BlackRock Sees US Stocks Getting Their Mojo Back
A recurring question in markets this year has been whether US exceptionalism is well and truly over. It's sure seemed that way at times— stock indexes in Europe have been outperforming US benchmarks, while Chinese tech shares have soared even as the once-hot Magnificent Seven stumbled.
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UPI
18 minutes ago
- UPI
Britain, Russia trade sanctions amid Western push to end war
U.S President Donald Trump (R) leads, (From L) President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, President Alexander Stubb of Finland, Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain, President Emmanuel Macron of France and other European leaders for a 'family photo' in the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, D.C., USA, on Monday. On Thursday, Britain and Russia traded sanctions. Pool Photo by Aaron Schwartz/CNP/UPI | License Photo Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Britain and Russia have traded sanctions, as London continues to pressure Moscow amid ongoing efforts to secure an end to the war in Ukraine. Britain's sanctions minister, Stephen Doughty, on Wednesday announced the punitive measures targeting crypto networks and Kyrgyzstan's financial systems exploited by Russia to evade sanctions. The eight designations add to the more than 2,700 Britain has already etched into its sanctions ledger for Russia's war in Ukraine. "If the Kremlin thinks they can hide their desperate attempts to soften the blow of our sanctions by laundering transactions through dodgy crypto networks -- they are sorely mistaken," Doughty said in a statement. The sanctions target the Kyrgyzstan-based Capital Bank and its director, Kantemir Chalbayev, which London says Russia uses to pay for military goods. Grinext and Meer cyrptocurrency exchanges were among those blacklisted for their rouble-backed A7A5 cyrptocurrency that was designed to evade Western sanctions and has been used to move $9.3 billion, according to London. "These sanctions keep up the pressure on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and crack down on the illicit networks being used to funnel money into his war chest," Doughty said. Seemingly in response, Russia's foreign ministry announced sanctions against 21 journalists and members of NGOs, consulting firms and the expert community, most of whom are British nationals. The sanctions appear to ban those on Russia's so-called stop list from entering the country. The ministry accused them of being "propagandists" who are "spreading disinformation and leveling unfounded accusations against Russia in relation to the special military operation." The special military operation is what Russia calls its invasion of Ukraine. "They are also involved in hostile lobbying activities, such as advocating for a tougher anti-Russia policy from the West and increased support for the Kyiv regime," the ministry said in a statement. Among those blacklisted by Moscow was Britain's former deputy foreign secretary Britain Denis MacShane. "Deeply honored to be on Putin list of Brits banned from Russia," he said on X. Thousands of people appear to be on the list, including more than 2,100 from the United States alone. The tit-for-tat sanctions came on the heels of Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and several other European leaders having a meeting earlier this week at the White House with U.S. President Donald Trump aimed at bringing an end to Russia's war. "As long as the killing in Ukraine continues, the UK and its allies stand ready to rachet up pressure on Russia and will continue to strengthen sanctions," Britain's foreign office said.
Newsweek
18 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Footage Shows Russia and China Naval Maneuvers Challenging US in Pacific
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Newly released footage shows Russia and its quasi-ally China conducting a naval patrol in the Western Pacific as part of their military cooperation that challenges the United States. Newsweek has emailed the Russian and Chinese foreign ministries for further comment. Why It Matters Russia has maintained what President Vladimir Putin calls a partnership "without limitations" with China following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. The two nations have deepened military ties, with over half of their 113 combined drills since 2003 taking place in the past six years, along with joint patrols in the Pacific involving strategic bombers and naval vessels. The most recent Russia-China military activities—including Exercise Joint Sea 2025 and a maritime joint patrol—come after their mutual adversary, the United States, conducted large-scale air force war games in the Pacific in July. U.S. forces are also taking part in two ongoing drills in Alaska and the Arctic amid concerns over the growing Russian and Chinese presence in the region. What To Know The Chinese navy—which operates the world's largest warship fleet by hull count—released footage of the joint patrol with its Russian counterpart on Wednesday. It announced that the naval maneuvers were successfully concluded at an undisclosed area in the Western Pacific. During the 15-day joint patrol—which followed Exercise Joint Sea 2025, held from August 1 to 5 around Vladivostok in Russia's Far East—the two navies conducted escort and air defense exercises, among others, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. Photos released by the agency show Russian and Chinese sailors waving goodbye to each other as their vessels departed from the joint patrol during a fleet separation ceremony. In this photo taken from footage released by the Chinese navy on August 20, 2025, Russian and Chinese naval vessels conduct a joint patrol in the Western Pacific. In this photo taken from footage released by the Chinese navy on August 20, 2025, Russian and Chinese naval vessels conduct a joint patrol in the Western Pacific. Chinese Navy Details of the joint naval patrol remain unclear, including the routes taken. On August 12, the Russian Pacific Fleet reported that three vessels participating in the patrol docked in Avacha Bay on the Kamchatka Peninsula, 575 miles from the westernmost end of Alaska's Aleutian Islands. While Russian and Chinese naval vessels were underway, the U.S. sent a destroyer to waters around the Aleutian Islands as part of operations supporting "maritime homeland defense." Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military expert, told China's Global Times that the disclosure of the Kamchatka stopover indicated the patrol covered a long distance, which helped boost the training level of the Chinese navy as it expands its reach and presence across the Pacific. What People Are Saying Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, spokesperson for China's Defense Ministry, said on August 8: "China and Russia adhere to the principles of non-alliance, non-confrontation, and not targeting any third party in developing bilateral and military relations, and jointly play an important role in safeguarding international and regional peace and stability." Russia's Pacific Fleet said on August 14: "The joint maritime patrol aims to strengthen naval cooperation between Russia and China, maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, monitor marine waters and protect facilities of maritime economic activity of both countries." Japan's defense white paper 2025 said: "China is further strengthening its cooperation with Russia, including in military activities. It has also conducted joint bomber flights and naval navigations with Russia in the vicinity of Japan. These repeated joint activities are clearly intended for demonstration of force against Japan and are a grave concern from the perspective of the national security of Japan." What Happens Next It remains to be seen whether the Russian and Chinese militaries will conduct additional joint activities this year, including joint bomber patrols. Last summer, the two nations deployed their bombers off the coast of Alaska, prompting U.S. and Canadian fighter jets to intercept them.
