This edition covers key developments in Russia’s international engagements. Russia–North Korea ties deepen with exclusive tourism and labor deals, alongside military cooperation linked to the Ukraine war. India–Russia relations grow stronger, with planned high-level visits and strategic talks focusing on defense and multilateral cooperation. Russia continues to assert its role in Armenia–Azerbaijan peace efforts, emphasizing trilateral agreements. The Putin–Trump Alaska summit ended without a ceasefire, as controversial land-swap proposals for Ukraine stir global concern. These moves reflect Russia’s expanding influence, selective diplomacy, and attempts to reshape the international order amid ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), New Delhi, India is an independent think tank on strategic studies and land warfare. The mandate of CLAWS covers national security issues, conventional military operations and sub-conventional warfare.