KYIV: Vladimir Putin has not broken Ukraine, its leader Volodymyr&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/zelensky-says-europe-fragmented-looks-lost-facing-trump" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Zelensky</a>&nbsp;said Tuesday, as the Kremlin marked the fourth year of its invasion by vowing that it will keep fighting Europe&#39;s bloodiest conflict since World War II until it achieves its goals. Moscow had hoped to take Kyiv in days when it launched its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/ukraine-marks-four-years-since-russian-invasion" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">invasion</a>&nbsp;on February 24, 2022. Four years later &mdash; with hundreds of thousands dead, millions forced to flee, much of eastern Ukraine destroyed and US-led peace talks still deadlocked over territory &mdash; it conceded that it has not achieved all it wants in the country. &quot;The goals haven&#39;t been fully achieved yet, which is why the military operation continues,&quot; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in response to an AFP question. Ukraine, meanwhile, was ready to do &quot;everything&quot; it could to secure peace, Zelensky said in a video address that featured images of Ukrainians carrying out acts of resistance against Russian soldiers in the opening days of the conflict. But any settlement must not &quot;betray&quot; the price paid by Ukrainians throughout the conflict, he said. &quot;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/putin-says-developing-russias-nuclear-forces-absolute-priority" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Putin</a>&nbsp;has not achieved his goals. He did not break the Ukrainians. He did not win this war. We have preserved Ukraine, and we will do everything to achieve peace -- and to ensure there is justice,&quot; Zelensky said. &quot;We want peace. Strong, dignified, and lasting peace,&quot; he said, adding that any agreement &quot;must not simply be signed, it must be accepted by Ukrainians&quot;. &quot;Everything Ukraine has gone through. It must not be surrendered, forgotten, or betrayed,&quot; he added. In a later video address to the European Parliament, Zelensky urged Brussels to set out a clear timeline for his country&#39;s accession to the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-urges-diplomacy-warns-of-disinformation-risks-at-un-meeting-on-ukraine" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">bloc</a>. Several European leaders including Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson visited Kyiv on Tuesday to mark the anniversary. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen was also there, reaffirming that Europe stood &quot;unwaveringly with Ukraine, financially, militarily, and through this harsh winter.&quot; Zelensky was also hosting a video-conference with Kyiv&#39;s top allies, including Britain, France and Germany, to push for more support to deter the Russian invasion. In the suburb of Irpin -- where the bodies of hundreds of civilians were discovered in 2022 after it and the neighbouring suburb of Bucha were occupied by Russian forces -- kindergarten manager Olena Ponomariova said Ukrainians had become united and more resilient. But she &quot;can&#39;t say&quot; what victory would look like, she told AFP, adding: &quot;I don&#39;t know if that will happen, but let&#39;s hope it will.&quot; Territory dispute The United States has been pushing to end the conflict, mediating talks between the two sides this year in Geneva and Abu Dhabi, but they remain at odds over the issue of territory. Russia, which occupies around 20 percent of Ukraine, is fighting to gain full control of Ukraine&#39;s eastern Donetsk region as part of any deal. It has threatened to take it by force if Kyiv does not cave at the negotiating table. Ukraine has rejected the demand and said it would not sign a deal without security guarantees from allies &mdash; including the US &mdash; to deter Russia from invading again. Despite heavy losses, Russian troops have in recent months advanced on the front line, particularly in the eastern Donbas region, which Moscow wants to annex. The <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/russian-missile-barrage-hits-energy-railways-across-ukraine" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Russian army</a> seized more territory during the fourth year of the Ukraine war than in the preceding two years combined, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Since February 24, 2025 &mdash; the third anniversary of Russia&#39;s invasion &mdash; Moscow&#39;s troops have taken 4,524 square kilometres, an area slightly larger than the US state of Rhode Island. That is according to data from the ISW, which works with the Critical Threats Project (part of the American Enterprise Institute, or AEI), another US think-tank specializing in conflict. The grinding four-year war has devastated Ukraine, which even before the fighting was one of the poorest countries in Europe. The cost of post-war reconstruction is estimated at around $588 billion over the next decade, according to a joint World Bank, EU and UN report with Kyiv, published on Monday. Russia cast its decision to send troops into Ukraine as a defensive move to halt Ukraine&#39;s ambition to join NATO. Ukraine, a former Soviet republic, considers the war to be a resurgence of Russian imperialism aimed at subjugating the Ukrainian people.

