Amid the first round of peace talks with Ukraine in more than two weeks, Russia’s deputy defense minister announced the country would “fundamentally… cut back military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv.” The concession, offered “to increase mutual trust and create the necessary conditions for further negotiations,” could be an indication that the…

While much of the recent talk regarding rising oil prices around the world has centered on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Saudi Arabia has stepped into the conversation. The world’s largest oil exporter’s production efforts were impacted when Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked a petroleum distribution center in Jeddah and disrupted production at a petrochemicals complex…

Russia claims to have made good on $117 million in interest payments due this week on two dollar-based bonds. But its status over sanctions could put those or future payments in limbo and risk Russia defaulting on foreign debt for the first time in more than a century. The foreign currency reserves Russia has to pay…

Talks between Iran and the United States over reviving the 2015 nuclear deal appear to have stalled after Tehran suggested there were new obstacles and Washington said hard issues remained. The Biden administration would likely lift some of the punishing sanctions on Iran if the deal was brought back. That task has been made more…

A top official at the State Department said Tuesday she was surprised when Poland announced a plan to supply Ukraine with fighter jets in its fight against Russia’s invasion. The plan, announced Tuesday, involved Poland sending all of its MIG-29 jets to a U.S. military base in Germany. “I saw that announcement by the government…

11 months into negotiations to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Iran “has not and will not back down on any… red lines” in the negotiations, per the semi-official Fars news agency in Iran. According to Fars, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian had a similar message in a phone call…

One of the most painful possible economic sanctions against Russia amid the Ukraine invasion is cutting off the country from the SWIFT financial system. In late February, the U.S., E.U., and other allies announced suspending selected Russian banks from SWIFT, essentially blocking them from international transfers. Across the political aisle in the U.S., politicians are…

As day six of Russia’s invasion into Ukraine got underway, Russia continued to focus on Ukraine’s two largest cities: Kharkiv and the capital of Kyiv. Tuesday brought the second straight day of shelling in Kharkiv. Explosions tore through residential areas, and a maternity ward was moved to an underground shelter. “As a result of air…

According to a senior Biden administration official who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, President Joe Biden is sending five former top defense officials on a trip to Taiwan this week to “demonstrate our continued robust support for Taiwan.” The delegation is expected to arrive in Taiwan Tuesday afternoon and leave Wednesday afternoon.…

Russia’s invasion into Ukraine has quickly turned deadly. Ukraine’s Health Minister reported that 57 people were killed and 169 wounded in the first day of fighting. EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said: “These are among the darkest hours of Europe since the Second World War.” Dr. Emily Channell-Justice, a director at Harvard University’s Ukrainian…