China may have stopped Putin from using nuclear weapons, Blinken says
"We have reason to believe that China engaged Russia and said: 'Don't go there,'" outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Financial Times on Jan. 3.
China
US looking into restricting or banning drones made by 'foreign adversaries,' including China, Russia
The Bureau of Industry and Security said on Jan. 2 that the involvement of foreign adversaries in "supply chains, including acute threats from China and Russia – may offer our adversaries the ability to remotely access and manipulate these devices, exposing sensitive U.S. data."
Putin orders Russian government, top bank to cooperate with China on AI tech
Putin told the government and state-owned Sberbank to "ensure further cooperation with the People's Republic of China in technological research and development in the field of artificial intelligence."
China's Xi tells Putin two countries always move forward 'hand in hand'
Xi emphasized that China and Russia consistently advance together on a "path of non-alliance, non-confrontation, and not targeting any third party," according to the official Chinese news agency Xinhua.
Ukraine’s exports grew 13% in 2024 amid stabilized port activity, Economy Ministry says
Preliminary data shows that Ukraine’s exports grew by more than 13% over the past year, primarily due to stabilizing the functioning of Ukrainian seaports, Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said on Dec. 30.
New railway linking China to Central Asia countries, bypassing Russia, begins construction in Kyrgyzstan
The new route, part of China's economic expansion efforts, aims to expand Chinese commercial influence in Central Asia and Europe while bypassing Russian territory.
Zelensky urges China to help stop North Korean military aid to Russia
President Volodymyr Zelensky urged China to use its influence over North Korea to prevent the deployment of North Korean soldiers to the frontline, during his evening address on Dec. 27.
China’s Xi Jinping to visit Russia next year, Kremlin’s Beijing ambassador says
Speaking to Russian media, Ambassador Igor Morgulov said plans for several bilateral events were being "drawn up" but that Xi’s trip was a priority.
Trump's China strategy hinges on crippling Russia’s economy
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is determined to confront China economically and strategically. This is a difficult problem, because so many goods purchased in the United States have supply chains with deep roots in the Chinese manufacturing base. If new U.S. tariffs cause the Chinese renminbi to depreciate, as
Deals over ideals — Anne Applebaum explains the playbook of autocracies in new book, and how to undermine them
Autocratic regimes like Russia are becoming increasingly bold in their efforts to undermine the principles and norms that came to define the democratic world order in the aftermath of World War II. A month after the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov even declared
EU imposes sanctions on Chinese companies, North Korean minister over Ukraine war
The EU imposed fully fledged sanctions on Dec. 16, including asset freezes and visa bans, on Chinese firms for supplying Russia's military for the war against Ukraine.
US weighs sanctions on Russia's shadow fleet, Chinese banks supporting war effort, Reuters says
Washington is considering more sanctions on "shadow fleet" tankers and has not ruled out targeting Chinese banks if they are found to be involved in Russia’s war effort, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Reuters in an interview on Dec. 13.
Xi Jinping reaffirms China's stance on Ukraine war settlement
Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated China's position on resolving the war in Ukraine during a meeting with Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council, on Dec. 12, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Trump invites Xi to inauguration, CBS News reports
Trump's team is also considering inviting other world leaders, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Ukraine builds drone parts at home as China weaponizes supply chain
Some 25 miles south of Ukraine's border with Russia, explosions rumble off in the distance more or less continuously. “We don’t even hear them anymore,” Zhenya chuckles from under first-person-view (FPV) goggles branded with the U.S. company “Fat Shark.” Zhenya and his co-developer for DragoDrones, or DCU, Maksym,
Chinese exports to Russia decrease for first time in 4 months, Reuters reports
The decrease of 10.5% compared to November 2023 marks the first drop since July, Reuters writes.
China curbs sale of drone parts to US, Europe, hindering Ukraine’s war effort, Bloomberg reports
Chinese manufacturers began limiting their sales of vital drone components to their U.S. and European customers, preluding a broader ban on exports by officials, Bloomberg wrote, citing undisclosed sources on Dec. 9.