A woman holding flowers pays her respect at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine in Kyiv on February 24, 2026, as Ukraine marks the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion. (AFP)

Europe

Asia

Ukraine marks four years of war as Zelensky vows peace, Russia presses territorial gains, while European leaders visit Kyiv and reconstruction costs are estimated at $588 billion, according to ISW and UN reports.

Zelensky says Ukraine unbroken after 4 years, but Russia vows to fight on

BEIJING/MOSCOW: Russian leader Vladimir Putin hailed Moscow&#39;s economic, political, and security ties with Beijing as a &quot;stabilizing&quot; factor in turbulent times globally, in a video call with China&#39;s Xi Jinping on Wednesday. &quot;Amid growing turbulence, the foreign policy alliance between Moscow and Beijing remains an important stabilising factor,&quot; Putin told Xi in a video broadcast on Russian state TV.&nbsp; Xi was holding the call with Putin via a video link from the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The call comes days after top diplomats from both countries agreed bilateral relations could &ldquo;break new ground&rdquo; this year as <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/britains-starmer-hails-good-progress-after-meeting-chinas-xi" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Beijing</a>&nbsp;and Moscow seek to ramp up economic cooperation. &lsquo;Close exchanges&rsquo;Their strategic partnership has grown closer since Russia&#39;s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. The two leaders, who are regularly in contact, exchanged New Year greetings on Dec. 31, in which Xi expressed &quot;readiness to continue maintaining close exchanges&quot; with Putin, according to China&#39;s foreign ministry. They last met in person in September when the Russian leader attended Beijing&#39;s massive military parade. &lsquo;Unprecedented level&rsquo;During the visit, Putin told Xi during talks that their countries&#39; ties were at an &ldquo;unprecedented level&rdquo;. Putin and a slew of world leaders had visited the port city of Tianjin before that to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit - a forum that China sees as an alternative to Western-dominated international cooperation. Xi also visited Moscow last year, in May, for Russia&#39;s celebrations of the World War II defeat of the Nazis. The two chatted while they watched tanks and missiles roll across Red Square during Russia&rsquo;s flagship Victory Day Parade.

'Amid growing turbulence, the foreign policy alliance between Moscow and Beijing remains an important stabilising factor,' Putin told Xi in a video broadcast on Russian state TV. 

Putin tells Xi Moscow-Beijing alliance 'stabilizing' for world

MOSCOW: Russia has confirmed that a new round of talks with Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi on ending the four-year-war will start Wednesday, after they were postponed from this weekend. Moscow blamed a scheduling issue for the delay, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said the negotiations would take place in the UAE capital on Wednesday and Thursday. &quot;They were indeed originally planned for this past Sunday. But additional coordination of the schedules of the three parties was needed,&quot; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters &quot;Now, on Wednesday-Thursday, the second round will indeed take place. It will be held in Abu Dhabi. We can confirm that,&quot; he added. The talks will take place less than two weeks before the fourth anniversary of Moscow launching its full-scale offensive against Ukraine. They are expected to focus on the crucial issue of territory, with neither side so far showing any sign of a breakthrough. Washington is pushing for an end to the war between the neighbours, which has killed tens of thousands, forced millions to flee their homes and destroyed much of eastern and southern Ukraine.

A Palestinian delegation convoy drives inside the Kremlin grounds during talks between Russian President and Palestinian President in central Moscow on January 22, 2026. (AFP)

Moscow blamed a scheduling issue for the delay, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said the negotiations would take place in the UAE capital.

Kremlin confirms Ukraine war talks this week in Abu Dhabi

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to halt attacks on Kyiv and other cities for a week, as Moscow&#39;s strikes leave Ukraine facing its toughest winter since the start of the war.&nbsp;Russian strikes on Ukraine&#39;s power infrastructure have left millions with disrupted light, heating and water supplies in freezing temperatures, pushing the war-battered country towards humanitarian crisis.&nbsp;&quot;Because of the cold, extreme cold... I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week during this,&quot; Trump told a cabinet meeting at the White House.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s extraordinary. It&#39;s not just like cold, it&#39;s extraordinary cold. Record setting cold, over there too, they are having the same, it&#39;s a big pile of bad weather,&quot; added Trump, comparing it to a current cold snap in Washington.&nbsp;&quot;They&#39;ve never experienced cold like that. And I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week. And he agreed to do that, and I have to tell you, it was very nice.&quot;&nbsp;There was no immediate reaction from the Kremlin but Trump -- whose summit in Alaska with the Russian leader last August ended without a breakthrough -- said he trusted Putin to honor the agreement.&nbsp;&quot;I have to tell you, people said, &#39;don&#39;t waste the call. You&#39;re not going to get that.&#39; And he did it,&quot; said Trump.&nbsp;&quot;And we&#39;re very happy that they did it, because on top of everything else, that&#39;s not what they need is missiles coming into their towns and cities.&quot;&nbsp;Ukraine&#39;s state weather agency on Thursday forecast a drastic dip in temperatures to as low as minus 30C in coming days as authorities race to restore services.&nbsp;Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned in an evening address on Wednesday of fresh Russian attacks on energy facilities.&nbsp;Trump added that there had been &quot;a lot of progress&quot; in US-brokered talks between Kyiv and Moscow to end Russia&#39;s invasion of its pro-Western neighbor, which will soon enter its fifth year.&nbsp;Russian attacks killed six people in central and southern Ukraine on Thursday, regional authorities and emergency services said.

