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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.
The Republican Party has been tough on China but appears to be finding it harder to reconcile that with Beijing’s closeness to Moscow amid the Ukraine war. Over time, Republicans seem poised to abandon traditional foreign policy positions aligned with a liberal world order
In wide-ranging London talk, Hungary’s trade and foreign affairs chief explains why Western sanctions against Russia have badly backfired.
- Asia’s geographical separation from Ukraine and the Middle East provides a ‘mental space’ for reflection, Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen says
- Singapore is ‘realistic’ and does not have outsized aspirations or strategic overstretch in US-China ties
Josep Borrell tells Shangri-La defence forum that avoiding tension in the South China Sea is ‘of the utmost importance’ for the bloc because of strong trade links.
The peace plan calls for the withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukraine and the restoration of the country’s territorial integrity.
Ukraine is enlisting prisoners to help replenish the army ranks, with up to 20,000 being mobilised. Inmates taking part will have their remaining sentences cleared.
‘Those who complain about China’s overcapacity are not concerned about China’s production capacity, but rather their own market share,’ Wu Hongbo tells state-owned outlet in wide-ranging interview.
US President Joe Biden has lifted restrictions on Ukraine using weapons supplied by the United States against targets on Russian territory, but only to defend the under-fire Kharkiv region.
Trade between China and Russia surged to a record US$240 billion in 2023, an increase of more than 64 per cent since 2021, before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin said Nato member were “provoking” Kyiv into prolonging the conflict in Ukraine, whose leaders are appealing to Western countries to allow it to target Russia.
Such an explosion would be to cow the West into refusing to allow Ukraine to use its arms against targets inside Russia, Council for Foreign and Defence Policy member says.
Clear that Beijing has ‘picked sides’ by supplying Moscow dual-use components for conflict, says Washington’s envoy to transatlantic security alliance.
Main causes for growing Sino-Russian relationship are Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine and ‘China’s choice to enable Putin’s war’, official adds.
Russia’s Vladimir Putin warned the West that such action could trigger a global conflict, saying Nato members were playing with fire with such proposals.
Images of new hi-tech tank circulating on social media hint at move from traditional tank-on-tank combat to a more comprehensive warfare approach.
Ukraine’s top commander said on Monday he had signed paperwork allowing French military instructors to visit Ukrainian training centres soon.
Spanish media report that the deal would include new Patriot missiles and Leopard tanks, as Ukraine battle a Russian ground offensive in Kharkiv.
Pyongyang told Japan it intends to launch the satellite by June 4. Rocket debris could fall near the Korean peninsula and Philippine island of Luzon.
Russian president is to hold talks with Uzbekistan’s President Shavkay Mirziyoyev which are expected to focus on deepening the countries’ relations.
Emmanuel Macron on Sunday began the first state visit to Germany by a French president in a quarter-century.
Zelensky appealed to the two presidents to show their ‘leadership in advancing the peace – the real peace and not just a pause between the strikes’.
Russia’s TASS state news agency cited a security source claiming that a missile strike destroyed a “military store and command post” inside the shopping centre.
The US has been pushing its G7 partners to back a loan that could provide Ukraine with as much as US$50 billion in the near term.
The Russian president has indicated he would be ready to settle for what land he has now and freeze the conflict at the current frontlines.
Development comes after Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets top Brazilian envoy and marks first such Beijing initiative since the armed conflict began.
Kyiv has been battling a fresh Russian land assault in the Kharkiv region since May 10, when thousands of Moscow’s troops stormed the border, making their biggest territorial advances in 18 months.
Russia has arrested a number of generals and military leaders in recent weeks, seeking to overhaul an army hierarchy seen as corrupt and inefficient.
US President Joe Biden will likely miss a Ukraine peace summit next month because it conflicts with a campaign fundraiser in California he’s set to attend alongside George Clooney, Julia Roberts and other stars.
Russia will identify US property, including securities, that could be used as compensation for losses sustained as a result of any seizure of frozen Russian assets in the United States.
