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Geopolitics

Geopolitics: wars, alliances, sanctions, trade and the decisions between governments that shape the world.

1265 articles · page 7 of 27

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Geopolitics

Musk ordered Starlink slowdown for Ukraine, discussed with Trump, WSJ reports

According to a Wall Street Journal report published Tuesday, Elon Musk ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite service used by Ukraine, capping speeds and rendering some drones virtually inoperable. The report, citing U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter, stated that Musk discussed the decision with President Donald Trump soon after it became public.

·2 min·6 sources
Geopolitics

Trump waives Russia sanctions, calls for Zelensky's ouster as Moscow declares 'checkmate'

President Donald Trump has granted a sanctions waiver for Russian diesel supplies, throttled Ukraine's access to battlefield satellite systems, and called for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's ouster, moves the Kremlin is celebrating as a decisive shift in the war. Ukrainian officials say the decisions send a wrong signal to the aggressor and threaten Ukraine's survival.

·2 min·7 sources
Geopolitics

King Charles praises Oman's 'noble efforts' to keep Strait of Hormuz open during state visit

King Charles III has welcomed Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq for a state visit marked by high praise for the Gulf state's mediation role, as the monarch lauded Muscat's 'noble efforts' to keep the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz open amid the ongoing US-Iran war. The first state visit by an Omani sultan in 44 years featured a lavish Windsor Castle banquet where both leaders spoke of diplomacy and friendship.

·2 min·4 sources
Geopolitics

Zelensky meets Trump envoy in Oslo as U.S.-Ukraine ties fray

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with White House special envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo on Tuesday in an urgent bid to repair deteriorating ties with the Trump administration, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said Russia has been 'fine' on Ukraine and suggested Kyiv should find 'somebody else to negotiate.' The Oslo talks, which also included Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner attending virtually, touched on allegations that Washington is withholding critical intelligence from Kyiv and on Ukraine's need for more Patriot missiles.

·3 min
Geopolitics

Ukraine reports nearly 46,000 foreign recruits in Russian army since 2022

Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported on Oct. 20 that 45,959 foreigners from 151 countries and unrecognized territories have signed contracts with the Russian Armed Forces since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. The Ukrainian agency said recruitment has accelerated sharply this year, with 16,168 individuals identified in the first nine months of 2026, already surpassing the total for all of 2025.

·2 min
Geopolitics

EU's Kallas Accuses US of Pushing Ukraine to Surrender on Putin's Terms

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has accused the United States of pressuring Ukraine to capitulate on terms favourable to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking to the European Parliament on Tuesday, she said American negotiators have been trying for nearly two years to push Kyiv into surrender, and that only European support had prevented that outcome. Kallas spoke as a new round of peace talks opened in Oslo, Norway, with senior officials from the EU, NATO, and several European nations.

·2 min
Geopolitics

Rubio acknowledges Patriot missile delay to Ukraine but denies deliberate withholding

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has acknowledged a possible delay in a shipment of Patriot missile interceptors to Ukraine but denied any deliberate political decision to harm Kyiv, as tensions between the two countries escalate over a U.S.-Russia diesel deal and public criticism between Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky. Speaking to reporters during a trip to India on Oct. 20, Rubio said the U.S. was managing a limited interceptor stockpile and balancing its own needs against those of other allies.

·2 min·2 sources
Geopolitics

EU warns Russia escalating Black Sea drone attacks to cut off Ukrainian food exports

Russian President Vladimir Putin is intensifying drone attacks near European Union member states bordering the Black Sea in an effort to limit Ukrainian export routes and drive up global food prices, the EU's top foreign affairs official warned on Tuesday. Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, EU High Commissioner Kaja Kallas said two drones were shot down in Romania over the weekend and that there had been six such attacks in 10 days, marking what she called a 'dangerous and unacceptable escalation in the Black Sea.'

·2 min
Geopolitics

EU Arctic strategy puts security first, unveils maritime hub and Greenland cable link

The European Union presented its revamped Arctic strategy on Tuesday, placing security at the core of its approach for the first time and announcing plans for a maritime security hub, an expanded icebreaker fleet and a submarine cable linking Greenland directly to Europe. The shift comes as Russia rebuilds its military footprint in the High North and after US President Donald Trump's demands to take control of Greenland.