Americas

Trump said Putin agreed to pause Russian attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities for a week, after strikes caused heating outages during freezing weather, calling the move an agreeable diplomatic.

Trump says Putin agreed not to attack Kyiv for a week 

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday strongly condemned the reported targeting of the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling it a grave threat to peace and regional stability.&nbsp;In a statement posted on social media platform X, the prime minister said Pakistan stood in solidarity with the government and people of the Russian Federation and reiterated Islamabad&rsquo;s firm rejection of all forms of violence aimed at undermining peace and security. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2005822489709142201&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=92548bd0643675c14bf9567fc2f63c551b5729ac&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 345px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2005822489709142201"></iframe></div></div>The statement comes hours after Russia accused Ukraine of launching a large-scale <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/russia-says-ukraine-attacked-putins-home-kyiv-calls-this-lie" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">attack on one of President Vladimir Putin&rsquo;s residences</a> &mdash; an allegation Kyiv dismissed as false and politically motivated.&nbsp;Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that Ukraine fired 91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles at Putin&rsquo;s residence in the Novgorod region between late Sunday and early Monday, all of which were allegedly intercepted. No evidence was provided.&nbsp;Lavrov warned that Russia would reconsider its negotiating position, accusing Kyiv of shifting toward what he described as &ldquo;state terrorism.&rdquo;&nbsp;Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the accusation, calling it &ldquo;a complete fabrication&rdquo; aimed at undermining US-led peace efforts.&nbsp;US President Donald Trump, who held a phone call with President Putin earlier on Monday, criticised the timing of the alleged incident.&nbsp;&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t like it. It&rsquo;s not good,&rdquo; Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago residence. &ldquo;You know who told me about it? President Putin told me about it.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a delicate period of time. This is not the right time,&rdquo; he added.

Foreign Affairs

Calls it a grave threat to peace and regional stability.

PM Sharif condemns attack on Russian president’s residence

KYIV: <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/first-round-of-usrussiaukraine-talks-ends-in-abu-dhabi" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Russia accused Ukraine </a>on Monday of having fired dozens of drones at one of President Vladimir Putin&#39;s homes, an accusation that Ukraine called a &quot;lie&quot; aimed at undermining US-led efforts to end the war.&nbsp;Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who does not typically announce drone strikes, said Ukraine had fired &quot;91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles&quot; at Putin&#39;s residence in the Novgorod region between late Sunday and early Monday, all of which were shot down.&nbsp;&quot;Given the complete degeneration of the criminal Kyiv regime, which has shifted to a policy of state terrorism, Russia&#39;s negotiating position will be reconsidered,&quot; Lavrov said, without elaborating.&nbsp;Ukrainian President <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/zelensky-says-europe-fragmented-looks-lost-facing-trump" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Volodymyr Zelensky</a>, who met with US President Donald Trump on Sunday for talks on ending the war, called Russia&#39;s claim &quot;a complete fabrication&quot; designed to derail the peace process and suggested Moscow was preparing to intensify its bombardment of Ukraine.&nbsp;&quot;Russia is at it again, using dangerous statements to undermine all achievements of our shared diplomatic efforts with President Trump&#39;s team,&quot; the Ukrainian leader wrote on X.&nbsp;Russia&#39;s accusation comes at a pivotal moment in the peace process.&nbsp;Ukraine says it has agreed to 90 percent of a US-drafted peace plan -- including the issue of post-war security guarantees -- though the issue of territory in a post-war settlement remains unresolved.&nbsp;Russia, which has stayed silent about what parts of the US plan it has agreed to, said Monday it was still committed to the peace process but would &quot;revise&quot; its position in light of the alleged drone attack.&nbsp;Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, describing it as a &quot;special military operation&quot; to demilitarise the country and prevent the expansion of NATO.&nbsp;Kyiv and its European allies say the war, the largest and deadliest on European soil since World War II, is an unprovoked and illegal land grab that has resulted in a tidal wave of violence and destruction.&nbsp;Territory main sticking pointTrump has held talks with both sides in recent days, including a phone call with Putin on Monday that the White House described as &quot;positive&quot;.&nbsp;During talks with Zelensky on Sunday, Trump offered Kyiv long-sought-after security guarantees for a period of 15 years, according to Kyiv.&nbsp;But the issue of territory and the future of the Moscow-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine remain unresolved, Zelensky said.&nbsp;Zelensky said Monday that Kyiv was ready for &quot;any&quot; format of meetings including with Putin if necessary but said he still did not think the Kremlin chief wanted peace.&nbsp;The current plan, revised after weeks of intense US-Ukrainian negotiations, would stop the war at the current frontlines in the eastern Donbas region and establish a demilitarized area.&nbsp;But the Kremlin has shown no sign of compromise.&nbsp;Putin said Monday that Russia was pressing ahead with its plan to capture four Ukrainian regions it announced the annexation of in 2022 and that his troops were &quot;confidently advancing&quot;.&nbsp;Moscow on Monday said it took another village, Dibrova, in Ukraine&#39;s eastern Donetsk region.

