Russia

China and Russia have come together for a new shipping route between Ningbo, China, and Felixstowe, in the U.K. The new path could cut shipping times in half.

The U.S. is allowing Russian crude oil to be delivered to Cuba after months of what has essentially been a blockade.

Eurasia Group founder Ian Bremmer says political instability in the United States now poses a greater global risk than China or Russia.

Leaders of Russia, China and India met on Monday to show a unified front in light of U.S. trade policies

President Donald Trump has increased tariffs as India continues to buy cheap Russian oil.

Shadow fleets, groups of tanker ships used by sanctioned nations like Iran and Russia to move oil, comprise an estimated 17% of all international tankers, according to an Allianz report.

The leaders of the western political and defense coalition are eyeing multiple conflicts, from Ukraine to Iran.

Charles Hecker, a geopolitical risk consultant, says a lot of questions about the country’s future need resolving before Western businesses put down long-term roots there again.

“NATO is one side of the coin. Economic ties are the other side of the coin,” said Neil Irwin of Axios. “Both sides are tarnished right now.”

Loans used to make up a third of military aid, but dropped to just 1% in 2001. Now the U.S. mostly provides grants.