https://www.scmp.com/rss/322514/feed The latest news, politics and current affairs from Russia & Central Asia. en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press The Republicans’ defeat in the US midterm elections was watched closely in Russia, where some observers are predicting it could herald more support for Ukraine when the Democrats take over Congress in January. But if the Kremlin is hearing the ticking of a clock on its nearly five-year-old full-scale invasion of its neighbour, it seemingly remains unperturbed. Asked if the election’s outcome could stymie US attempts to help negotiate a settlement between Moscow and Kyiv, Kremlin spokesperson... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3373681/will-democrats-sway-unshackled-trumps-russia-ukraine-stance-after-midterm-rout https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3373681/will-democrats-sway-unshackled-trumps-russia-ukraine-stance-after-midterm-rout Sun, 08 Nov 2026 07:00:34 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump predicted Thursday an imminent deal with Russia covering Ukraine and “all of Europe”, after his wife, first lady Melania Trump, hosted officials from the two warring countries at the White House. Trump revealed that he had an unscheduled meeting with Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy, following his involvement in the event hosted by the US first lady. Trump’s comments will fuel Ukrainian and European fears that he is pivoting towards the Kremlin... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3373459/melania-trump-hosts-ukraine-russia-officials-calls-more-enduring-truce https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3373459/melania-trump-hosts-ukraine-russia-officials-calls-more-enduring-truce Thu, 05 Nov 2026 17:25:13 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Vietnam’s growing nuclear partnership with Russia could help Hanoi gain the expertise needed to fuel its ambitious nuclear programme amid doubts over Western sanctions against Moscow and financing challenges complicating the plans. The Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (Vinatom) and a subsidiary of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, which is leading the development of the MBIR International Research Centre, announced on Tuesday that they had signed a memorandum of understanding to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3373424/vietnam-seeks-russias-help-its-nuclear-ambition-will-sanctions-stall-it https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3373424/vietnam-seeks-russias-help-its-nuclear-ambition-will-sanctions-stall-it Thu, 05 Nov 2026 10:59:48 +0000 Sherry Wang Sherry Wang Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a deal to build a second standard-gauge railway track at a key border crossing with China, as Moscow looks to accelerate its eastward pivot and boost ties with Beijing ahead of the Apec summit. According to a document posted on Russia’s official legislative information portal on Monday, Putin has now signed a law ratifying the railway deal reached with Beijing during the Russian leader’s visit to China in May. The two sides have agreed to... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3373339/russias-eastward-pivot-gains-steam-putin-confirms-new-china-border-railway https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3373339/russias-eastward-pivot-gains-steam-putin-confirms-new-china-border-railway Thu, 05 Nov 2026 04:00:58 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday awarded US first lady Melania Trump a national honour for her role in brokering a partial ceasefire that allowed the evacuation of civilians from a Russian-occupied town. “I hereby decree that the Order of Princess Olga, First Class, be awarded to Melania Trump, first lady of the United States of America,” a decree read on the Ukrainian presidential website. The text acknowledged her “significant personal contribution to humanitarian support... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3373320/zelensky-honours-melania-trump-ukraine-award-brokering-oleshky-truce https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3373320/zelensky-honours-melania-trump-ukraine-award-brokering-oleshky-truce Wed, 04 Nov 2026 21:44:37 +0000 Reuters Reuters Russian forces on Monday bombed a school being used as an aid distribution point in a village in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, killing 26 people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the country’s emergency services said. The emergency services said two members of a rescue crew and four police ‌officers were among the dead in the village of Komyshuvakha. Five people were being treated in hospital, including two rescuers. Zelensky, in his nightly video address, said Russian... