Page 2 - Russia

US, Russia near deal to extend new START nuclear arms treaty: Report

The New START treaty, which set limits on each side's missiles, launchers and strategic warheads, is the last in a series of nuclear agreements dating back more than half a century to the Cold War

US, Russia agree to restart military dialogue after Ukraine negotiations

The US and Russia have agreed to reestablish high level military-to-military dialogue following a meeting between senior Russian and American military officials in Abu Dhabi, the United States European Command said in a statement. The agreement was reached following meetings in Abu Dhabi between Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, Commander of US European Command -- also NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe -- and senior Russian and Ukrainian military officials, the statement said. Grynkewich was in the capital of the United Arab Emirates for talks between American, Russian and Ukrainian officials on ending the war in Ukraine. The channel "will provide a consistent military-to-military contact as the parties continue to work towards a lasting peace," the statement said High level military communication was suspended in 2021, just before Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine.

Kremlin says Russia will uphold nuclear stability after New START expires

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the New START treaty, which set limits on each side's missiles, launchers and strategic warheads, would lapse at the end of Thursday

Russia, Ukraine hold second day of US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi

Negotiators from Moscow and Kyiv on Thursday held a second day of US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on ending their war amid an escalation in Russia's winter attacks on Ukraine's power grid and after a sharp rise last year in Ukrainian civilians killed in the fighting. "We are working in the same formats as yesterday: trilateral consultations, group work, and further synchronisation of positions," said Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council chief, who was present at the meeting. The delegations from Moscow and Kyiv were joined in the capital of the United Arab Emirates by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, according to Umerov. They were also at last month's talks in the same place as the Trump administration tries to steer the two countries toward a settlement. General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, was also present at the talks, according to a spokesman for the general who spo

Russia, Ukraine envoys meet in Abu Dhabi for 2 days of US-brokered talks

Envoys from Moscow and Kyiv met in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for another round of US-brokered talks on ending the almost four-year war, as a Russian attack using cluster munitions killed seven people at a market in Ukraine. The delegations from Moscow and Kyiv were joined in the capital of the United Arab Emirates by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, according to Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council chief who attended the meeting. "The discussions were substantive and productive, focusing on concrete steps and practical solutions," Umerov said on social media as the first of two days of talks wrapped up. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that a breakthrough in the talks may not come for a while but the Trump administration has made great progress on negotiations over the past year. "That's the good news," Rubio told reporters Wednesday. "The bad news is that the items that remain are the most diffic

Russia, Ukraine envoys meet in Abu Dhabi as US pushes peace efforts

Envoys from Russia and Ukraine met in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for another round of US-brokered talks on ending the almost four-year war, a Ukrainian negotiator said. The delegations from Moscow and Kyiv were joined in the United Arab Emirates by US officials, Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council chief, who was present at the meeting, said on social media. Umerov said the planned two-day negotiations started with all three delegations present, after which negotiators were to break into groups according to topics and then meet as a full group again at the end. The American team was due to include special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who also attended last month's meeting, according to the White House. The current talks also coincide with the expiry of the last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the United States on Thursday. Trump and Putin could extend the terms of the treaty or renegotiate its ...

China's Xi and Russia's Putin hold video talks on bilateral ties

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks via video on Wednesday, Chinese state media said. There were no immediate details on their conversation. The virtual meeting came in the middle of a series of meetings between Xi and Western leaders who have sought to boost ties with China despite differences over Russia's war in Ukraine. The British and Canadian prime ministers visited Beijing last month and the German chancellor is expected to later this month. The call with Putin may have been in part to reassure Russia that China's position on the war hasn't changed. European leaders have pressed China for years to end its support for Russia. China has continued to trade with Russia, providing some relief from Western economic sanctions. Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu traveled to Beijing last weekend and met China's top foreign policy official, Wang Yi. The two officials agreed their countries should maintain close ties in a turbulent ..

Replacing Russian oil likely to be a challenge for Indian refiners

Along with price discounts, India must replace around 1.7 million barrels per day of average Russian crude imports

Indian refiners likely to need wind-down period to halt Russian oil imports

Indian companies have already booked cargoes loading in February and arriving in March, so a wind-down period would be needed to fulfil existing commitments

Not mediating Pakistan's ties with India, Afghanistan, says Russia

Russia on Monday said that it is not a mediator in resolving Pakistan's tensions with India and Afghanistan, adding that it is ready to provide any assistance if requested. The Foreign Ministry has posted answers to several questions received for Sergei Lavrov's annual press conference on January 20, which could not be given by the Minister due to time constraint. In response to a question on how Russia see the role of a mediator in reducing tensions in relations between Pakistan, India and Afghanistan? The Russian Foreign Ministry said on its webportal, "Russia does not act as a mediator between the aforementioned states." "However, we are always ready to provide any assistance we can in resolving any differences between these countries should they so request," it added. Moscow has been insisting that Islamabad should resolve its problems in the spirit of the 1972 Simla and 1999 Lahore declarations bilaterally. In response to the question: How does Russia assess its strategic and

