Russia
U.S. renews Russian oil waiver after pressure from countries dealing with Iran war price shocks
A tugboat guides the Russian oil tanker Anatoly Kolodkin as it arrives at the oil terminal in the port of Matanzas, northwestern Cuba, on March 31, 2026. (Photo by Yamil LAGE / AFP via Getty Images) Yamil Lage | Afp | Getty Images The Trump administration on Friday renewed a waiver allowing countries to buy […]
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Tanker diplomacy: Trump faces tests from Havana to Hormuz
A man stands as a tugboat guides the Russian oil tanker Anatoly Kolodkin at the oil terminal in the port of Matanzas, northwestern Cuba, on March 31, 2026. Yamil Lage | Afp | Getty Images Energy shipments are increasingly being used as foreign policy tool as the Trump administration attempts to hold down two blockades […]
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Russia offers China energy lifeline as the Iran war strangles global supply
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a reception, held on Victory Day marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2025. Mikhail Metzel | Via Reuters Russia has offered to help China with any potential […]
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Europe cheers Orbán defeat as a bloody nose for the Kremlin – but Hungary’s future remains contested
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on August 15, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty Images The ousting of Hungary’s conservative nationalist leader Viktor Orbán is being hailed as a victory for liberal democracy and the European Union. The leaders of Poland, France […]
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Hungarians vote in landmark election closely watched by EU, Russia, U.S.
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – APRIL 12: People arrive to cast their votes during the Hungarian parliamentary elections at a polling station on April 12, 2026 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Janos Kummer/Getty Images) Janos Kummer | Getty Images News | Getty Images Hungarians started voting on Sunday in an election that could end Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s 16-year hold […]
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Behind China’s ‘active efforts’ for an Iran ceasefire: Business trumps politics
BEIJING — China’s ties with countries such as Iran and Russia have raised expectations of a bigger diplomatic role, but Beijing remains focused on protecting its own domestic interests, including global exports. That stance underpins Beijing’s circumspect acknowledgment of reports that it pushed Iran toward this week’s temporary ceasefire. A New York Times report cited […]
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JD Vance heads to Hungary to support Viktor Orbán ahead of high-stakes election
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban attends a bilateral lunch hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Nov. 7, 2025. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has U.S. President Donald Trump’s “complete and total support” — but is on course to lose the country’s elections, which […]
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Moscow is profiting from the Iran war for now — but experts say Russia’s economy is in the ‘death zone’
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Iranian President in Ashgabat on December 12, 2025. Alexander Kazakov | Afp | Getty Images Russia has found itself in the curious position of benefiting from the turmoil hitting its Middle East partner and ally, Iran. […]
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Russian oil tanker reportedly arrives in Cuba after Trump softens approach to U.S. blockade
An old Soviet-era Lada car drives past a truck belonging to a private Cuban company (mipyme) parked in front of a gas station with an IsoTank of imported fuel in Havana on March 19, 2026. Adalberto Roque | Afp | Getty Images A Russian oil tanker carrying a humanitarian shipment of 100,000 tons of crude […]
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Trump reverses course on Cuban oil blockade, allows Russian tanker to pass
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media after departing Air Force One at Miami International Airport on March 27, 2026 in Miami, Florida. Nathan Howard | Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump signaled he was reversing course on blocking oil shipments to Cuba on Sunday, saying he had “no problem” with any country sending in crude as a Russian tanker neared a Cuban port with […]
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