'Trump's aggressive stance towards China and preference for military posturing could shift the Quad's balance towards overt militarisation.'
After wrapping up a summit with United States President Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said that the American and Russian ambassadors will return to their diplomatic posts and take up their functions, adding that when that would happen is a 'purely technical one'.
However, leaders of the NATO-led ISAF mission countries at the end of their Chicago meeting pledged to have a long-term commitment to Afghanistan, given that they still have a long way to go in the fight against terrorism and achieving political stability and satisfactory-level security in the country, to have another NATO-led mission for Afghanistan post 2014.
First look of Pranab Mukherjee with the NATO secretary general.
United States President Barack Obama on Tuesday said having a large footprint in Afghanistan can be "counter-productive" in the long run and that it was time to pull back troops and turn attention to domestic woes, as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation alliance agreed on a 2014 end to the Afghan mission.
NATO on Monday endorsed plans to hand over to Afghan forces the complete responsibility of security in the war-torn country by 2013 as the military alliance gradually transitions in its role from combat to training before their final withdrawal in 2014.
Trump has made clear his intention to mediate a resolution between the two nations, emphasising the need for a swift de-escalation of violence.
As US President Joe Biden launched a new trade deal with 12 Indo-Pacific nations, including India, to enhance trade, economic and investment opportunities, China, which sees the pact as a threat to its dominance in the region, went on the offensive against it, promising more opening up, while the official media here termed it as "economic Nato".
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said Modi will lead the Indian delegation at the summit. "The prime minister will lead the Indian delegation to the 20th summit of the SCO council of heads of state which will be held in the virtual format on Nov 10. The meeting will be chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin," MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.
'Putin will not be bound by any kind of deal he would sign with the US.'
As Nato leaders assemble in Chicago to discuss Afghanistan, the Taliban have issued a 14-point agenda to its leaders, with a succinct message: Get out now, reports Tahir Ali
In an exclusive interview with Business Standard, Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen insisted that the military alliance's relations with close ally Pakistan would not be developed at the expense of India.
The US "Indo-Pacific Strategy" is bound to be a failed strategy, Wang said in the comments posted by the Chinese foreign ministry on its website.
A victory for France over Portugal in Sunday's European soccer Championship final would give the country a welcome morale boost, French President Francois Hollande said on Saturday.
'He may respect others, but he is unlikely to admire them'
Ukraine has rejected Putin's demand and termed it a 'complete sham' and 'offensive to common sense'.
As the United States has clearly linked an invitation to Pakistan to attend the upcoming Chicago summit on Afghanistan's future to the resumption of the NATO supply line, the Pakistani military leadership seems willing to reopen the supply routes which could perhaps win Islamabad a seat at the Chicago meet, scheduled for May 21-22.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari played a key behind-the-scenes role in negotiations that helped end a stalemate in Pakistan-US ties over a deadly cross-border North Atlantic Treaty Organisation attack and paved the way for Islamabad's participation in a crucial summit on Afghanistan, official sources said.
New Delhi has reached out to Moscow while waiting for a new president in Washington. New Delhi knows well that in international relations, there are no permanent friends or foes, only permanent national interests, points out Dr Rup Narayan Das.
The former Central Intelligence Agency director, was confirmed by the Senate by 57-42 votes. He replaced Rex Tillerson, who was fired by US President Donald Trump last month.
Saturday's Quad meeting in Delaware is taking place against the backdrop of China's assertive behaviour in the South China Sea, its sabre-rattling in the Taiwan Strait and increasing footprints in the Pacific and Indian Ocean, asserts Rup Narayan Das.
China has signalled that it will prevent India from assuming leadership of the Global South, observes Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
'The clean break between Russia and Europe that this foolish attack is creating may actually last long.' 'It will undermine Europe and benefit the US and China.'
Biden made the remarks after an 'emergency meeting' convened by Biden of North-Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and G7 leaders on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia.
Trump and Macron's handshake was white-knuckle prolonged one, with as usual fierce, crunched bones, tightened jaws and both had a fixed smile and as per the French president was entirely intentional.
'Trump forgets that Kim is not one who likes to be treated publicly as a pauper; he wants to come to the table as an equal, and from a position of perceived strength, not as a suppliant,' says Dr Rajaram Panda.
There is nothing to be worried about as bilateral ties are robust with solid foundations. Both are on the same page on the economic and defence/security ties bilaterally and globally and that shall continue irrespective of change in political dispensation in either country, points out Dr Rajaram Panda.
The scaling up of the India-US strategic partnership to the level of non-NATO ally with defence deals, sharing and transfer of defence technology, interoperability, joint collaboration and joint production of defence equipment has exacerbated Moscow's anxiety, notes Rup Narayan Das.
If the US President is the master of awkward handshakes, the Indian Prime Minister has cornered the market on awkward hugs. Which one will it be when the two meet?
'There's no pro-China tilt in BRICS.' 'All these countries want to be close to China, but they are all good friends of India also.'
The US has been, historically, a sleeping partner in India-China relations. Today, any attempt by the Modi government to make a bilateral move to improve relations with Beijing could upset Biden's apple cart, notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
US officials have said that the initial findings have suggested that the missile that hit Poland was fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile.
Soon after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the G20 summit by video, Russia fired an estimated 100 missiles at residential buildings in Kyiv and other strategic locations.
According to official details unveiled by Downing Street on Friday, Trump will arrive for the two-day "working visit" next Thursday afternoon straight from a NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium.
Neither the BJP, nor the Congress before it, made any manifesto commitments on defence spending, even though allocations have plummeted from 4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the late 1980s to less than 2 per cent today, points out Ajai Shukla.
As Modi prepares for his first meeting with United States President Donald Trump, we can't help but wonder will the PM go in for a hug or will 'The Donald' opt for one his 'famous' handshakes?
The White House and State Department commemorate other religious traditions, including a Jewish Passover Seder, as well as Christmas and Easter holidays.
The US president's four-day tour will feature talks with British PM Theresa May, tea with the Queen, and mass protests including a giant Trump baby blimp being flown over Westminster.
Aziz Haniffa, who has covered every Indian Prime Minister's visit to the US since Rajiv Gandhi in 1985, gives us a peek into what's happening in Washington, DC on the eve of the Modi-Trump summit.
The Champs Elysees and the vast circle around the Arc de Triomphe were packed with an estimated 200,000 fans
