3 d. ago Kremlin warns Ukraine running out of time to accept peace terms as winter crisis deepens

The Kremlin said on Thursday that Ukraine was running out of options to strike a deal to end almost four years of war with Russia, as thousands were without heating in Kyiv in -12 degrees Celsius (10 degrees Fahrenheit) temperatures following waves of Russian strikes on the country’s energy grid. Moscow has not backed down from its intention to seize the rest of east Ukraine as the fourth anniversary of its offensive – Europe’s worst war since World War II – looms. “The situation is...

Events

4 d. ago How Putin’s focus on Ukraine war leaves allies Venezuela, Iran and Cuba exposed

As Russian President Vladimir Putin focuses his attentions on Moscow’s war in Ukraine, his strategic allies around the world have been left feeling neglected – or worse. In Venezuela, officials now think their years-long security relationship with Moscow was a paper tiger. They’re not alone: From Damascus and Tehran to Havana, over the last 13 months authoritarian regimes which previously benefited from their close ties to the Kremlin have found Russian support lacking when it mattered...

Politics

5 d. ago Why timing may be right for China to press North Korea on denuclearisation

The Ukraine war and Donald Trump’s return to the White House have significantly altered northeast Asia’s geopolitical landscape. North Korea’s defence treaty with Russia and leader Kim Jong-un’s decision to deploy troops to support Moscow have shattered any remaining illusions of strategic restraint. While Russia is believed to be supplying North Korea with finance and technology, Japan and South Korea are accelerating military spending and preparing for long-term confrontation, potentially –...

Events

2 w. ago Trump ‘not thrilled’ with Putin, says too many people dying in Ukraine war

US President Donald Trump expressed fresh frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, bristling at the Kremlin’s continuing military operations even as the US leader seeks to bring an end to the war in Ukraine. “I’m not thrilled with Putin, he’s killing too many people,” Trump said on Saturday during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Trump spoke hours after a brazen US strike that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who is now en route to the US to...

Politics

2 w. ago China’s Ukraine war role, EU vs Shein and Temu: 7 global relations reads

China’s Ukraine war role, EU vs Shein and Temu: 7 global relations reads  South China Morning Post

Events

2 w. ago Zelensky says deal to end Ukraine war ‘10%’ away as Putin pushes for victory

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday his country was “10 per cent” away from a deal to end the war with Russia, but cautioned that the most important issues were unresolved and warned against rewarding Moscow. US-led efforts to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II have gained pace in recent weeks, but both sides remain at odds over the key issue of territory in a post-war settlement. Russia, which occupies around 20 per cent of Ukraine, is pushing for full...

Politics

2 w. ago In a year of conflict, global science cooperation has shown the way

Looking back on 2025, we may be justified in calling it an annus horribilis for the world. There seems to be no end to the bad news: the war in Ukraine, the destruction of Gaza, the terror attack in Australia and the significant economic and political setbacks faced by many nations in Asia and across the world. All these paint a rather grim picture. However, there is more than a glimmer of hope on the horizon. International science cooperation has strengthened significantly this year, in spite...

Events

2 w. ago UN chief Antonio Guterres calls on world leaders to ‘get serious’ in grim New Year message

The United Nations urged global leaders on Monday to focus on people and the planet in a New Year’s message depicting the world in chaos. “As we enter the new year, the world stands at a crossroads. Chaos and uncertainty surround us. Division. Violence. Climate breakdown. And systemic violations of international law,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a video message. In 2026, as war rages in Ukraine and elsewhere, world leaders must work to ease human suffering and fight climate...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘World stands at a crossroads’: UN chief Guterres issues grim New Year message

The United Nations urged global leaders on Monday to focus on people and the planet in a New Year’s message depicting the world in chaos. “As we enter the new year, the world stands at a crossroads. Chaos and uncertainty surround us. Division. Violence. Climate breakdown. And systemic violations of international law,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a video message. In 2026, as war rages in Ukraine and elsewhere, world leaders must work to ease human suffering and fight climate...

