Russia's Putin holds talks with Slovakian PM Fico, in a rare visit to Moscow by an EU leader

Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's Putin holds talks with Slovakian PM Fico, in a rare visit to Moscow by an EU leader.

Latest stories

  • Singapore’s prime minister warns of a ‘third world war’ if U.S. and China force rest of the world to pick sides

    Fortunately, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong thought a full split was unlikely: “I can’t see how a full decoupling can happen at this stage.”

  • Malaysia's Anwar says don't single out China in sea tensions

    There will always be border disputes in Asia, and China should not be singled out because of tensions in the South China Sea, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Wednesday."Of course, people highlight the issue of the South China Sea...

  • A British submarine secretly tracking a Russian spy ship hanging around undersea cables surfaced close to it to send a message, UK says

    The UK authorized the British submarine to surface closely to the Russian vessel to warn it off, British defense secretary Healey said.

  • Hungary wants Ukraine gas transit to resume as EU sanctions rollover looms

    Hungary wants the European Union to persuade Ukraine to resume gas transit from Russia to Europe, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday, signalling a tough debate as the EU seeks to extend its sanctions against Russia over the coming week. Hungary has not yet decided whether to support the sanctions rollover due at the end of this month.

  • Ships with missile propellant ingredient set to sail from China to Iran, FT reports

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Two Iranian cargo vessels carrying an ingredient for missile propellant will sail from China to Iran in the next few weeks, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing intelligence from security officials in two Western countries. The reported transactions could make the Chinese entities involved subject to U.S. sanctions aimed at curbing Iran's weapons programs, as the two Iranian vessels are already under U.S. sanctions. The FT said the Iranian-flagged ships, the Golbon and the Jairan, were expected to carry more than 1,000 tonnes of sodium perchlorate, which is used to make ammonium perchlorate, the main ingredient for solid propellant for missiles.

  • Saudi crown prince promises Trump $600 bn trade, investment boost

    Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promised on Thursday to pile $600 billion into US trade and investments as he congratulated Donald Trump on his return to the White House."The crown prince affirmed the kingdom's intention to broaden its investments and trade with the United States over the next four years, in the amount of $600 billion, and potentially beyond that," the Saudi Press Agency reported.

  • Rubio backs Manila, condemns Beijing's 'dangerous' actions in South China Sea

    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed Washington's commitment to Manila and condemned Beijing for its "dangerous and destabilising" actions in the South China Sea, in his first phone call with Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo. Rubio, who was sworn in one day ago, "underscored the United States' ironclad commitments to the Philippines under our mutual defence treaty", said State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce. They discussed "issues of mutual concern", including China's "dan

  • Israel seeks 30-day extension for Lebanon withdrawal amid ceasefire concerns, reports claim

    Israel has reportedly asked the US for more time to withdraw from southern Lebanon - only days before the deadline to do so is up. Hezbollah says this is unacceptable, and support for Lebanon from major international players is on display.View on euronews

  • High-level EU-China talks to resume as top diplomats prepare to meet in Munich

    The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas plans to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Munich next month, in what is likely to be the first formal sit-down between the two sides since a changing of the guard in Brussels. A meeting at the annual Munich Security Conference between February 14 and 16 will mark Kallas' first face-to-face encounter with China's leadership since she became the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy in December, according to people fa

  • Top Iranian politician appeals to Trump to restart nuclear deal negotiations

    Mohammad Javad Zarif says he hopes new Trump administration will be more serious, focused and realistic

  • India foreign secy to visit China to revive ties

    NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will visit Beijing on Jan. 26-27 to discuss steps to boost ties with China, as the Asian neighbours revive relations that were strained since a deadly military clash on their disputed frontier in 2020. New Delhi and Beijing reached a milestone pact in October on lowering military tensions on their Himalayan border and have begun taking baby steps to restore ties following talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Russia.

  • EU trade chief says it ‘could consider’ UK joining pan-Europe customs deal

    Maroš Šefčovič says ‘the ball is in the UK’s court’ as British ministers reportedly consult businesses

  • Japan's leader says he's preparing for tough negotiations with Trump on maintaining US presence

    Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, struggling to stabilize his minority government, said Friday he will seek to maintain regional security and prepare for tough negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump to win his commitment to maintain a strong American presence in the Asia-Pacific. Ishiba has been seeking to meet with Trump since his election victory in November and is arranging a trip to Washington in the coming weeks. With a minority government following a significant election loss in October due to voter anger over his party’s financial scandals, Ishiba is struggling to stay in power at least until the next major elections this summer.

