https://www.scmp.com/rss/328032/feed Despite the fall of the Soviet Union, tensions between the United States and Russia have been a constant since the end of the Second World War. However, they hit a new high in 2022 when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, leading to a protracted war in which the US gave aid to Kyiv while placing substantial sanctions on Russia. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen There is little chance the US could bring China to the table on any nuclear arms control agreements in the short term, despite upcoming leaders’ meetings this year, experts said on Tuesday, as the Trump administration pushes for a trilateral deal including China after the previous US-Russia treaty expired last month. There is “no shortage of good ideas” for how the upcoming summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could move the world towards ending a nuclear... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3347775/us-unlikely-get-china-join-new-nuclear-arms-control-agreement-say-experts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3347775/us-unlikely-get-china-join-new-nuclear-arms-control-agreement-say-experts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 23:02:23 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A major Russian drone and missile attack on civilian areas of Ukraine killed six people and injured at least 46, officials said on Tuesday, while Moscow’s army stepped up efforts to break through Ukrainian frontline defences in what could be the start of an anticipated spring ground offensive. Russia fired almost 400 long-range drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine’s air force said, in its biggest attack in weeks. The onslaught continued into Tuesday as dozens of drones targeted the capital Kyiv... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347764/4-dead-russia-fires-nearly-400-drones-ukraine-signs-spring-offensive-has-begun?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347764/4-dead-russia-fires-nearly-400-drones-ukraine-signs-spring-offensive-has-begun?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:48:16 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukrainian and US delegations concluded a second day of talks in Florida on finding ways to end the four-year war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday. Russian representatives were not present at the talks, which opened in Florida on ‌Saturday. They were originally expected to attend the negotiations, which were expected to take place in Abu Dhabi. The US team is led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. “It is clear that the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3347513/ukraine-and-us-teams-conclude-talks-zelensky-says-new-prisoner-exchange-possible?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3347513/ukraine-and-us-teams-conclude-talks-zelensky-says-new-prisoner-exchange-possible?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 21:11:33 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Russia and Iran “brothers in hatred” on Tuesday as he sought support from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at a time when the Iran conflict has robbed momentum from US-brokered talks to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. During talks with Starmer at 10 Downing Street, Zelensky urged Ukraine’s allies not to forget about his country and suggested the US and others should make use of Ukraine’s anti-drone technology during a Middle East war that has also... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346941/zelensky-starmer-urge-continued-support-ukraine-iran-conflict-steals-focus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346941/zelensky-starmer-urge-continued-support-ukraine-iran-conflict-steals-focus?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 21:43:37 +0000 Lucy Quaggin,Teresa Elena Frontado Lucy Quaggin,Teresa Elena Frontado US President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that American military objectives in Iran were nearly complete and the conflict could be nearing an end - a declaration met with a defiant vow from Tehran that the war would end on its own terms. Speaking at a news conference in Florida on the same day he discussed the war in a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump claimed the US was “achieving major strides towards completing our military objective”, adding that “some people could say... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346023/trump-and-putin-discuss-quick-ending-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346023/trump-and-putin-discuss-quick-ending-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 20:21:18 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US President Donald Trump put his son-in-law Jared Kushner and long-time friend Steve Witkoff in charge of resolving the war in Ukraine and a stand-off with Iran. On Thursday, they juggled those momentous issues within hours of each other. Dispatched to Geneva, Switzerland, Kushner and Witkoff met Iranian officials at the Omani ambassador’s residence in a bid to seal a deal over Tehran’s nuclear programme and avoid what could be a massive strike by US and Israeli forces. Hours later, they... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344820/trump-puts-fate-worlds-top-conflicts-hands-2-men?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344820/trump-puts-fate-worlds-top-conflicts-hands-2-men?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 04:25:19 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Washington will keep pushing China to join a trilateral nuclear control deal with the US and Russia, but can’t compel it to do so, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, citing “strategic stability” in China-US relations ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China in April, despite long-term “irritants”. “We think ultimately, in the 21st century, for there to be a true arms control agreement, it has to involve China,” Rubio said during a press conference at a meeting of the Caribbean... