https://www.scmp.com/rss/518137/feed The latest news on Mark Rutte, Dutch politician and Secretary General of NATO, including global politics and diplomacy news. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com 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 Finbarr Bermingham,Xiaofei Xu Finbarr Bermingham,Xiaofei Xu The simmering war in the Middle East fractured Europe on Monday, as allies clashed, tempers flared and the shock waves from the US and Israeli bombing of Iran threatened to reverberate through the continent. The crisis exposed a familiar European fault line: while leaders insist they are the last guardians of the rules-based international order, they remain split over how to respond when allies bend or break those rules. With oil price spikes threatening to compound the European economic... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3345187/europe-divided-and-edge-us-israeli-attacks-iran-ripple-across-continent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3345187/europe-divided-and-edge-us-israeli-attacks-iran-ripple-across-continent?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 19:10:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was sending a hospital boat to Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory that he has long coveted and threatened to seize by force. Trump’s rhetoric has ratcheted up tensions between the United States and Denmark, while putting the global spotlight on the Arctic as he insists mineral-rich Greenland is vital for US and Nato security against Russia and China. He said the boat would treat many “sick” people in Greenland, without providing any details on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344236/trump-sends-great-hospital-boat-treat-sick-people-greenland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344236/trump-sends-great-hospital-boat-treat-sick-people-greenland?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 04:00:16 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo US ambassador to Nato Matthew Whitaker must have mistaken China for his boss, Donald Trump. After all, it was the US president who kept saying he could end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference last week, Whitaker claimed Beijing could stop Russia’s war in Ukraine in a day if it wanted to. “China could call Vladimir Putin and end this war tomorrow and cut off his dual-purpose technologies that they’re selling,” he said. “China could stop buying Russian oil... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3343643/china-and-un-are-not-problem-ukraine-and-palestine-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3343643/china-and-un-are-not-problem-ukraine-and-palestine-west?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:34:58 +0000 Reuters Reuters Nato said on Wednesday that it had launched a mission to strengthen its presence in the Arctic, part of an effort to defuse severe tensions within the alliance prompted by US President Donald Trump’s push for the US to acquire Greenland. The new mission, Arctic Sentry, will coordinate an increasing military presence of Nato allies in the region, including exercises such as Denmark’s Arctic Endurance on Greenland, the ‌alliance’s military headquarters said in a statement. Nato did not quantify... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343235/nato-launches-arctic-sentry-mission-bid-ease-greenland-tensions-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343235/nato-launches-arctic-sentry-mission-bid-ease-greenland-tensions-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 16:44:52 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Nato said on Tuesday that military planning has started for a new mission to bolster security in the Arctic, after US President Donald Trump made protecting the region central to his demands for Greenland. “Planning is under way for a Nato enhanced vigilance activity, named Arctic Sentry,” said Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for Nato’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. “The activity will even further strengthen Nato’s posture in the Arctic and High North,” he added, without providing... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342290/nato-starts-planning-arctic-military-mission-amid-greenland-row-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342290/nato-starts-planning-arctic-military-mission-amid-greenland-row-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 18:02:32 +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 Alex Lo Alex Lo The way Lord Ismay, the first Nato chief, summarised the purpose of the Western military alliance – “Keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down” – became one of the great political aphorisms of the 20th century. Mark Rutte, the current Nato secretary general, is still following it. Perhaps he has yet to receive a memo telling him it’s now a very different century with vastly changed circumstances. Today, the Russians are in, the Americans are out, and the Germans are, well,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3341163/trump-threatens-greenland-nato-chief-says-china-real-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3341163/trump-threatens-greenland-nato-chief-says-china-real-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 10:51:56 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukraine and Russia ended a second day of ‍US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Saturday without a deal but with more talks expected next weekend, even as overnight Russian air strikes knocked out power for over a million Ukrainians amid sub-zero winter cold. Statements after the conclusion of the talks did not indicate that any agreements had been reached, but Moscow and Kyiv both said they were open to further dialogue. “The central focus of the discussions was the possible parameters for ending... