Free Republic

China kicked off its largest-ever military parade on Wednesday, a show of its growing firepower and geopolitical clout as President Xi Jinping seeks to cast Beijing as the custodian of a post-U.S. international order. Flanked by Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, a smiling Xi strolled up a red carpet to take his seat for the lavish event at Tiananmen Square to mark 80 years since Japan's defeat at the end of World War Two. More than 50,000 spectators packed into stands joined a vast choir singing patriotic songs as the dignitaries took their seats on the...

Ukraine’s most heavily fortified region has become the center-point for peace talks to end the war with Russian leader Vladimir Putin reportedly demanding that Kyiv cede the entire territory to Moscow. But the Donestk oblast — which is smaller than Massachusetts and home to about 4 million people — has been at the center of some of the most brutal fighting of the war, and the Kremlin has not been able to take the entire region after more than three and a half years. A source familiar with Friday’s meeting between Putin and President Trump described negotiations over the fate...

US President Donald Trump called Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to address his obstruction of Ukraine's EU membership, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. The conversation emerged from Monday's White House discussions between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders. European officials requested that Trump leverage his relationship with Orban to convince him to abandon his opposition to Ukraine's EU bid, the news outlet reported, citing those familiar with the matter. Orban maintains opposition During the call, Hungary expressed a willingness to host future negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy. Trump said there would be a meeting between Putin and...

Russian reporters are whining about having to sleep on cots and being served old tuna for breakfast while covering the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska — but their own country may actually be to blame. The Kremlin journalists griped that they’ve had to rough it on portable beds with no sheets set up at the Alaska Airlines Center sports arena in Anchorage, where they were hardly able to make phone calls. They — gasp — even had to get by without bottled water. “After being assigned for [Thursday] night to what appeared to be a disaster evacuation zone, Russian journalists were...

United States President Donald Trump interrupted the meeting with European leaders to call his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Bild reported on Monday. Trump is currently hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French leader Emmanuel Macron, Italian head of government Giorgia Meloni, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Mark Rutte, European Commission chair Ursula von der Leyen, and Finnish head of state Alexander Stubb at the White House to update them on his summit with Putin in Alaska. Their talks will reportedly resume after Trump's call. Previously, it was said that he...

-snip- 12 p.m. European leaders are expected to be at the White House by noon EDT at the South Portico, with television crew and photographers allowed to document the arrival. 1 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Zelensky and Trump are set to greet each other an hour after the European leaders arrive, and will shortly after go into a meeting with each other in the Oval Office. Vice President Vance is also expected to attend this meeting. The last time the three met in February, there were fireworks. 2:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Trump will greet other European leaders in the...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Ukraine is prepared to work productively in order to end the war between Kiev and Moscow. "When peace is discussed for one country in Europe, it means peace for all of Europe. We are ready to continue working with maximum effort to end the war and to ensure reliable security. These are the key issues," Zelensky wrote on his X account after an encounter with United States Special Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg in Washington earlier today, and ahead of the multilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump and European leaders in...

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is meeting the U.S. special envoy on Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, in Washington ahead of high-stakes talks on peace with President Donald Trump later on Monday, Ukrinform news agency reported.

A summit between United States President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could take place this week in Europe, Sky News reported on Monday. Diplomats from the US allegedly asked their European colleagues to be ready to organize the meeting, although the exact location is currently unclear. According to the report, Trump and Zelensky favor holding the event in Rome, while Putin prefers Geneva. Other cities, including Budapest and Helsinki, are also allegedly under consideration. Previous reports suggested the summit could take place on Friday, August 22.

President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will hold a meeting together on Monday afternoon before they are joined by European officials traveling to Washington for key talks on the future of the Russia-Ukraine war. Two sources told NewsNation’s Libbey Dean and Kevin Bohn that Trump and Zelensky will hold the initial meeting, which will also be attended by Vice President Vance. That will be a rerun of the participants from an Oval Office meeting in February that went badly off the rails as Vance and Trump criticized Zelensky over his handling of the war, and for not being more...

