U.S. presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, when first elected, both thought they could establish a rapport with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and dramatically improve U.S.-Russian relations. Their appraisal of Putin swiftly changed.

President Ilham Aliyev says Azerbaijani forces have taken Shushi (known as Susa in Azeri), the second-largest city in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. Armenian officials denied the report but confirmed fighting around the city, a hilltop settlement located on a main road overlooking the breakaway region’s main city, Stepanakert.

The agreement on buying Eurofighter Typhoon warplanes is part of the German Defence Ministry’s effort to replace its ageing Tornado fighter jets, which entered service with the Luftwaffe back in 1983.