Sanctions were imposed on Russia’s VTB Bank in February 2022, and it was kicked off the interbank payment system called SWIFT. SWIFT is the global messaging network that enables banks worldwide to communicate and process international money transfers, and without access, VTB should have been isolated from global finance.

After the American Civil War ended in 1865, Secretary of State William Seward took up Russia’s longstanding offer to buy Alaska. On March 30, 1867, Washington agreed to buy Alaska from Russia for $7.2m.

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump held a joint news conference following Russia-US talks. President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, We held our talks in a constructive and mutually respectful atmosphere, and they have proved substantive and productive.

As Trump and Putin gear up for their Alaska summit, the stage is set for what could be a fresh chapter in US-Russia relations. The high-profile meeting is scheduled to take place at Elmendorf Air Force Base.

A July 20 memo ordered U.S. intelligence agencies not to share information about Russia-Ukraine talks with Five Eyes partners U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

US President Donald Trump is threatening tariffs on other countries that buy Russian oil, in an attempt to pressure Moscow to end the war in Ukraine. But the United States and Europe themselves are still doing billions of dollars in trade with Russia.

President Donald Trump may recently have called for Ukraine and Russia to skip a ceasefire and hammer out a comprehensive peace agreement. But the conditions for that kind of deal don’t exist yet — and they may not for decades.

Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong on Thursday said that China welcomes all Indian commodities to enter the Chinese market.