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Russia
Russia
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Russia. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
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Moscow
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President Vladimir Putin
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Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin
The board was originally proposed as a way of helping Gaza to rebuild, but it appears that its remit may be expanded. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

China confirms invite to Trump’s Gaza ‘peace board’ but won’t say if will join

The US president has invited dozens of leaders to join the body, but is reportedly demanding US$1 billion for permanent membership.

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Greenland

Is the Trump-Greenland dispute a win for Russia?

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Indonesia

Indonesia strips ex-police officer of citizenship for joining Russian forces

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Donald Trump

Trump threatens 200% wine tariff to push France to join ‘Board of Peace’

US president targets France after it was lukewarm about the US$1 billion invitation to join his new global body.

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US President Donald Trump took shots at French leader Emmanuel Macron for so far rejecting his invitation to join a proposed Board of Peace. Photo: AFP
China-EU relations

Don’t expect Greenland crisis to realign EU with China, former US diplomat says

HKU seminar hears that the core task for Brussels is to navigate US-China rivalry while seeking a balance between the two.

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Weather

Record snow in Russia’s far east blocks building entrances, buries cars

With over five metres of snow since December, Kamchatka residents are forced to carve tunnels to reach their front doors.

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Donald Trump

Allies tepid on joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ as countries study invites

Some leaders sign on to the Trump-chaired body, but initial reaction from two key allies, France and Canada, was lukewarm.

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US President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. Photo: AP
US-China relations

How narrowing China-US gap could reshape global power play by 2035

Political scientist Yan Xuetong predicts Beijing will be on ‘equal footing’ in strategic rivalry with Washington in the post-Trump era.

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Israel-Gaza war

Putin invited to Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ on Gaza conflict: Kremlin

Moscow is seeking clarity on the offer as Putin navigates strained Israel ties and ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

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Donald Trump

‘World is not secure’: Trump abandons ‘peace’ after Nobel snub, tells Norway PM

Trump says ‘World is not secure’ without US control of Greenland, as US president rejects peace-focused diplomacy in a blunt message to Norwegian PM.

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US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting of the Detroit Economic Club on January 13. Photo: TNS
US-Venezuela conflict

Opinion | Trump’s Venezuela raid a rude awakening for Russia and China

The US abduction of Venezuela’s president showed Russia could do little to protect its ally while China’s economic ties were put at risk.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) shakes hands with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 7, 2025. Photo: Pool via Reuters
Ukraine war

Top Ukrainian negotiator says talks with US to continue in Davos

Negotiators move from Florida to Switzerland for talks as Ukrainians reel from Russian attacks that have damaged energy infrastructure.

Greenland

Europe prepares retaliation over Trump’s Greenland ultimatum

Eight European countries consider US$108 billion retaliation and ‘anti-coercion’ tools after Trump vows tariffs on Europe over Arctic island.

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US-Venezuela conflict

Opinion | Why the US really wants Venezuela’s oil

To win the geopolitical contest, a country needs ample resources, a self-sustaining production system – and the backing of a wider economic bloc.

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An activist, wearing a cutout mask depicting US President Donald Trump and tied with a rope, kneels next to a container with the words, “My Oil”, in an rally to condemn the US military action in Venezuela, in Seoul, South Korea, on January 5. Photo: Reuters
Brics

Did China, Russia, Iran joint naval drills in South Africa signal a Brics shift?

Observers describe high-profile exercise involving economic grouping as largely symbolic rather than step towards military alliance.

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South African and Chinese flags fly aboard the Chinese guided-missile destroyer Tangshan, moored at port in Cape Town for joint naval drills involving Brics members, on January 10. Photo: AFP
China-Japan relations

Japan urged to ‘correct historical errors’, return Tang dynasty stele to China

9.5-tonne stone slab shipped to Japan as ‘war trophy’ in 1908 is described as one of China’s most significant ‘lost national treasures’.

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Brics

Testing the waters: is Brics evolving into a security alliance?

The first naval exercises under the ‘Brics plus’ banner saw Brazil, Egypt, China, Russia and South Africa take part. India did not.

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Middle East

Iran cleric demands death for protesters, threatens Trump amid unrest

Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami urged the execution of detained protesters, a step the Trump administration warned could spark military action.

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Iranian senior cleric Ahmad Khatami delivers his sermon during Friday prayer in Tehran in January 2018. Photo: AP
US-China relations

Tesla’s defeat, Harvard’s success, Beijing’s shock: 7 US-China relations reads

From China’s EV power to Hegseth’s new threat, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in the first half of January 2026.

Iran

Putin offers to mediate Iran-Israel tensions after Trump threat

The Russian leader spoke with Israel’s Netanyahu and Iran’s Pezeshkian on Friday, offering Moscow’s help to de-escalate tensions, the Kremlin said.

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US-Venezuela conflict

Trump pick for South America command sidesteps China questions at Senate hearing

Lieutenant General Francis Donovan’s answers frustrated even Republicans in favour of a military-first plan to counter Chinese influence.

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Lieutenant General Francis Donovan testifies during a Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing in Washington on Thursday. Photo: AP
Open Questions series

Open Questions | China wins if Venezuela ensnares Trump, Mearsheimer says

Maduro’s ‘kidnap’ and naked grab for Venezuela’s oil may leave US bogged down and less able to keep eye on China, political scientist John Mearsheimer says.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Greenland

Europeans send military personnel to Greenland in message to Trump

Initial deployments are small, but Denmark is planning a ‘larger, more permanent’ Nato presence.

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Ukraine war

Kremlin warns Ukraine running out of time to accept peace terms

The Kremlin insists Ukraine is running out of options as US-led talks stall, warning that the ‘situation is deteriorating’ for Kyiv daily.

India

‘Trump’s wrath’: India’s aim to diversify trade via Iran faces tariff threat

The 25 per cent tariff against countries that trade with Iran may curtail India’s plan to develop the Chabahar port in Iran.

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Officials attend a ceremony in 2019 to mark the first export convoy to India via Iran at Chabahar port. Photo: Getty Images
India

Trump’s 500% tariff push raises risk of India-US trade freeze

Such punitive tariffs would erode India’s export competitiveness and force the country to reorient its trade elsewhere, analysts warn.

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A train carrying cargo containers rides along a railway track in Ajmer, India, in August 2025. The US is India’s largest export market, receiving about 18 per cent of its total goods exports. Photo: AFP
United States

US halts visas for 75 countries indefinitely; China not on the list

Trump administration pauses immigrant visa processing from January 21, affecting applicants worldwide while exempting key visa categories.

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United States

Denmark cites ‘fundamental disagreement’ with Trump over Greenland

US president asserts ‘we need Greenland’, as Denmark announces a stepped-up military presence in the Arctic with its allies.

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