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344790/new-nuclear-control-agreement-should-include-us-russia-and-china-rubio?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344790/new-nuclear-control-agreement-should-include-us-russia-and-china-rubio?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 20:37:52 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that he and US President Donald Trump agreed that the next session of trilateral talks in March on a war settlement should lead to a meeting of the countries’ leaders. Zelensky, speaking after a phone conversation with Trump, said the three-sided talks with Russia and the United States would take place early next month. US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner also took part in the ‌phone call. “We expect this meeting to create an... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3344656/zelensky-speaks-trump-says-talks-should-lead-leaders-meeting-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3344656/zelensky-speaks-trump-says-talks-should-lead-leaders-meeting-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 21:44:30 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, unleashing the deadliest war in Europe since World War II. As the conflict reaches its four-year mark, here’s a look at the state of the conflict and some of the consequences for both countries. Destruction The war has resulted in widespread destruction in Ukraine. Entire cities in Ukraine’s east and south, among them Bakhmut, Toretsk and Vovchansk, have been reduced to rubble by fighting. The World Health Organization has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344429/where-ukraine-and-russia-stand-war-enters-fifth-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344429/where-ukraine-and-russia-stand-war-enters-fifth-year?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 06:49:25 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The United States on Monday accused China of dramatically swelling its nuclear arsenal and doubled down on claims that Beijing had conducted secret nuclear tests, demanding again it be part of any future arms control treaty. Washington said the lapsing earlier this month of New Start – the last treaty between top nuclear powers the United States and Russia – presented the possibility of striking a “better agreement” including Beijing. Christopher Yeaw, the US assistant secretary of state for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344385/china-has-massively-expanded-its-nuclear-arsenal-claims-us-state-department?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344385/china-has-massively-expanded-its-nuclear-arsenal-claims-us-state-department?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 20:48:21 +0000 dpa dpa Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday described a pair of explosions in Lviv as a “cynical and brutal terrorist act” that was “organised by Russia”. Two explosions rocked the western Ukrainian city in the early hours, killing a 23-year-old policewoman and injuring 25 others. “This was a terrorist attack,” Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel, adding that police have detained a female Ukrainian national. Police said that the detained woman was a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3344281/police-officer-killed-24-people-wounded-bomb-explosions-ukraines-lviv?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3344281/police-officer-killed-24-people-wounded-bomb-explosions-ukraines-lviv?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 21:00:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Russia fired scores of missiles and drones at targets across Ukraine on Sunday, crashing into energy and rail infrastructure and residential buildings, just two days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion. Journalists in Kyiv heard a series of blasts starting at around 4.00am, shortly after an air raid alert was issued, with the air force later widening the alert nationwide, citing the threat of missiles. “Moscow continues to invest in strikes more than in diplomacy,” Ukrainian... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3344258/russian-barrage-strikes-ukrainian-infrastructure-war-drags?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3344258/russian-barrage-strikes-ukrainian-infrastructure-war-drags?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 10:08:46 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen A senior state department official said that the US would resume nuclear tests to match “opaque” Chinese activity, flagging new details about a 2020 test the US recently accused China of secretly conducting, as US President Donald Trump seeks a new trilateral nuclear control deal with China and Russia. “As the president has said, the United States will return to testing on an ‘equal basis’,” Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation Christopher Yeaw said on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343858/us-offers-more-details-claim-china-conducted-secret-nuclear-weapons-test?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343858/us-offers-more-details-claim-china-conducted-secret-nuclear-weapons-test?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:16:37 +0000 Reuters Reuters Negotiators from Ukraine and Russia met for the first of two days of US-mediated peace talks in Geneva on Tuesday, with US President Donald Trump pressing Kyiv to act fast to reach a deal. Trump is urging Moscow and Kyiv to reach a deal to end Europe’s biggest war since 1945, though Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has complained that his country is facing the greatest pressure to make concessions. Ukraine’s lead negotiator Rustem Umerov said ahead of the talks that the two sides would... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343847/ukraine-and-russia-meet-geneva-trump-piles-new-pressure-kyiv?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343847/ukraine-and-russia-meet-geneva-trump-piles-new-pressure-kyiv?