US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) announced a three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, noting that the temporary truce coincides with Russia's Victory Day celebrations commemorating the then-Soviet Union's role in World War II.
An explainer on the 'Thucydides Trap' and its relevance to current tensions between the United States and China, as discussed by President Xi Jinping.
US President Donald Trump has asserted that the destruction of an American military aircraft will have no bearing on diplomatic discussions with Iran, according to a report by NBC News.
There are enough people at the top decision-making level in Tehran who are still willing to negotiate, provided Trump can create the right setting for the negotiation to acquire a dynamic of its own, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The US blockade on Iranian ports is aimed to curb Iranian energy exports, thereby crippling its economy to force Iran back to the negotiating table, points out Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).
Each time a deadline almost runs out, President Trump hands out a new one.
...is a way out, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War. What the indefinite extension produces is a prolonged condition of not-war-not-peace, in which oil markets cannot stabilise, Asian refineries cannot plan, European governments cannot stop subsidising consumption they cannot afford, and the next flashpoint -- a seized tanker, a miscalculated drone strike, a Truth Social post that claims too much -- is one news cycle away.
Far from it; the country's resistance to the US, its nuclear ambitions, and its pursuit of influence and proxies across the Middle East are driven by a constant search for independence and security. Thus, Iran will never capitulate. Trump will learn this home truth ultimately, and it is going to be a humbling personal experience that may even destroy his presidency, predicts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The intriguing bit is that Trump is likely to attend the talks in Islamabad this weekend -- if he does, it will be the clearest signal yet that the US is ready to exit the war with some sort of win to show, since he cannot afford to go for the talks and return empty-handed, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War
The delegations from the US and Iran head to Islamabad on Friday, carrying a ceasefire that is already fraying, a Strait that is technically open and practically closed, and a negotiating agenda that would challenge even parties actually negotiating in good faith, which these groups are not. Prem Panicker continues his must read blog on the Iran War.
EU leaders convened an emergency summit in Brussels to address transatlantic tensions as President Trump threatened new tariffs on member States linked to his Greenland acquisition demands.
Trump may strike. He may announce productive talks and extend again. He may do both at the same time. Iran will not open the Strait on someone else's terms, so no matter what happens, that problem will remain unsolved. And the IRGC will still be collecting its $2 million toll from every ship bold enough to ask permission to pass.
United States President Donald John Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met for lunch at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday. This was their first one-on-one meeting after their disastrous encounter at the White House in March.
'The next two to three weeks will not be decided in Washington.' 'They will be decided in Tehran, in whatever calculation Iran makes about the costs of continued resistance against the costs of appearing to have yielded.'
The turning point came with the appointment of Sergio Gor as the US ambassador to India.
2025 was a period of profound transformation across the globe. From historical leadership changes in the United States and the Vatican to groundbreaking scientific achievements and rising geopolitical tensions, these events reshaped international relations.
Fight on toward goals that keep receding, or exit with most objectives unmet. Trump is agitated, his poll numbers falling below the Plimsoll line, his base fractured between those who back the war and those who remember that he campaigned on ending them.
After constantly threatening China with 100% plus tariffs, US President Donald John Trump was all chummy when he met Chinese President Xi Jinping at Gimhae international airport during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Busan, South Korea, on Thursday, October 30, 2025.
Glimpses of US President Donald Trump's arrival in Tokyo, Japan, for the second stop on his Asia tour, October 27, 2025.
United States President Donald John Trump signs the funding bill to end the US government shutdown at the White House, November 12, 2025
A 500 per cent tariff would effectively shut out India's goods and services exports to the US.
'There is a lot of euphoria in the country after a trade agreement is signed. But it is an illusion for us. What is more important is making it real.'
'My son is a big fan of Ronaldo. And Barron got to meet him and I think he respects his father a little bit more now that I have introduced you. Thank you for being here, it's an honor.'
'Trump says India will buy over $500 billion of US goods.' 'At present, India's annual imports of goods and energy from the US are under $50 billion.' 'Reaching $500 billion would likely require more than 20 years, suggesting the figure refers to a long-term aspiration rather than a near-term commitment.'
That a country thinks it has the right to randomly invade another country has repercussions that will for sure be played on the global arena in the years to come.
'America has historically been a magnet for people who aren't from here.' 'That sort of thing -- the promise of opportunity, no matter what that looks like -- doesn't grow on trees.' 'It also happens to be geopolitical gold that Trump is flushing down the toilet,' points out Sree Sreenivasan.
The new US national security strategy signals a retreat from global dominance while reaffirming continuity in India's role in Indo-Pacific security and Quad cooperation, points out former foreign secretary Shyam Saran.
From 12:01 am eastern daylight time on August 27, 2025, higher tariffs will apply to all products of India that are either entered for consumption in the United States or withdrawn from warehouses for consumption.
Accompanying Sergio Gor at the tables on Saturday night was his buddy Jeanine Pirro, currently the United States attorney for the District of Columbia.
'The real story of 2025 is that India officially stopped being a 'market of the future' and started acting as the world's primary economic engine.'
United States President Donald Trump said he will file a $15 billion defamation and libel lawsuit against The New York Times, accusing the newspaper of running what he called a decades-long 'method of lying' against him, his family and the America First movement.
'Trump had done a deal with the current regime minus Maduro. The current regime is giving Trump entry into Venezuelan oil. They are obeying him and doing whatever he says.' 'They are happy because they have saved their heads by sacrificing only two, Maduro and his wife. Thousands of Venezuelan military leaders would have been jailed or killed in American action had Maduro stayed in power.'
During a bilateral lunch with the Ukrainian President in the White House, Trump reiterated his confidence in facilitating an end to the ongoing war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin supervised strategic nuclear forces drills amid uncertainty surrounding a potential summit with US President Donald Trump to address the Ukraine conflict.
'America is adopting the typical 'my way or the highway'/'Either you are with us or against us' stance.' 'This is a policy India is not going to accept.'
'India has intentionally taken advantage of the war in Ukraine to dramatically increase its purchases of Russian crude, when there are roughly 40 major crude providers that could satisfy Indian demand.'
'We had a very productive meeting, and there were many points that we agreed on. A couple of big ones that we haven't quite gotten there, but we made some headway.'
He said both sides agreed to hold a meeting of senior advisers next week, led on the US side by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, before a proposed leaders' meeting in Budapest, Hungary.
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