12 h. ago Trump’s Art of Pivot on Ukraine: Squeezing Europeans, Poking Beijing, Teasing Putin Call

Trump’s Art of Pivot on Ukraine: Squeezing Europeans, Poking Beijing, Teasing Putin Call  Kyiv Post

Politics

22 h. ago Trump tells Europe to put economic pressure on China over Ukraine

US President Donald Trump urged European countries on Thursday to put economic pressure on China because of its support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the White House said. Speaking by video conference with European leaders gathered in Paris, Trump also said “Europe must stop purchasing Russian oil that is funding the war”, a senior White House official said on condition of anonymity. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who also took part in the meeting, said earlier that Trump was “very...

Politics

29 h. ago Europe leaders call Trump after Ukraine security guarantees summit in Paris

European leaders on Thursday spoke to US President Donald Trump after holding a summit with President Volodymyr Zelensky on security guarantees for Kyiv in the event of a peace accord to end Russia’s three-and-a-half-year war against Ukraine. The guarantees by the so-called coalition of the willing, which remain under wraps but are expected to include ramped-up training for the Ukrainian army and deployment of troops by some European states, have angered Russia. They form part of a push led by...

Politics

47 h. ago Trump offers more US troops to Poland’s nationalist president

US President Donald Trump hosted new Polish President Karol Nawrocki on Wednesday at the White House with a military flyover and an offer to send more US troops to the eastern European ally. Talks were expected to focus on efforts to end the war in Ukraine, where Trump’s peacemaking efforts have been struggling to get traction. Trump called it a “stupid war” and said he thought ending it would have been “much easier” for him. “It’s going to get done,” he vowed to reporters in the Oval Office,...

Politics

3 d. ago China's Xi rolls out carpet for Ukraine war aggressors, sidelining Trump

China's Xi rolls out carpet for Ukraine war aggressors, sidelining Trump  Reuters

Politics

3 d. ago Sidelining Trump, China's Xi rolls out carpet for Ukraine war aggressors

Sidelining Trump, China's Xi rolls out carpet for Ukraine war aggressors  Reuters

Politics

7 d. ago Putin would have ‘played’ Trump if he doesn’t meet Zelensky, Macron says

The leaders of France and Germany on Friday vowed to step up pressure on Russia over its war against Ukraine, warning that President Vladimir Putin was showing little appetite to end Moscow’s 3½-year onslaught against its neighbour. French President Emmanuel Macron said that Putin would have “played” US President Donald Trump if the Russian leader failed to fulfil a pledge to meet Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz added it looked like Putin was “unwilling” to...

Politics

7 d. ago US unveils US$825 million arms sale to Ukraine, including long

The Trump administration has approved a US$825 million arms sale to Ukraine that will include extended-range missiles and related equipment to boost its defensive capabilities as US efforts to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia appear stalled. The US State Department announced on Thursday that it had notified Congress of the sale of air-launched cruise missiles and navigation systems for Ukraine. The sale will cover 3,350 Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) missiles, 3,350 GPS units,...

Economics

8 d. ago Trump aide slams ‘arrogant’ India over Russian oil, dubs Ukraine ‘Modi’s war’

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro sought to raise pressure on India to halt purchases of Russian energy after the US imposed crippling new tariffs on New Delhi, casting the conflict in Ukraine as “Modi’s war”. “I mean Modi’s war because the road to peace runs, in part, through New Delhi,” Navarro said on Wednesday, referencing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. US President Donald Trump’s 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods took effect earlier on Wednesday, a bid to punish the country for...

Politics

1 week ago Trump says Putin’s dislike of Zelensky delaying meeting between 2 leaders

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he had talked to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin since meeting in Washington last week with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders. Trump was last known to have spoken to Putin on August 18, when he interrupted his talks with Zelensky and the Europeans at the White House to call the Russian leader. “Yes, I have,” Trump told reporters when asked if he had talked to Putin since then. Asked how the latest talks went, Trump replied: “Every...

