5 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

8 d. ago China may not be waging war in Ukraine. But it still stands to win

It seems clear that US President Donald Trump achieved little more than a photo opportunity from the bilateral summit in Anchorage, Alaska, with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his subsequent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders. Now, a ceasefire seems more out of reach than ever. For a negotiated peace agreement, Putin has insisted on his demands that Ukraine give up ambitions to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, as well as land occupied...

Events

8 d. ago As the West cedes leverage over Ukraine, China stands to benefit

It seems clear that US President Donald Trump achieved little more than a photo opportunity from the bilateral summit in Anchorage, Alaska, with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his subsequent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders. Now, a ceasefire seems more out of reach than ever. For a negotiated peace agreement, Putin has insisted on his demands that Ukraine give up ambitions to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, as well as land occupied...

Politics

9 d. ago Alaska summit heralds change of direction for global diplomacy

When Russian President Vladimir Putin met US President Donald Trump on August 15, in Anchorage, Alaska, the geographic significance of the event was not lost on Russian observers. Putin became the first Russian leader to visit the former colony at a time when the Arctic is a high priority in Russia’s foreign policy strategy. However, the summit itself was an anticlimax. Peace in Ukraine remained postponed; there was a meagre readout and the delegation lunch was cancelled. As Putin remarked...

Politics

1 week ago Trump and Canada PM Carney talk about trade, agree to speak again soon

US President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had a “wide-ranging conversation” on Thursday that included trade and the war in Ukraine, according to Carney’s office. The two leaders talked about “trade challenges, opportunities, and shared priorities in a new economic and security relationship between Canada and the US”, according to the statement. They also discussed “how to build on the president’s leadership to support long-term peace and security for Ukraine and...

Politics

2 w. ago Poland calls drone crash a Russian provocation amid peace talks

Poland’s defence minister said a flying object that crashed and exploded in a cornfield in eastern Poland early on Wednesday was identified as a Russian drone, calling it a provocation by Russia. At a news conference in Warsaw, Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who also serves as defence minister, accused Russia of provoking Nato during a crucial moment, as peace talks over the war in neighbouring Ukraine are under way, the country’s news agency PAP reported. “Russia is provoking...

Events

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 Zelensky warns against ‘rewarding’ Russia for Ukraine war ahead of Trump meet

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said ahead of talks with Donald Trump on Monday that Russia should not be “rewarded” for its invasion, after the US leader pressed Kyiv to make concessions in exchange for peace. The talks, in which European leaders will also take part, follow a Friday summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska that failed to produce a ceasefire in the nearly three-and-a-half-year war. Trump, who dropped his insistence on a ceasefire in favour of a...

Events

2 w. ago Trump and Putin meet in Alaska, hospital scandal in China: 5 weekend reads

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trump, Putin leave Ukraine war summit with no deal – as it happened 2. Chinese researchers lodge concerns over US debt as Beijing limits exposure 3. How Chinese investors quietly transformed Athens – one visa at a time 4. Chinese ‘vertical dramas’ are booming in America. Should Hollywood be...

Politics

2 w. ago Ukraine war talks: Trump and Putin prepare to meet in Anchorage, Alaska

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will soon begin a high-stakes summit in the Alaskan port city of Anchorage. The meeting will focus on the prospect of a ceasefire to end Russia’s devastating three-and-a-half-year war against Ukraine, and will be the first face-to-face interaction between the two leaders since Trump returned to office in January. Initially seen as a meeting that could reshape the global order, determine Ukraine’s future, and redefine America’s...

Politics

2 w. ago Ukraine war talks: Trump and Putin meet in Alaska as summit begins

US President Donald Trump has welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, on the outskirts of Anchorage, Alaska, for their first face-to-face meeting since Trump returned to office this year. The summit will focus on the prospect of a ceasefire to end Russia’s devastating three-and-a-half-year war against Ukraine. Initially seen as a meeting that could reshape the global order, determine Ukraine’s future and redefine America’s standing with its allies, the Trump...

Politics

2 w. ago Ukraine war talks: summit ends with no deal, but Trump says he is hopeful

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have failed to find a deal to end the Ukraine war, they said at the close of their summit at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska on Friday The summit, held on the outskirts of Anchorage, Alaska, was focused on the prospect of a ceasefire to end Russia’s devastating three-and-a-half-year war against Ukraine. But Trump told the press on Friday that there would be ‘no deal until there’s a deal’. This live blog has been made freely...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump, Putin leave Ukraine war summit with no deal – as it happened

This live blog has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have failed to find a deal to end the Ukraine war, they said at the close of their summit at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska on Friday The summit, held on the outskirts of Anchorage, Alaska, was focused on the...

Politics

3 w. ago As Trump prepares to meet Putin, prospects for peace in Ukraine war seem slim

The stage is set for what could mark a turning point – or yet another false dawn – in efforts to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. In a dramatic escalation of diplomatic efforts to resolve the grinding Ukraine conflict, now in its fourth year, US President Donald Trump is hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin for face-to-face talks in Alaska on Friday. Security will be extraordinarily tight: airspace over the port city will be closed on Friday and Saturday and the US Secret...

Politics

3 w. ago Before meeting Putin on Ukraine, Trump says incentives do not equal reward

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that any incentives he might offer his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to halt Moscow’s war against Ukraine should not be construed as a reward, and dodged questions about what carrots he might dangle, such as access to American rare earth resources or Nato troop reductions. “No, I don’t think it’s a reward. I think that what we have is a situation that should never have started,” Trump told reporters, when asked whether incentives for peace could...

Politics

3 w. ago China and India’s disputed border, Trump to meet Putin: 5 weekend reads

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China urged to monitor disputed border as India upgrades road to move tanks 2. Hong Kong Airlines alerts Korean authorities after 4 passengers clash mid-air 3. Trump says he will meet Putin in Alaska on August 15 for Ukraine talks 4. China counts down to start of work on Xinjiang-Tibet...

Politics

3 w. ago Putin keeps Xi in loop on Trump summit but little hope for Ukraine ceasefire

Just hours before US President Donald Trump announced his summit with Vladimir Putin next week, the Russian leader was on the phone with Chinese President Xi Jinping to secure Beijing’s backing. While the call on Friday underscored a high level of coordination between Beijing and Moscow in their approach to Washington, Chinese experts voiced scepticism about the prospects for the Alaska summit and its aim of negotiating an end to the Ukraine war. They cautioned that although Trump’s first...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump says he will meet Putin in Alaska on August 15 for Ukraine talks

US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska, after signalling that he would support an agreement on Moscow’s war against Ukraine that would involve “some swapping of territories”. “The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska,” Trump wrote on Truth Social,...

Politics