Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a video call hours after President Donald Trump re-entered the White House and pledged to "deepen" their partnership.

The presidents sought to capture some of the media spotlight that was focused on the flurry of executive orders signed by Trump. Amid all the noise in Washington following the return of the Republican bulldozer to the White House,

In addition, the Securities and Exchange Commission just sued Elon Musk, accusing him of not notifying that agency or shareholders of his purchases of Twitter shares in early 2022. They claim that, by hiding his accumulation of stock, Musk was able to buy the company on the cheap.

The United States on Wednesday imposed hundreds of sanctions targeting Russia, seeking to increase pressure on Moscow in the Biden administration's final days and protect some sanctions previously imposed.

Donald Trump's return to the White House will not bring a speedy end to the nearly three years of conflict in Ukraine, Russians on the streets of Moscow told AFP.

Trump took the action after the former officials said in 2020 that leaks from Hunter Biden laptop could be "a Russian information operation."

While Inauguration Day marks the transfer of power from one president to another, it also marks another major change at the White House: one first family moving out and another moving in. This final piece of the transition happens behind closed doors, no cameras allowed.

Ukraine's move will deprive Russia of about $6.5 billion in annual revenue from gas sales to Europe, according to U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has held a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin via video link, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The talks came hours after US President Donald Trump returned to the White House and said he would meet Putin “very soon”.

The White House described Ukraine's suspension of Russian gas transit as one of the most expensive defeats for Moscow, costing it around US$6.5 billion in revenue each year. Source: John Kirby, White House National Security Communications Advisor,

The White House scrambled to get a message to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia last year after U.S. intelligence agencies said a Russian military unit was preparing to send explosive packages on cargo planes.