Russia

Jinping, Putin pledge to boost China-Russia ties in 2025 as Trump returns

Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a video conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin 'shared his hope for a flourishing China-Russia relationship in the year ahead'

Makes sense to give Russia multiple options, says EAM S Jaishankar

"Russia is turning more towards Asia and other parts of the world. It makes sense to give Russia multiple options," Jaishankar said at a panel discussion at the ongoing Raisina Dialogues

Russia-Ukraine war would've never started if I were President: Trump

Trump also said that North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, or Nato countries must pay 5 per cent of their GDP for its defence budget

Russian court convicts Navalny's lawyers for belonging to 'extremist group'

Prosecutors accused the lawyers of 'using their status' to give letters written by Navalny during his time in prison to his associates, enabling him to continue to lead an 'extremist organisation'

Russia, Iran sign comprehensive strategic pact amid Western sanctions

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, signed a broad cooperation pact Friday as their countries deepened their partnership in the face of stinging Western sanctions. Russian and Iranian officials say the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty covers all areas - from trade and military cooperation to science, education and culture. Putin praised the deal as a real breakthrough, creating conditions for the stable and sustainable development of Russia, Iran and the entire region. He said the amount of trade and economic cooperation was still insufficient, voicing hope the new treaty will help clear bureaucratic hurdles and expand ties. The Russian leader added that the countries are trying to resolve technical obstacles to advance planned projects to ship Russian natural gas to Iran and build transport corridors to Iranian ports in the Gulf. Pezeshkian said the projects are feasible, adding that experts were working to resolve the remain

Russia, Iran have troubled history despite their current alliance

Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting his Iranian counterpart Friday for the signing of a broad pact between Moscow and Tehran. The Kremlin says the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement between Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will take their cooperation to a new level. The signing comes ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged to broker peace in Ukraine and take a tougher stance on Iran. What to know about the Russian-Iranian relationship: Historic rivals become allies Russia and Iran fought wars in the 18th and 19th centuries, with the Russian Empire capturing broad territories in the Caucasus and the Caspian region previously controlled by Persian rulers. In the early 20th century, Russian troops occupied large parts of northern Iran, but the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution ended their presence. In World War II, the Soviet Union and Britain invaded Iran, which still evokes painful memories in Tehran. Tensions ran

UK PM Starmer signs '100-year partnership' agreement with Ukraine

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a 100-year partnership agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, part of a European show of support and promises to keep helping Ukraine endure in its nearly three-year war with Russia. The announcement came days before Donald Trump is sworn in as US president with scepticism of America's military burden in Europe and what he says is a plan to end the continent's biggest conflict since World War II. We are with you not just today or tomorrow, for this year or the next, but for 100 years long after this terrible war is over and Ukraine is free and thriving once again, Starmer told Zelenskyy during a visit to Kyiv, promising that the UK would "play our part" in guaranteeing Ukraine's post-war security. Starmer said the landmark century-long agreement commits the two sides to cooperate on defense especially maritime security against Russian activity in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Sea of Azov and on technology projects

Isro mission succeeds, 2 satellites dock in space in 'historic moment'

'Significant stepping stone for India's ambitious space missions,' says Prime Minister Modi

Ukraine, Russia exchange major strikes as Trump's inauguration nears

The latest escalation began when Ukraine launched a barrage of ATACMS missiles, targeting Russian military and oil facilities

Will help Vietnam become 'partner country' in Brics bloc, says Russia

Russia will facilitate Vietnam's participation in the BRICS bloc of developing economies as a partner country, the countries said in a joint statement on Wednesday after Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin's two-day visit to Hanoi. The Russian side welcomed Vietnam's active participation in BRICS events in 2024 and expressed its readiness to create favourable conditions if Vietnam joins BRICS as a partner country, the statement said. BRICS was formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2009, with South Africa added in 2010, as a counterweight to the Group of Seven leading industrialised nations. Last year, the bloc added Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has been invited to join. Turkiye, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have formally applied to become members, and a few others have expressed interest. Vietnam's Southeast Asian neighbour Indonesia was admitted as a full BRICS member this month. But Vietnam remains reticent to join the bloc, said Nguyen