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 18:30:01 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that Washington is “not disputing” a report by five European countries that imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was fatally poisoned with a rare frog “toxin”. Rubio said the report released on Saturday by Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden was “very troubling”. Britain, which has outright blamed Russia for Navalny’s death, said it was considering new sanctions on Moscow as a result. Navalny, a staunch critic of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343650/us-not-disputing-troubling-european-report-navalny-poisoning-rubio-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343650/us-not-disputing-troubling-european-report-navalny-poisoning-rubio-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 17:16:17 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin The balance of power in the Russia-China relationship has evolved to the point that Beijing is now the dominant partner and the primary threat to the United States, according to US Congressman Pat Fallon. Speaking at the Hudson Institute during a discussion about the first year of US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, Fallon said while Russia and China have long had a strategic partnership, the world has now “seen that senior partnership shift”. “It was clearly the Soviets. Now it’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343120/beijing-dominant-partner-russia-china-relationship-us-congressman-fallon-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343120/beijing-dominant-partner-russia-china-relationship-us-congressman-fallon-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 23:37:40 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says the US is proposing to finish all necessary negotiations to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in June. “The Americans are proposing that the parties end the war by the beginning of this summer,” Zelensky told reporters in a briefing late on Friday. “We understand that American internal issues have an impact and will certainly become even more relevant for them,” he said, suggesting US midterm elections in November would become the administration’s major... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3342789/ukraines-zelensky-says-us-wants-deal-end-russias-war-june?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3342789/ukraines-zelensky-says-us-wants-deal-end-russias-war-june?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 16:54:43 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial When it comes to guiding China’s most important foreign relations and its international strategy, President Xi Jinping is known to favour head-of-state diplomacy – direct personal contact with his counterparts – as well as using diplomatic channels. This week has seen an extraordinary example of this: Xi’s video call with Russian President Vladimir Putin was followed in quick succession by a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday. After the official readouts, some of the details... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3342693/xis-same-day-calls-trump-and-putin-showcase-head-state-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3342693/xis-same-day-calls-trump-and-putin-showcase-head-state-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 23:15:11 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier The United States accused China on Friday of failing to disclose a 2020 nuclear test, violating what a US official suggested was an understanding involving a 1996 nuclear test ban treaty that both countries signed but neither ratified. This came as Washington called this week for a broad new arms-control treaty to include China, Russia and the US after it declined to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start), the world’s last binding nuclear arms control agreement. Russia had... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342733/us-accuses-china-secret-nuclear-testing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342733/us-accuses-china-secret-nuclear-testing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 18:52:37 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Combine three wary nations, deep historical mistrust, rapid technological change, the most destructive weapons ever developed and a US unwilling to extend Thursday’s last formal nuclear weapons guardrail, and you have the ingredients for much worse geopolitical tension, if not a slide towards global disaster, warn nuclear weapons negotiators, analysts and former government officials. While Moscow has offered to formally extend its New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New Start) with the US for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342576/trump-balks-nuclear-limit-extension-calls-new-us-china-russia-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342576/trump-balks-nuclear-limit-extension-calls-new-us-china-russia-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:02:50 +0000 Orange Wang,Cao Jiaxuan Orange Wang,Cao Jiaxuan Chinese President Xi Jinping’s unprecedented back-to-back conversations with his US and Russian counterparts have shed new light on how the three powers are positioning themselves. The Chinese leader’s separate talks on Wednesday with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin also reveal their attempts to stabilise ties as they prepare for in-person summits and grapple with mounting headwinds at home. However, analysts expressed mixed views on whether – and how – China could... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342561/what-xis-calls-trump-and-putin-reveal-about-chinas-balancing-act?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342561/what-xis-calls-trump-and-putin-reveal-about-chinas-balancing-act?