15 killed, 7 injured as Russian drone hits miners' bus in Ukraine

The attack targeted a company bus near the DTEK coal facility, following which Maxim Timchenko, CEO of DTEK, described the incident as 'an unprovoked terrorist attack on a purely civilian target'

Zelenskyy and Putin hate each other: Trump claims Russia-Ukraine deal close

Trump's remarks came a day after he disclosed that he had recently spoken with Putin and requested a temporary halt to attacks on Kyiv and other cities amid extreme winter conditions

Trump says Putin 'agreed' not to attack Kyiv for a week during cold spell

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin not to target the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv for one week as the region experiences frigid temperatures. The call for a pause in attacks on Ukraine's capital comes as Russia has been pounding the country's critical infrastructure, leaving many around the country without heat in the dead of winter. "I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week during this ... extraordinary cold," Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House. Trump added that Putin has "agreed to that," but there was no confirmation of that from Russia. Meanwhile, a Russian drone attack killed three people in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region overnight, authorities said Thursday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow is planning another large-scale barrage despite plans for further US-brokered peace talks at the weekend. The Zaporizhzhia strike caus

Hungary's Orban accuses Ukraine of election meddling, summons ambassador

Hungary's pro-Russian Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused Ukraine on Monday of seeking to meddle in his country's upcoming elections and ordered Kyiv's ambassador to be summoned to the foreign ministry. The step was the latest in Orban's long-running anti-Ukraine campaign as he seeks to convince voters that the neighbouring country, embroiled in a war with Russia since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, poses an existential threat to Hungary's security and sovereignty. Orban, who has maintained close ties with Russia, faces what is expected to be the biggest challenge of his 16 years in power during elections scheduled for April 12. With his right-wing nationalist Fidesz party trailing by double digits in most polls, Orban has campaigned on the unsubstantiated premise that Hungarians would be forcibly conscripted to fight and die on the front lines in Ukraine if his party loses the election. In a video posted to social media on Monday, Orban said Ukraine's political ..

Russian oil sanctions look porous as India, China absorb excess supply

Shipping and production data show Russian crude exports since November exceeding available non-sanctioned supply, with Indian and Chinese refiners absorbing most of the excess flows

Europe funding war via Russian oil routed through India: US Treasury chief

The US imposed 25 per cent tariffs on India for buying Russian oil, but the Europeans signed a trade deal with New Delhi, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said as he emphasised that Europe is financing the "war" against itself by purchasing refined Russian oil products from India. President Donald Trump has worked to negotiate a settlement on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Bessent said, adding that the US has made much bigger sacrifices than the Europeans. "We have put 25 per cent tariffs on India for buying Russian oil. Guess what happened last week? The Europeans signed a trade deal with India," Bessent told ABC News Sunday. "And just to be clear again, the Russian oil goes into India, the refined products come out, and the Europeans buy the refined products. They are financing the war against themselves," he said, adding that under Trump's leadership, "we will eventually end" the Russia-Ukraine war. The Trump administration has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on India, including 25 pe

'Govt pivots crude sourcing for certainty, keeps select Russian barrels'

India's crude oil sourcing strategy has shown a clear shift toward lower-risk and more execution-reliable supply, with the Middle Eastern barrels gaining share as Russian crude flows remain present but increasingly selective and compliance-driven. Import of Russian crude oil dropped to around 1.1 million barrels per day in the first three weeks of January, from an average of 1.21 million bpd in the previous month and over 2 million bpd imports in mid-2025, according to data from real-time analytics company Kpler. India, which is almost 90 per cent dependent on imports to meet its needs for crude oil - the raw material which is turned into fuels such as petrol and diesel in refineries, is again leaning on its traditional suppliers in the Middle-East. Iraq is now supplying almost the same volumes as Russia, up from an average of 9,04,000 bpd in December 2025, according to Kpler data. Volumes from Saudi Arabia too have risen to 9,24,000 bpd this month, from 7,10,000 bpd in December and

Trilateral talks talks were constructive, may continue next week: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that two days of trilateral talks with Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi concluded with "constructive" discussions on "possible parameters for ending the war." The talks are the first known instance that officials from the Trump administration have sat down with both countries as part of Washington's push for progress to end Moscow's nearly 4-year-old invasion. "All parties agreed to report to their capitals on each aspect of the negotiations and to coordinate further steps with their leaders," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. He said that military representatives identified issues for a possible next meeting, which could take place as soon as next week. The Ukrainian leader said there was "an understanding of the need for American monitoring and control of the process of ending the war and ensuring real security." US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner participated alongside Ukrainian officials, including chief negotiato

Zelenskyy says Moscow must end war as Ukraine-US-Russia meet in UAE

The trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates marked the first such engagement involving all three sides since the war began nearly four years ago