It is highly unlikely that Washington would manage to convince its European allies as well as Russia and China to renegotiate the Iran nuclear deal, RIA Novosti contributors Vladimir Ardaev and Igor Gashkov noted, adding that the unilateral reintroduction of the sanctions regime may leave the US further isolated. [...]

US President Donald Trump has arrived in Beijing for a two-day visit as part of his five-nation tour of Asia. Sputnik looks at how the relationship between the US and China has changed Richard Nixon's historic eight-day trip in 1972. [...]

The US’ obsession with “proving” alleged “Russian meddling” in the 2016 election and America’s subsequent institutional destruction as a result will go down in history as representing the suicide of this former superpower’s soft power. [...]

The international financial system needs to balance which is why there is no place for a dominant currency, said Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev. “The balanced system of financial relations should be based on the use of various reserve currencies, various forms of settlement. There should be no domination of any one currency,” said Medvedev, speaking at the regular Russia and China heads of govern [...]

Hungary has signaled its readiness to develop closer ties with the new Austrian government. Speaking to Sputnik, Norbert Freiherr van Handel, a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, called for full-fledged cooperation between Vienna and the member states of what was once known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire. [...]

It looks that the Israeli “demonstration of power” during the recent visit of Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has turned into a total failure. On October 16, Shoigu arrived Israel for meetings with Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The sides were reportedly set to discuss the situation in the region, including Syria, the fight a [...]

As a result of US President Donald Trump’s belittling attacks on “Rocket Man” Kim Jong-un, Pyongyang is refusing to hold discussions with the US. "Multiple US government and congressional officials" told NBC that they have been warned by Joseph Yun, US envoy to North Korea, that Trump's insults won't help them bring North Korean officials to the negotiating table. [...]

The Russia-NATO collaboration could be in jeopardy over the US' recent moves to enhance its military presence in Europe. "The United States is doing everything to push Russia to withdraw from the agreement. [...]

The second largest operator of Russia's SSJ100 airliners expressed hope for joint venture with the plane's manufacturer after signing a document on further development of cooperation between the two companies. [...]

Speaking to participants of the World Festival of Youth and Students in Sochi, Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed the future technology he believes can prove to be more terrible than nuclear weapons. [...]

The Russian Defense Ministry "has questions" about the sudden move of the anti-Daesh coalition to help civilians in Raqqa. "[The only explanation of this] is an aspiration to quickly cover up the tracks of the barbaric bombings of the United States and the coalition's aircraft that have buried thousands of civilians liberated from the Islamic State [Daesh] under the ruins of Raqqa," Russian Defens [...]

Poland may lose its last EU ally over its unwillingness to vocally protest against the Ukrainian discriminatory education law, Polish independent commentator Janusz Niedzwiecki told Sputnik, adding that Warsaw is bowing to Washington's will. Meanwhile, Brussels is running out of patience over Kiev's failure to implement the Minsk accords. [...]

Moscow has perfect counter-measures in response to US plans to install THAAD air defense systems closer to the Russian territory in South Korea on the pretext of Pyongyang's threat, a military expert told Sputnik, naming the Iskander and Kalibr missiles. [...]

As the situation around the decision of the US President on the Iran nuclear deal gains momentum, University of Minnesota Professor of Anthropology and Middle East historian William Beema and Center for Peace & Democracy Director Ivan Eland told Sputnik in an interview what could be behind Trump's steps, and their possible consequences. [...]

Czech political analyst and activist Jan Miklas, recently back from a trip to Crimea, gives his take on the planned 'Crimean march' planned by Ukrainian nationalists, and on Washington's efforts to use Kiev as a pawn in its geopolitical confrontation with Russia. [...]

The political settlement of the Syrian conflict is hardly possible without taking into account the Kurdish problem and for their part Syrian Kurds wants to further develop relations with Russia as a country that has clear goals in the crisis, Kurdish politician Salih Müslim, ex-chairman of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), said. [...]

Austria's 31-year old Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz is expected to become one of the youngest world leaders in modern history. In an interview with Sputnik, political analysts have described him as a very hard-working and charismatic person and shared their opinion on his personality. [...]

The resounding success of two anti-immigrant parties in the Austrian elections, with the right-wing Freedom Party (FPO) delivering one of the strongest performances in more than a decade, is a direct result of Europe’s open border policies, analysts say. According to the preliminary results published by the Austrian interior ministry, Kurz’s conservative People’s Party (OVP) has taken a clea [...]

Kurz was responsible for closing the Western Balkan immigration route, from Turkey to Germany and to Scandinavia, explains Werner Fasslabend of the Austrian Institute for European Policy & Security. Political scientist Heinz Gaertner also gives his insight. The results of Sunday's Austrian parliamentary elections show a clear shift to the right. [...]

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Washington of an inability to build bridges and stick to agreements. The US unilaterally slapped sanctions on North Korea and may now pull out of the landmark Iran nuclear deal, Lavrov said. “Two years ago, an agreement was reached on the Iranian nuclear program, which was approved by the UN Security Council. [...]

A Norwegian delegation comprising 11 Norwegian politicians and businessmen has underlined the necessity of signing an agreement on cooperation with Crimea after a week-long visit to the peninsula. A Norwegian delegation has expressed its willingness to cooperate with Crimea and establish friendly relations with the Russian region after paying an official visit to the peninsula, member of the Crim [...]

In the follow up to the results of the Catalan referendum on independence and the stern crackdown of the Spanish central government against voters, Czech Communist MEP Jaromír Kohlíček told Sputnik Czech that Madrid is likely to have more problems as it has other autonomous communities which desire more sovereignty. [...]