Putin open to talks, diplomacy on Ukraine: Kremlin

President Vladimir Putin is open to talks on a possible settlement to the conflict in Ukraine and believes in a diplomatic solution, the Kremlin said on Friday after Joe Biden suggested he was prepared to speak to the Russian leader. Biden, speaking beside French President Emmanuel Macron, said the only

Putin has learned nothing from Bush and Blair

We are witnessing the demise of the “superpowers”. Calm down Marvel comic fanatics, I’m not channelling the ornery US director Martin Scorsese and his churlish dismissal of the popular film franchise that dominates the box office as “not cinema” – although, I agree, it is anti-art junk. I am, instead, alluding to

Cambodia more than ever squeezed between Russia and the West

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen walks into a diplomatic minefield these days. He supports UN resolutions against Putin but does not want to jeopardize the long-standing friendship with Russia. At the same time, he tries to be less dependent on the West, both economically and politically. Last month, Cambodia backed the

War, greed and mass manipulation

In his treatise On War, the Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz (1780–1831) stated that war is “merely a continuation of policy with other means”. With his experience from the Napoleonic Wars von Clausewitz knew that totalitarian regimes could end up conducting huge and ruthless military campaigns. Furthermore, he assumed that

Putin signs treaties annexing Ukrainian regions

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed treaties Friday to annex occupied areas of Ukraine and said he would use "all available means" to protect the territory that Ukrainian and Western officials said Russia was claiming illegitimately and in violation of international law. In a speech preceding the treaty-signing ceremony, Putin urged Ukraine

Putin allies express concern over mobilisation excesses

Russia's two most senior lawmakers on Sunday addressed a string of complaints about Russia's mobilisation drive, ordering regional officials to get a handle on the situation and swiftly solve the "excesses" that have stoked public anger. President Vladimir Putin's move to order Russia's first military mobilisation since World War Two triggered

Vladimir Putin will eventually lose his war in Ukraine

The Kremlin will not be able to afford a sustained war effort in Ukraine for much longer. Russia is likely to lose this war, which began a little over six months ago. It has already lost geopolitically: its existential goal of bringing Ukrainians, who have now turned entirely to the West,

New law allows Putin to serve 2 more terms as leader

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a law allowing him to potentially hold onto power until 2036, a move that formalizes constitutional changes endorsed in a vote last year. The July 1 constitutional vote included a provision that reset Putin’s previous term limits, allowing him to run for president two