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 15:07:48 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukrainian and Russian officials wrapped up a “productive” first day of ‌new US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi, Kyiv’s lead negotiator said on Wednesday, as fighting in Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II raged on. The ‍two-day trilateral meetings come after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had exploited a US-backed energy truce last week to stockpile munitions, attacking Ukraine with a record number of ballistic missiles on Tuesday. “The work was substantive and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3342428/ukraine-and-russia-wrap-productive-first-day-us-backed-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3342428/ukraine-and-russia-wrap-productive-first-day-us-backed-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 17:24:41 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan China’s leader Xi Jinping spoke with US President Donald Trump by phone on Wednesday, just hours after a video call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the Chinese readout, Xi told Trump that the Taiwan question was the “most important” issue in China-US relations, stressing that the island was Chinese territory and that Beijing would never allow it to be separated. Xi said China must safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and urged Washington to handle... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342409/hours-after-call-vladimir-putin-xi-jinping-talks-donald-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342409/hours-after-call-vladimir-putin-xi-jinping-talks-donald-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 13:46:59 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Without a last-minute extension of an expiring treaty between the United States and Russia, the world faces the end of an era of post-Cold War controls over the size of their operational nuclear weapons arsenals, raising fears of a new arms race. The New START treaty – signed in 2010, extended in 2021, and which came after the original 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty known as START 1 – expires at midnight on Wednesday. China was not included. US President Donald Trump has demanded that any... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3342250/us-russia-treaty-set-expire-threat-new-nuclear-arms-race-grows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3342250/us-russia-treaty-set-expire-threat-new-nuclear-arms-race-grows?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 22:45:37 +0000 Amber Wang Amber Wang China on Tuesday urged the United States to “respond positively” to Russia’s offer to maintain nuclear warhead limits ahead of Thursday’s expected collapse of a major US-Russia agreement to control nuclear build-up. Beijing also reiterated its refusal to join trilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations with Washington and Moscow, despite repeated calls for such talks by US President Donald Trump. China cited the disparity in nuclear stockpile sizes as the reason for its refusal. Absent a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3342278/why-collapse-last-us-russia-nuclear-treaty-matters-china-and-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3342278/why-collapse-last-us-russia-nuclear-treaty-matters-china-and-world?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 13:41:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Russia launched its largest drone and missile attack this year on Ukraine overnight, leaving hundreds of thousands without heating in freezing temperatures on Tuesday, just one day ahead of fresh talks aiming to find an end to the four-year war. The strikes hit as Ukraine was experiencing the coldest temperatures during the Russian invasion and damaged an iconic Soviet-era WWII monument. They also came a day before Ukrainian and Russian negotiators were due to meet for a second round of talks in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342251/ukraine-left-freezing-russia-bombs-energy-grid-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342251/ukraine-left-freezing-russia-bombs-energy-grid-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 10:02:35 +0000 Reuters Reuters A Russian drone strike on a bus carrying miners ‌killed at least 12 people, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday, hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky announced new peace talks amid uncertainty over a Russian suspension ‍of attacks on energy infrastructure. First Deputy Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the strike in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region was a “cynical and targeted” attack on energy workers. Their employer DTEK said the victims were finishing a shift. Kyiv is under US... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342023/russian-drone-strike-bus-kills-least-15-miners-kyiv-announces-new-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342023/russian-drone-strike-bus-kills-least-15-miners-kyiv-announces-new-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 18:43:15 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Come Thursday, barring a last-minute change, the final treaty in the world that restricted nuclear weapon deployment will be over. New START, the last nuclear treaty between Washington and Moscow after decades of agreements dating to the Cold War, is set to expire, and with it restrictions on the two top nuclear powers. The expiration comes as President Donald Trump, vowing “America first”, smashes through international agreements that limit the United States, although in the case of New START,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341983/end-era-us-russia-prepare-exit-final-nuclear-arms-treaty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341983/end-era-us-russia-prepare-exit-final-nuclear-arms-treaty?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 06:43:35 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukraine will halt long-range strikes on Russian energy facilities if Russia does the same, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in remarks released on Friday, after Donald Trump raised hopes for a pause in attacks during freezing temperatures. Trump said on Thursday that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to halt attacks on Kyiv and other cities because of a cold snap across Ukraine. The Kremlin said on Friday the US president had asked for a halt until February 1. Recent Russian strikes... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3341743/trump-says-putin-agreed-not-attack-ukraines-freezing-capital-week?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3341743/trump-says-putin-agreed-not-attack-ukraines-freezing-capital-week?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 18:34:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Russia’s grinding invasion of Ukraine has caused nearly 2 million military casualties - killed, wounded or missing - between the two countries, according to a new study by a US think tank. Moscow’s forces have borne the brunt of the losses, suffering as many as 325,000 killed out of an estimated total of 1.2 million casualties since invading Ukraine nearly four years ago, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) found. “No major power has suffered anywhere near these numbers of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341499/ukraine-war-military-casualties-near-2-million-more-crunch-talks-loom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341499/ukraine-war-military-casualties-near-2-million-more-crunch-talks-loom?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 04:45:17 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the settlement in Ukraine with US President Donald Trump’s envoys during marathon overnight talks, and the Kremlin insisted that the territorial issue needs to be resolved to reach a peace deal. The Kremlin meeting, which lasted past 3am on Friday, came hours after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky sharply criticised his European allies on Thursday for what he cast as their slow and fragmented response to Russia’s nearly four-year full-scale... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340936/putin-meets-us-envoys-midnight-talks-ukraine-settlement-hinges-key-issue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340936/putin-meets-us-envoys-midnight-talks-ukraine-settlement-hinges-key-issue?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 04:45:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump said his message to Russian leader Vladimir Putin was that the war in Ukraine has to end, ‍after what he said were “good” talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Davos on Thursday. US and Ukrainian officials have spent weeks in frenetic shuttle diplomacy as Kyiv faces pressure from Trump to secure peace in the nearly four-year-old war, despite few signs Moscow wants to stop fighting. After a meeting with the Ukrainian leader that lasted around an hour,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340899/trump-sends-message-putin-war-has-end-after-good-meeting-zelensky?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340899/trump-sends-message-putin-war-has-end-after-good-meeting-zelensky?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:03:48 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US envoy Steve Witkoff said he and Jared Kushner will travel to Russia on Thursday for talks with President Vladimir Putin on the latest proposals for a peace plan to end the war in Ukraine. “The Russians have invited us to come and that’s a significant statement from them,” Witkoff said in an interview with Bloomberg Television at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday. “Jared and I will leave Thursday night and arrive in Moscow late at night.” US President Donald Trump remains “focused... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340726/us-envoy-witkoff-meet-putin-moscow-pivotal-peace-talks-thursday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340726/us-envoy-witkoff-meet-putin-moscow-pivotal-peace-talks-thursday?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 12:33:44 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse An overnight Russian bombardment left thousands of residential buildings in Kyiv without heating and water in -14 degrees Celsius (6.8 Fahrenheit) temperatures on Tuesday, when the Ukrainian capital was already scrambling to restore vital utilities destroyed in earlier attacks. The barrage of hundreds of drones and missiles, which targeted energy facilities across Ukraine, killed at least one 50-year-old man near Kyiv. Air raid sirens and explosions were heard in the capital as Ukrainian air... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340587/almost-half-kyiv-without-heat-and-power-after-massive-russian-drone-strike?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340587/almost-half-kyiv-without-heat-and-power-after-massive-russian-drone-strike?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 12:16:11 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang The United States is likely to lose its clear edge over China in strategic relations with major nations by 2035, a prominent Chinese political scientist has predicted. Yan Xuetong, honorary dean of Tsinghua University’s Institute of International Relations, said strategic competition between Beijing and Washington was likely to remain intense in the coming decade and could escalate into a crisis during US President Donald Trump’s second term, but the risk of direct war could decline under... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340468/how-narrowing-china-us-gap-could-reshape-global-power-play-2035?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340468/how-narrowing-china-us-gap-could-reshape-global-power-play-2035?