Tag: Russia
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Trump-Putin meeting not imminent, as first US-Russia talks on Ukraine finish in Riyadh
“Intensive work” is needed before a meeting between the two leaders, says top Kremlin aide after 4.5 hours of negotiations in Saudi Arabia. Negotiations Tuesday between Russia and the United States led by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio have concluded in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The bilateral talks lasted…
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Russia Skirts Sanctions Using Bitcoin
Efforts by the West to punish Russia using an array of sanctions are being undermined as Russian companies increasingly use Bitcoin to evade penalties. In December, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov acknowledged Russian firms were already using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for international trade following a bill signed into law by President Vladimir Putin. The law,…
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Why Trump Can’t Ignore Syria
Despite the president’s desire to pull back from the Middle East, dealing with Damascus could be his first big strategic test. The truck attack in New Orleans on Jan. 1, in which 15 people were killed and more than 50 injured, has raised new worries about transnational jihadist extremism. The man whom the FBI has…
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Why Was Indonesia’s BRICS Membership Short-Circuited?
The fact that Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia were also designated “partner countries” at the Kazan Summit last October suggests Russia’s ‘Near Abroad’ may be expanding to Southeast Asia. During Russia’s 2024 chairmanship of BRICS – a semi-formal intergovernmental bloc comprising key emerging markets and widely considered the Global South’s answer to the Group of Seven (G7) advanced…
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Oil prices hold at three-month high on stronger demand
Oil prices steadied at their highest since mid-October as colder weather spurred buying while further support came from expectations of tighter sanctions on Iranian and Russian oil exports. Brent crude futures gained 22 cents, or 0.3%, to $76.73 a barrel by 1133 GMT, their highest since Oct. 14. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up…
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Russian gas era in Europe ends as Ukraine stops transit
Russian gas exports via Soviet-era pipelines running through Ukraine came to a halt on New Year’s Day, marking the end of decades of Moscow’s dominance over Europe’s energy markets. The gas had kept flowing despite nearly three years of war, but Russia’s gas firm Gazprom said it had stopped at 0500 GMT after Ukraine refused…
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Georgia’s new pro-Russia president inaugurated amid protests
The ruling Georgian Dream party has halted talks on joining the EU Georgia inaugurated its new president Sunday amid claims his controversial election was a sham. Mikheil Kavelashvili, a far-right firebrand and former footballer, was sworn in at a ceremony in the country’s parliament, consolidating the hold of the ruling pro-Russian Georgian Dream party on the…
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NATO leader says he wants to put Ukraine in a position of strength for any peace talks with Russia
NATO’s secretary-general said he wants to discuss ways to put Ukraine in a position of strength for any future peace talks with Russia during a meeting Wednesday with Ukraine’s president and a small number of European leaders. But Mark Rutte appeared frustrated at growing speculation in NATO capitals about when those peace talks might start…