https://www.scmp.com/rss/521798/feed The latest news and top stories on the Kremlin. A prominent Moscow-based fortified complex, the Kremlin serves as the official seat of the Russian government and the President’s residence. Historically a fortress and religious centre, its main areas of focus now include state administration and cultural preservation. Recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Europe’s largest medieval fortress, it houses significant historical artefacts and architectural masterpieces, symbolising Russian... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukrainians on Friday were wary of Russia’s pledge to pause fighting for an Orthodox Easter ceasefire – first proposed by Kyiv – this weekend. The Kremlin said it had ordered a temporary truce to be in effect from Saturday afternoon until the end of Sunday, a 32-hour period during which Russia would stop fighting “in all directions”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – who has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in the four-year war – said Kyiv was willing to reciprocate. But in Kyiv there was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3349710/ukrainians-sceptical-russias-putin-orders-easter-truce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3349710/ukrainians-sceptical-russias-putin-orders-easter-truce?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:06:03 +0000 Reuters Reuters Russian ⁠President Vladimir Putin’s special ⁠envoy Kirill Dmitriev is currently in the United States and is meeting members of US President Donald Trump’s administration for ‌discussions on a peace deal for Ukraine and US-Russia economic cooperation, sources with knowledge of the visit said on Thursday. The visit comes before the US decision on ⁠whether to extend sanctions relief on Russian oil, ‌which expires on April 11 and could also be on the agenda. The ‌United States issued a 30-day waiver... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3349572/russian-special-envoy-us-meet-trump-administration-officials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3349572/russian-special-envoy-us-meet-trump-administration-officials?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 20:00:23 +0000 dpa dpa Russia has formally designated Nazi crimes against the Soviet population during World War II as genocide and criminalised their denial, after President Vladimir Putin signed amendments to the country’s criminal code, the Kremlin said on Thursday. The term “genocide of the Soviet people” has increasingly been used in Russia in recent years. Authorities have also proposed repurposing a closed museum dedicated to the Soviet-era Gulag system into one focused on victims of Nazi crimes. Moscow has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3349569/russia-criminalises-denial-soviet-genocide-nazis-during-world-war-ii?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3349569/russia-criminalises-denial-soviet-genocide-nazis-during-world-war-ii?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:21:17 +0000 Reuters Reuters Students across Russia are being offered large financial incentives ⁠to join drone units fighting in Ukraine as operators and engineers, while companies in Russia’s central Ryazan region have been given quotas to sign up workers for the army, documents show. The recruitment effort, which comes as Russian forces continue to grind forwards on the battlefield in Ukraine and as US-brokered peace talks are on ice due to the Iran war, suggests Moscow is diversifying its push to replenish its army’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3348784/russia-luring-students-large-financial-packages-join-drone-units?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3348784/russia-luring-students-large-financial-packages-join-drone-units?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 07:42:43 +0000 Reuters Reuters ⁠The Russian defence ministry said on Wednesday that its ⁠forces had taken full control of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine, suggesting they had wrested control of a small sliver of land which had remained beyond their reach since 2022. Reuters could not independently verify the ‌battlefield report and a Ukrainian military spokesman said there had been no battlefield changes in the area in the last six months. More than 99 per cent of Luhansk, one of four Ukrainian regions Russia claimed as... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3348720/russia-says-it-has-taken-full-control-ukraines-luhansk-region?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3348720/russia-says-it-has-taken-full-control-ukraines-luhansk-region?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 19:55:17 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Iran war has deflected global attention from Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbour Ukraine as Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II enters its fifth year and an emboldened Kremlin undertakes a spring offensive. The past week showed that neither side was easing up. Russia on Tuesday fired almost 1,000 drones and 34 missiles at Ukraine in one of the war’s biggest bombardments. The following day Ukraine launched almost 400 drones in the largest reported overnight attack on Russian... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347956/iran-war-deflects-attention-ukraine-russia-starts-spring-offensive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347956/iran-war-deflects-attention-ukraine-russia-starts-spring-offensive?