russia

Romania's Top Court Scraps Presidential Election

Romania's constitutional court announced on Friday that it had annulled the presidential election following allegations of Russian interference, effectively cancelling the second-round run-off that had been due to take place this weekend. Romanian authorities had cried foul after far-right outsider Calin Georgescu topped the first round of ...

Russia and Ukraine to Attend Rare Joint Summit in Malta

Russia and Ukraine will send their foreign ministers to Malta this week for a summit of the OSCE, officials said Wednesday, in one of the few events attended by both countries since Moscow's Ukraine offensive began. The trip marks Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's first to an EU member since the start of the conflict in February 2022, and ...

Russia Finds Itself Caught Off-Balance in Syria

Syria’s 12-year Civil War has surged to the top of global news bulletins this week after rebel fighters – largely under the banner of Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – seized control of Aleppo, the country’s second largest city, advancing to the outskirts of Hama, a key node linking Damascus to Syrian President Bashar ...

Ukraine Pushes NATO for Invite as Trump Rule Looms

Ukraine insisted Tuesday that NATO membership was the only "real guarantee" for its security as foreign ministers from the alliance looked set to rebuff Kyiv's push for an invite ahead of Donald Trump's return to the US presidency. Trump has vowed to press for a quick deal to end Russia's war, leaving Kyiv scrambling to position itself ahead of ...

Assad Claims Rebels Attempting to 'Redraw' Regional Map

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad on Monday branded an Islamist-led offensive that has captured swathes of territory an attempt to redraw the regional map in line with US interests. His comments in a phonecall with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian came as Syria's military and its ally Russia launched deadly air raids on areas under ...

US, Russia, Iran, and Turkey Address Escalation in Syria

The United States on Saturday said Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad lost control of Aleppo because of his reliance on Russia and Iran. Syria's "reliance on Russia and Iran," along with its refusal to move forward with a 2015 peace process outlined by the UN Security Council, "created the conditions now unfolding," National ...

Syrian Rebels Advance Towards Hama After Capturing Aleppo

War monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that jihadists and allied rebel factions had taken most of Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, in a lightning offensive that left more than 320 dead, a crushing blow to Bashar al-Assad's rule. Syrian rebels are now advancing towards the city of Hama, claiming to already ...

EU Commits $19 Billion to Ukraine Under G7 Plan

The European Union on Thursday confirmed it would give Ukraine 18.1 billion euros ($19 billion) as part of a bigger G7 loan backed by profits from frozen Russian assets. The Group of Seven advanced economies last month finalised an agreement on a $50 billion loan to Kyiv to help prop up the country as it struggles to fight back against Moscow's ...

Putin Says Russia Could Fire Hypersonic Missile at Kyiv

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday threatened to strike "decision-making centres" in Kyiv with Russia's new hypersonic missile, hours after Moscow pummelled Ukraine's energy grid in an attack that left a million people without power. Russia fired more than 90 missiles and around 100 drones during the barrage, Kyiv said, in ...

Germany Offers to Deploy Patriot Air Defense Systems to Poland

Germany said on Thursday it had offered NATO to deploy Patriot air defense systems to Poland from January to help protect weapons supply lines to Ukraine in its war against Russia. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said this would help protect a logistics hub and "secure the supply of vehicles, weapons and ammunition that Ukraine urgently needs to ...

Kyiv, Seoul Say Will Deepen Security Ties Over N.Korea Troops

South Korea and Ukraine agreed Wednesday to deepen security cooperation in response to the "threat" posed by the deployment of North Korea troops in Russia, the presidency in Seoul announced. The statement followed a meeting between South Korea's president and Ukraine's defense minister after their countries sounded the alarm ...