Russia accused Ukraine of a massive drone attack on Putin’s residence, which Kyiv denied as a fabrication, warning Moscow is trying to derail US-led peace efforts as territorial disputes and military fighting continue despite ongoing negotiations.

Russia says Ukraine attacked Putin's home, Kyiv calls this 'lie'

NEW DELHI: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he was ready to continue &quot;uninterrupted shipments&quot; of fuel to India, as New Delhi faces heavy US pressure to stop buying oil from Moscow. US President Donald Trump imposed punishing 50 percent tariffs on most Indian products in August, citing New Delhi&#39;s continued purchases of Russian oil -- revenue Washington argues helps fund the war in Ukraine. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is hosting Putin at a summit in New Delhi dominated by energy, defense and trade talks, thanked the Russian leader for his &quot;unwavering commitment towards India&quot;. Putin, on his first visit to close partner India since the Ukraine war, was given a red-carpet welcome with an honour guard and 21-gun salute. &quot;Russia is a reliable supplier of oil, gas, coal, and everything that is required for the development of India&#39;s energy,&quot; Putin told Modi after talks. &quot;We are ready to continue uninterrupted shipments of fuel for the fast-growing Indian economy,&quot; he added, according to an official translator. Modi said that &quot;energy security has been a strong and important pillar of the India-Russia partnership&quot;, and while he referenced nuclear power, he made no specific reference to oil. India emerged as a major buyer of Russian oil after the start of the Ukraine war, providing Moscow with a crucial export market as Europe sharply reduced purchases. In 2024, Russia supplied nearly 36 percent of India&#39;s total crude imports, around 1.8 million barrels of discounted oil per day. New Delhi has recently reduced Russian crude imports under pressure. Putin on Friday said he had shared with Modi&nbsp;&quot;a great deal of details about the events taking place in Ukraine&quot; and the efforts Moscow is taking &quot;together with some partners, including the United States, on a possible peaceful settlement&quot;. Modi said that &quot;India has always advocated for peace in relation to Ukraine&quot;. &#39;Balancing acts&#39;India is walking a diplomatic tightrope -- relying on strategic Russian oil imports while trying not to provoke Trump during ongoing tariff negotiations with Washington. &quot;Balancing acts are second nature to Indian foreign policy making,&quot; Pankaj Saran, a former Indian envoy to Russia, wrote in the Times of India on Friday. Modi addressed &quot;my friend&quot; Putin and praised New Delhi and Moscow&#39;s longstanding ties. &quot;We have agreed on an economic cooperation program until 2030,&quot; Modi told Putin, after officials exchanged a raft of agreements spanning jobs, health, shipping and chemicals. &quot;This will ensure that our trade and investment are diversified, balanced, and sustainable.&quot; Bilateral trade reached $68.7 billion in 2024-25 -- almost six times higher than the pre-pandemic levels -- but Indian exports accounted for only $4.88 billion. &quot;This visit is part of India&#39;s diversification strategy, both in terms of strategic and economic, especially at a time when the US tariffs have hurt India,&quot; Ashok Malik of business consultancy The Asia Group told AFP. India is one of the world&#39;s top arms importers, and Russia has long been a principal supplier. But New Delhi has also sought alternative suppliers, as well as boosting domestic production -- with the Russian share of India&#39;s arms imports falling from 76 percent in 2009-13 to 36 percent in 2019-23, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Besides discussions around cutting-edge defense hardware, which includes air defense systems, fighter jets, and nuclear submarines, New Delhi will push for easier access to the wider Russian market. Defense ministers met as part of the talks, Indian foreign ministry official Vikram Misri said, but no final deal was struck.