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3373043/russia-bombs-aid-centre-and-shelter-southern-ukraine-killing-24-authorities-say https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3373043/russia-bombs-aid-centre-and-shelter-southern-ukraine-killing-24-authorities-say Mon, 02 Nov 2026 19:06:35 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukraine and Russia said on Monday their emergency alert apps had been hacked overnight, sending false warnings to citizens about impending air raids, chemical and nuclear attacks. The warnings coincided with the expiry of a six-day local ceasefire brokered by US first lady Melania Trump in a small area of southern Ukraine – the longest such pause in fighting since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Ukraine’s public air raid app started to ‌send false alerts just before 11pm local time on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3372908/longest-truce-ukraine-war-kherson-region-set-end https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3372908/longest-truce-ukraine-war-kherson-region-set-end Sun, 01 Nov 2026 18:25:28 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Driving along the wide boulevards of Astana during a recent trip to the Kazakh capital, signs of China’s growing commercial footprint were everywhere. Chinese cars were becoming a common sight on the streets here, as brands from BYD to Changan made aggressive inroads in a market once dominated by South Korea’s Hyundai and Kia, said the driver who picked me up from the airport in a gleaming Changan electric vehicle. But it was not the rise of Chinese tech that had brought me to this energy-rich... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3372785/us-or-china-why-kazakhstan-refuses-pick-sides-it-eyes-ai-revolution https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3372785/us-or-china-why-kazakhstan-refuses-pick-sides-it-eyes-ai-revolution Sun, 01 Nov 2026 06:00:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Nearly 200 nations have struck hard-fought agreements at a UN biodiversity summit, but the outcome was accompanied by disappointment over missed opportunities to address humanity’s destructive toll on nature. Delegates cheered on Friday as crucial texts were approved in overtime but the celebrations were tempered by acrimonious debates and regret over limited progress on some of the most contentious issues. The Cop17 summit in Armenia sought to revive a landmark commitment to halt and reverse... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372839/200-nations-cop17-commit-biodiversity-goals-amid-missed-opportunities https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372839/200-nations-cop17-commit-biodiversity-goals-amid-missed-opportunities Sat, 31 Oct 2026 11:16:20 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Democracy and rights are declining in Africa as leaders take their cues from the rise of strongmen in other parts of the world, the head of a governance monitor told AFP. Mo Ibrahim, 80, is a Sudanese-British billionaire who made a fortune in telecoms and ploughed it into monitoring and encouraging better governance across Africa. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s latest report, finds broad progress on economic opportunity and human development over the past decade, but also steep declines in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3372832/africa-suffering-strongmen-era-says-governance-watchdog https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3372832/africa-suffering-strongmen-era-says-governance-watchdog Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:06:23 +0000 dpa dpa Residents of the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, ravaged by years of war, began arriving in Ukraine on Saturday after being evacuated via Belarus during a rare truce brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump. “As of now, Ukrainian citizens from Oleshky have crossed the Ukrainian border in the Chernihiv region. All of them will receive the assistance they need,” said President Volodymyr Zelensky, thanking the US and Melania Trump for mediation. Ukrainian officials greeted the evacuees with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3372828/russia-occupied-oleshky-evacuees-arrive-belarus-ukraine-next https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3372828/russia-occupied-oleshky-evacuees-arrive-belarus-ukraine-next Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:22:22 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Russia showed no sign on Friday of softening its stance on Kyiv as G20 foreign ministers opened talks in the United States, with the Ukraine and Iran wars deepening rifts between the sprawling forum’s members. Sharp disagreements emerged around the table, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas accusing Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of presenting “lies” on issues like the conflict in Ukraine. “He put forward a lot of lies, a lot of false narratives” that Europeans were able to push... