Author: CNN

As countries around the world ramped up sanctions on Russia in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it became clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin still had a powerful friend in Xi Jinping.This week, Xi is welcoming Putin to China for a two-day state visit — their fourth in-person meeting since Russia’s onslaught in Ukraine began.The war has driven the two leaders and their economies closer together — with trade hitting record levels last year as Russia upped its imports of key commodities from China and Chinese buyers lapped up discounted Russian fuel.The United States has said Chinese exports of products…

Slovaks have been deeply divided over the country’s direction and position in the world since Prime Minister Robert Fico was reelected last year. Supporters see Fico as a caring leader who has their interests at heart while critics say he is a populist whose pro-Russian leanings pose major risks for the country.Since taking the top job in October, Fico has brought about a major pivot in Slovakia’s foreign policy and its previously staunch support for Ukraine. He pledged an immediate end to military support for Kyiv against the Russian invasion and promised to block Ukraine’s ambitions of joining NATO.Domestically, his…

An apartment building damaged in the Russian missile attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on May 14. Andrii Marienko/APAt least 21 civilians, including two 12-year-old girls and an 8-year-old boy, were wounded in Russian attacks on Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv on Tuesday, according to prosecutors.Russian forces used glide bombs in three waves of attacks, striking more than 20 targets, according to Oleksandr Filchakov, Kharkiv region prosecutor.Glide bombs can carry hundreds of kilograms of explosives and are dropped from aircraft which — in the case of attacks on the Kharkiv border region — do not even need to enter Ukrainian airspace.Writing on Telegram, Filchakov said that several apartment blocks, a shopping center, and an…

The changing language used by the Ukrainian military in 72 hours of daily updates tells the story: “Ongoing defensive fighting.” “Significantly worsened.” Russian “tactical success.”You rarely ever hear Kyiv’s top brass sounding downbeat, but their steep southerly trajectory reflects the grave place Ukraine finds itself in. Russia is not just advancing slowly in one place; it appears to be advancing in four, across the frontline.Moscow knows it is on the clock: in about a month, the $61 billion of US military aid will start to translate into Ukraine having the weapons it has been begging for. So, Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to be throwing…

A damaged United Nations vehicle is seen in front of a hospital after a UN employee was killed in an attack on a vehicle in Gaza, according to Israeli media. Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/Getty ImagesThe US believes an Israeli operation in Gaza’s southern town of Rafah would be a mistake and is “urgently” working toward a ceasefire, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.This comes as the Biden administration has assessed that Israel has amassed enough troops on the edge of the city of Rafah in Gaza to move forward with a full-scale incursion in the coming days, two senior administration officials told…

Israel’s military has ordered the evacuation of more neighborhoods in Rafah ahead of a potential major ground operation in the southern Gaza city, where over 1 million Palestinians are estimated to be displaced. Source link

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled Rafah after the Israel Defense Forces ordered evacuations ahead of a ground offensive. Source link

President Joe Biden walks to board Marine One in the South Lawn of the White House on May 9, 2024. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty ImagesUS President Joe Biden is facing bipartisan blowback over his warning to Israel that a major Israeli offensive in the city of Rafah would result in a shut-off to some US weapons.A group of 26 House Democrats sent a letter to Biden on Friday saying they are “deeply concerned about the message the Administration is sending to Hamas and other Iranian-backed terrorist proxies by withholding weapons shipments to Israel.” The letter does not specifically mention Biden’s interview with CNN…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said US President Joe Biden made a mistake after the US paused sending a shipment of bombs to Israel so that they would not used in an invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Source link

Hamas representative Osama Hamdan speaks during a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon, on May 7. Mohamed Azakir/ReutersA senior representative of Hamas says the proposed deal it agreed to includes the “withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip.”Osama Hamdan, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, told a news conference in Beirut that the proposed deal would secure “the main issues of the demands of our people and our resistance in stopping the aggression permanently, the withdrawal of the occupation from the entire Gaza Strip, the free return of the displaced, relief, reconstruction, ending the siege, and achieving a real and…