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3341133/us-brokered-ukraine-peace-talks-end-no-deal-russian-strikes-continue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3341133/us-brokered-ukraine-peace-talks-end-no-deal-russian-strikes-continue?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 20:31:03 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Greenland’s prime minister said on Thursday that he was not aware of the contents of a framework agreement about the Danish autonomous territory that US President Donald Trump announced after a meeting with Nato’s chief, but stressed no deal could be made without involving the island. “Nobody else than Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark have the mandate to make deals or agreements about Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark without us,” Jens-Frederik Nielsen told a press conference. “We have... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340907/greenland-pm-says-he-doesnt-know-whats-deal-reached-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340907/greenland-pm-says-he-doesnt-know-whats-deal-reached-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 18:42:15 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Nato members must collectively protect the Arctic from growing Chinese and Russian influence, the chief of the security alliance said on Wednesday, while sidestepping the issue of Washington’s controversial bid to acquire Greenland. Speaking at an event during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said the transatlantic security alliance was crucial not only for the defence of Europe, but also for the US, which required a “safe Arctic, a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3340730/sidestepping-greenland-row-nato-chief-urges-arctic-unity-counter-china-and-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3340730/sidestepping-greenland-row-nato-chief-urges-arctic-unity-counter-china-and-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 13:21:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters European Union ambassadors reached broad agreement on Sunday to intensify ‌efforts to dissuade US President Donald Trump from imposing tariffs on European allies, while also preparing retaliatory measures should the duties go ahead, EU diplomats said. Trump vowed on Saturday to implement ‍a wave of increasing tariffs from February 1 on EU members Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland, along with Britain and Norway, until the US is allowed to buy Greenland, a step major EU... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340351/eu-considers-us108-billion-retaliatory-tariffs-us-over-trumps-greenland-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340351/eu-considers-us108-billion-retaliatory-tariffs-us-over-trumps-greenland-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 20:05:19 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Greenland would choose to remain Danish over a US takeover, its leader said on Tuesday, ahead of crunch White House talks on the future of the Arctic island which President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened. Trump has been talking up the idea of buying or annexing the autonomous territory for years, and further stoked tensions this week by saying the United States would take it “one way or the other”. “We are now facing a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the United... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3339793/greenland-says-we-choose-denmark-talks-trump-officials-loom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3339793/greenland-says-we-choose-denmark-talks-trump-officials-loom?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 19:08:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Greenland’s government said on Monday it will ‌increase efforts to ensure the defence of the Arctic territory ‍takes place under the auspices of Nato, and again rejected US President Donald Trump’s ambition to take over the island. Trump has said the United States must ⁠own Greenland, an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark, to prevent China or Russia occupying the strategically located and minerals-rich territory in the future. “All Nato member states, including the United States, have a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3339644/greenland-says-it-should-be-defended-nato-rejects-any-us-takeover?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3339644/greenland-says-it-should-be-defended-nato-rejects-any-us-takeover?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 16:58:07 +0000 Ruairidh J. Brown Ruairidh J. Brown War drums not heard in half a century are beating across Europe. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte has warned that Europe “must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents and great grandparents endured”. British and French defence chiefs have urged their respective nations to be ready to lose children in the fight against Russia. Britain’s foreign intelligence agency MI6 warns of a “grey zone” between war and peace, citing threats from Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin accuses... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3337989/europe-risks-self-fulfilling-prophecy-war-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3337989/europe-risks-self-fulfilling-prophecy-war-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 12:30:07 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo For the philosopher Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, everything is “geist”, which could be translated as either mind or spirit. So everything is either mindful, spiritual or mental, depending on your preferred translation. He calls institutions “objective spirit”. This is because ideas are only “subjective” when they are stuck in people’s heads or in books. Once those ideas are realised, for example, in forms of governments and social institutions, they become objectified and take on a concrete reality,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3336432/russia-will-end-european-union-not-other-way-around?