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3372805/g20-talks-expose-deep-rift-russia-stays-defiant-while-rubio-pursues-sideline-diplomacy https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3372805/g20-talks-expose-deep-rift-russia-stays-defiant-while-rubio-pursues-sideline-diplomacy Sat, 31 Oct 2026 01:45:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Russia’s flagship independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta announced on Friday it was closing, saying it had been “killed” by state pressure after years of repression targeting its journalists whose reporting was critical of the Kremlin and its Ukraine war. The closure of Novaya Gazeta – one of the last outlets to openly criticise Russia’s offensive – marks the latest outcome of Moscow’s campaign against dissenting voices, which intensified after the Kremlin sent troops into its neighbour in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3372798/russias-top-independent-newspaper-novaya-gazeta-shuts-under-kremlin-pressure https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3372798/russias-top-independent-newspaper-novaya-gazeta-shuts-under-kremlin-pressure Fri, 30 Oct 2026 21:03:58 +0000 Reuters Reuters Starving residents ⁠of a Russian-held town in southern Ukraine began evacuating on Friday as part of a joint relief operation by the opposing sides, the first of its kind in four years and eight months of war. Under a local ceasefire brokered by US first lady Melania Trump, an aid convoy arrived in the town of Oleshky and people were given the opportunity to leave. Although it was a striking example of cooperation between the warring sides, the Kremlin described it as a special case that was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3372778/russia-ukraine-truce-oleshky-allows-aid-mission-help-starving-residents https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3372778/russia-ukraine-truce-oleshky-allows-aid-mission-help-starving-residents Fri, 30 Oct 2026 14:30:07 +0000 Wang Huiyao Wang Huiyao At the recent Valdai Discussion Club, I asked Russian President Vladimir Putin if he would be open to meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum in Shenzhen. I also asked, more broadly, what role China could play in promoting peace in Ukraine, mediating and contributing to peacekeeping. Putin was receptive, warmly welcoming the idea of a China-hosted meeting. Trump, too, has expressed a willingness to meet Xi and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3372321/xi-trump-putin-summit-shenzhen-could-kick-start-peace-ukraine https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3372321/xi-trump-putin-summit-shenzhen-could-kick-start-peace-ukraine Fri, 30 Oct 2026 12:30:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters President Vladimir Putin told African leaders on Wednesday that Russia was their best partner, accusing what he cast as a colonial West of still trying to exploit the continent’s resources and using debt to hold back development. The Kremlin chief was speaking at the third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, a two-day event attended by ‌African leaders and government delegations from 48 countries, during which he will hold one-on-one talks with many of the 22 individual African leaders attending on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3372483/russias-putin-woos-african-leaders-summit-slams-colonial-west https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3372483/russias-putin-woos-african-leaders-summit-slams-colonial-west Wed, 28 Oct 2026 15:42:01 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Finland’s president and Norway’s prime minister held a “frank and substantive” discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday about efforts to end the war in Ukraine, the Nordic leaders said. “The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security. Ending the war requires direct discussions,” President Alexander Stubb said in a joint statement with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. The statement noted that the phone call had been “held in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3372326/norway-finland-leaders-hold-frank-talk-putin-ending-ukraine-war https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3372326/norway-finland-leaders-hold-frank-talk-putin-ending-ukraine-war Tue, 27 Oct 2026 12:14:16 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A localised ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia took effect early Tuesday ahead of a humanitarian mission brokered by US first lady Melania Trump, as missile attacks resumed in Kyiv. The local pause in fighting started at 3am to allow an aid mission into the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine later this week. According to her office, Melania Trump led talks with civilian negotiators from Russia and Ukraine after meeting with UN officials who briefed her on the situation in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3372265/ceasefire-brokered-melania-trump-begins-russian-occupied-ukrainian-town https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3372265/ceasefire-brokered-melania-trump-begins-russian-occupied-ukrainian-town Tue, 27 Oct 2026 06:15:25 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Elon Musk said on Saturday that his company SpaceX had throttled the Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine, disrupting operations that the country relies on to defend itself against Russia. Musk’s admission on social media came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine’s access to Starlink and Starshield satellite links has been restored to the speeds it had before restrictions that disrupted frontline operations for more than a week. Questions have persisted since... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3372040/ukraines-starlink-speeds-restored-after-week-frontline-disruption https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3372040/ukraines-starlink-speeds-restored-after-week-frontline-disruption Sat, 24 Oct 2026 18:00:35 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Beijing has “influence” over Moscow it should use to stop the war in Ukraine, and that a proposed summit meeting of the US, Chinese and Russian leaders must not lead to the division of his war-torn country. Speaking virtually at an event hosted by Washington-based Hudson Institute think tank, Zelensky said he did not know what would be discussed at the potential meeting between US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371987/zelensky-hopes-beijing-can-use-influence-over-moscow-help-stop-ukraine-war https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371987/zelensky-hopes-beijing-can-use-influence-over-moscow-help-stop-ukraine-war Fri, 23 Oct 2026 20:51:17 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Ukraine’s top negotiator involved in a humanitarian mission led by US first lady Melania Trump has said that a local ceasefire with Russia will start on Tuesday – two days before the mission begins – and last several days. Ukrainian, Russian and US negotiators reached a deal on Friday to provide humanitarian aid in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, in the war-divided region of Kherson in southern Ukraine. Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian ombudsman and his country’s chief negotiator in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371983/melania-trump-brokers-ceasefire-russian-occupied-ukraine-city-white-house-says https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371983/melania-trump-brokers-ceasefire-russian-occupied-ukraine-city-white-house-says Fri, 23 Oct 2026 16:26:41 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukrainian police said on Friday they had detained a 17-year-old girl suspected of helping Russia’s security services to poison Ukrainian soldiers and that two had died. Ukraine and Russia have throughout their war since 2022 accused each other of recruiting minors for sabotage acts including poisoning. The girl, who was not named, is suspected of having packaged deadly drugs and sending them to Ukrainian soldiers she contacted by Telegram, a police statement said. She was arrested by police in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371930/girl-arrested-after-taking-us111-russia-poison-ukrainian-troops https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371930/girl-arrested-after-taking-us111-russia-poison-ukrainian-troops Fri, 23 Oct 2026 09:24:30 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Diplomats from the EU’s 27 member states were pressured this week to lift sanctions on Yusha Group, a Chinese textiles manufacturer accused of selling sensitive European technology to Russian buyers. In exchange, Beijing has pledged that the company will refrain from shipping banned items to Russian military-linked buyers. It will also remove German company Sindlhauser Materials from its own export controls list, according to multiple sources familiar with the affair. The unusual quid pro quo –... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3371832/eu-mulls-sanctions-reprieve-chinese-fabric-maker-accused-aiding-russia https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3371832/eu-mulls-sanctions-reprieve-chinese-fabric-maker-accused-aiding-russia Thu, 22 Oct 2026 20:32:36 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Moscow firing ballistic missiles at Ukraine shortly after talks between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russia’s Vladimir Putin showed the Kremlin’s position on the war had not changed, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday. The Kremlin had said it was willing to restart trilateral talks with Kyiv and Washington next month, though dismissed new ideas brought by Witkoff – developed with European countries and Ukraine – as lacking substance. Russia hit a dozen Ukrainian regions overnight,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3371739/russia-and-ukraine-trade-major-attacks-trump-touts-progress https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3371739/russia-and-ukraine-trade-major-attacks-trump-touts-progress Thu, 22 Oct 2026 05:04:43 +0000 Tang Meng Kit Tang Meng Kit Last month, the US published the fine print of a US$686 million upgrade deal for Pakistan’s F-16 fighter jets. The deal is for data link systems, new encryption gear and a refit that keeps the jets flying until 2040. The notice says Pakistan can protect the technology to “substantially the same degree” as the US government. The Pakistan Air Force is also the only declared interested buyer of China’s J-35 stealth fighter, a generational leap in technology. The Chinese jet first flew at the Zhuhai... