President Vladimir Putin praised the Russian army in his New Year’s Eve address Sunday, calling for “unity” in a subdued speech that did not explicitly mention the war in Ukraine. In stark contrast to last year’s address, when the Russian leader was flanked by soldiers in uniform, Putin stood in front of the traditional backdrop…
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday said his country’s ties with Russia had grown stronger in 2023, as he exchanged New Year greetings with his counterpart Vladimir Putin, state media reported. Beijing and Moscow are staunch allies and have strengthened their relations as Western countries turn their backs on Russia over its military invasion of Ukraine.…
Russia launched fresh strikes against Ukraine early Sunday, a day after vowing to retaliate for what it called a “terrorist attack” on the city of Belgorod. Several Iranian-made Shahed drones targeted Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv overnight, according to local authorities, as Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of bombarding civilian areas near their…