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3336432/russia-will-end-european-union-not-other-way-around?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 12:30:09 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg European officials are growing concerned that an emerging US-brokered peace deal in Ukraine could be exploited by Russia, paving the way for a reinvasion of territory in the war-battered nation’s eastern Donbas region. The fear, a main sticking point in recent talks, is that the US plan for a demilitarised zone would give the Kremlin cover to deploy covert forces in the contested area, according to people familiar with the matter. The Kremlin might then use hybrid tactics, including so-called... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3336363/europe-fears-hidden-russian-threat-trump-backed-ukraine-peace-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3336363/europe-fears-hidden-russian-threat-trump-backed-ukraine-peace-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 02:39:35 +0000 Orange Wang,Zhao Ziwen Orange Wang,Zhao Ziwen The Trump administration is possibly facing a “dilemma” as tensions between China and Japan intensify, one Chinese analyst has suggested, while another noted that any breakthrough in the diplomatic dispute still hinged on direct engagement between the two Asian neighbours. This week, the downward spiral in ties between China and Japan showed no signs of easing. Beijing issued another travel warning targeting Japan on Thursday – less than four weeks after its previous advisory – this time citing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336106/china-japan-row-has-left-us-leader-donald-trump-facing-dilemma-analyst?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336106/china-japan-row-has-left-us-leader-donald-trump-facing-dilemma-analyst?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 15:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukraine’s European allies put on a show of support for President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday as they expressed scepticism about parts of the US proposal to end Russia’s nearly four-year invasion. Zelensky first held a meeting in London with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany before heading to Brussels later Monday for talks with the heads of the EU and of Nato. Afterwards, he was to fly to Rome for a meeting Tuesday with the Italian prime minister. The discussions came after US... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335672/european-allies-back-zelensky-after-trump-accused-him-not-reading-ukraine-peace-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335672/european-allies-back-zelensky-after-trump-accused-him-not-reading-ukraine-peace-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 23:46:56 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The United States has informed its Nato allies that it will scale back its troop presence along Europe’s eastern border with Ukraine as it focuses on security priorities elsewhere in the world, Romania’s Defence Ministry said on Wednesday. The US Army later confirmed the move, but denied it was a sign of lessened commitment to Nato. Depending on operations and exercises, around 80,000-100,000 US troops are usually present on European soil. Nato allies have expressed concern that the Trump... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3330813/us-tells-nato-troop-cut-europe-sparking-fears-security-gap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3330813/us-tells-nato-troop-cut-europe-sparking-fears-security-gap?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Oct 2025 14:28:25 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in Britain on Friday for talks with two dozen European leaders who have pledged military help to protect his country from future Russian aggression if a ceasefire stops the more than three-year war. Before heading to London’s Downing Street to meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the host of the London talks, the president met King Charles. The Ukrainian national anthem played at the almost 1,000-year-old Windsor Castle west of London, where Zelensky was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3330265/zelensky-meet-european-leaders-london-talks-military-aid-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3330265/zelensky-meet-european-leaders-london-talks-military-aid-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2025 12:21:21 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday his plan for a swift meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin was on hold because he did not want it to be a “waste of time”. It was the latest twist in Trump’s stop-and-go effort to resolve the war in Ukraine. The decision to hold off on the meeting in Budapest, Hungary, which Trump had announced last week, was made following a call on Monday between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “I don’t want to have a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329859/trump-says-ukraine-talks-putin-now-doesnt-want-wasted-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329859/trump-says-ukraine-talks-putin-now-doesnt-want-wasted-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 22:28:16 +0000 Reuters Reuters European Union leaders backed plans on Wednesday to bolster the bloc’s defences against Russian drones as they met in Copenhagen days after airspace intrusions by unmanned aircraft rattled Denmark. European authorities have accused Russia of brazen violations of the region’s airspace, including with recent incursions by drones over Poland and fighter planes over Estonia. “Europe must be able to defend itself,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said after the EU summit. “We need to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327558/eu-leaders-discuss-drone-wall-repel-russia-after-airspace-violations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327558/eu-leaders-discuss-drone-wall-repel-russia-after-airspace-violations?