten on Monday.

CBOT July corn settled down 2 cents at $4.50 a bushel and July soybeans ended 2-1/2 cents lower at $11.77-1/4 a bushel. (Reporting by Renee Hickman in Chicago Additional reporting by Gus Trompiz in Paris and Naveen Thukral in Singapore Editing by Marguerita Choy and Matthew Lewis)