Vladimir Putin

In a recent interview, the Kazakh president again pushed back against those in Russia who say Moscow "saved" Kazakhstan in January.

Xi has tied himself personally to Russia’s leader through public declarations of friendship. Now Xi shares the reputational damage of the brutalities Russia is unleashing on Ukraine.

Withdrawing from Europe and the Middle East to focus on the Indo-Pacific would be a misstep for Washington.

Pressure that both sides face from the United States and the West gives their partnership new depth.

The two leaders reaffirmed the "no limits" friendship between China and Russia in their first in-person meeting since 2019 – but they notably danced around the topic of Ukraine.

Two Chinese nuclear plants will be using Russian-designed reactors.

Russia as a first destination for a Kyrgyz president is no surprise; it’s essentially tradition.

Closer ties between Moscow and Beijing are worth more as a threat than a reality.

Uzbek President Mirziyoyev endorsed constitutional changes in Russia that will likely keep Putin in power for years to come, with serious implications for Central Asia.

Russia is at once a mortal enemy and a misunderstood friend in U.S. eyes.

Recent political moves reinforce the fact that Putin still lacks a well-placed family member to whom control could be handed, complicating his search for an exit strategy.

Russia has become the only country in the world to deploy hypersonic weapons, according to the Russian president.