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 18:34:11 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Top trade negotiators from India and the United States failed to resolve their tariff dispute during talks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, with New Delhi urging Washington to drop levies linked to Russian energy imports, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the negotiations. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday. The pair were joined by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio,... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3327059/india-us-trade-talks-un-sidelines-fail-break-impasse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3327059/india-us-trade-talks-un-sidelines-fail-break-impasse?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Sep 2025 20:18:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A sighting of a suspected drone briefly closed a Danish airport on Friday for the second time in a few hours, after the country’s prime minister said the flights were part of “hybrid attacks” that may be linked to Russia. Drones have been seen flying over several Danish airports since Wednesday, causing one of them to close for hours, after a sighting earlier this week prompted Copenhagen Airport to shut down. That followed a similar incident in Norway, drone incursions in Polish and Romanian... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327014/danish-airport-closes-again-after-suspected-new-drone-sightings-linked-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327014/danish-airport-closes-again-after-suspected-new-drone-sightings-linked-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Sep 2025 09:41:10 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Western militaries cannot keep shooting down incoming drones with expensive missiles, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Thursday, adding that Nato is rapidly learning from Ukraine on how to counter Russian drones and will deploy new technologies in the coming weeks. “It is not sustainable that you would take down thousand or two-thousand dollar costing drones with missiles that cost you maybe half a million or a million dollars,” Rutte said in an interview. “All of us are rapidly... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3326932/nato-chief-says-downing-russian-drones-costly-missiles-not-sustainable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3326932/nato-chief-says-downing-russian-drones-costly-missiles-not-sustainable?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Sep 2025 05:20:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Nato announced plans to strengthen the defence of Europe’s eastern flank on Friday, two days after Poland shot down drones that had violated its airspace in the first known action of its kind by a member of the Western alliance during Russia’s war in Ukraine. Warsaw has portrayed the drone incursions as an attempt by Russia to test the capabilities of Poland and Nato to respond. On Friday, Poland rejected Donald Trump’s suggestion that the incursions could have been a mistake, a rare... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3325409/nato-boosts-defence-europes-eastern-flank-after-poland-shoots-down-russian-drones?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3325409/nato-boosts-defence-europes-eastern-flank-after-poland-shoots-down-russian-drones?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Sep 2025 23:16:50 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The United Nations Security Council announced it would hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss violations of Poland’s airspace, a day after Warsaw accused Moscow of carrying out a drone raid on its territory. Poland said the incident was not accidental, branding it an “unprecedented” attack on Poland, Nato and the European Union. Moscow denied targeting the country and said there was no evidence the drones were Russian. Stray Russian drones and missiles have entered the airspace of Nato... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3325246/un-security-council-convene-over-drone-incursions-poland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3325246/un-security-council-convene-over-drone-incursions-poland?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Sep 2025 15:15:26 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse European leaders on Thursday spoke to US President Donald Trump after holding a summit with President Volodymyr Zelensky on security guarantees for Kyiv in the event of a peace accord to end Russia’s three-and-a-half-year war against Ukraine. The guarantees by the so-called coalition of the willing, which remain under wraps but are expected to include ramped-up training for the Ukrainian army and deployment of troops by some European states, have angered Russia. They form part of a push led by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324387/europe-leaders-call-trump-after-ukraine-security-guarantees-summit-paris?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324387/europe-leaders-call-trump-after-ukraine-security-guarantees-summit-paris?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 13:36:15 +0000 Agencies Agencies Europe is drawing up “pretty precise plans” for a multinational troop deployment to Ukraine as part of post-conflict security guarantees that will have the backing of US capabilities, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the Financial Times in an interview published on Sunday. “President Trump reassured us that there will be [an] American presence as part of the backstop. That was very clear and repeatedly affirmed,” von der Leyen told the newspaper. The deployment is set to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3323839/europe-drawing-precise-plans-send-troops-ukraine-says-von-der-leyen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3323839/europe-drawing-precise-plans-send-troops-ukraine-says-von-der-leyen?