Zelensky tells Trump 'Putin fears only him and, perhaps, China'
"And that’s the truth — only decisiveness can bring this war to a just end and ensure lasting peace," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X.
Russia's alliance of convenience with China is a ticking time bomb
The recent BRICS+ summit in Kazan, Russia — featuring Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — had some observers hailing it as the dawn of an anti-Western world order, led by Moscow and Beijing. The partnership between Russia and China is undeniably formidable. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi
China says any Ukraine-Russia peace talks need 'positive energy' from international community
China has strengthened its ties with Russia since the beginning of its full-scale war against Ukraine. However, Beijing has denied allegations of aiding Russia's war effort.
'A more dangerous Russia' — UK armed forces chief issues stark 'third nuclear age' warning
The world faces the dawn of a "third nuclear age," the head of the U.K.'s armed forces Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said on Dec. 4.
Chinese man arrested in US on suspicions of arms shipments to North Korea
A Chinese man illegally residing in the U.S. was arrested for illegally shipping weapons to North Korea from the U.S., the Justice Department said in a statement on Dec. 3.
Western sanctions force Russian importers to smuggle their goods, media reports
The latest Western sanctions against 50 Russian banks forced Russian importers to use complex and underhand schemes to pay their Chinese sellers, the Moscow Times reported on Dec. 2, citing undisclosed business sources.
EU's upcoming Russia sanctions to target North Korean officials, Chinese, Indian companies, Ukrainian official says
The EU's 15th sanctions package will include 30 legal entities from eight countries and 50 individuals, the Ukrainian president’s commissioner for sanctions, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, said on Nov. 26.
Opinion: Russia is leveraging gold and working with China to bypass Western sanctions
Since the West imposed unprecedented economic pressure on Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the country’s trade practices have undergone a dramatic transformation, with Russian international trade increasingly occurring in the shadows. Access to the goods it needs now depends on constant scheming. Given that Russia operates under
G7 allies expected to increase pressure on China over support for Russia, Bloomberg reports
The foreign ministers of Group of Seven (G7) countries are expected to agree to increase diplomatic pressure on China over the country's support for Russia's 'war machine' in Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 25, citing an early draft of a communique seen by the publication.
Taiwan’s former president urges US to prioritize aiding Ukraine over Taiwan, Politico reports
"A Ukrainian victory will serve as the most effective deterrent to future aggression," former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said during the Halifax International Security Forum on Nov. 23.
Investigation: Who helped Russians increase production of domestic attack drones despite sanctions
An American-made HIMARS artillery system races down a Ukrainian road as a kamikaze drone hunts it down. The drone flies into the vehicle, followed by an explosion. The scene was caught on video by a Russian reconnaissance drone in mid-November. The drone that hit the HIMARS was a Lancet — one
Sweden investigating Chinese ship's possible role in Baltic Sea cable damage, FT reports
Data from maritime tracking group MarineTraffic shows the Yi Peng 3, traveling from Russia to Egypt, passed near the Swedish-Lithuanian and Finnish-German cables on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18, the dates the cables were damaged.
Ukraine war latest: Russia launches one of the largest aerial strikes on Ukraine, energy grid damage
Key developments on Nov. 16-17: * Russia launches one of the largest aerial strikes on Ukraine, targets energy grid * EU has 'convincing' evidence of reported Chinese attack drone production for Russia, media reports * Russia producing thermobaric drones, capable of causing 'terrifying' civilian harm, AP reports * Ukrainian partisans say they sabotaged railway
Biden meets Xi, condemns North Korean troops dispatch to Russia
"President Biden condemned the deployment of thousands of (North Korean) troops to Russia, a dangerous expansion of Russia’s unlawful war against Ukraine with serious consequences for both European and Indo-Pacific peace and security," the White House statement read.
Germany, China expected to discuss war in Ukraine, North Korean troops next week
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Chinese President Xi Jinping plan discuss the war in Ukraine and involvement of North Korean troops in the fighting during the upcoming G20 Summit in Brazil next week, German media reported on Nov. 15.
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