Eastern Europe / News
Russia's Rosatom in talks to build new nuclear power plant in Iran
Russian state-run atomic energy giant Rosatom is in talks to construct another nuclear power plant (NPP) in Iran, the company’s chief said.
Putin opens the door to the return of Western business to Russia
President Vladimir Putin has opened the door to Western companies’ return to the Russian market, but only on the Kremlin’s terms and only after sanctions are lifted, the Russian president said on February 21.
Russia considers ceding its frozen $300bn CBR money as part of a ceasefire deal
Russia is considering the use of $300bn in frozen assets held in Europe to help rebuild Ukraine, but insists part of the money be used to rebuild the Ukrainian territories under its control, Reuters reports.
Putin says sanctions have strengthened, not weakened, Russian economy
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Western sanctions have played a “stimulating role” in Russia’s economic development, rather than bring it to its knees.
Brazil's Lula backs Ukraine peace mission but rules out sending troops
Brazil will not send troops to Ukraine but would support a peacekeeping mission, President Lula da Silva said in a joint statement with Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro.
White House offers a revised mineral deal, but US-Ukraine relations still in limbo
The White House has offered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a revised version of its deal to exploit rare earth minerals that Kyiv rejected last week because the terms were too harsh.
Hungary set to block extension of EU sanctions against Russia, citing peace talks
Hungary will not vote in favour of extending sanctions against Russian and Belarusian individuals at the upcoming meeting of the EU's Foreign Affairs Council, arguing that it would hinder US-Russian peace talks.
Potential US troop withdrawal from Europe to leave Kosovo exposed
Fears US may consider withdrawing its troops from Europe, including Kosovo, if Trump and Putin reach an agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump interested in jointly developing Arctic oil and gas with Russia
The US and Russia are looking at joint energy projects in the Arctic, as part of the ceasefire negotiation in Riyadh, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund boss Kirill Dmitriev told Politico on February 19.
Zelenskiy, Trump take verbal swipes at each other as relations between Washington and Kyiv nosedive
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy launched a scathing attack on Donald Trump, accusing the US president of being trapped in a “disinformation bubble” over the war in Ukraine.
EU eyes “strategic autonomy” partnership with Latin America amid deepening rift with US
The European Union is seeking to deepen its relationship with Latin America and the Caribbean, framing the partnership as one built on "strategic autonomy" rather than as a counterbalance to China's growing influence in the region.
Trump’s mineral deal for Ukraine “worse than Versailles”, reports The Daily Telegraph
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ordered his staff not to sign the proposed deal that would hand the US control over Ukraine's raw materials and key infrastructure.
Zelenskiy freezes US minerals deal, reaches out to Arab nations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has frozen a proposed concession to mine Ukraine’s considerable mineral resources after the US side offered little in return and is travelling in the Middle East to look for new partners.
US and Russian officials hold landmark peace talks in Saudi Arabia as Ukraine remains excluded
Senior US and Russian officials have concluded extensive talks at the Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – the most significant diplomatic engagement between the two powers since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russia reportedly considers selling 6% stake in NIS to Serbia after US imposed sanctions
Serbia is considering a range of solutions to ensure NIS’s continued operations, all of which carry economic and geopolitical risks.
Visibly tired and upset Zelenskiy holds Ukraine war press conference with Erdogan in Istanbul
Says Turkey should be among countries with seat at any peace talks table. Turkish president says that table should be in Ankara.
Russia says pipeline drone strike set to wipe out up to third of Kazakhstan’s oil exports
Kremlin mouthpiece Medvedev claims Ukrainian attack was designed to harm US economic interests in deliberate move against Trump.
European leaders clash over peacekeepers in Ukraine at Paris meeting
Argument highlights the lack of consensus on how to respond to US President Donald Trump’s proposed peace talks with Russia, which have kicked off in Riyadh.
Russian foreign minister accuses West of trying to destabilise Serbia
Sergei Lavrov slams sanctions on oil company NIS and claims ongoing protests are a foreign-backed effort to instigate a ‘colour revolution’ in Serbia.
Brazil to host expanded BRICS summit in July amid US dollar tensions
Brazil will host leaders from the BRICS nations and their new members in Rio de Janeiro on July 6-7, as the burgeoning bloc faces growing pressure from the US over plans to reduce dollar dependence in trade.