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Aug 2025 19:51:37 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Russia on Friday ruled out an immediate meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, as diplomatic tension escalated with the Ukrainian president, and US mediation efforts appeared to stumble. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said “no meeting” between Vladimir Putin and Zelensky was planned, as Nato chief Mark Rutte visited Kyiv, largely to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. US President Donald Trump raised expectations for a swift summit between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents by saying... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3322888/ukraine-war-russia-rejects-zelensky-meeting-nato-chief-visits-kyiv-amid-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3322888/ukraine-war-russia-rejects-zelensky-meeting-nato-chief-visits-kyiv-amid-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 15:32:51 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow A pledge by Japan this week to provide a security guarantee for Ukraine alongside other allies is a reminder that Tokyo may be Europe’s most dependable defence partner in Asia. It also strengthens the argument for Nato to proceed with a long-discussed plan: opening a liaison office of the transatlantic security alliance in Tokyo. On Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba declared that Japan would “thoroughly discuss what our nation can and should do” in support of Ukraine, and “play an... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3322642/why-japans-support-ukraine-boosts-natos-plan-tokyo-office?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3322642/why-japans-support-ukraine-boosts-natos-plan-tokyo-office?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 02:30:09 +0000 Zhou Bo Zhou Bo The Alaska summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was a test balloon for Trump to find out, as he said, what Putin had in mind. The subsequent meeting in the White House between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders was another test balloon – for Europe – to find out what Trump had in mind. Both were useful yet not really productive. To start with, Putin has emerged as a clear winner. The red-carpet welcome on American soil with... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3322399/new-european-security-landscape-emerging-after-alaska-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3322399/new-european-security-landscape-emerging-after-alaska-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Aug 2025 12:30:07 +0000 Robert Delaney,Finbarr Bermingham Robert Delaney,Finbarr Bermingham US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was brokering a meeting between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and their Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to be followed by a trilateral meeting that would include the US leader. The declaration followed back-to-back meetings at the White House, including Trump’s in-person meeting with the Ukrainian president, in which he also dangled the possibility of US troops supporting Ukraine. He also met jointly with Zelensky, European... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3322287/speaking-white-house-trump-and-zelensky-say-trilateral-putin-may-follow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3322287/speaking-white-house-trump-and-zelensky-say-trilateral-putin-may-follow?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Aug 2025 18:13:00 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said ahead of talks with Donald Trump on Monday that Russia should not be “rewarded” for its invasion, after the US leader pressed Kyiv to make concessions in exchange for peace. The talks, in which European leaders will also take part, follow a Friday summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska that failed to produce a ceasefire in the nearly three-and-a-half-year war. Trump, who dropped his insistence on a ceasefire in favour of a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3322273/zelensky-warns-against-rewarding-russia-ukraine-invasion-ahead-trump-meet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3322273/zelensky-warns-against-rewarding-russia-ukraine-invasion-ahead-trump-meet?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Aug 2025 13:40:10 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham European leaders have vowed to turn the screws on Moscow after a high-stakes US-Russia summit in Alaska failed to result in a ceasefire in Ukraine. After a flurry of post-summit calls on Saturday, a coalition of Ukraine allies rallied around Kyiv, insisting that Russia could not veto its future membership of Nato or the European Union. Nor could there be limitations on “Ukraine’s armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries” as part of any peace agreement, read a statement quickly... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322098/european-leaders-rally-behind-ukraine-after-trump-putin-summit-fails-deliver-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322098/european-leaders-rally-behind-ukraine-after-trump-putin-summit-fails-deliver-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Aug 2025 11:49:41 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump could meet Vladimir Putin as soon as next week, a White House official said on Wednesday, as the US continued preparations to impose secondary sanctions, including potentially on China, to pressure Moscow to end the war in Ukraine. Such a face-to-face meeting would be the first between a sitting US and Russian president since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in June 2021, some eight months before Russia launched the biggest attack on a European nation since World War... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3321010/trump-open-meeting-putin-and-zelensky-after-discussing-it-call-ukrainian-leader?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3321010/trump-open-meeting-putin-and-zelensky-after-discussing-it-call-ukrainian-leader?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Aug 2025 20:06:51 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Netherlands will buy 500 million euros (US$577 million) of US weapons for Ukraine, becoming the first Nato member to fund a full package under a new scheme to speed deliveries from American stockpiles, the defence ministry said. The purchase will be under the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) mechanism launched by US President Donald Trump and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte last month. Under the scheme, countries pay Washington for defence systems and munitions in US warehouses... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3320815/netherlands-first-buy-badly-needed-us-arms-ukraine-under-nato-scheme?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3320815/netherlands-first-buy-badly-needed-us-arms-ukraine-under-nato-scheme?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Aug 2025 08:40:16 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US and Nato are working on a novel approach to supply Ukraine with weapons using funds from Nato countries to pay for the purchase or transfer of US arms, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The renewed transatlantic cooperation on Ukraine comes as US President Donald Trump has expressed frustration with Moscow’s ongoing attacks on its neighbour. Trump, who initially took a more conciliatory tone toward Russia as he tried to end the more than three-year war in Ukraine, has... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3320520/us-nato-seek-supply-ukraine-weapons-paid-allies-target-us10-billion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3320520/us-nato-seek-supply-ukraine-weapons-paid-allies-target-us10-billion?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Aug 2025 02:56:22 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo The European Union is determined to talk down to China from a position of considerable weakness. The result has been a prematurely concluded summit in Beijing with nothing to show for it other than a standard statement on climate cooperation. At the same time, it has literally cried “daddy” by accepting 15 per cent tariffs on exports to the United States after Donald Trump threatened to slap the bloc with duties of up to 50 per cent. No wonder many European politicians openly complain that... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3320153/europe-being-run-ground-amateurs-and-ideologues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3320153/europe-being-run-ground-amateurs-and-ideologues?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jul 2025 13:30:11 +0000 Nikola Mikovic Nikola Mikovic Ahead of the China-European Union summit, set to take place in Beijing on July 24, the 27-nation bloc seems determined to adopt a firm stance in its relationship with the world’s second-largest economy. While accusing China of aiding Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine, the EU also seeks what it sees as fairer economic relations. But can the growing pressure influence Beijing’s position on Moscow and the Ukraine conflict? In a recent speech, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3317581/eu-doing-itself-no-trade-favours-pushing-china-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3317581/eu-doing-itself-no-trade-favours-pushing-china-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jul 2025 21:30:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters Russia does not care about US President Donald Trump’s “theatrical ultimatum” about slapping sanctions on buyers of Russian exports unless Moscow agrees to a peace deal in Ukraine, a senior security official said on Tuesday. Trump, sitting beside Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, on Monday, announced new weapons for Ukraine and threatened secondary tariffs of 100 per cent on the buyers of Russian exports, of which crude makes up a major chunk. The US president also expressed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3318286/ukraine-war-russia-scoffs-trumps-theatrical-ultimatum-sanctions-peace-medvedev-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3318286/ukraine-war-russia-scoffs-trumps-theatrical-ultimatum-sanctions-peace-medvedev-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jul 2025 08:58:35 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Voicing sharp frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to impose 100 per cent “secondary” tariffs on any country doing business with Russia if a Ukraine ceasefire isn’t secured within 50 days. Speaking alongside Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, Trump took direct aim at Putin as he also announced plans to boost arms sales to the transatlantic alliance in support of Ukraine. “I’m disappointed in President Putin, because... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3318196/trump-russia-100-secondary-tariffs-if-no-deal-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3318196/trump-russia-100-secondary-tariffs-if-no-deal-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jul 2025 15:49:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse President Volodymyr Zelensky met on Monday with US special envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv and discussed air defence and sanctions on Russia during a “productive” conversation, the Ukrainian leader said. Kellogg’s visit – more than three years into the Kremlin’s invasion – comes as Russian forces killed three civilians in eastern Ukraine and launched dozens of long-range drones at targets across the country. The envoy arrived in Kyiv just one day after US President Donald Trump announced new Patriot... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3318186/zelensky-talks-air-defence-productive-meeting-us-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3318186/zelensky-talks-air-defence-productive-meeting-us-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jul 2025 12:55:15 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse President Donald Trump on Sunday said Washington would send Patriot air defence systems to Kyiv and hinted at new sanctions on Russia, once again voicing displeasure with Russian leader Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The US president’s announcement of the much-needed weapons for Ukraine came after he earlier said he would make a “major statement on Russia” on Monday. The announcement could come amid a diplomatic flurry set for Monday, with the US special envoy starting his latest... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3318072/trump-pledges-patriot-missiles-ukraine-says-nato-will-pay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3318072/trump-pledges-patriot-missiles-ukraine-says-nato-will-pay?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jul 2025 00:37:59 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US senators on Sunday touted a bipartisan bill that would arm US President Donald Trump with “sledgehammer” sanctions to use against Russia, ahead of a visit by the US special envoy to Ukraine. Trump has indicated he would be open to the sanctions bill as relations with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin grow increasingly frosty. US special envoy Keith Kellogg is expected to begin his latest visit to Ukraine while Trump said he would make a “major statement … on Russia” on Monday. Republican... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3318068/us-senators-aim-arm-trump-sledgehammer-sanctions-against-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3318068/us-senators-aim-arm-trump-sledgehammer-sanctions-against-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Jul 2025 22:44:06 +0000 David Dodwell David Dodwell The commitment by Nato’s 32 members to lift their defence spending to 5 per cent of their gross domestic product by 2035 has generated something between shock and awe and a feeling of being plunged into an Alice-in-Wonderland world. Above all, the agreement, which would lift Nato defence spending from an estimated US$1.5 trillion to around US$4.2 trillion over the next 10 years, was an attempt to prevent US President Donald Trump from pulling the United States out of the transatlantic security... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3316861/europes-vow-trump-push-defence-budget-5-rings-hollow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3316861/europes-vow-trump-push-defence-budget-5-rings-hollow?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Jul 2025 08:30:08 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham For months since the return of US President Donald Trump, there has been a roaring trade in papers and speeches about how to make Europe a truly independent geopolitical player. The term “strategic autonomy”, championed by the French government during Trump’s first term, is back in vogue. But the independence movement was on the ropes this week, when a series of summits thrust Europe’s weakness on global affairs into the spotlight ahead of a bout of engagement with China. On Monday, a meeting of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3316259/after-nato-chaos-irrelevant-europe-shambles-towards-china-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3316259/after-nato-chaos-irrelevant-europe-shambles-towards-china-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Jun 2025 08:00:12 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japanese leaders and survivors of the atomic bombings have denounced President Donald Trump’s comparison of the US strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities to the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, describing his remarks as deeply inappropriate and historically insensitive. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki condemned Trump’s comments, saying the use of nuclear weapons was “unacceptable” no matter the circumstances – a lesson that should be self-evident from the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3316163/japanese-angered-trumps-iran-strike-comparison-atomic-bombings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3316163/japanese-angered-trumps-iran-strike-comparison-atomic-bombings?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Jun 2025 02:00:12 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi For the first time in four years, the leaders of South Korea and Japan were nowhere to be seen at the annual Nato summit. Australia’s prime minister was also absent from The Hague but New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon took part in the meeting. The four countries are not Nato members, but the security bloc has identified Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand – also known as the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) – as key partners in the alliance’s engagement with the Indo-Pacific... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3316145/summit-snubs-what-key-nato-absences-reveal-about-indo-pacific-worries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3316145/summit-snubs-what-key-nato-absences-reveal-about-indo-pacific-worries?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Jun 2025 02:00:13 +0000