India

Russian President Vladimir Putin said  he was ready to continue "uninterrupted shipments" of fuel to India, as New Delhi faces heavy US pressure to stop buying oil from Moscow

Putin offers India 'uninterrupted' oil in summit talks with Modi

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;" id="isPasted">MOSCOW: The Kremlin confirmed Wednesday that US envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Moscow next week to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as Washington presses negotiations on a plan to end the Ukraine conflict. &quot;A preliminary agreement has been reached on (Witkoff&#39;s) visit to Moscow next week,&quot; Putin&#39;s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said on Russian TV. Several other officials from President Donald Trump&#39;s administration will accompany Witkoff, Ushakov said. Trump first announced the trip Tuesday, saying Witkoff would meet with Putin in Moscow and may be joined by Jared Kushner, the US president&#39;s son-in-law. The confirmation comes after news agency Bloomberg reported that Witkoff had coached Ushakov on how Putin should talk to Trump about a potential plan to end the conflict in Ukraine. &quot;I speak fairly often with Witkoff, but the content of those conversations is confidential,&quot; Ushakov said in his comments to Russian TV. He said such reports risked damaging US-Russian ties, which &quot;are being built, with difficulty&quot;, notably through phone calls.

The Kremlin confirmed that US envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Moscow next week to meet President Vladimir Putin, with additional Trump administration officials joining as Washington pushes negotiations on a plan to end the Ukraine conflict, adviser Yuri Ushakov said.

Kremlin confirms US envoy Witkoff will visit Moscow next week

BEIJING: The foreign ministers of North Korea and China agreed to deepen bilateral ties and resist hegemonism, a likely reference to their pushbacks against the United States. Their meeting in Beijing on Sunday came about three weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first summit in more than six years and pledged mutual support and enhanced cooperation. Kim and Xi earlier attended a massive Beijing military parade marking the end of the World War II, with other world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin. The joint appearance of Kim, Xi and Putin, the first of its kind, displayed a potential three-way unity against the United States, though it&#39;s unclear how far China would go in such an anti-US partnership. In a meeting with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui cited Kim as saying that further bolstering ties with China is North Korea&rsquo;s unwavering position. Choe expressed an intent to deepen and develop friendly ties with China in line with the spirits of Kim-Xi summit, the North&rsquo;s Korean Central News Agency reported Monday. Wang said China maintains a firm position that it intends to solidify bilateral ties, saying it&rsquo;s necessary to boost strategic communications and exchanges, KCNA said. China&#39;s Xinhua News Agency cited Wang as saying China oppose &ldquo;all forms of hegemonism&rdquo; and stands ready to strengthen cooperation with North Korea in international and regional affairs. It quoted Choe as saying that North Korea &ldquo;is willing to closely cooperate with China in multilateral affairs, jointly resist unilateralism and power politics and promote a fairer and more just world order.&rdquo; The comments likely referred to their countries&#39; separate confrontations with the United States &mdash; China over strategic competitions with the US and North Korea over its nuclear weapons program. KCNA said Choe and Wang exchanged views on regional and international affairs reached a complete consensus on the issues, but didn&#39;t elaborate. Kim&#39;s attendance at the Beijing military parade was his first attendance at a major multilateral event during his 14-year rule. In recent years, North Korea has been focusing on expanding cooperation with Russia by supplying combat troops and ammunitions to support its war against Ukraine. But experts say Kim now feels the need to improve ties with China, North Korea&rsquo;s biggest trading partner and aid benefactor, as he has to brace for the war&rsquo;s end. They say China, for its part, would want to maintain influence over North Korea, as bilateral ties reportedly cooled in the past few years. Attention has turned to the makeup of the delegation China might send to North Korea when it commemorates the 80th founding anniversary of its ruling Workers&rsquo; Party next month. North Korea is expected to mark the anniversary with its own military parade to display new weapons targeting the US and its allies.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, shakes hands with visiting North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui prior to a meeting, in Beijing. (Xinhua via AP)

North Korea and China agreed to deepen bilateral ties and resist US hegemonism following a recent summit between their leaders. Both countries pledged closer cooperation on regional and international issues. 

Articles tagged with "Russian President Vladimir Putin"