Negotiators from Ukraine (L) the U.S. (C) and Russia (R) meeting in Abu Dhabi, February 4-5, 2026, United Arab Emirates The second round of the trilateral meeting of the US, Ukrainian, and Russian delegations on security issues held in Abu Dhabi on February 4-5 shows incipient signs of progress, contrary to doomsday predictions. One may …
Ukraine war at crossroads as Trump pulls out
US President Donald Trump (R) aired frustrations that his efforts to end the Ukraine war are not working with Russian President Vladimir Putin The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov came out of a meeting in New York in the weekend with the US S secretary of State Marco Rubio showing a thumbs-up sign as he …
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India’s existential angst to confront Western imperialism
The U.S. President Donald Trump ruled out the possibility of trade negotiations with India until the issue of tariffs is resolved, White House, Washington, August 7, 2025 Reserve Bank of India Governor Sanjay Malhotra’s remark on Wednesday that the US tariff hike is unlikely to have any “major impact” on India’s economy, “subject to retaliatory …
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NATO’s mega spending pleases Trump
A large-scale NATO military exercise earlier this year. Credit…Davide Monteleone for The New York Times Viewed through the Cold War prism, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s decision at its recent summit meeting at the Hague to boost the defence spending by member countries to 5 percent of national income may appear to a naive onlooker as …
Putin succeeds in engaging with Trump
Playing chess on phone: US President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin in deep conversation (File photo) The mystique of engaging with the US President Donald Trump will remain a hot topic. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s sensational visit is the latest instance underscoring that it can be dangerous to get too close …
Minerals deal resets geopolitics of Ukraine
Ukraine’s mineral resources, December 10, 2024 [SOURCE: NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence] Moscow and Kiev have been vying with each other to curry favour with the new US administration. Just as Russian diplomacy appeared to be outstripping Kiev, things changed dramatically on April 30 with the signing of the so-called minerals deal between the …
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Trump unveils the Greater America project
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump addressing a press conference, Mar-a-Lago, Florida, January 7, 2025 On Tuesday, at a press conference at his Florida mansion, President-elect Donald Trump took his gloves off, after showing monumental patience in the face of the shenanigans by the lame duck president Joe Biden and his inner circle to “do an Obama” …
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Atlanticists mobilise to salvage NATO as Russia toughens its stance
Parts of the ballistic missile named Oreshnik (hazelnut) that Russia used in a strike on Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine, November 22, 2024 The American film maker and philanthropist who created the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, George Lucas, once said, “Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, …
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A defining moment in the Ukraine war
Russian President Vladimir Putin took a meeting of the Defence Ministry leadership, representatives of military-industrial complex and missile system developers, Kremlin, Moscow, Nov. 21, 2024 The Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a statement on Thursday regarding the two attacks by Western long-range weapons on Russian territory on November 19 and 21 and Moscow’s reactive strike on a facility within Ukraine’s …
Zelensky’s Victory Plan is his survival kit
President Volodymyr Zelensky presents (L) Hero of Ukraine award to military intelligence chief Kirill Budanov, Kiev, FEB. 9, 2024 Strana, one of the top online newspapers in Ukraine, which is banned in Russia since 2022, reported on Friday that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky is planning to dismiss Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and the powerful military …
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