Washington Post
18 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Ukraine expects clarity soon on security guarantees from US and other allies
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine will hold intensive meetings to understand what kind of security guarantees its allies are willing to provide after receiving signals that the United States would back reinvigorated discussions seeking an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The details are being hammered out among national security advisers and military officials and Zelenskyy thinks they will take clearer shape within 10 days. He then expects to be ready to hold direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time since the full-scale invasion . The talks could also be conducted in a trilateral format alongside U.S. President Donald Trump, Zelenskyy said. 'We want to have an understanding of the security guarantees architecture within seven to 10 days. And based on that understanding, we aim to hold a trilateral meeting. That was my logic,' Zelenskyy said, speaking to reporters Wednesday after his trip to Washington along with Europe's top leaders . 'President Trump suggested a slightly different logic: a trilateral meeting through a bilateral one,' Zelenskyy said. 'But then we all agreed that, in any case, we continue working on the security guarantees, establishing this approximate framework, similar to Article 5. And what we have today is political support for this.' Article 5 is NATO's common defense guarantee under which an attack on one member is considered an attack on them all. A venue for the meeting is being discussed with Switzerland, Austria and Turkey as possibilities, Zelenskyy added. Kyiv still does not have clarity over what kind of support it can expect from allies. A coalition of more than 30 countries have in principle pledged to contribute to security guarantees but talks came to a standstill when the U.S. remained ambivalent about its role. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said working on security arrangements in Ukraine without Moscow's involvement would not work, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. 'We cannot agree with the fact that it is now proposed to resolve collective security issues without the Russian Federation. This will not work. We have already explained more than once that Russia does not overstate its interests, but we will ensure our legitimate interests firmly and harshly,' Lavrov said at a news conference Wednesday Recent positive signals from Trump suggesting the U.S. will support 'Article 5-like' security guarantees and Ukraine's hopes to join the European Union have reinvigorated those discussions, Zelenskyy said. 'Today we have a positive signal from America, from President Trump, from his team, that they will be participants in the security guarantees for Ukraine. And this opens up the possibility for other countries,' he added. 'Now the general staff of key countries have already started talking about what they are ready for. And some countries that were not there will probably appear now.' Turkey vocalized its readiness to provide security along the Black Sea after Trump appeared open to the possibility of supporting security guarantees for Ukraine, Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine is ready to hold direct talks with Putin. 'And what if the Russians are not ready? The Europeans raised the issue. If the Russians are not ready, then we would like to see a strong reaction from the United States,' he said. Ukraine previously has expressed hope that the U.S. will punish Russia with more sanctions if it does not demonstrate a serious willingness to end the war. Zelenskyy spoke positively about his meeting with Trump in the Oval Office on Monday alongside Europe's top leaders. He sought to convince Trump that the battlefield situation was not as bad for Ukraine as Putin portrayed. Zelenskyy pointed to errors in the U.S. map of the front line that he said showed Russia holding more territory than it actually does. 'President Trump was interested in hearing the details. We talked a lot about Donbas, about the East, what its importance is. I noted that if our military withdraws from this territory and it is occupied, then we will open the way to Kharkiv,' Zelenskyy said, adding that he showed Trump roads leading to Ukraine's industrial center in Dnipropetrovsk. 'I noted to him that there are many important aspects here. If we are simply talking about withdrawing from the east, we cannot do this,' Zelenskyy said, noting that he believed Trump had understood him.
