China: huge military parade watched by Putin, Kim, and other leaders
Beijing has hosted a grand military parade marking eighty years since the end of WW2, with Xi Jinping standing alongside Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un in a rare joint appearance. Xi framed…
Ukraine: Trump stirs more controversy, hopes for trilateral meeting
Donald Trump has stirred controversy by suggesting Ukraine is to blame for confronting a nation ‘ten times’ its size, despite Russia being the aggressor in the ongoing war. He downplayed Russia’s responsibility for…
Trump warns of ‘severe consequences’ if Putin refuses to agree to a ceasefire
Donald Trump has warned of ‘very severe consequences’ if Vladimir Putin refuses to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine during their meeting in Alaska on 15 August. While not detailing the measures, Trump…
Ukraine: Trump claims ‘great progress’ in talks with Putin
Donald Trump has described talks on 6 August between his envoy Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin as ‘highly productive’, claiming that ‘great progress’ has been made toward ending the Ukraine war. The Kremlin…
Russia: minister’s death a warning to ruling elite
Russia has been rocked by the sudden death of transport minister Roman Starovoit, who was found dead from a gunshot wound just hours after being dismissed by Vladimir Putin. With the presumption that…
Ukraine / Russia: delegations arrive in Istanbul, but not Putin
Peace efforts between Russia and Ukraine took a cautious step forward as Russian delegates arrived in Istanbul on 15 May for proposed negotiations. Volodymyr Zelensky had invited Vladimir Putin to meet in person,…
Ukraine: Putin announces three-day ceasefire
Vladimir Putin has announced a new three-day unilateral ceasefire, to run from 8 to 10 May, coinciding with Russia’s World War II commemorations. It follows a previous thirty-hour Easter ceasefire, which critics say…
Ukraine: Trump’s one-sided peace proposal
The USA has presented Ukraine with a controversial one-page peace framework, described as Donald Trump’s ‘final offer’, which would grant significant concessions to Russia, including recognition of its occupation of Crimea and of…
World leaders plan to attend Pope’s funeral in spite of previous differences
As tributes flood in for Pope Francis, attention turns to his legacy of engaging controversial issues such as migration, climate change, and global conflict – and therefore clashing with world leaders. Notably, Francis…
Russia: Putin orders 160,000 conscripts
Vladimir Putin has ordered the conscription of 160,000 new troops between April and July, targeting citizens aged 18 to 30. The spring draft is part of Russia’s biannual conscription cycle; the previous autumn…
