Russian oil on agenda as Trump to meet Hungary’s Orban
Donald Trump sits down for talks with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban today, and the two leaders are expected to discuss Hungary’s reliance on Russian oil at a time when Trump has been working to wean nations off of it.
Orban, a long-time Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin ally, will be meeting the US president for the first time bilaterally since Trump returned to the White House in January.
Hungarian officials said in the run-up to the meeting that Orban aims to discuss a path to a US-Russia meeting and seek exemptions from US energy sanctions.
“All diplomatic negotiations are hard, but I expect a friendly and easy negotiation,” Orban told Hungarian state news media ahead of the meeting when asked if he expected tough talks on exemptions from sanctions on Russian oil companies.
The two leaders are like-minded in their anti-immigration stances, but a potentially difficult topic involves Hungary’s reliance on Russian oil. Trump has been insisting that European nations stop buying it as a way to dry up Moscow’s funding for its invasion of Ukraine.
Hungary has maintained its reliance on Russian energy since the start of the 2022 conflict in Ukraine, prompting criticism from several European Union and Nato allies.
(AP)
Arpan Rai7 November 2025 06:35
Putin orders conscription of 135,000 Russians by end of year
Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered a fresh round of conscription of troops before the end of this year, according to Britain’s Ministry of Defence.
“Putin is increasing the number of Russians conscripted into the military. 135,000 is the number of Russians Putin has ordered for conscription by the end of the year,” the MoD said in an update yesterday.
Putin signed a law on year-round conscription into the army on Tuesday, according to Russia’s legal acts portal.
It has been nine years since Russia called up so many men in its autumn draft, according to the ministry. The defence ministry said at least 160,000 men were called up in this year’s spring intake. That was the highest number of Russian servicemen drafted into the military during the spring since 2011.
Arpan Rai7 November 2025 06:24
Watch: Zelensky vows to increase support for frontline after visiting Ukrainian troopsZelensky vows to increase support for frontline after visiting Ukrainian troops
Arpan Rai7 November 2025 06:20
In photos: Satellite images show scale of destruction in Ukraine’s Pokrovsk
A satellite image shows the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk (Reuters)
A satellite image shows smoke rising in a residential area in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk (Reuters)
A satellite image shows downed trees along a road in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk (Reuters)
A satellite image shows armoured vehicles in the ruins of Pokrovsk (Reuters)
Arpan Rai7 November 2025 06:01
Gunvor withdraws bid to buy Russian Lukoil assets after US calls it ‘Kremlin’s puppet’
Swiss commodity trader Gunvor has withdrawn its proposal to buy the foreign assets of Russian energy giant Lukoil after being called out as “Russia’s puppet”.
The move scuttles what would have been Gunvor’s largest acquisition and underscores Washington’s attempt to use sanctions to isolate Russia and choke revenues it uses to fight the war in Ukraine.
The US Treasury said in a post on X that president Donald Trump “has been clear that the war must end immediately. As long as (Russian president Vladimir) Putin continues the senseless killings, the Kremlin’s puppet, Gunvor, will never get a license to operate and profit”.
Seth Pietras, Gunvor’s corporate affairs director, said in an email that Treasury’s statement was “fundamentally misinformed and false” and it welcomed “the opportunity to ensure this clear misunderstanding is corrected.”
“In the meantime, Gunvor withdraws its proposal for Lukoil’s international assets,” Pietras said.
The Treasury imposed sanctions on Lukoil last month in an effort to cut Russia’s revenues used in fighting the war. Lukoil then said it had accepted an offer from Gunvor to buy its foreign assets.
