Politics

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands in Moscow on March 21. (Pool via Reuters)
International relations

Putin says he will meet with China's Xi soon

Russian leader stops short of confirming trip to see counterpart

2 September 2023
Russian service members drive armored vehicles before a military parade rehearsal in Moscow in April. 
Ukraine war

Russia, Central Asia locked in tug of war over Ukraine recruiting

From Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan, states clamp down on mercenary activity

29 August 2023
An emergency services helicopter flies over the site of the crash of a private jet linked to Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in Russia's Tver region on Aug. 24.
Ukraine war: Free to read

Ukraine from Aug. 21 to Aug. 28: Russia confirms Prigozhin's death in plane crash

Russian SU-30 plane escorted U.S. reconnaissance drone over Black Sea, RIA reports

28 August 2023
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of the Arab League summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on May 19. (Saudi Press Agency/Reuters) 
Comment

How Saudi Arabia's mediation efforts heap pressure on Russia

Riyadh-hosted talks on Ukraine highlight growing clout of major emerging nations

26 August 2023
Rescue workers at the site of a Russian rocket strike in Chernihiv, Ukraine.
Ukraine war: Free to read

Ukraine from Aug. 14 to Aug. 20: Russian missile kills 7, including 6-year-old

Dutch pledge to give U.S.-made F-16 jets to Kyiv; Putin meets generals in Ukraine

20 August 2023
A destroyed secondary school in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, pictured on July 28. (Photo by Ilona Makedon)
Ukraine war

Ukraine schools: Shelters and online lessons keep classes going

But experts fear educational difficulties risk children's growth, postwar economy

20 August 2023
A ship carrying Russian crude anchored in Karachi in June: Pakistan's refinery says the oil was processed successfully, but experts and officials have cast doubt on the viability of the imports.
Economy

Pakistan eyes deeper discounts as Russian oil imports hit snag

Current deal economically infeasible despite official denials, insiders say

19 August 2023
Workers load grain at a port in Izmail, Ukraine, on April 26, before Russia pulled out of the Black Sea shipment deal.
Interview

Russia grain deal exit hurting 345m vulnerable people: WFP chief

Cindy McCain warns of climate risks to food supplies during Pacific visit

16 August 2023
The Palau-flagged vessel Sukru Okan transits the Bosphorus Strait through Istanbul on its way to the Black Sea on Aug. 13 in this screen grab from a video. 
Ukraine war: Free to read

Ukraine from Aug. 8 to Aug. 14: Russian warship fires warning shots at cargo ship in Black Sea

Russia says it destroyed 20 drones over Crimea; France condemns Russian strike that killed child

14 August 2023
From left to right, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese Communist Party senior official Li Hongzhong attend a military parade in Pyongyang on July 27.
Comment

Pyongyang, Beijing and Moscow shift ties 70 years after Korean War

Photos from armistice parade hint at differing attitudes on North Korea

12 August 2023
Representatives from more than 40 countries -- including China, India and the U.S. -- attend talks on ending the war in Ukraine on Aug. 6 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Saudi Press Agency via Reuters)
8 August 2023
Although China is hurting from the collapse of the Black Sea grain deal, President Xi Jinping, right, appears determined to support Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Photos from Reuters and AP)
Ukraine war

China not expected to push Russian return to Black Sea grain deal

Initiative's collapse hurts China's economy, but Beijing focused on geopolitics

7 August 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in St. Petersburg on June 17. (TASS/Kyodo)
Comment

Will anti-Westernism sweep Global South?

Resentment against former colonial powers still festers in some emerging nations

5 August 2023
Chinese and Russian ships participate in joint exercises in the Sea of Japan in July. (Photo by the Chinese Defense Ministry)
Defense

China deepens military ties with Russia for 'non-Western' front

Military diplomacy with joint exercises aims to build counterweight to U.S. camp

4 August 2023
Russia recently struck a gas deal with Uzbekistan as President Vladimir Putin's government looks for new market opportunities and ways around sanctions. (Source photos by Reuters) 
International relations

Russia tightens Central Asia ties for gas sales, dual-use supplies

West tightens sanctions screws on Kyrgyz, other companies dealing with Moscow

4 August 2023
Lawyers in Hong Kong say the city is increasingly popular with Russian companies seeking arbitration services. (Photo by Kenji Kawase) 
International relations

Russian companies move legal battles to Hong Kong courts

Neutral jurisdiction with common law system attracts sanctions-hit businesses

3 August 2023
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi meets with South African counterpart Naledi Pandor in Pretoria on Aug. 1. He will also visit Uganda and Ethiopia during his trip to Africa.
International relations

Japan foreign minister courts Russia's partners on Africa tour

Hayashi visiting South Africa, Uganda and Ethiopia to discuss Ukraine grain deal

2 August 2023
Crew members check the deck of a ship delivering Russian crude oil to Pakistan at the port of Karachi in June.
Economy

Pakistan lines up Saudi-backed refinery as it eyes more Russian oil

$10bn project in Gwadar draws skepticism but some experts see long game

1 August 2023
Intense fighting has devastated the city of Bakhmut in Ukraine.
31 July 2023
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto speaks with Nikkei Asia in Tokyo on July 26. 
Interview

Hungary won't be obstacle to Sweden's NATO bid: foreign minister

Szijjarto offers neutral venue for future Ukraine-Russia talks

27 July 2023
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin take part in a signing ceremony for an agreement on the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway in Tehran on May 17.
International relations

Iran grows wary of Russia amid Moscow's support for UAE in island spat

Recent friction sparks anger, rare critical public statements from Tehran

23 July 2023
Moscow said the exercise will involve naval combat, ship escort drills and live artillery fire. (Photo courtesy of the Russian Defense Ministry via Reuters)
Indo-Pacific

China and Russia kick off military exercises in Sea of Japan

Drills aim to counter U.S.-Japan-South Korea cooperation, improve joint operations

21 July 2023
A fighter from the Russian Wagner mercenary group trains Belarusian soldiers on a range near the town of Osipovichi on July 14 in this image taken from a handout video. (Belarusian Defense Ministry via Reuters)
20 July 2023
A combine harvests wheat in a field near Luhansk in Russian-controlled Ukraine on July 18.
Ukraine war

Russia's grain deal exit to gradually hit Asia food supplies

El Nino weather cycle of greater concern now as rice production slumps

19 July 2023
Exiled opposition activist Mikhail Khodorkovsky in Berlin on March 24, 2022.
Ukraine war

Russian ex-oil tycoon expects new rebellion to follow Wagner

Mikhail Khodorkovsky says it showed chance of democratic transition

19 July 2023