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 14:30:44 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to join US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” aimed at resolving conflicts globally and overseeing governance and reconstruction in Gaza, the Kremlin said on Monday. Moscow for years tried to balance relations with all major players in the Middle East – including Israel and the Palestinians. But since the Israel-Gaza war and Russia’s assault on Ukraine, Putin has moved away from Israel, boosting ties with its foes like Iran. Moscow has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3340456/putin-invited-trumps-board-peace-gaza-and-global-conflict-kremlin-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3340456/putin-invited-trumps-board-peace-gaza-and-global-conflict-kremlin-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 12:31:45 +0000 Nikola Mikovic Nikola Mikovic US President Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela and the kidnapping of the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, have put Russia and China – widely considered two of Caracas’ most important international partners – in a difficult position. If they do not significantly reduce ties with the Latin American nation, they risk Washington’s retaliation. But who has more to lose, Moscow or Beijing? Unlike previous American leaders, Trump has not made any pretence about protecting democracy and human... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3339860/how-trumps-venezuela-strike-humiliated-russia-and-worried-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3339860/how-trumps-venezuela-strike-humiliated-russia-and-worried-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 21:30:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukraine’s top negotiator Rustem Umerov said ‍on Sunday that talks with US officials on a resolution of the nearly four-year-old war with Russia would continue at the World Economic Forum opening this week in the Swiss resort of Davos. Umerov, writing on Telegram, said two days of talks in Florida with a US team ⁠including envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, had focused on security guarantees and a post-war recovery plan for Ukraine. He gave no indication... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340352/kyiv-says-held-substantive-talks-us-discussions-continue-davos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340352/kyiv-says-held-substantive-talks-us-discussions-continue-davos?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 20:49:15 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Kremlin said on Thursday that Ukraine was running out of options to strike a deal to end almost four years of war with Russia, as thousands were without heating in Kyiv in -12 degrees Celsius (10 degrees Fahrenheit) temperatures following waves of Russian strikes on the country’s energy grid. Moscow has not backed down from its intention to seize the rest of east Ukraine as the fourth anniversary of its offensive – Europe’s worst war since World War II – looms. “The situation is... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3340046/kremlin-warns-ukraine-running-out-time-accept-peace-terms-winter-crisis-deepens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3340046/kremlin-warns-ukraine-running-out-time-accept-peace-terms-winter-crisis-deepens?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 12:41:49 +0000 Jon Yuan Jiang Jon Yuan Jiang When countries committed to supporting Ukraine met in Paris earlier this month to discuss Ukraine’s post-war security, Russia answered with fire. Just days after the summit, Moscow launched a strike that killed civilians and plunged Kyiv into darkness and cold, while also firing its nuclear-capable hypersonic Oreshnik missile towards Ukraine’s Lviv region, attacks widely seen as intimidation rather than a battlefield necessity. The world wants peace. So why does Russia keep firing? Moscow is... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3339359/why-russia-gambling-protracted-war-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3339359/why-russia-gambling-protracted-war-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 12:30:14 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Russia on Thursday slammed a plan for European peacekeepers to be deployed to Ukraine as “dangerous” and dubbed Kyiv and its allies an “axis of war”, dousing hopes the plan could be a step towards ending the almost four-year war. US President Donald Trump has been pushing the warring sides to strike a deal to halt the conflict, running shuttle diplomacy between Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in a bid to get an agreement across the line. An initial 28-point plan which... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3339226/russia-slams-western-axis-war-kyiv-claims-us-guarantees-essentially-ready?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3339226/russia-slams-western-axis-war-kyiv-claims-us-guarantees-essentially-ready?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 13:47:10 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Bochen Han Khushboo Razdan,Bochen Han The White House on Wednesday stopped short of denying reports that the United States has urged Venezuela to cut ties with adversaries such as China, Russia and Iran, but emphasised Washington’s determination to maintain “American dominance” in the western hemisphere and all decisions made by Caracas will be “dictated” by the US. During a media briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt cited frequent leaks coming out of classified briefings and stated she would “not confirm or deny or get into”... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3339102/us-wont-rule-out-pressuring-venezuela-curb-china-russia-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3339102/us-wont-rule-out-pressuring-venezuela-curb-china-russia-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jan 2026 18:56:13 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Donald Trump’s renewed threats to take over Greenland could pose a direct challenge to China’s ambitions in the Arctic, but some observers say it may also open the door to increased cooperation with Europe. Following the abduction of Venezuela’s former leader Nicolas Maduro, the White House swiftly turned its attention towards the self-governing Danish territory, adding that “of course, utilising the US military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal”. On Sunday, the US... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339078/will-donald-trumps-threats-greenland-help-bring-china-and-europe-closer-together?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339078/will-donald-trumps-threats-greenland-help-bring-china-and-europe-closer-together?