Arpan Rai7 November 2025 05:51
North Korean and Russian military officials discuss further cooperation in Pyongyang
Senior North Korean and Russian military officials discussed strengthening cooperation in their latest talks this week in Pyongyang, North Korean state media said today, as the two countries continue to align over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The report came days after South Korea’s spy agency, in a closed-door briefing to lawmakers, said it had detected signs of recruitment and training activities in North Korea, possibly in preparation for additional troop deployments to Russia.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said North Korean officials, led by Pak Yong Il, vice director of the Korean People’s Army’s General Political Bureau, held talks on Wednesday with a Russian delegation headed by vice defence Minister Viktor Goremykin.
KCNA said the two sides discussed expanding cooperation in line with the “deepened bilateral relations” developed under North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian president Vladimir Putin. The report didn’t mention any specific agreements. KCNA also said Goremykin’s delegation separately met with North Korean defence minister No Kwang Chol.
When asked whether North Korean and Russian officials may have discussed additional North Korean troop deployments to Russia, Chang Yoon-jeong, a spokesperson for South Korea’s Unification Ministry, said Seoul was closely monitoring the situation but wouldn’t make assumptions.
Arpan Rai7 November 2025 05:33
Ukraine asks Sweden to start training Gripen pilots
Ukraine has asked Sweden to start training Ukrainian pilots on Swedish Gripen fighter jets as soon as possible, Kyiv’s defence minister said.
Denys Shmyhal told reporters in Stockholm alongside his Swedish counterpart that Ukraine was ready to send personnel to Sweden immediately.
Gripen is a fourth generation light single-engine supersonic fighter jet. It is a so-called multi-role fighter aircraft, designed for missions such as air-to-air combat, aerial bombing and reconnaissance. It is seen as a solid low-cost alternative to the more expensive fifth generation planes, such as the F-35.
The Gripen E is just over 15 metres long, weighs 16.5 tonnes and can refuel, rearm and be back in the air in 10-20 minutes after landing, and is capable of operating from relatively rough air strips.
Gripen, Swedish for the mythical creature Griffin, has been in commission since 1996 but has been upgraded several times.
A Swedish Air Force Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter jet flies during a media day (Reuters)
Arpan Rai7 November 2025 05:19
Watch: Moment 11-year-old girl bravely confronts Putin after uncle injured in war Moment 11-year-old girl bravely confronts Putin after uncle injured in war
Arpan Rai7 November 2025 04:53
Russian rebels burn locomotives aiding Putin’s war, Ukrainian intelligence agency says
An anti-Russian rebel group has carried out sabotage operations and attacked dozens of locomotives being used to transport weapons and ammunition, Ukrainian intelligence agency said.
The Freedom of Russia resistance movement, seen as one of the most dominant resistance groups on Russian territory, carried out the attack. A video showed locomotives set ablaze in multiple locations, the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine (HUR) said on Telegram.
“The partisans’ incendiary cocktails incinerated the control and power systems of dozens of vehicles used for military cargo transport,” the statement by HUR said.
The attacks have slowed down Russian logistics and disrupted the military supplies to Russian frontline units.
Arpan Rai7 November 2025 04:21
Nato surpasses Russia on ammunition production, says Rutte
Nato is now producing more ammunition than Russia, the alliance’s secretary general Mark Rutte has said.
“We are already turning the tide on ammunition. Until recently, Russia was producing more ammunition than all Nato allies put together. But not anymore. Across the Alliance, we are now opening dozens of new production lines and expanding existing ones,” he said at the Nato Industry Forum in Bucharest yesterday.
“We are making more than we have done in decades. We need to build on this progress in other areas, from high end air defence and low-cost drone interceptors,” he said.
Rutte warned that the danger posed by Russia “will not end when this war does”.
“For the foreseeable future, Russia will remain a destabilising force in Europe and the world. And Russia is not alone in its efforts to undermine the global rules. As you know it is working with China, with North Korea, with Iran and others,” he said.
“They are increasing their defence industrial collaboration to unprecedented levels. They are preparing for long term confrontation,” Rutte said.
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte speaks during the Nato-Industry Forum (NIF) 2025 in Bucharest (AP)
Arpan Rai7 November 2025 03:53