Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Moscow had never opposed Ukraine's potential membership of the European Union, and that he thought it was possible to find a consensus on ensuring the security of both Russia and Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump said after his summit with Putin in Alaska last month that he thinks Putin is "tired" of the war in Ukraine but that it remains to be seen if peace can be secured to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War [Read more]

Russia's Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corporation signed an agreement to increase annual gas supplies to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline as well as via the Far Eastern Route, Russia's RIA agency reported on Tuesday. Reuters reported last month that China was seeking to buy more Russian gas through an existing pipeline as talks between the two countries have failed to make progress on building a second link. The agreements were signed during Russian President Vladimir [Read more]

Oil prices rose on Tuesday as concerns about supply disruptions grew amid an escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Brent crude added 40 cents, or 0.59%, to $68.55 a barrel by 0149 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $65.06 a barrel, up $1.05, or 1.64%. WTI futures did not settle on Monday due to the Labor Day holiday in the U.S. Recent Ukrainian drone attacks shut down facilities accounting for at least 17% of Russia's oil processing capacity, or 1.1 [Read more]

Guyanese voters will head to the polls on Monday to choose members of parliament and a president who will determine how riches from the South American country's hydrocarbon boom will be spent. The country of 800,000 people has earned some $7.5 billion in revenue from oil sales and royalties since ExxonMobil started pumping offshore oil in late 2019, making Guyana one of the world's fastest-growing economies. President Irfaan Ali, in office since 2020, is seeking re-election at the helm of [Read more]

India is not "profiteering" from Russian oil imports and its purchases have stabilised markets while keeping prices from rising to as much as $200 a barrel, Hardeep Singh Puri, country's oil minister, said in the Hindu newspaper on Monday. The U.S. has targeted India for its Russian oil purchases, with President Donald Trump imposing tariffs on Indian exports to the U.S. to discourage the country's crude buying. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused India of profiteering by importing [Read more]

Russian President Vladimir Putin, after talking with China's Xi Jinping and India's Narendra Modi, said on Monday the issue of NATO's eastward enlargement would have to be addressed for there to be sustainable peace in Ukraine. Putin ordered tens of thousands of troops to invade Ukraine in February 2022 after eight years of fighting in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian troops. Russia currently controls a little under one fifth of Ukraine. Ukraine and Western [Read more]

A summer trading lull looks set to come to a halt with September risks stacking up hard and fast. U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook and French political turmoil provide a glimpse of what's to come in a month that historically brings notable market swings as investors reassess portfolios. "My big concern is that when liquidity comes back after the summer, we see some big market moves," said St. James's Place CIO Justin Onuekwusi. 1/ TROUBLE [Read more]

Russian drone attacks on power facilities in northern and southern Ukraine overnight left nearly 60,000 customers without electricity, with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowing to retaliate by ordering more strikes deep inside Russia. Three and a half years into the war, Russia and Ukraine have both intensified airstrikes in recent weeks. Russia has targeted Ukraine's energy and transport systems, while Ukraine has been attacking Russian oil refineries and pipelines. "We will continue our [Read more]