russia

Belgium Probes Drone Sightings after Flights Halted Overnight

Belgian authorities on Wednesday investigated drone sightings that halted air traffic overnight at several airports, as flights resumed after hundreds of passengers were left stranded. The main airport in Brussels and another in Liege had to suspend arrivals and departures late Tuesday for several hours after suspected drones were spotted ...

Putin Says Russia Considers Nuclear Tests Restart after Trump Comments

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia would consider resuming nuclear tests if the United States did so, convening a security council meeting after US President Donald Trump's comments on testing. The statement marks the latest episode of nuclear saber-rattling between the world's two largest atomic powers, after ...

From Baghdad to Russia: A Deadly Bet

Smiling broadly and clad in military fatigues, young Iraqi Mohammed Imad's last TikTok post was in a field carved up with heavy vehicle tracks in what appeared to be Ukraine. Smoke was rising behind him. "Pray for me," read the caption next to a Russian flag. That was in May. Months went by without a word, only rumors. Mohammed had been taken ...

Brussels Airport to Resume Flights After Drone Sightings

The main airport in Belgium's capital is expected to resume normal operations on Wednesday, after halting some 80 flights after suspected drone sightings, a spokeswoman said. Some 400-500 passengers had to spend the night at Zaventem airport because of the sightings, Brussels Airport spokesman Ariane Goossens told AFP. "The situation will return ...

Russian Reservists Face Call-Ups as Ukraine Hits Refineries

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed a law that allows using reservists to guard oil refineries after Ukrainian drone strikes led to gasoline shortages in some regions. Kyiv has been targeting Russian refineries in retribution for Moscow's drone and missile strikes in Ukraine, and in an attempt to cut off energy revenues that ...

A War Still Without End: Why Russia and Ukraine Remain Locked in Conflict

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, marking the most significant military conflict in Europe since World War II. The decision was rooted in a blend of political, strategic, and ideological motives that had been building for years. At the core of Moscow’s reasoning was the determination to prevent Ukraine, a ...

Trump says Russia, China Have Secretly Tested Nuclear Weapons, China Denies

China denied testing nuclear weapons on Monday after US President Donald Trump alleged the country was among those to have conducted tests unknown to the public. "China has always adhered to the path of peaceful development, pursued a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons, upheld a self-defense nuclear strategy and abided by its ...

North Korea’s Top Diplomat Heads to Russia and Belarus for Talks

North Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui will visit Russia for a three-day trip from Sunday, the Russian foreign ministry said. Choe would be in Russia "on a working visit" from Sunday to Tuesday, it said in a statement. Russian ambassador Aleksandr Matsegora accompanied the minister to the airport, the Russian embassy in Pyongyang said in a ...

Hungary Looking at Ways Around US Sanctions on Russian Oil: Orban

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Friday that his government was working on "ways to circumvent" US sanctions against Russian energy companies. The United States on Wednesday hit Russia's two biggest oil producers -- Rosneft and Lukoil -- with sanctions, the first against Russia since US President Donald Trump returned to ...

EU Takes Small Step Towards Using Russian Assets for Ukraine

EU leaders Thursday tasked the European Commission to move ahead with options for funding Ukraine for two more years, leaving the door open for a mammoth loan using frozen Russian assets. In broadly-worded conclusions adopted after marathon talks in Brussels, EU leaders stopped short of greenlighting plans for the 140-billion-euro ($162-billion) ...