Politics

  Bloomberg Serbia angrily disputed a suggestion from European Union member Lithuania that the Balkan state may be punished for refusing to join sanctions against Russia even as Belgrade seeks to join the bloc. Serbia has been balancing its EU entry aspirations with keeping close ties with traditional ally Russia, which provides energy supplies and political support in feuds with ...

  Bloomberg Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an agreement with a left-leaning opposition party aimed at preventing another election until 2025. Trudeau’s Liberals and the New Democratic Party have struck a deal that will see the NDP support the government in confidence votes in exchange for advancing policies including national dental care and prescription drug programs, Trudeau told reporters on ...

Bloomberg Xi Jinping bet that establishing a “no limits” friendship with Vladimir Putin could prevent the US from containing China. Now that agreement threatens to leave Beijing more isolated and alone. A phone call between Xi and US President Joe Biden appeared to achieve no major breakthroughs. The US continued to threaten unspecified consequences if China provides support to Russia, ...

  Bloomberg The UK blamed Russia for hoax calls made last week to three cabinet ministers, calling it “standard practice” from the Kremlin as Vladimir Putin’s administration seeks to distract from its failings on the battlefield in Ukraine. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel both said last week they’d received calls by impostors posing as the Ukrainian ...

  Bloomberg China slashed the amount of goods it purchased from Lithuania by almost 90% in the first two months of the year after the two countries became embroiled in a political and trade dispute late last year. Imports from Lithuania dropped 88.5% in dollar terms in the two months from the same period last year, according to figures by ...

  Bloomberg The European Union (EU) looks set to reinforce the US warning to China that Beijing would face serious consequences if it tried to cushion the blow of sanctions against Russia or provide Moscow with military support. The EU and the US have been coordinating closely ahead of a virtual EU-China summit on April 1 and will continue to ...

Bloomberg Russia has turned more destructive artillery, including “Kinzhal” hypersonic missiles, against Ukrainian cities, a top Ukrainian aide said. “Kinzhal & Bastion systems are used against peaceful cities,” Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the office of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said on Twitter. It was the first official response from Ukraine to Russia’s claims that it has fired the powerful missiles ...

  Bloomberg South Korea convened a National Security Council (NSC) meeting to discuss North Korea’s launch of a short-range projectile, according to the presidential office. North Korea appears to have fired from its multiple rocket launcher this morning, the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said in a text message to reporters. The military has been maintaining defense readiness while ...

  Bloomberg Three in four Japanese people worry that China may take military action against Taiwan or a set of disputed islands in the East China Sea, according to a survey by the Kyodo News. They are concerned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could induce China to make similar offensives, respondents said in the poll conducted over the weekend. Public ...

Bloomberg For all the success of the US-led campaign to isolate Russia on the world stage, India has stood out as one major democracy that has been reluctant to criticise Vladimir Putin — and billions of dollars in weapons purchases mean that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is facing more pressure from fellow members of ...