[Elite capture] is a crucial tool of [China’s] success. The idea is simple enough: by tempting another country’s elite with money, access and favors, you move them to see their interests and China’s interests as intertwined or even the same. [Each] of the individuals we discuss would deny their role …

A flurry of diplomacy furthered hopes for a diplomatic push to avert the threat of large-scale war in Europe late on February 20, but Western warnings sounded more dire over spiraling tensions around Ukraine. The calls from Kyiv and the West for peace talks came as Ukraine reported continued shelling …

Biden also spoke with Macron earlier on Sunday, as France seeks to mediate between the sides in a last-minute effort to ease tension. US President Joe Biden and Russia’s Vladimir Putin have agreed in principle to hold a summit on the Ukraine crisis, the office of French President Emmanuel Macron …