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New York Times
09-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Putin, Undeterred by Trump's Words, Escalates His War Against Ukraine
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia is brushing aside President Trump's professed disappointment in him and is pushing ahead in Ukraine with renewed intensity, having already priced in the possibility of new U.S. pressure, analysts and people close to the Kremlin said. The Russian leader is convinced that Russia's battlefield superiority is growing, and that Ukraine's defenses may collapse in the coming months, according to two people close to the Kremlin, who insisted on anonymity to speak candidly about sensitive diplomacy. Given Russia's ongoing offensive, they say, Mr. Putin views it as out of the question to halt the fighting now without extensive concessions by Ukraine. 'He will not sacrifice his goals in Ukraine for the sake of improving relations with Trump,' Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said. Mr. Putin's recalcitrance highlights a stark reversal from some expectations earlier this year, when Mr. Trump came into office and aggressively pursued a rapprochement with Moscow, having pledged on the campaign trail to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. Mr. Trump's friendly approach to the Kremlin and an Oval Office shouting match with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine seemed to offer a rare opening for Mr. Putin. Mr. Trump's clear sympathy for the Russian leader, many Russians hoped, could yield sanctions relief, Western investment, arms-control deals and a favorable geopolitical realignment in Europe. All Mr. Putin needed to do, it seemed, was accept a Ukraine cease-fire that would have allowed Russia to keep the territory it had already captured. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
06-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
China and Russia Keep Their Distance From Iran During Crisis
When Russia enlisted the aid of China, North Korea and Iran in its war against Ukraine, some American and British officials began talking about a new 'axis.' It appeared that the four countries were united by anger, authoritarianism and animus against the United States and its allies. But Iran's sales of drones and ballistic missiles to Russia for its war and oil shipped to China did not pay off when it mattered, raising doubts about unity among the nations. None of the other three states rushed to aid Iran during its war with Israel or when U.S. forces bombed Iranian nuclear sites. China and Russia, by far the two most powerful countries among the four, issued pro forma denunciations of the American actions but did not lift a finger to materially help Iran. 'The reality of this conflict turned out to be that Russia and China didn't run to Iran's rescue,' said Alexander Gabuev, the director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center. 'That just exposes the limitations of the whole 'axis' idea.' 'Each of them is pretty selfish and doesn't want to get embroiled in the wars of others,' he added. 'These are very different wars and different sets of conflicts. The countries are not necessarily sharing the same structures and values and institutional links the same way the U.S. and its allies do.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
10-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Putin Puts on Show of Defiance as Cease-Fire Talks Drag On
He hugged a North Korean general. He squired China's leader around with special care. He spoke of the sacrifices of soldiers. And he paraded Russian-made drones for the first time across Red Square. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia drew attention to the very factors that have enabled him to wage war against Ukraine into a fourth year, as he presided over festivities on Friday in Moscow to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Soviet victory over the Nazis during World War II. Mr. Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 initially proved catastrophic for Russian forces, but he has since turned around the situation on the battlefield. Among his helpers: North Korean soldiers and ammunition, Chinese oil purchases and technology, Russian soldiers shouldering immense losses and seemingly unending swarms of Russian drones. All were represented on Red Square in some way, as the Russian leader underscored to the world, through a Soviet-style display of pageantry and militarism, that he does not need to stand down in Ukraine. 'Truth and justice are on our side,' Mr. Putin told the more than 11,500 military personnel that the Kremlin said had gathered for the parade, including over 1,500 involved in Moscow's war against Ukraine. 'The whole country, society and people support the participants of the special military operation,' Mr. Putin added, using the Kremlin's chosen euphemism for the war. Alexander Gabuev, the director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said the events were calibrated to communicate a clear message: 'If people believe that Russia is exhausted, that the will, equipment and personnel to fight is not there, these people are dead wrong.' 'That's the message that he's trying to send,' Mr. Gabuev said. 'Not necessarily that this is the reality.' Mr. Gabuev noted that in addition to the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, one of the most powerful people in the world, Mr. Putin also welcomed President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, the largest country in Latin America. Their presence was part of a broader attempt by the Kremlin to show that despite isolation from the West, Russia has maintained and in many cases improved ties elsewhere. In a trip that will serve as a response to Mr. Putin's gathering, the leaders of four nations allied with Ukraine — Britain, France, Germany and Poland — on Saturday made their first joint visit to Kyiv, Ukraine's capital. Their arrival was intended to show their support and highlight their calls for Russia to agree to a 30-day unconditional cease-fire. The events came as President Trump, who had promised on the campaign trail to broker peace in Ukraine within 24 hours, said talks with Russian officials were continuing. He reiterated his support for the cease-fire, which Kyiv has supported, and threatened to impose additional sanctions if Russia holds out. 'Thousands of young soldiers are dying on a weekly basis, and everybody should want it to STOP,' Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social ahead of the events. 'I do, and the United States of America does, also.' Mr. Trump is scheduled to embark this next week on a trip to the Middle East, the first major foreign foray of his second term, though he has said he will not meet there with Mr. Putin. Trump administration officials came in with enthusiasm about striking a deal with Mr. Putin to end the war in Ukraine, but they have since said Russia is asking for too much in negotiations and have threatened to walk away. Mr. Putin could welcome that outcome, particularly if could continue normalizing relations with Washington and achieve sanctions relief, without having to make concession on Ukraine. 'The question going forward will be: If the U.S. in fact does pull back from the negotiations to try to end the war, will the U.S.-Russia track, the reset, continue?' said Angela Stent, a Russia expert and professor emerita at Georgetown University. 'I think we don't quite know that yet. What Putin wants, and he has wanted that from the beginning, is to separate the two.' In comments broadcast on Sunday on state television, Mr. Putin said Moscow had 'enough strength and means to bring what was started in 2022 to a logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires.' The day before Friday's Victory Day festivities, Mr. Putin held a separate summit for Mr. Xi, the Kremlin's most important foreign partner, and signed a raft of joint documents that rebuked United States both implicitly and explicitly. The statements seemed calibrated to communicate that despite Mr. Trump's demands in peace negotiations with Moscow and in his trade war with Beijing, the nations would stand together. Mr. Xi denounced what he called hegemonic bullying, a clear reference to Mr. Trump's trade broadside. Mr. Putin, who has toned down his vitriol against the United States while hoping to reset ties with Washington, for once seemed the less confrontational of the two. 'The timing and the tone is probably not what Russia would want to have,' Mr. Gabuev said. 'But that's the price you pay for being a partner of China.'
