Bloomberg Russia on Friday began staging UN-condemned “votes” on annexing the roughly fifth of neighboring Ukraine it occupies in a step that marks a new escalation in the spiraling conflict between President Vladimir Putin and the US and its allies. Russian state media reported overwhelming support for accession to Russia in the four regions that its troops partially control, according ...

Bloomberg President Joe Biden reaffirmed the United States’ “ironclad commitment to the defense of the Philippines” during his meeting with counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr in New York. The two leaders also “underscored their support for freedom of navigation and overflight” in the South China Sea, and sought peaceful resolution of disputes, according to a White House readout. Biden and Marcos ...

Bloomberg Russian President Vladimir Putin’s move to draft in 300,000 reservists to reinforce his troops in Ukraine is likely to extend the war rather than influence its outcome. Still, it could buy him time to execute a wider strategy — including exacerbating Europe’s energy crisis and threatening a nuclear strike on unspecified targets— aimed at undermining foreign military and financial ...