Topic
Russian forces invaded Ukraine in late February 2022, turning Moscow into a global pariah in the worlds of finance, diplomacy, sports and culture, as the West punished it with sanctions. President Vladimir Putin called Russia’s actions - which have triggered the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II - a “special military operation”. Nuclear-armed Russia has warned of consequences if Nato interferes in Ukraine, while strategic ally China urges a peaceful, diplomatic solution.
West’s globalisation of conflict has inextricably linked it to two of the most dangerous flashpoints – the Taiwan Strait and Korean peninsula.
Leaders of China and Russia may have been missing from latest get-together, but it still showed nations could put differences aside in an attempt to resolve problems and crises.
Controversial US political scientist John Mearsheimer argues the much-touted counter-attack against Russia was doomed from the start
- Just a week after Volodymyr Zelensky appealed in Washington for more funds to fight Russia, Congress dropped new funding for Ukraine
- President Biden said he ‘fully expects’ Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to secure passage of a separate bill for Ukraine funding soon
Hardline Republican Matt Gaetz said he would call for a vote to oust McCarthy after the top Republican backed a bill to fund the government that did not include spending cuts or changes to border security that his hardline colleagues demanded.
President Joe Biden signed the bill late on Saturday with the country careening to what appeared to be an inevitable and prolonged federal funding lapse.
A year after Moscow illegally annexed Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, Vladimir Putin said people ‘made their choice – to be with their Fatherland’.
Dmitry Zelensky’s mother said her son was pardoned after serving less than half of his 11-year sentence for killing Tatiana Melekhina.
Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that a former aide of late Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin oversee volunteer fighter units in Ukraine.
Russia said that it planned to raise defence spending by almost 70 per cent next year, funnelling massive resources into its Ukraine offensive.
Following Kim Jong-un’s visit to Russia this month, North Korea could arm Russia in exchange for a technology transfer to boost the North’s nuclear arsenal.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has pushed for Ukraine to join Nato, but alliance members have instead pledged more support to Kyiv but stopped short of extending an invitation.
The world’s largest exchange says it is selling its Russia business to a newly launched company because ‘operating in Russia is not compatible with Binance’s compliance strategy’.
Lawmakers gave veteran Yaroslav Hunka a standing ovation in front of the Ukrainian leader, only to discover later that the soldier had served in an SS unit.
The announcement for new production of gas and oil in the North Sea comes one week after PM Rishi Sunak softened policies aimed at the UK achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The Ukrainian military has said it will review its own report on the alleged death of Russian Black Sea Fleet Commander Viktor Sokolov, after images of him emerged, prompting further speculation about his fate.
During a visit by Ukraine President Zelensky, Speaker Anthony Rota had paid tribute to a Ukrainian-Canadian ex-soldier, who later turned out to have served in an SS unit during World War II.
Ukraine’s special forces said Russia’s Black Sea fleet commander was among 34 killed in a missile strike in Crimea, but he appeared in images distributed on Tuesday by Russia’s defence ministry.
Readers discuss the implications of the meeting of the leaders of North Korea and Russia, and lessons from history on Russia’s military outcomes.
Kyiv said the strike was ‘a pathetic attempt’ to retaliate for its targeting the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea navy on Friday.
Ordinary New Zealanders are struggling to pay the bills as the economy stagnates and interest rates are at their highest in years – with a national vote just weeks away.
Two people were killed in the Kherson region after Russian forces struck, while a second shipment of Ukrainian wheat managed to reach Istanbul via the Black Sea despite Russian threats.
The Republican presidential hopeful says such a move would mean more obligations for the us, and added that Washington should not give Kyiv a ‘blank cheque’.
The foreign minister called a 10-point blueprint promoted by Kyiv ‘not feasible’, and added that a UN proposal to revive the Ukraine grain deal would not work.
Ukraine said the strike happened during ‘a meeting of the Russian navy’s leadership’ and the attack killed ‘at least nine people’, including generals.
Andrei Medvedev, who escaped Russia in January via its Arctic border with Norway, has been taken into custody for illegally trying to return to his homeland, but his lawyer says it’s a misunderstanding.
The new measures include US$482 million over three years to supply Kyiv with 50 armoured vehicles, including medical evacuation vehicles.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki maintained his harsh rhetoric against Kyiv, as the two allies remain caught in a simmering row over grain imports.
US officials have been wary of providing the weapons for fear that Ukraine would use the system to strike targets within Russia and provoke a broader conflict.
The attack caused a fire and people were being urged to avoid the city centre where the navy building is located, Russian-installed officials said.
Brussels sanctions envoy David O’Sullivan says the bloc is ‘actively engaged’ in talks with Beijing about how to stop Moscow getting such products.
The Ukrainian president allowed a dispute with one of his biggest allies to spin out of control this week. That’s just a hint of the tensions building behind the scenes.