Politics

1 week ago Beijing expands its influence in Eurasia as Trump triggers geopolitical shifts

While United States President Donald Trump aims to end – or at least freeze – the Ukraine conflict and portray himself as a peacemaker, China seems to be quietly expanding its influence in Eurasia – a region that Halford Mackinder, “the father of geopolitics”, viewed as the key to global power. The coming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, scheduled to start on August 31 in Tianjin, is expected to provide another opportunity for Beijing to strengthen its political, economic and military...

Politics

2 w. ago Russia rejects Zelensky meeting as diplomatic tension simmers

Russia on Friday ruled out an immediate meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, as diplomatic tension escalated with the Ukrainian president and US mediation efforts appeared to stumble. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said “no meeting” between Vladimir Putin and Zelensky was planned, as Nato chief Mark Rutte visited Kyiv, largely to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. US President Donald Trump raised expectations for a swift summit between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents by saying...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Play offence’: Trump hints Ukraine should widen attacks on Russia

US President Donald Trump insinuated in a social media post that he is open to Ukraine launching more attacks on Russia, as the White House looks to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a one-on-one meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invaders country,” Trump wrote. “It’s like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defence, but is not allowed to play offence. There is no chance of...

Politics

2 w. ago A new European security landscape is emerging after Alaska summit

The Alaska summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was a test balloon for Trump to find out, as he said, what Putin had in mind. The subsequent meeting in the White House between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders was another test balloon – for Europe – to find out what Trump had in mind. Both were useful yet not really productive. To start with, Putin has emerged as a clear winner. The red-carpet welcome on American soil with...

Politics

2 w. ago For Europe and Russia, the outcome of Ukraine’s war is becoming clearer

The Alaska summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was a test balloon for Trump to find out, as he said, what Putin had in mind. The subsequent meeting in the White House between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders was another test balloon – for Europe – to find out what Trump had in mind. Both were useful yet not really productive. To start with, Putin has emerged as a clear winner. The red-carpet welcome on American soil with...

Events

2 w. ago ‘Putin isn’t interested’: Ukrainians feel hopeless about US push to end war

In east Ukraine, where invading Russian forces are steadily gaining ground in costly metre-for-metre battles, Ukrainian troops holding the line see US President Donald Trump’s push for peace as a lost cause. “The war will continue as long as Russia remains as it is,” said 45-year-old Ukrainian serviceman Vitaliy, who withheld his full name in line with military protocol. “These barbarians will not stop until they are stopped by force. They only understand force,” he said. His assessment came the...

Politics

2 w. ago Zelensky gifts Trump a golf club owned by Ukraine war veteran

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave US counterpart Donald Trump a golf club during his visit to Washington this week that had belonged to a serviceman fighting Russia’s invasion, Kyiv said on Tuesday. Trump, an avid golfer who owns several courses, accepted the gift and presented Zelensky with symbolic keys to the White House in return, the Ukrainian leader’s office said. The warm exchange marks a stark turnaround from February, when Zelensky left the White House early following a...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump says Putin ‘tired’ of war, but fears he doesn’t want peace

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he hoped Vladimir Putin was going to “be good” and move towards ending the war in Ukraine, but conceded it was possible the Russian president doesn’t want to make a deal. “I don’t think it’s going to be a problem, to be honest with you. I think Putin is tired of it. I think they’re all tired of it, but you never know,” Trump said in an interview with the Fox News Fox & Friends programme. Trump spoke the day after hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr...

Politics

2 w. ago China’s exports to Global South surge, Putin taps Brazil: SCMP daily highlights

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trump says he will arrange Putin, Zelensky meeting after speaking with both US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was brokering a meeting between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and their Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to be followed by a trilateral meeting that would include the US leader. 2. China’s exports, investments to Global...

Politics

2 w. ago Europe breathes sigh of relief, but doubts linger over Trump’s Ukraine pledges

European leaders left Washington on Monday with a palpable sense of relief, having avoided a breakdown with Donald Trump over Ukraine – but in the cold light of day, doubts are growing over the substance of the “breakthroughs” they claimed. After meetings with Trump that bordered on the obsequious, eight European leaders – including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – trumpeted the trip as a success. “This was the best of our meetings,” Zelensky said. “I was able to show many things, even...

Politics