Iran and Russia are seeking closer cooperation on arms control and Iran’s nuclear programme as the two countries deepen strategic ties amid heightened tensions with the U.S. and Israel.
Russia and Kazakhstan signed 15 agreements during President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Astana on Thursday (28 May), including deals on Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant and expanded oil cooperation with Russia.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 20th May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Russia is considering the possibility of joint projects with the United States and China, Kirill Dmitriev, Head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, (Russia's sovereign wealth fund), was quoted as saying by state media on Wednesday.
It's doubtful that Iran's proposal on resolving the two-month war will be accepted by President Donald Trump, an official source said, dampening hopes for a resolution to the conflict that has disrupted energy supplies, fuelled inflation, and killed thousands.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in St Petersburg on Monday after visits to Pakistan and Oman for talks on bilateral ties and regional developments, including a fragile ceasefire, tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and stalled peace negotiations with the U.S.
Armenia - Russia’s nominal ally in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) - appears to be accelerating its “divorce” from Moscow. While still part of the bloc and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Yerevan is deepening ties with the West and former adversaries Azerbaijan and Türkiye.
U.S. President Donald Trump called his recent phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin “very good.” The two leaders spoke on Monday about the situation in Iran and other international issues.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow could pay $1 billion from Russian assets frozen abroad to secure permanent membership in President Donald Trump’s proposed ‘Board of Peace’.
Russia’s Defence Ministry has deployed a nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system in Belarus.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting on the situation in Ukraine, during which he said Russian forces were making progress on several fronts, according to statements released by the Kremlin.
Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump that Russia will reassess its position in peace talks after what Moscow calls a Ukrainian drone attack on a presidential residence, a claim Kyiv rejects as fabrication.
In 2025, Ukraine lived two parallel realities: one of diplomacy filled with staged optimism, and another shaped by a war that showed no sign of letting up.
A massive Russian strike on Ukraine killed at least three people, including a four-year-old, as air raids and power outages hit cities nationwide. President Zelenskyy condemned the attack, urging greater pressure on Moscow.
In Russia, power has always determined who rises and who falls. Under Boris Yeltsin, oligarchs emerged as state property was carved up in the chaos of the 1990s. Wealth was fast, often crude, and frequently independent of the Kremlin itself.
US intelligence assessments indicate that Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to seek full control of Ukraine and to expand Russia’s influence in parts of Europe formerly under Soviet rule, contradicting repeated claims that Moscow poses no threat to the continent.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed on Friday to expand and diversify trade beyond oil and defence despite Western pressure on New Delhi to scale back its decades-old close ties with Moscow.
President Vladimir Putin accepted some U.S. proposals aimed at ending the war in Ukraine and rejected others but that Russia was ready to meet U.S. negotiators as many times as it took to reach an agreement, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Moscow does not seek a war with European powers, but is ready to fight if Europe chooses confrontation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that he is awaiting the results of a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as efforts continue to find a path toward ending the war in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that inflation in Russia has dropped below 7% year-on-year, marking what he called a “significant achievement” for the country’s economy.
The Kremlin is set to evaluate a new diplomatic proposal aimed at halting the hostilities in Ukraine, with high-level discussions involving a Washington envoy scheduled for the coming days in Moscow.
Ukraine and Russia signalled cautious openness to a U.S.-backed draft peace plan on Thursday, with both Kyiv and Moscow suggesting it could form the basis of future negotiations — though deep disagreements remain over legitimacy and territorial status.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was welcomed in Bishkek on Wednesday as he began a three-day state visit to Kyrgyzstan ahead of a Collective Security Treaty Organisation summit.
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