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3371561/pakistan-and-us-factor-china-looks-sell-its-j-35-stealth-jets https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3371561/pakistan-and-us-factor-china-looks-sell-its-j-35-stealth-jets Wed, 21 Oct 2026 21:30:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to resume US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine as soon as next month, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, after Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff in Washington’s latest push to stop Europe’s bloodiest conflict since second world war. The talks in a grand imperial palace in St Petersburg, the ninth time that Witkoff has met Putin in person, began with a goodwill gesture from Russia – the release of Stephen Hubbard, a retired US teacher held in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371659/putin-holds-ukraine-peace-talks-trumps-envoy-witkoff-frees-american-hubbard https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371659/putin-holds-ukraine-peace-talks-trumps-envoy-witkoff-frees-american-hubbard Wed, 21 Oct 2026 10:17:27 +0000 Albert Bakhtizin Albert Bakhtizin As turbulence grows in many countries, it is tempting to ask if there is a global hegemon that can sort everything out fairly. US President Donald Trump has threatened that his country would not defend Nato allies if they failed to spend enough on their defence. Together with new trade barriers, his words suggest that the US is scaling back its ambitions for global leadership and concentrating more on its own region. Our latest projections of national strength for 2027 take into account... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3371409/can-china-turn-national-power-world-leadership https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3371409/can-china-turn-national-power-world-leadership Wed, 21 Oct 2026 08:30:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Russian satellite moved within just 100 metres of a European commercial spacecraft that supports Ukraine’s military at the weekend, orbital tracking data showed, raising concerns about Moscow’s activities in space. Russia launched the Cosmos-2612 military satellite into low Earth orbit in April. It began changing course late September and eventually moved into the same orbit as ICEYE-X36, a satellite operated by Finland’s ICEYE under contract with the United States. The two spacecraft came... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3371575/russian-satellites-close-approach-european-spacecraft-highlights-orbital-risks https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3371575/russian-satellites-close-approach-european-spacecraft-highlights-orbital-risks Wed, 21 Oct 2026 02:58:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that decisions regarding Ukraine’s access to Starlink were up to SpaceX and Elon Musk, not the White House, comments that suggested ‌Musk may have restricted Kyiv’s access to the service. The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Musk had ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of Starlink that Ukraine relies on to defend itself against missile attacks from Russia. The Journal cited one source saying that Musk, President Donald... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371563/musk-ordered-slowdown-starlink-service-ukraine-military-relies-report-says https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371563/musk-ordered-slowdown-starlink-service-ukraine-military-relies-report-says Tue, 20 Oct 2026 22:49:12 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The number of people facing acute food insecurity in Afghanistan is set to rise above 19 million this winter, the United Nations warned on Tuesday. The food crisis gripping Afghanistan is projected to affect millions of young children in 2027, the United Nations’ humanitarian agency OCHA said. More than four million babies and children under six will need treatment for acute malnutrition next year, it warned. Between September and October, 15.9 million people – or nearly one in three Afghans –... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371551/192-million-afghans-could-soon-face-acute-food-insecurity-un https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371551/192-million-afghans-could-soon-face-acute-food-insecurity-un Tue, 20 Oct 2026 14:14:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters The European Commission has presented an updated strategy for the Arctic as climate change and rapidly melting ice open up the remote but resource-rich region. “With Russia and China increasing their footprint and ambition, the Arctic has become a front line of global power competition,” said European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas on Tuesday. With the new strategy, the commission aims for the EU to keep pace with rivals as new shipping routes and mining opportunities, including for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3371549/eu-unveils-arctic-strategy-counter-increasing-russia-china-influence https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3371549/eu-unveils-arctic-strategy-counter-increasing-russia-china-influence Tue, 20 Oct 2026 13:31:45 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Kyiv was once again receiving early warnings from its partners about incoming Russian missiles following recent strikes that he said occurred without enough notice, leaving civilians vulnerable. For at least a week, the Ukrainian leader has said that his country has not received early warnings about ballistic missiles aimed at the capital. Such intelligence, he said, saves lives by allowing the public to be alerted and giving military... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371510/ukraine-us-hold-norway-peace-talks-amid-rising-zelensky-trump-tension https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371510/ukraine-us-hold-norway-peace-talks-amid-rising-zelensky-trump-tension Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:44:50 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the United States on Monday of deliberately delaying the delivery of interceptor missiles to his country, as tensions between Kyiv and Washington escalated over military aid and intelligence sharing. Kyiv said it had no early warning of powerful Russian missile strikes, echoing similar claims made last week. Speaking to US senators on Monday, Zelensky said “the Pentagon is delaying the delivery of missiles” already paid for by European countries and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371432/zelensky-should-get-somebody-else-negotiate-end-ukraine-war-trump-says https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371432/zelensky-should-get-somebody-else-negotiate-end-ukraine-war-trump-says Mon, 19 Oct 2026 21:52:33 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado US President Donald Trump said on Monday he was open to a three-way meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to China next month, with nuclear weapons on the agenda. “We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearisation,” Trump told reporters outside the White House before travelling to Kansas. “If President Xi wants to have it, I’d have it.” Trump said the proposed meeting was his suggestion and linked it to his November... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3371428/trump-says-hes-open-xi-putin-meeting-china-nuclear-talks https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3371428/trump-says-hes-open-xi-putin-meeting-china-nuclear-talks Mon, 19 Oct 2026 20:20:55 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that Washington wanted to compete for business in Central Asia without asking countries to stop working with China, as the United States and five regional governments outlined proposals to deepen cooperation on minerals, transport and technology. Speaking in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Rubio was asked what Washington could offer as Beijing expanded its presence in the region. “I mean, look, it’s competition, right? We have products, we have companies;... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3371420/rubio-pitches-us-business-central-asia-says-china-ties-need-not-suffer https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3371420/rubio-pitches-us-business-central-asia-says-china-ties-need-not-suffer Mon, 19 Oct 2026 17:49:39 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with top US envoys Sunday to try to ease tensions, as Donald Trump accused his counterpart of not wanting to end the war with Russia. Zelensky spoke to US officials Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as both Russia and Ukraine hit each other’s energy sites, with Moscow leaving thousands without power and Kyiv carrying out the largest drone attack on St Petersburg since the start of the war in 2022. Trump and Zelensky have clashed as the US president... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371329/zelensky-speaks-us-envoys-amid-trump-spat-after-warning-us-not-side-russia https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371329/zelensky-speaks-us-envoys-amid-trump-spat-after-warning-us-not-side-russia Sun, 18 Oct 2026 19:31:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters From US threats to cut off intelligence support for Ukraine to a waiver of tariffs on Russian ⁠exports and a diesel deal that could help Russia fund its war, it has been a damaging week for ties between Kyiv and its most important ally, Washington. US President Donald Trump, frustrated by high energy costs he blames partly on Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, has repeatedly criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. A disruption of US-provided satellite internet services raised... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371280/us-russia-deal-trump-zelensky-clash-could-leave-ukraine-out-cold https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371280/us-russia-deal-trump-zelensky-clash-could-leave-ukraine-out-cold Sun, 18 Oct 2026 01:14:48 +0000 Reuters Reuters Many delegates to ⁠the International Monetary Fund’s steering ⁠committee walked out of a meeting on ⁠Saturday when Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov addressed the group in Russian, three sources familiar with the matter said. