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  • Vladimir Putin

Al Majalla

Putin foreshadowed the Ukraine war in 2008 meeting with Bush

Recently declassified meeting minutes between the two leaders show how Washington was well aware of Moscow's grievances over NATO expansion, but went ahead anyway

Samer Elias 07 January 2026
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Moscow on 2 December 2025. Ambassador Sylvie Bermann thinks Donald Trump will not drive a wedge between Moscow and Beijing. AFP

French diplomat Sylvie Bermann: Trump won’t divide Russia and China

The experienced French envoy had front-row seats as relations between Beijing and Moscow blossomed, but as she recalls from her days studying in China: it wasn't always so.

Elie Kossaifi 11 December 2025

Putin's battlefield gains in Ukraine pay off

Fares Garabet 04 December 2025
The head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, Kirill Dmitriev,‬ speaks to the media ahead of his meeting with the US delegation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia‬, on 18 February 2025. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

Kirill Dmitriev: Russia oligarch-turned-Ukraine peace negotiator

His recent emergence as a key player in the Ukraine talks owes much to the close personal relationship he has developed with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff

Con Coughlin 30 November 2025

Trump-Putin summit: to meet or not to meet?

Fares Garabet 23 October 2025
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends the Valdai Discussion Club meeting in Sochi on October 2, 2025. Mikhail METZEL / AFP

After Valdai: Putin moves from ideology to action

The Russian president says the next step is shaping a new construct—sovereignty as a service, as a resource, as an exportable value—which can already be seen in Africa

Sergey Eledinov 19 October 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa hold a meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow on October 15, 2025. Alexander Zemlianichenko / AFP

Unpacking Sharaa's diplomatic overture to Putin

In Moscow, Syria's new president said he wants to restore and redefine relations with Russia—a former foe. But is this a genuine olive branch or a message to Washington?

Samer Elias 17 October 2025
Nash

The contours of Trump’s vision for Ukraine are emerging

Key pillars include a land-for-peace deal and European-led security guarantees aimed at reducing American involvement. However, given Moscow and Kyiv's rigid positions, the war is likely to drag on.

Robert Ford 01 September 2025
Nash

Broker or showman? Trump’s high-stakes Ukraine play

Can the strong yet temperamental broker reconcile the opposing forces in the Russia-Ukraine War?

Aqeel Abbas 30 August 2025
US President Donald Trump meets Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate for an end to the war in Ukraine in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Putin rides high after Alaska

Seven instances that showed the Russian leader had the upper hand during his meeting with Trump

Robert Ford 18 August 2025
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Politics

Trump’s 2026 Iran deal differs from Obama’s 2015 JCPOA

18 June 2026

Although an MOU will be officially signed on 19 June, there are already significant differences a decade later, despite the US aim being largely similar. Could Trump open Iran like Nixon opened China?

Robert Ford
Sara Gironi Carnevale
Science & Technology

A smarter ball, or a safer one? The header dilemma facing world football

11 June 2026

The official World Cup ball showcases the latest advances in football technology, but new research questions whether future designs should prioritise brain safety as well as performance

Marco Mossad
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian holding a memorandum of understanding he and US President Donald Trump signed to end the US-Iran war on 17 June, 2026. IRINN Iranian state television/AFP
Politics

How a US-Iran deal will impact Gulf relations with Tehran

17 June 2026

As a costly war draws to a close, Tehran has the chance to chart a new course in relation to its neighbours, but that requires a change of mindset

Zaid bin Ali al-Fadhil
Stefano Summo
Culture & Social Affairs

World Cup songs: from local themes to global industry

11 June 2026

Football's biggest tournament has come to adopt a single soundtrack every four years to give each offering a distinct identity. Is this genuine culture, or a mass marketing technique?

Najeeb Mubarak
Al Majalla
Politics

How Pakistan quietly brokered the historic US-Iran deal

16 June 2026

Islamabad kept both sides talking even as missiles were being launched. That tenacity looks to have paid dividends in a way that could yet reshape the Middle East's power dynamics.

Kaswar Klasra

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OPINIONS

10 years on, Brexit continues to divide Britons

Con Coughlin
Con Coughlin

New laws will embed Israel in US security agencies

Robert Ford
Robert Ford

Lebanon reopens its Gulf gateway as exports return to Saudi Arabia

Thuraya Shahin
Thuraya Shahin

Preventing the next Euphrates flood

Haid Haid
Haid Haid
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