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 06:08:22 +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 Reuters,Bloomberg Reuters,Bloomberg A pro-Kremlin figure who unexpectedly denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine in a social media post this week that went viral has been placed in a psychiatric facility, Russian media reported on Thursday. Ilya Remeslo made a career denouncing Putin’s critics until he became one himself, posting a manifesto late on Tuesday to his 90,000 followers on ⁠Telegram entitled: “Five reasons why I stopped supporting Vladimir Putin.” He said Putin had prosecuted a “failing war”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3347211/pro-kremlin-russian-blogger-who-turned-putin-sent-psychiatric-unit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3347211/pro-kremlin-russian-blogger-who-turned-putin-sent-psychiatric-unit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 14:46:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters Peace talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine on ending the Ukraine war, the deadliest European conflict since World War II, were on a “situational pause”, the Kremlin said on Thursday. Moscow’s statement followed a report by Russia’s Izvestia newspaper that the Iran war had temporarily ‌halted negotiations between ⁠Moscow, ⁠Washington and Kyiv. Kremlin ‌spokesman Dmitry Peskov said ‌Russia hoped ‌the ‌pause would end and ⁠another round of ⁠negotiations can be held. US President... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347151/russian-report-says-ukraine-peace-talks-paused-amid-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347151/russian-report-says-ukraine-peace-talks-paused-amid-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 08:27:27 +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 Associated Press Associated Press Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran strike American warships, aircraft and other assets in the region, according to two officials familiar with US intelligence on the matter. The officials, who were not authorised to comment publicly on the sensitive matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity, cautioned that US intelligence has not uncovered that Russia is directing Iran on what to do with the information as the US and Israel continue their bombardment and Iran... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345785/us-says-russian-intelligence-iran-not-making-any-difference-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345785/us-says-russian-intelligence-iran-not-making-any-difference-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 02:05:07 +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 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 Reuters Reuters More than 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited to fight on Russia’s side in the war in Ukraine, according to a Kenyan intelligence report presented to lawmakers this week, five times more than authorities had previously estimated. The Russian embassy in Nairobi denied on Thursday that Moscow was involved in illegally recruiting Kenyans to fight in Ukraine, though it said ‌foreign citizens could voluntarily join its armed forces. Reading the report of Kenya’s National Intelligence Service to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344104/over-1000-kenyans-recruited-fight-russia-ukraine-war-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344104/over-1000-kenyans-recruited-fight-russia-ukraine-war-report?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 06:44:23 +0000 Reuters,Associated Press Reuters,Associated Press Russia is demanding that European countries who accused Moscow of poisoning Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny with a dart frog toxin provide concrete data to support their allegation, according to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said on Saturday that analyses of samples from Navalny’s body had confirmed the presence of epibatidine, a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America and not found naturally in Russia. They said Moscow... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343935/russia-demands-concrete-proof-it-poisoned-navalny-dart-frog-toxin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343935/russia-demands-concrete-proof-it-poisoned-navalny-dart-frog-toxin?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 13:38:12 +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 Associated Press Associated Press Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned by the Kremlin with a rare and lethal toxin found in the skin of poison dart frogs, five European countries said on Saturday. The foreign ministries of the UK, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said analysis of samples taken from Navalny’s body “conclusively confirmed the presence of epibatidine”. It is a neurotoxin found in the skin of dart frogs in South America that is not found naturally in Russia, they said. A joint statement... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343599/russia-poisoned-alexei-navalny-dart-frog-toxin-european-nations-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343599/russia-poisoned-alexei-navalny-dart-frog-toxin-european-nations-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 16:36:14 +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 Associated Press Associated Press A deputy chief of Russian military intelligence was shot and wounded in Moscow on Friday in an attack that follows a series of assassinations of senior military officers that Russia blamed on Ukraine. Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev was shot several times by an unidentified assailant at a residential building in Moscow’s northwest and rushed to hospital, Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement. Petrenko did not say who could be behind the attack on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3342651/russian-general-shot-and-wounded-assassination-attempt-moscow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3342651/russian-general-shot-and-wounded-assassination-attempt-moscow?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 08:23:15 +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 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 “Assemble!” someone bellowed in the prison corridor, cutting through the silence. Murmurs began echoing off the white walls, and the stairwells filled with people from all over the world: Egyptians, Chinese, Cameroonians, Kenyans, an Italian - all soldiers captured fighting for Russia, now held in a Ukrainian jail. Some joined the Russian military in search of a better life or to escape their home countries, while others were persuaded by Russia’s war aims. Some say they were tricked or forced... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341825/foreign-pows-who-fought-russia-now-stuck-ukraine-prison-limbo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341825/foreign-pows-who-fought-russia-now-stuck-ukraine-prison-limbo?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 08:24:50 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa visited Moscow on Wednesday for the second time in less than four months, and Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasised his readiness to help the country rebuild its war-battered economy. “I know that there is a lot that’s necessary to restore in Syria, and our economic operators, including the construction sector, are ready for this joint work,” Putin said. The talks also were expected to focus on the future of Russian military bases in Syria, a key... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3341631/syrian-leader-meets-putin-moscow-russian-military-bases-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3341631/syrian-leader-meets-putin-moscow-russian-military-bases-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 04:32:32 +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 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Russian attacks on Ukraine killed at least one person and wounded 31 overnight into Saturday as negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States were to meet in the United Arab Emirates for a second day of talks to end Russia’s nearly four-year full-scale invasion. One person died and four were wounded in drone attacks on the capital, Kyiv, according to Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko. In Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, drone attacks wounded 27 people, said... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341083/russian-air-attack-kills-1-injures-15-ukraine-while-negotiators-discuss-ending-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341083/russian-air-attack-kills-1-injures-15-ukraine-while-negotiators-discuss-ending-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 03:03:17 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met ‌in Abu Dhabi on Friday to tackle the vital issue of territory, with no sign of a compromise, as Russian air strikes plunged Ukraine into its worst ‍energy crisis of the nearly four-year war. Kyiv is under mounting US pressure to reach a peace deal in the war triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, with Moscow demanding Kyiv cede its entire eastern industrial area of Donbas before it stops fighting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3341073/russia-and-ukraine-sit-tense-talks-thorny-territorial-issue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3341073/russia-and-ukraine-sit-tense-talks-thorny-territorial-issue?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 22:02:10 +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 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 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 Reuters Reuters President Vladimir Putin is mediating in the Iran situation ‍to try to quickly de-escalate tensions, the Kremlin said on Friday, after the Russian leader spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Moscow, an ally of Tehran, has condemned US President Donald Trump’s threats of new military strikes after Iran cracked down on protests that broke out late last month. Israel and the US last ⁠year both bombed Iranian nuclear sites, and Iran fought a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3340197/putin-offers-moscow-mediator-iran-crisis-amid-tensions-israel-trump-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3340197/putin-offers-moscow-mediator-iran-crisis-amid-tensions-israel-trump-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:45:36 +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 Bloomberg Bloomberg As Russian President Vladimir Putin focuses his attentions on Moscow’s war in Ukraine, his strategic allies around the world have been left feeling neglected – or worse. In Venezuela, officials now think their years-long security relationship with Moscow was a paper tiger. They’re not alone: From Damascus and Tehran to Havana, over the last 13 months authoritarian regimes which previously benefited from their close ties to the Kremlin have found Russian support lacking when it mattered... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3339890/how-putins-focus-ukraine-war-leaves-allies-venezuela-iran-and-cuba-exposed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3339890/how-putins-focus-ukraine-war-leaves-allies-venezuela-iran-and-cuba-exposed?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 10:28:27 +0000 Reuters Reuters Russia fired a powerful hypersonic missile at Ukraine near the EU border overnight, in what ‌Kyiv called a new threat to European security that demanded a global response. Moscow said it had fired the Oreshnik missile in response ‍to what it has described as an attempted drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences last month, which Ukraine has denied and the United States has said did not happen. It was only the second time Russia has fired the Oreshnik at Ukraine, and came amid... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3339327/russia-says-it-fired-new-oreshnik-hypersonic-missile-strike-against-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3339327/russia-says-it-fired-new-oreshnik-hypersonic-missile-strike-against-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 08:34:45 +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 Associated Press Associated Press President Volodymyr Zelensky replaced the head of Ukraine’s security service on Monday, continuing a top-level reshuffle ahead of a trip to Paris where he hoped to finalise agreements with allies on how to ensure that Russia does not repeat its invasion if a peace agreement is signed. Zelensky has been trying to revamp his administration as the grinding war of attrition with Russia marks its fourth anniversary next month. He is keen to keep up the momentum of US-led peace talks as well as... