"We have reason to believe that China engaged Russia and said: 'Don't go there,'" outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Financial Times on Jan. 3.

Russian President Vladimir Putin continues seeking to expand his challenge of the West's order — this time in tech. The Russian leader has ordered his government and Russian banking giant Sberbank to work with China on artificial intelligence,

The U.S. secretary of state told the Financial Times that pressure from Beijing dissuaded Vladimir Putin from using nuclear weapons.

In an exit interview with NPR's , CIA Director William Burns says he still thinks "there's a chance" for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

The Russian president hobnobbed with world leaders and received a plethora of gifts, including a pair of hunting dogs.

Xi emphasized that China and Russia consistently advance together on a "path of non-alliance, non-confrontation, and not targeting any third party," according to the official Chinese news agency Xinhua.

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to potential negotiations with US President-elect Donald Trump without any preconditions, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

"He wants to meet. And we're setting it up," Trump said of the Russian leader before a meeting with Republican governors at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. He did not offer a timeline for the meeting.

In an exit interview with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly, CIA Director William Burns says he still thinks "there's a chance" for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Further raising the nuclear risk levels are advancing technologies. AI can dangerously automate the command and control of nuclear weapons. The increased role of nuclear energy to address climate change could increase the spread of nuclear weapons capability, unless diligently addressed.

The incoming U.S. administration admits that its stunning polar gambit is about warding off Russian ambitions.