Russia
White House offers a revised mineral deal, but US-Ukraine relations still in limbo
The White House has offered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a revised version of its deal to exploit rare earth minerals that Kyiv rejected last week because the terms were too harsh.
Hungary set to block extension of EU sanctions against Russia, citing peace talks
Hungary will not vote in favour of extending sanctions against Russian and Belarusian individuals at the upcoming meeting of the EU's Foreign Affairs Council, arguing that it would hinder US-Russian peace talks.
Sending EU peacekeepers to Ukraine is not going to work
The EU’s main plan for providing Ukraine with security from another Russian attack in a post-war set up is not going to work.
Potential US troop withdrawal from Europe to leave Kosovo exposed
Fears US may consider withdrawing its troops from Europe, including Kosovo, if Trump and Putin reach an agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump interested in jointly developing Arctic oil and gas with Russia
The US and Russia are looking at joint energy projects in the Arctic, as part of the ceasefire negotiation in Riyadh, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund boss Kirill Dmitriev told Politico on February 19.
Zelenskiy, Trump take verbal swipes at each other as relations between Washington and Kyiv nosedive
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy launched a scathing attack on Donald Trump, accusing the US president of being trapped in a “disinformation bubble” over the war in Ukraine.
EU eyes “strategic autonomy” partnership with Latin America amid deepening rift with US
The European Union is seeking to deepen its relationship with Latin America and the Caribbean, framing the partnership as one built on "strategic autonomy" rather than as a counterbalance to China's growing influence in the region.
Trump’s mineral deal for Ukraine “worse than Versailles”, reports The Daily Telegraph
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ordered his staff not to sign the proposed deal that would hand the US control over Ukraine's raw materials and key infrastructure.
Zelenskiy freezes US minerals deal, reaches out to Arab nations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has frozen a proposed concession to mine Ukraine’s considerable mineral resources after the US side offered little in return and is travelling in the Middle East to look for new partners.
US and Russian officials hold landmark peace talks in Saudi Arabia as Ukraine remains excluded
Senior US and Russian officials have concluded extensive talks at the Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – the most significant diplomatic engagement between the two powers since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russia reportedly considers selling 6% stake in NIS to Serbia after US imposed sanctions
Serbia is considering a range of solutions to ensure NIS’s continued operations, all of which carry economic and geopolitical risks.
Visibly tired and upset Zelenskiy holds Ukraine war press conference with Erdogan in Istanbul
Says Turkey should be among countries with seat at any peace talks table. Turkish president says that table should be in Ankara.
Russia says pipeline drone strike set to wipe out up to third of Kazakhstan’s oil exports
Kremlin mouthpiece Medvedev claims Ukrainian attack was designed to harm US economic interests in deliberate move against Trump.
European leaders clash over peacekeepers in Ukraine at Paris meeting
Argument highlights the lack of consensus on how to respond to US President Donald Trump’s proposed peace talks with Russia, which have kicked off in Riyadh.
LONG READ: Can Ukraine go it alone (with a little help from the EU) if the US abandons it?
Now that Ukraine’s Nato membership hopes have been dashed and its Western allies are unlikely to offer binding bilateral security guarantees, can Ukraine continue to fight Russia on its own, given the EU continues to support it?
Inflation in Russia has probably peaked and rate cuts may start in June, says Rencap
Inflation in Russia has probably peaked, as the annualised preliminary January rate reached 9.9%, says Renaissance Capital, and rate cuts could begin as soon as June, but that will also crash economic growth.
Russian foreign minister accuses West of trying to destabilise Serbia
Sergei Lavrov slams sanctions on oil company NIS and claims ongoing protests are a foreign-backed effort to instigate a ‘colour revolution’ in Serbia.
Brazil to host expanded BRICS summit in July amid US dollar tensions
Brazil will host leaders from the BRICS nations and their new members in Rio de Janeiro on July 6-7, as the burgeoning bloc faces growing pressure from the US over plans to reduce dollar dependence in trade.
Kremlin orders Russian media to downplay importance of Trump after Putin call
Kremlin wants fewer mentions of US President Donald Trump, to emphasise Putin as the primary decision-maker
Ukrainian drone strikes Kazakhstan’s main oil export pipeline route in Russia
Attack comes on same day Hungarian and Kazakh top diplomats back idea of Ukraine conflict talks between Putin and Trump.