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338830/zelensky-hires-canadas-ex-deputy-pm-chrystia-freeland-ukraines-economic-adviser?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338830/zelensky-hires-canadas-ex-deputy-pm-chrystia-freeland-ukraines-economic-adviser?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 18:31:59 +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 Agencies Agencies Russia’s former president Dmitry Medvedev said he could envisage abduction operations against other world leaders similar to the US arrest of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, naming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz among them. “The kidnapping of the neo-Nazi Merz could be an excellent twist in this carnival of events,” Medvedev, who is now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, was quoted as saying by state news agency Tass on Sunday. Such a scenario was not unrealistic, he added. “There are... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338697/russias-medvedev-floats-kidnapping-scenario-involving-germanys-merz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338697/russias-medvedev-floats-kidnapping-scenario-involving-germanys-merz?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 17:46:03 +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 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukraine staged the death of an anti-Kremlin Russian fighter to prevent his killing ordered by Moscow’s special forces, Ukrainian military intelligence announced on Thursday. Denis Kapustin, leader of the Russian Volunteer Corps that had carried out cross-border raids into Russia during Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, was killed on the front line, his group declared on Saturday. But on Thursday Kapustin – also known as Denis Nikitin – appeared via video link at a briefing with the head of Ukrainian... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338438/ukraine-says-it-faked-death-anti-kremlin-russian-fighter-kapustin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338438/ukraine-says-it-faked-death-anti-kremlin-russian-fighter-kapustin?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 17:23:27 +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 Associated Press Associated Press Russia’s nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system has entered active service in Belarus, Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Tuesday, as the US efforts to broker a deal to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine have entered a pivotal stage. The ministry released a video showing combat vehicles that are part of the mobile intermediate-range ballistic missile system driving across a forest as part of combat training. The ministry’s announcement followed a statement from Belarusian President... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338194/russias-nuclear-capable-oreshnik-missiles-enter-service-amid-trump-zelensky-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338194/russias-nuclear-capable-oreshnik-missiles-enter-service-amid-trump-zelensky-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 12:14:20 +0000 Reuters Reuters Following angry exchanges on Monday, Russia dealt a fresh blow to diplomatic efforts on Tuesday by refusing to substantiate claims of a Ukrainian attack on President Vladimir Putin’s residence, instead using the unverified incident as justification to harden its position in conflict negotiations with Kyiv. US President Donald Trump said Putin had told him about the alleged attack in a phone call on Monday morning, which had angered him. Still, Trump repeated his belief that a peace deal may be... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338073/russia-says-ukraine-tried-attack-putins-residence-kyiv-says-moscow-lying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338073/russia-says-ukraine-tried-attack-putins-residence-kyiv-says-moscow-lying?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 16:58:23 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he asked Donald Trump for US security guarantees lasting as long as half a century to help deter against any future Russian invasion. Current proposals under discussion as part of a peace plan set out a 15-year term with the possibility for an extension, though “I would like the guarantee to be much longer,” Zelensky said on Monday in an audio message to reporters. “We would like to consider the possibility of 30, 40, 50 years and then it will be a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338066/ukraines-zelensky-asked-trump-historic-50-year-guarantee-against-russia-mar-lago?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338066/ukraines-zelensky-asked-trump-historic-50-year-guarantee-against-russia-mar-lago?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 13:17:44 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were “getting a lot closer, ‌maybe very close” to an agreement to end the war in Ukraine, while acknowledging that the fate of the disputed Donbas region remained a key unresolved issue. The two leaders spoke at a joint news ‍conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Sunday afternoon. Both leaders reported progress on two of the most contentious issues in peace talks: security... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3337959/trump-putin-do-not-support-european-ukrainian-temporary-ceasefire-idea-kremlin-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3337959/trump-putin-do-not-support-european-ukrainian-temporary-ceasefire-idea-kremlin-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Dec 2025 19:03:23 +0000