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has roiled the International Monetary and Financial Committee, preventing it from reaching consensus statements in the years ‌since. There were deep divisions again at this week’s annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3371248/european-delegates-walk-out-russian-finance-minister-imf-summit https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3371248/european-delegates-walk-out-russian-finance-minister-imf-summit Sat, 17 Oct 2026 07:51:33 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Seeing what looked like a brown blob in a tree while driving through Siberia’s Irkutsk region, 36-year-old Daria Tyurneva pulled over, curious to get a better look. She was not expecting to find a bear cub, perched on a branch, several metres up. “We stopped, without turning off the engine or taking off the gear, because we knew the mother could be somewhere nearby,” Tyurneva said, showing a phone video she recorded of the bear. Her sighting was one of several to spook Russians in recent weeks,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371241/over-3000-bears-culled-russia-after-wave-deadly-attacks-weve-never-had https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371241/over-3000-bears-culled-russia-after-wave-deadly-attacks-weve-never-had Sat, 17 Oct 2026 06:13:58 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday asked European Union leaders to provide Kyiv an extra 70 billion euros (US$79 billion) in funding next year to help it keep fighting Russia. “The war will cost 155 billion euros next year. And we need at least 70 billion euros more from you – for defence, for weapons and for our resilience,” Zelensky said in a speech at an EU summit in Brussels. “This is a realistic amount. And I ask you to find this support. It will help us hold Russia back.” The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3371207/zelensky-asks-eu-extra-79-billion-sustain-ukraines-war-effort https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3371207/zelensky-asks-eu-extra-79-billion-sustain-ukraines-war-effort Fri, 16 Oct 2026 15:09:01 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukraine’s resumption of strikes on Russian refineries is ⁠a “disgrace” that keeps ⁠global energy prices elevated, US President ⁠Donald Trump told the Newsmax news outlet in an interview aired on Thursday. Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery after President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that Kyiv was abandoning a ceasefire covering energy sites that Trump had announced, ‌and criticised his willingness to strike deals with Moscow. “All he’s doing is making the world oil price higher. Well, I think... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3371106/trump-rebukes-zelensky-calls-ukraines-strikes-russian-refineries-disgrace https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3371106/trump-rebukes-zelensky-calls-ukraines-strikes-russian-refineries-disgrace Fri, 16 Oct 2026 04:56:59 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery ⁠on Thursday after President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that Kyiv was abandoning a ceasefire covering energy sites announced by US President Donald Trump, and criticised Trump’s willingness to strike deals with Moscow. By effectively walking away from Trump’s demand that Ukraine halt attacks on Russian refineries and openly criticising the US leader, Zelensky risks deepening the biggest rift between Kyiv and Washington since Russia’s February 2022 invasion... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3370993/were-done-ukraine-resumes-russian-refinery-strikes-zelensky-defies-trump https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3370993/were-done-ukraine-resumes-russian-refinery-strikes-zelensky-defies-trump Thu, 15 Oct 2026 08:08:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Tech billionaire Elon Musk called on Wednesday for Volodymyr Zelensky to “go” as Ukraine’s leader, after insisting any disruption to the war-torn country’s use of his satellite communications system was the fault of the US government, not his company. The comments came as Kyiv raised doubts over US support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, accusing Washington this week of helping Moscow by failing to warn it of incoming missile strikes and hobbling Kyiv’s military response through changes to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3370923/musk-suggests-us-government-behind-any-slowdown-ukraines-starshield https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3370923/musk-suggests-us-government-behind-any-slowdown-ukraines-starshield Wed, 14 Oct 2026 21:29:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A lawyer for a Ukrainian accused of blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines supplying Russian gas to western Europe said on Wednesday that Moscow used the network to exert political and economic pressure, as the former military officer’s trial opened in Germany. Sergiy Kuznietsov is the first person to go on trial over the 2022 sabotage. The 50-year-old is accused of leading a Ukrainian team of divers and an explosives expert to bomb Nord Stream, seven months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3370911/ukrainian-accused-nord-stream-pipeline-sabotage-goes-trial-germany https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3370911/ukrainian-accused-nord-stream-pipeline-sabotage-goes-trial-germany Wed, 14 Oct 2026 13:43:17 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukraine on Wednesday accused Russia of wilfully flouting Donald Trump’s purported “energy ceasefire” and passing up an opportunity to ease hostilities, after a renewed wave of deadly strikes across the country that also hit vital power supplies. Kyiv in particular faced a barrage of powerful ballistic missiles and attack drones targeting energy facilities and critical infrastructure, despite the US president’s surprise weekend announcement. Four people were killed in the city and power to at... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3370833/russian-strikes-kill-6-ukraine-knocking-out-power-across-kyiv https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3370833/russian-strikes-kill-6-ukraine-knocking-out-power-across-kyiv Wed, 14 Oct 2026 06:12:31 +0000 Reuters Reuters Russia’s FSB security agency said on Tuesday it had detained a Japanese journalist for alleged espionage, and Moscow’s Foreign Ministry said it regretted that Tokyo was using correspondents to carry out spying. In a statement on its website, the FSB said the Hokkaido Shimbun journalist was detained in the far eastern Sakhalin region on the day before he planned to leave Russia. It did not specify when this was. Russia and Japan, ‌which never signed a formal World War II peace treaty, have seen... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3370789/russia-detains-japanese-journalist-suspicion-spying https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3370789/russia-detains-japanese-journalist-suspicion-spying Tue, 13 Oct 2026 22:08:47 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Drones struck two ships in the Black Sea off Bulgaria on Tuesday, sinking one and prompting emergency rescue operations, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said. The Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship Dignity sank after it was hit by a military strike. Five sailors were rescued, while a search for the other 11 crew members continued, Varna district governor Mario Smrkov said. Rescuers evacuated all 15 crew members from one ship, the Maltese-flagged Chelsea 3, with five receiving treatment for minor... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3370741/bulgaria-seeks-nato-support-after-black-sea-drone-strikes-hit-merchant-ships-sinking-1 https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3370741/bulgaria-seeks-nato-support-after-black-sea-drone-strikes-hit-merchant-ships-sinking-1 Tue, 13 Oct 2026 09:57:40 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Nato’s top military commander said the alliance is “ready to fight tonight” if it is attacked, as European officials warn Russia could test Nato’s defences with increased covert attacks or a limited military incursion. European nations have in recent months faced an escalation of covert Russian activity, including an arson attack on an Estonian defence company and a failed attempt to attack a Ukrainian aircraft at a German airport. If Russia decides to attack Nato, the alliance will respond by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3370653/natos-top-commander-says-alliance-does-not-want-war-ready-fight-tonight https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3370653/natos-top-commander-says-alliance-does-not-want-war-ready-fight-tonight Mon, 12 Oct 2026 23:25:50 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The European Union will on Tuesday open new negotiation chapters with Ukraine, an essential step in Kyiv’s long path to join the bloc. Ukrainian lawmakers on Monday passed legislation protecting the rights of national minorities, which removes a major hurdle in Kyiv’s bid for membership. The status of the Hungarian-speaking minority in western Ukraine had long caused tensions with Budapest and Hungary had blocked Ukraine’s EU membership bid, officially submitted days after Russia’s full-scale... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3370647/ukraines-eu-accession-bid-advances-after-kyiv-passes-minority-rights-law https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3370647/ukraines-eu-accession-bid-advances-after-kyiv-passes-minority-rights-law Mon, 12 Oct 2026 18:41:16 +0000 Emma Ma Emma Ma Global diesel prices remain near record highs as Gulf producers struggle to restore refined-fuel exports, despite a recovery in crude shipments and pledges by more countries to release reserves. Net diesel exports from Gulf countries averaged 390,000 barrels per day in August, just over a quarter of their levels before the US-Israel war on Iran, according to the latest available data by the International Energy Agency (IEA) published in September. One obstacle to recovery is that Persian Gulf... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3370606/global-diesel-shortage-why-gulf-refined-fuel-exports-lag-crude-oil-shipments https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3370606/global-diesel-shortage-why-gulf-refined-fuel-exports-lag-crude-oil-shipments Mon, 12 Oct 2026 11:00:08 +0000