Politics

2 w. ago Putin signs law allowing Russia to ignore foreign court rulings on Ukraine

President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed into law changes that give Russia the right to ignore judgments in criminal cases issued by foreign and international courts amid Ukrainian and European attempts to punish Moscow for its actions in Ukraine. The move, which comes as US President Donald Trump is trying to broker a peace deal in Ukraine, appears to be a response to several initiatives to go after Russian officials and military officers for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, something Moscow...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump says Zelensky and Putin ‘serious about peace’ in Ukraine war talks sprint

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met US President Donald Trump on Sunday, hoping to forge a plan to end the war in Ukraine, but the American leader’s call with Russian President Vladimir Putin just before the meeting suggests obstacles to peace remain. Zelensky has said he hopes to soften a US proposal for Ukrainian forces to withdraw completely from the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, a Russian demand that would mean ceding some territory held by Ukrainian forces. Just before Zelensky...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump predicts end to Ukraine war will be decided within ‘weeks’

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were “getting a lot closer, maybe very close” to an agreement to end the war in Ukraine, though both leaders acknowledged that some of the thorniest details remain unresolved. The two leaders spoke at a joint press conference late Sunday afternoon after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Trump said it will be clear “in a few weeks” whether negotiations to end the war will succeed. Zelensky...

Politics

3 w. ago Zelensky looks to secure Ukraine peace deal at Trump meet as Russian offensive mounts

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will sit down on Sunday with Donald Trump and seek to secure the US president’s stamp of approval for a new proposal to end the nearly four-year conflict with Russia. The 20-point plan, which emerged from weeks of intense US-Ukraine negotiations, lacks Moscow’s approval, and the face-to-face in Florida comes in the wake of a massive Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv. The meeting, hosted by Trump at his opulent Mar-a-Lago residence, will be the pair’s...

Politics

3 w. ago Requests for help after 2 Hongkongers reportedly killed in Ukraine war

Immigration authorities are following up on requests for assistance after two Hongkongers were reportedly killed in Ukraine while volunteering in the country’s war against Russia. In a reply to the Post, the Immigration Department said on Saturday that it had been following up on the requests and was providing support to families of those involved. “Upon receiving the relevant requests for assistance, the Hong Kong Immigration Department immediately sought information from the Commissioner’s...

Events

3 w. ago Kyiv strike shows Russia does ‘not want to end war’, Zelensky warns ahead of US talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that a Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv showed Moscow did “not want to end the war”. Zelensky made the comments ahead of his departure for talks in the United States with President Donald Trump on a plan to halt the Russian invasion. The Russians “do not want to end the war and seek to use every opportunity to cause Ukraine even greater suffering and increase their pressure on others around the world”, Zelensky said. “There have...

Events

3 w. ago Zelensky to meet Trump in Florida to discuss ‘90% ready’ Russia peace plan, Ukraine security

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that he will meet with US President Donald Trump in Florida over the weekend. Zelensky told journalists that the two leaders will discuss security guarantees for Ukraine during Sunday’s talks, and that the 20-point plan under discussion “is about 90 per cent ready”. The announced meeting is the latest development in an extensive US-led diplomatic push to end the nearly four-year Russia-Ukraine war, but efforts have run into sharply...

Politics

3 w. ago Inside Chernobyl: Ukraine races to repair radiation shield as war drags on

Inside an abandoned control room at Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant, a worker in an orange hard hat gazed at a grey wall of seemingly endless dials, screens and gauges that were supposed to prevent disaster. The 1986 meltdown at the site was the world’s worst ever nuclear incident. Since Russia invaded in 2022, Kyiv fears another disaster could be just a matter of time. In February, a Russian drone hit and left a large hole in the New Safe Confinement (NSC), the outer of two radiation...

Events

3 w. ago Moscow blast kills 2 police near site of Russian general’s car bombing

Three people were killed by a bomb on Wednesday in Moscow after two police officers approached a man acting suspiciously near the site where a senior general was killed two days ago by a car bomb that Russia said was planted by Ukrainian intelligence. A string of Russian military figures and high-profile supporters of the war in Ukraine have been assassinated during the nearly four-year-old conflict. Ukrainian military intelligence has said it was responsible for a number of the...

Events

3 w. ago No Ukraine ceasefire breakthrough despite ‘productive and constructive’ talks

US and Ukrainian envoys issued a joint statement on Sunday that hailed “productive and constructive” talks in Miami but did not announce any apparent breakthrough in efforts to end the war with Russia. Top representatives from both Ukraine and Russia, as well as Kyiv’s European allies, have been in southern Florida over the past several days for a series of separate talks hosted by US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The meetings were the latest in a weeks-long diplomatic...

Events

3 w. ago UK’s Starmer discusses Ukraine peace efforts in call with Trump

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed efforts to achieve a “just and lasting end” to the war in Ukraine on Sunday with US President Donald Trump, Starmer’s Downing Street office said in a statement, after talks between officials in Florida. “The two leaders began by reflecting on the war in Ukraine,” Starmer’s office said in a readout of the call, adding they had discussed the work of the so-called Coalition of the Willing countries that have pledged to support Ukraine. “The Prime...

Politics