Many believe that history is largely determined by the personal relationships between world leaders. Vladimir Putin’s 25-year interaction with foreign leaders provides a fascinating case study of that theory.

RUSSIA must get ready for World War Three and must not be “shy” to fight the West, Vladimir Putin’s chief crony has warned. Warmonger Aleksey Zhuravlyov, a top Russian MP, said

HAS VLADIMIR PUTIN QUIETLY ACQUIRED a new imperial possession in the heart of Europe, embedded within the EU and NATO? The suggestion may sound hyperbolic, but reports from Bratislava are becoming stranger by the day.

Russia may supply up to 55 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas per year to Iran, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, as Moscow diversifies its gas flows after a dramatic fall in exports to Europe.

Russia’s president is said to have blamed birds or a Ukrainian drone for a Dec. 25 crash of an Azerbaijani plane. Azerbaijan says Russian air defenses were at fault.

A bloodthirsty Russian MP who once said a Kremlin nuclear missile "could plunge Britain into the sea" has issued a chilling warning to the West saying his "will not be shy about" preparing for World War 3.

The Russian president celebrated his 50th birthday at a winery in Moldova. After the invasion of Ukraine, it moved the bottles he was given away from public view.

TYRANT Vladimir Putin has been accused of plotting terror attacks against international airlines in a global wave of sabotage. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk claimed that Russia carried out

Still, the official announcement declined to use the word war to characterize Moscow’s activities outside Ukraine. Instead, the EU condemned Russians’ “destabilising” and “malicious actions.” The inability to describe acts of war as acts of war is part of a culture of distortion and denial regarding the subject of state-sponsored violence.

Among the issues likely to be explored at the World Economic Forum this week is the future of Ukraine and its impact on Europe.

British wartime leader Winston Churchill once said he was an optimist, as there was no point being anything else. The year ahead in Ukraine has given rise to wild, perhaps wilful, positivity from Kyiv and – publicly at least – in parts of NATO that the incoming Trump White House can effect meaningful,