The White House has asked the U.S. Departments of State and Treasury to draft a list of sanctions on some Russian entities and individuals, including oligarchs, which could be eased, Reuters reports, citing sources with knowledge of the plans. The U.S. State and Treasury Departments are asked to draft a list of possible sanctions relief…
Under the plan outlined by Starmer, France and the U.K. would lead talks on building a “coalition of the willing” to offer security guarantees to Ukraine in case a cease-fire is reached. The two countries have for weeks been involved in building a proposal to deploy peacekeeping troops to Ukraine after a hoped-for truce has…
“A very good friend of mine” was how US President Donald Trump described Chinese President Xi Jinping during his election campaign last year. Then, in the days after taking office in January, Trump said he “always liked” Xi, and that they “always had a very good relationship”. This month, Trump again hailed his “very good…
The Cook Islands said Saturday it has struck a five-year agreement with China to cooperate in exploring and researching the Pacific nation’s seabed mineral riches. A copy of the deal — signed during a state visit to China that has been criticised by former colonial ruler New Zealand — showed it covers working together in…
Ukrainians are rallying around their president, Volodymyr Zelensky, after President Donald Trump launched a remarkable series of verbal and written attacks on their beleaguered leader. Why It Matters Days before the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine faces growing uncertainty as its once staunchest ally, the United States, appears increasingly divided on supporting Kyiv’s…
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron painted a veneer of European unity by inviting a small number of handpicked European leaders to the Élysée Palace, while the Trump administration sidelined the continent by moving ahead with direct negotiations on Tuesday with Russia on the war in Ukraine. But beneath the diplomatic pageantry, cracks in…
China and Thailand should strengthen their economic and political relations to deal with the significant uncertainties facing the world, President Xi Jinping told Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in Beijing yesterday. Paetongtarn is currently on a four-day official visit to China, her first since taking office last year, which also coincides with the 50th anniversary…
Philippine Coast Guard personnel arrange a version of a mockup comic book on the South China Sea dispute Ted ALJIBE Text size The Philippine government launched a comic book Friday asserting its claims in the disputed South China Sea, amid rising tensions with Beijing over the strategic waterway. National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said “The…
With the fate of suspended South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol hanging in the balance, the country has also been left facing an uncertain future as it battles through the resulting political turmoil. Analysts say that the power transitions, both in Seoul and Washington, could significantly alter the dynamics between East Asian neighbours South Korea, Japan…
Last year, after Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election, media reported that he had extended an unusual invitation for China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, to attend the inauguration on January 20. No top Chinese leader has ever attended a U.S. presidential inauguration (in fact, foreign leaders from any country, including close U.S. partners and…