At North Korea’s new beach resort, the white sand glistened against the crystal-clear waters. Ten minutes of Wi-Fi cost $1.70. Food arrived in abundance, albeit with the same three beverage choices: water, tea or beer. The weeklong trip cost roughly $2,000. The catch? All travelers had to be Russian. Welcome to North Korea’s Wonsan Kalma coastal complex, a megaresort built by the regime to portray the country as modern and affluent. It is opening to foreign vacationers for the first time, as part of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s drive to attract more tourism to his cash-strapped country and...

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov commented on Thursday regarding threats issued by U.S. President Donald Trump to BRICS, an organization comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. Trump claimed the group has "anti-American policies" and said he will impose tariffs on it and its allies, with Peskov replying that BRICS "does not respond to threats" and is not aligned against any country, News.Az reports citing foreign media.

Indian state refiners have temporarily ceased purchasing Russian crude oil this week, primarily due to concerns over potential secondary tariffs threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump and reduced discounts on Russian oil. This decision by state-controlled refiners, which represent over 60% of India’s refining capacity, marks a shift from their regular imports of Russian oil since 2022. Indian refiners are now seeking alternative crude supplies from the Middle East and West Africa and have requested urgent guidance from the Indian oil ministry regarding future Russian oil flows.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday told U.S. President Donald Trump to remember that Moscow possessed Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort after Trump told Medvedev to "watch his words". -snip- "If some words from the former president of Russia trigger such a nervous reaction from the high-and-mighty president of the United States, then Russia is doing everything right and will continue to proceed along its own path," Medvedev said in a post on Telegram. Trump should remember, he said, "how dangerous the fabled 'Dead Hand' can be," a reference to a secretive semi-automated Russian command system designed...

President Trump warned Russia’s former president Dmitry Medvedev that he risks entering “dangerous territory” after he slammed the US deadline for a cease-fire in Ukraine as “a step towards war.” “Tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he’s still President, to watch his words. He’s entering very dangerous territory!” Trump said regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top ally on Truth Social Thursday morning.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday took a sharp jab at India and Russia -snip- Russia and the USA do almost no business together." He added, "Let’s keep it that way, and tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia who thinks he’s still President, to watch his words. He’s entering very dangerous territory!”

Podnosova once said that women weren’t into Putin during their uni years. RUSSIA'S top judge and Putin’s former university pal has died today - just 15 months after taking the helm of the country's supreme court. -snip- Podnosova had revealed in 2001 how a gawky Putin was not fancied by girls at discos at Leningrad State University where they both studied in the law faculty in the Soviet era. “I well remember the last New Year [at university] - everyone dressed in masquerade costumes, and Volodya [Vladimir] came in a modest suit. "He commented: ‘This is Stierlitz’s outfit," in reference...

The draft memorandums on resolving the conflict that Moscow and Kyiv exchanged earlier would be the focus of the third round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. "The subject of talks is rather complicated; apart from other issues, the draft memorandums that the parties exchanged in the second round will also need to be discussed," he pointed out, News.Az reports, citing TASS.

Vladimir Putin today vowed to back Iran and condemned 'groundless' aggression against its ally after the U.S. joined Israel in striking nuclear facilities on Sunday. 'This is an absolutely unprovoked aggression against Iran,' Putin told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who travelled to Moscow seeking support in mediation. Putin called recent strikes 'unjustified' and added that Russia was 'making efforts to provide assistance to the Iranian people.' Araghchi on Monday thanked Putin for condemning U.S. strikes on Iran, telling him Russia stood on 'the right side of history'.

Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, traveled to Pyongyang on Tuesday under the direct orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin, signaling a deepening of strategic military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. The visit, Shoigu's second in less than two weeks and third meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in just three months, comes as Moscow seeks to draw Pyongyang closer in its protracted war effort in Ukraine. Observers say the visit suggests a bid by Russia to leverage shifting global attention — particularly the West’s growing preoccupation with escalating tensions between Israel and Iran — to secure...