Tag - russia

 
 

RUSSIA

Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi (right) shakes hands with Russia's ambassador to Afghanistan, Dmitry Zhirnov, during their meeting at the foreign ministry in Kabul on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 4, 2025
Russia becomes first country to recognize Taliban government
Moscow has taken recent steps to normalize relations with the Taliban authorities.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin remain at odds over ending the war in Ukraine.
WORLD
Jul 4, 2025
No progress at all, Trump says after phone call with Putin
The two leaders did not discuss a recent pause in some U.S. weapons shipments to Kyiv during the nearly hourlong conversation.
Albin Enbacke is among the train drivers responsible for ferrying iron ore from the Kiruna mine.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2025
Sweden’s arctic railway prepares for a more militarized future
Should Finland’s border with Russia ever become an active front, the track would be one of the best ways for NATO to transport vehicles and supplies.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends tactical training by military special forces and a firing drill by tank units at an unknown location in North Korea on May 13.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2025
Russia could soon get up to 30,000 more North Korean troops, reports say
The addition would almost triple the total number of North Korean soldiers directly fighting alongside Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Andriy Ilkiv, head of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Department of the National Police in Lviv Oblast, shows his prosthetic leg against the backdrop of the GCS-200 demining complex near the village of Zaliman, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on May 2.
WORLD
Jul 3, 2025
Demining Ukraine: from drones to risking it with a rake
The drones which have revolutionized the way war is fought in Ukraine may also now become a game-changer in demining the country.
Since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January, he has softened Washington's position toward Russia and raised doubts about future U.S. military support for Kyiv.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2025
Ukraine voices concern as U.S. halts some missile shipments
Ukraine said it had called in the acting U.S. envoy to Kyiv to underline the importance of military aid from Washington continuing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday
WORLD
Jul 3, 2025
Swiss say foreign spying threat high, citing Russia and China
The global context has direct implications for Switzerland, a militarily neutral country which hosts multiple international organizations.
A damaged flat in a multistory residential building after a Russian drone attack in Odesa, Ukraine, on June 28.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 2, 2025
U.S. halting some shipments of military aid to Ukraine
The curtailment of military aid signals a possible shift in U.S. President Donald Trump's priorities.
French President Emmanuel Macron urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine "as soon as possible" as the two held their first known phone talks since 2022 on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 2, 2025
Macron and Putin discuss Iran and Ukraine in first talks since 2022
The two leaders also discussed Tehran's nuclear program, with French President Emmanuel Macron suggesting Moscow and Paris work together to de-escalate tensions.
This screen shot from Korean Central Television taken Friday shows a screen displaying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un looking at coffins during a performance attended by Kim and Russian Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova in Pyongyang.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 1, 2025
North Korea's Kim shown honoring troops killed in Russia-Ukraine war
Around 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded fighting for Russia, according to South Korea's spy agency.
German Ambassador to Japan Petra Sigmund says that Tokyo and Berlin "face similar security challenges," and that they must "invest in defense, deterrence and diplomacy alike."
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 1, 2025
‘No time to lose’: Germany aims to boost defense-industrial ties with Japan
Berlin’s ambassador to Tokyo says her country is looking to quickly ramp up cooperation amid a growing Russian threat.
A banner announces the construction of a photovoltaic solar farm in Cabaiguan, Cuba, on May 21.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 1, 2025
China is quietly supplanting Russia as Cuba's main benefactor
Where many of Russia's most recent promises to Cuba have fizzled, China has discreetly stepped up to fill the void.
U.S. President Donald Trump takes part in the NATO summit on June 24. Trump's unilateral strike on Iran without consulting NATO allies has deepened divisions within the alliance, raising doubts about its relevance and collective security framework.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 30, 2025
NATO leaders’ price for supporting Ukraine is their self-respect
Last week’s summit in The Hague focused more on appeasing Trump than serious strategy.
Workers build a scaffolding platform during construction at the Yamal LNG plant, operated by Novatek, in Sabetta, Russia, in August 2018.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2025
Russia tries again to expand LNG exports upended by sanctions
Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russian gas pipeline exports to Europe have dwindled, and shipping more fuel via seaborne LNG tankers provides an attractive revenue stream.
The Nagasaki Peace Park in the city of Nagasaki
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2025
Russian envoy to attend peace ceremony in Nagasaki
In May, Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said that his city would invite Russian and other ambassadors to this year's ceremony.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Minsk, Belarus, on Thursday. The lack of a common understanding between U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about Putin's goals is seen complicating future diplomatic plans to wind down the war in Ukraine.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 27, 2025
Following NATO summit, Trump and Europe still at odds over Putin's ambitions
The NATO summit highlighted the widening gap between how the U.S. and Europe see the military ambitions of Russia, the bloc's main foil.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun and his counterparts pose for a group photo before the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Defense Ministers' Meeting in Qingdao, Shandong province in China on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 26, 2025
China hosts Iran and Russia's defense ministers amid 'momentous change'
The Qingdao meeting of the SCO's top defense officials comes as a fledgling ceasefire between Israel and Iran holds after 12 days of fighting between the arch-foes.
The United Nations Security Council holds a vote during a meeting on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the bodies headquarters in New York on Feb. 24.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jun 26, 2025
Democracy shouldn’t be used as an ideological weapon
The democracy-vs-autocracy framing has widened the divide between democratic countries — “us” — and Russia and its allies — “them.”
Bags of food aid are prepared for distribution by the World Food Program, part of the EU- and U.S.-backed "Grain from Ukraine" initiative, at a warehouse in Nouakchott, Mauritania, on Nov. 19, 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 26, 2025
Ukraine turns to Africa in its struggle against Russia
By showing countries in Africa that it is a major alternative to Russian food supplies, Ukraine hopes many will begin to pressure Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump attends a news conference during the NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 26, 2025
NATO's Trump flattery buys time but dodges tough questions
Sooner or later, NATO will have to deal with tough topics of vital importance to it, such as the war in Ukraine, Russia strategy and a likely drawdown of U.S. troops in Europe.

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