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jan 2026 16:00:15 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukraine’s Western allies on Tuesday agreed to key security guarantees for Kyiv including a US-led monitoring mechanism and a European multinational force that would be deployed after a ceasefire in Russia’s war against its neighbour. Following the largest meeting yet of the so-called Coalition of the Willing in Paris, both European leaders and US envoys hailed progress that hid tensions in recent days over assertive US foreign policy in the western hemisphere under US President Donald Trump. But... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338974/europe-and-us-agree-robust-security-guarantees-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338974/europe-and-us-agree-robust-security-guarantees-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jan 2026 20:06:39 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump on Sunday told reporters that US officials have determined that Ukraine did not target a residence belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack last week, disputing Kremlin claims that Trump had initially greeted with deep concern. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week said Ukraine launched a wave of drones at Putin’s state residence in the northwestern Novgorod region that the Russian defence systems were able to defeat. Lavrov also... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338731/trump-says-ukraine-did-not-target-putin-residence-disputing-russian-claim-drone-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338731/trump-says-ukraine-did-not-target-putin-residence-disputing-russian-claim-drone-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 05:04:18 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US President Donald Trump expressed fresh frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, bristling at the Kremlin’s continuing military operations even as the US leader seeks to bring an end to the war in Ukraine. “I’m not thrilled with Putin, he’s killing too many people,” Trump said on Saturday during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Trump spoke hours after a brazen US strike that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who is now en route to the US to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338640/trump-not-thrilled-putin-says-too-many-people-dying-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338640/trump-not-thrilled-putin-says-too-many-people-dying-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jan 2026 19:29:41 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Russian officials on Thursday said a Ukrainian drone strike killed 24 people and wounded at least 50 more as they celebrated the New Year in a Russian-occupied village in Ukraine’s Kherson region, as tensions between the two nations continue to spike despite diplomats hailing productive peace talks. Three drones struck a cafe and hotel in the resort town of Khorly on the Black Sea coast, the region’s Moscow-installed leader, Vladimir Saldo, said in a statement on Telegram. He said that one of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338424/russia-claims-24-killed-ukrainian-drone-strike-occupied-kherson-despite-peace-progress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338424/russia-claims-24-killed-ukrainian-drone-strike-occupied-kherson-despite-peace-progress?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 12:30:40 +0000 dpa dpa The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has concluded that Ukraine did not target Russian President Vladimir Putin or one of his residences in a recent drone attack, US media have reported. Various media, including The Wall Street Journal as well as the broadcasters PBS and CNN, cited unnamed US government officials in their reports published on Wednesday evening, contradicting serious accusations made by Moscow at the start of the week. Initially, US President Donald Trump also criticised... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338416/cia-concludes-ukraine-did-not-target-putins-residence-drone-strike?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338416/cia-concludes-ukraine-did-not-target-putins-residence-drone-strike?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 10:27:57 +0000 Agencies Agencies US ambassador to Nato Matthew Whitaker cast doubt on Tuesday on Russia’s accusation that Ukraine attacked President Vladimir ‌Putin’s residence, saying he wants to see US intelligence on the incident. “It is ‍unclear whether it actually happened,” Whitaker told Fox Business’ Varney & Co chat show in an interview about an alleged incident which Ukraine has denied. “It seems to me a little indelicate to be this close at a peace deal, Ukraine really ⁠wanting to get a peace deal done, and then to do... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338225/us-nato-envoy-casts-doubt-russian-claim-ukraine-attacked-putins-residence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338225/us-nato-envoy-casts-doubt-russian-claim-ukraine-attacked-putins-residence?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 23:47:53 +0000 dpa dpa Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday threatened Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with imminent death in a text peppered with insults on Telegram. Medvedev, who is now deputy head of the Russian Security Council and is known for his invective against Ukraine and its allies, referred to the Christmas address of Zelensky, saying he had wished death upon “a person” – presumably Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. “It is clear to everyone that he wishes death not only on ‘one person’,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338199/russias-medvedev-claims-grim-reaper-coming-zelensky-vile-threat-ukraine-leader?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338199/russias-medvedev-claims-grim-reaper-coming-zelensky-vile-threat-ukraine-leader?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 13:40:57 +0000