June has been a busy month for Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a speech at Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he outlined his terms for peace negotiations with Ukraine and proposed establishing an alternative international security system in collaboration with China. A week later, during a two-day visit to
The European Union’s foreign policy will soon be under new management. While Ursula von der Leyen seems well positioned to carry on as European Commission president, there will be a new president of the European Council and a new foreign policy chief. They will inherit an unenviable agenda that
According to Kommersant's sources, Bank of China will refuse to accept payments from any sanctioned Russian bank starting on June 24.
"The political component will be very important. We have a war in Ukraine, as well as a hybrid attack by Belarus on the Polish border," Polish President Andrzej Duda said before the trip on June 22.
Informal discussions on nuclear weapons between the United States and China resumed in March for the first time in five years, Reuters first reported on June 21, with Beijing delegates assuring their American counterparts that they would not resort to using nuclear threats over Taiwan.
After Vladimir Putin's visit to China, specially authorized smaller banks in border regions have enabled Russian entities to set up non-resident accounts with Chinese banks, Reuters wrote.
Japan on June 21 for the first time announced sanctions against China-based companies over their support for Russian aggression.
A recently signed partnership agreement between Moscow and Pyongyang should worry not only the U.S. but also China as it threatens to undermine the stability of the Korean peninsula, the White House said on June 20.
Kyiv would consider participating in a Beijing-led peace conference with Russia's presence if the talks are based on the principles of the "U.N. Charter and international law," Ukraine's Ambassador to Singapore Kateryna Zelenko said in a media interview published on June 20.
More than half of the signatories came from Europe. When counting other key Western allies outside of Europe – the U.S., Canada, and Australia – the disparity is even more stark.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said China was providing support that enables "Russia to keep that defense industrial base going, to keep the war machine going, to keep the war going."
China should face consequences for its continued support of Russia amidst the ongoing war with Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on June 17.
Ukraine’s peace summit wrapped up on June 16 at the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland after two days of discussions on three major aspects of Ukraine’s 10-point peace plan: nuclear safety, food security, and prisoner swaps. Just over 90 countries, a handful of organizations, and one observer took part
The Swiss government intends to discuss the outcomes of the global peace summit with countries that have not attended, including Russia and China, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said on June 16.
NATO countries are in discussions to deploy more nuclear weapons on standby, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the Telegraph on June 16 as Russia continues to threaten the use of nuclear weapons.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb called on Beijing to use its influence over Russian President Vladimir Putin to help end the war in Ukraine, reported Finnish media outlet Yle on June 15.
Beijing likely opted out of Ukraine's peace summit at the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on June 15, according to the Associated Press.
Geng Shuang, China's deputy representative to the United Nations, called on Ukraine and Russia to "demonstrate political will" to end the war.
Ten diplomats confirmed China's efforts to lobby for its plan, while one of them called China's campaign a "subtle boycott" of the summit.
The United States may have to increase its deployment of strategic nuclear weapons amid growing threats from China, Russia, and other adversaries, a White House official said on June 7.
Taiwan's Ministry of Economy has decided to expand sanctions against Russia and Belarus by prohibiting the export of nitrocellulose, a crucial component used in projectile production.
On June 5, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met with Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Sun Weidong for political consultations, as reported by Ukraine's press service of the Foreign Ministry.
Well into the third year of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine is looking to strengthen international support for its peace plan at the upcoming global peace summit on June 15-16. While Russia has not been invited to the summit and has dismissed Ukraine’s plan outright, so far 107 countries
The document, which China and Brazil laid out in a joint statement in May, called for an international conference recognized by both Ukraine and Russia, Bloomberg said.
"We are going to continue to make clear to China that we object to those actions, that we will hold entities responsible for those actions, and we have heard our European counterparts say the same thing," U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on June 3.
China has never "fanned fire or fueled the flames" of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.
China has become a key lifeline for Russia's economy after the West sought to wean off Russian fossil fuels in the wake of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Beijing is now using Moscow's growing dependency to gain advantageous conditions on the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, the FT wrote.
Ukraine hopes the summit will address several key areas, such as energy security, the exchange of captives, the return of deported children, global food security, and other topics.
The United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency Mi5 has been ordered to prioritize targeting spies over terrorists due to a significant recruitment drive by Russia, China, and Iran.
"We must make the choice stark for China: Chinese firms can either do business in our economies or they can equip Russia's war machine with dual-use goods. They cannot do both," said U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo.
The denial comes after the U.S. earlier this week accused China of giving Russia "every support behind the scenes" towards its war in Ukraine, describing its actions as "destabilizing in the heart of Europe."
One source said China had insisted the summit should be recognised by both Russia and Ukraine and both countries should participate.
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