News Snapshot:
Russian President Vladimir Putin may be stress-testing the limits of his friendship with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week after taking the first steps in formally annexing pro-Russian regions in eastern and southern Ukraine. Each of the occupied regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia declared landslide victories on Tuesday after holding controversial referendums to become Russian federal subjects. The pro-Kremlin leaders of Luhansk and Donetsk—whose independence was recognized by Putin in February as a pretext for a full invasion—have asked the Russian president to begin accession procedures. The voting, which began last week, was called a "sham" by...