  • EU Russia hawks back Trump call to boost defence spending

    The EU's top diplomat and Poland's prime minister said Wednesday that the bloc must heed US President Donald Trump's demand to spend much more on defence -- faced with the "existential threat" posed by Russia.The rallying cries were the latest in a slew of increasingly alarming warnings from European officials, who have been calling for a "wake-up call" on defence since Moscow's tanks rolled into Ukraine in 2022.Trump has ramped up the pressure by warning Washington's European allies that he could withhold US protection, calling for NATO to more than double its defence spending target."President Trump is right to say that we don't spend enough. It's time to invest," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a keynote speech at a conference in Brussels. "The United States, they are our strongest ally, and must remain so." "The EU's message to the US is clear, we must do more for our own defence and shoulder a fair share of responsibility for Europe's security," she said.EU countries have increased their military budgets since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But politicians acknowledge they will have to go further as they struggle to match Moscow's vast military output. "Russia poses an existential threat to our security today, tomorrow and for as long as we under-invest in our defence," said Kallas, a former prime minister of Estonia."Many of our national intelligence agencies are giving us the information that Russia could test EU's readiness to defend itself in three to five years. Who else are we listening to?"Speaking separately at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Polish Prime Minister Donald Trump insisted that "if Europe is to survive, it needs to be armed".The leader of Poland, which spends proportionally more on defence than any NATO ally, urged fellow EU states to take seriously Trump's call to up the spending target to five percent of GDP from two percent."This is a time when Europe cannot afford to save on security," said Tusk, whose country took over the EU's rotating presidency this month.- 'Language of strength' -Kallas meanwhile said Europe's first priority must be helping Ukraine's fatigued forces fight back against the Kremlin's invasion as Russian President Vladimir Putin's war nears the three year mark."There is absolutely no doubt that we can do more to help Ukraine. With our help, they can also win the war," she said. "The only language that Putin speaks is the language of strength."Trump has sparked fears in Europe that he could force Kyiv into painful concessions in search of a quick deal with Moscow to end the conflict."Aggression as a foreign policy tool can never, never pay off," Kallas said, warning the United States that its key rival China was watching for any signs of weakness."Ukraine's security against Russia is security for us all."She said she wanted "to look into doing even more" with over 200 billion euros ($208 billion) of Russian state assets frozen in the bloc. So far the EU and its international partners have used the interest on the money to give Kyiv a $50 billion loan, but they have refused to touch the main assets.- UK a 'key partner' -Beyond the United States, Kallas said the EU needed to strengthen security bonds with former member and "key partner" Britain.  "We need a mutually beneficial relationship on security and defence," Kallas said. "A new agreement on this is a logical next step."EU leaders are set to meet next month in Brussels with the British prime minister and the head of NATO for a discussion on bolstering Europe's defences. Last month, NATO chief Mark Rutte said Europe must "turbo-charge" defence spending and production if it is to deter Russia from launching a bigger war in the future. Kallas and EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius are set to put forward new proposals for bolstering the bloc's industry in March.Despite a raft of existing initiatives, officials admit the EU has so far struggled to turn the rhetoric into reality and step up to the scale of the threat."The storm clouds of war are gathering over Europe," Kubilius said."We can outspend, outproduce -- and outgun Russia."del/ec/js

  • Trump threatens Russia, others with tariffs if Ukraine deal not reached

    U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would add new tariffs to his sanctions threat against Russia if the country does not make a deal to end its war in Ukraine, and added that these could also be applied to "other participating countries." In a post on Truth Social, Trump modified comments he made on Tuesday that he would likely impose sanctions against Russia if President Vladimir Putin refused to negotiate an end to the nearly three-year conflict. "If we don't make a 'deal,' and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries," Trump said.

  • Legendary family-owned soy sauce factory to shut its doors after 111 years

    The post Legendary family-owned soy sauce factory to shut its doors after 111 years appeared first on SETHLUI.com.

  • Trump revokes security for his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

    President Donald Trump has revoked the security detail for his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who had received ongoing protection due to threats from Iran after taking a hardline policy toward the country during Trump’s first administration, three sources familiar with the move told CNN.

  • Luxury watch salesman killed himself after ‘not putting up enough of a fight’ during £1.3m robbery

    A luxury watch salesman took his own life after he was accused of “not putting up enough of a fight” with robbers who grabbed £1.3 million worth of jewellery from his shop, a court heard.

  • ‘No Other Choice’: Trump Issues an Ultimatum to Pal Putin

    Donald Trump has issued an ultimatum to his one-time ally Vladimir Putin, threatening him with retribution if he doesn’t make a deal to end Russia’s war against Ukraine. In an apparent effort to make good on his already-broken vow to end the war within 24 hours of becoming president, Trump took to Truth Social on Wednesday to try and bend the strong-man leader’s arm. “I’m going to do Russia, whose Economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big FAVOR. Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War

  • Elon Musk trashes Trump’s $500 billion AI plan immediately after president’s boastful press conference

    Musk publicly broke from the Trump administration’s latest initiative on artificial intelligence