·3 min·7 sources
Geopolitics

Russian satellite shadows US-registered radar satellite in unusually close pass

A Russian military satellite has manoeuvred to within metres of a US-registered radar satellite believed to provide intelligence to Ukraine, according to space-tracking data. Cosmos 2612, one of six satellites the Russian military launched in April, closed in from more than 320 kilometres to about 4.8 kilometres last week, then spent the weekend moving between positions ahead of and behind its target, at times coming within roughly 500 metres.

·3 min
Geopolitics

UK Typhoon deployment to defend Saudi Arabia approved as Houthi attacks intensify

The UK will deploy RAF Typhoon fighter jets on defensive missions over Saudi Arabia, the government announced on Tuesday, as a surge in Houthi missile and drone attacks threatens the kingdom's cities and critical infrastructure. Prime Minister Andy Burnham authorised the move, which also includes an Atlas A400M transport aircraft and military advisers, following strikes that killed 13 people at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport.

·3 min·12 sources
Geopolitics

Russian drone strikes kill 14 across Ukraine, including two children in park

At least 14 people were killed and 71 injured in Russian strikes across Ukraine over the past 24 hours, with two young children killed by a drone while sitting in a stroller in a Kharkiv Oblast park, local authorities reported on Oct. 19–20. The attacks drew international outrage after U.S. President Donald Trump said almost simultaneously that 'Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine.'

·2 min·2 sources
Geopolitics

Ukraine hails drone rescue of wounded soldier as start of new system for battlefield evacuation

Ukraine has carried out what its military calls the world's first aerial evacuation of a wounded soldier from the frontline using an unmanned drone. The successful extraction of an injured infantryman from a heavily mined area behind Russian lines near Kharkiv on October 19 is being hailed not as a one-off success but as the beginning of a systematic shift in how casualties are recovered on the modern battlefield.

·2 min·2 sources
Geopolitics

Myanmar Junta Shows Detained Suu Kyi Receiving King Charles's Gifts, Critics Allege Legitimacy Stunt

Myanmar's military government has released rare photographs of imprisoned former leader Aung San Suu Kyi receiving gifts from Britain's King Charles, an act critics argue is a calculated bid by the junta to gain international legitimacy. A presidential spokesperson confirmed that home ministry officials handed over two gardening books, a sealed envelope, and a diplomatic pouch from the monarch. The images show the 81-year-old Nobel Peace laureate smiling in a wood-panelled room at an undisclosed location in the capital, Naypyidaw, where she is serving multiple sentences under house arrest.

·2 min
Geopolitics

Russia 'ready in principle' to resume Ukraine peace talks after Witkoff-Putin meeting

Russia has said it is “ready in principle” to resume US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin met US special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg on Wednesday. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov suggested a new round could be held around 10 November in Abu Dhabi, and a US official said a proposed trilateral technical-level meeting had been accepted by both Kyiv and Moscow.

·4 min·14 sources
Geopolitics

China's export boom is becoming its 'Achilles heel', business columnist warns

Australian business columnist Stephen Bartholomeusz has argued that China's record export boom, sustained by state subsidies and a stagnant domestic economy, is leaving the country dangerously exposed to a European backlash. Writing for Nine's metropolitan newspapers, he said France and Germany are pushing for new European Commission powers to shut off EU market access to Chinese goods, a move that could threaten the export-led model Beijing relies on for growth.

·3 min·3 sources
Geopolitics

Qatar Offers to Build Two Power Plants in Lebanon, Supply LNG for 20 Years via Syria

Qatar has proposed a comprehensive energy program for Lebanon, offering to build two gas-fired power plants within three years and supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) for 20 years through a pipeline crossing Syria, according to a draft program seen by Reuters. The plan, which also includes solar, wind and battery storage components, comes as Lebanon's state utility delivers only a few hours of electricity per day and private diesel generators cover roughly half of demand. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Qatar would finance, run and operate the project, with QatarEnergy and TotalEnergies jointly developing a solar plant as the first stage.

·3 min
Geopolitics

Hegseth met Netanyahu at air base hosting US warplanes, sources say, as Trump endorses Israeli PM

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ovda Air Base in southern Israel, where American refueling planes and fighter jets are deployed, two sources with knowledge of the visit told Axios. The unannounced meeting came eight days before Israel's parliamentary election and as Washington and Jerusalem discuss a possible resumption of major combat operations against Iran.

·2 min·3 sources