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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will face a pivotal moment on Monday when he meets US President Donald Trump in Washington for their first summit, as the countries' decades-old alliance strains to confront rapid geopolitical changes, according to Reuters.

Lee, who took office in June after a snap election, is seeking to strengthen security ties with Washington while easing tensions with Beijing. His government recently reached a deal to avoid steep US tariffs but hopes trade will not overshadow security issues at the summit.

Officials say Lee aims to build personal trust with Trump and avoid confrontation. After the meeting, he will highlight South Korea’s investments in the US, including support for the struggling shipbuilding sector, Reuters reported.

US Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that Russia has made “significant concessions” in efforts to end its war with Ukraine. In an interview with NBC News, Vance emphasized that Moscow has shown flexibility on some core demands and is engaging in diplomatic talks in good faith, Xinhua reported.

“Of course, the war isn’t over yet, but we are working to bring this to a close,” Vance said, noting that progress would take time.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, however, said Friday that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is not planned. Recent weeks have seen intensified diplomacy, including talks involving former President Donald Trump with both Zelenskiy and European leaders following a Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska, according to Xinhua.

China has become a top trading partner for 157 countries and regions worldwide, according to Sun Meijun, head of the General Administration of Customs of China.

In 2024, trade with Belt and Road Initiative countries reached 22trn yuan (around 3trn US dollars), making up over half of China’s total imports and exports. Trade with emerging markets in ASEAN, Latin America, Africa, and Central Asia has expanded at an annual rate of more than 10 percent since 2021, according to Xinhua.

Sun emphasized China’s commitment to international cooperation, citing 519 agreements signed since 2021 to promote mutual economic benefits.

US forces have sped up their withdrawal from the Ayn al-Asad and Victoria military bases in Iraq, with some troops being redeployed to Erbil and a neighboring Arab country, local media reported Sunday. The drawdown, ordered by the US Embassy, is being carried out in phases, according to Xinhua.

The accelerated timeline aligns with last year’s US-Iraq agreement on a gradual coalition exit. Hussein Allawi, security advisor to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, recently confirmed that the US-led coalition’s mission in Baghdad and at Ayn al-Asad is set to conclude in September. The coalition currently maintains around 2,500 troops in Iraq.