Former Gazprom subsidiary to pay Gail India $285 million in settlement

Gazprom Germania (now SEFE) had suspended LNG shipments to Gail after being taken over by European authorities

Poland accuses Russia of planning acts of terror against airlines globally

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused Russia on Wednesday of planning acts of sabotage worldwide that included acts of air terror against airlines. Tusk spoke at a news conference in Warsaw alongside Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy. I will not go into details, I can only confirm the validity of fears that Russia was planning acts of air terror, not only against Poland, but against airlines around the world, Tusk said. The Kremlin has dismissed previous Western claims that Russia sponsored acts of sabotage and attacks in Europe. Western security officials suspect Russian intelligence was behind a plot to put incendiary devices in packages on cargo planes headed to North America, including one that caught fire at a courier hub in Germany and another that ignited in a warehouse in England last year. Late last year, Azerbaijan accused Russia of unintentionally shooting down an Azerbaijani airliner that crashed in Kazakhstan on December 25, killing 38 people. Russian Presid

Albanese demands Russia explain what happened to Australian prisoner of war

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday his government will take the "strongest action possible" if Russia has harmed an Australian who was taken prisoner while fighting for Ukraine. Video posted on social media in December showed Oscar Jenkins (32) dressed in military uniform with his hands bound being questioned and struck by a Russian interrogator. Australian authorities were seeking comment from Russia on reports that the Melbourne school teacher had been killed since he became a prisoner of war. Albanese said Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials were seeking "urgent clarification" of Jenkins' circumstances. "We call upon Russia to immediately confirm Oscar Jenkins' status. We remain gravely concerned," Albanese told reporters. "We will await the facts to come out. But if there has been any harm caused to Oscar Jenkins, that is absolutely reprehensible. And the Australian government will take the strongest action possible," Albane

Biden announces steps to protect vehicle supply chains from China, Russia

Connected vehicles consist of many connected components and systems - such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, and satellite connectivity

Indian refiners hopeful of Moscow finding path around latest US oil curbs

Processors are hopeful that the new US government may help to blunt the impact of the far-reaching curbs announced last week

Vietnam, Russia sign agreement to boost cooperation on nuclear energy

Vietnam and Russia inked Tuesday an agreement to boost cooperation on nuclear energy during Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin's two-day visit to Hanoi. The Southeast Asian country has been trying to revive its nuclear energy plans after it shelved building two nuclear power plants in 2016 due to ballooning costs and concerns around safety hoping it will help it become energy-sufficient and reach its goal of curbing additional greenhouse emissions by 2050. The agreement was signed between Russia's state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom and Vietnam's state-owned power utility EVN. Mishustin also held bilateral talks with his counterpart Pham Minh Chinh and met Vietnam's Communist Party chief To Lam and the chairman of Vietnam's National Assembly Tran Thanh Man. Vietnam is an important partner of Russia in Southeast Asia," Mishustin said. Today we plan to discuss with you a comprehensive plan for cooperation between Russia and Vietnam, which runs until 2030. He is set to

Ukraine strikes Russia in drone, missile attack, destroying 2 factories

Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of the Bryansk region in western Russia, said Ukraine had launched a major missile attack

US President-elect Trump says he will meet 'very quickly' with Putin

He did not provide a timeline for the meeting, which would be the first between the leaders of the two countries since Russia's war with Ukraine started in February 2022

Six EU countries call for lowering of G7 price cap on Russian oil

Price caps on Russian seaborne crude as well as refined petroleum products were set by G7 countries to curb Moscow's revenues from oil trade

New US energy sanctions to destabilise global markets, says Russian govt

The move was meant to cut Russia's revenues for financing the war with Ukraine. A US official said the sanctions could cost Russia billions of dollars per month if sufficiently enforced