Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at Russia’s attendance at key international conferences, how renewed conflict in Iran sparked a global bond sell-off, and the fallout of Zambia’s disputed presidential election.

The Kremlin Refuses to Be Sidelined

Russian forces launched a sixth straight day of missile and drone strikes at the Ukrainian capital and its surrounding areas on Tuesday, killing at least 12 people in attacks that damaged residential homes. At the same time, several high-ranking Kremlin officials participated in a slew of global conferences focused on advancing Moscow’s economic and diplomatic agendas.

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at Russia’s attendance at key international conferences, how renewed conflict in Iran sparked a global bond sell-off, and the fallout of Zambia’s disputed presidential election.

The Kremlin Refuses to Be Sidelined

Russian forces launched a sixth straight day of missile and drone strikes at the Ukrainian capital and its surrounding areas on Tuesday, killing at least 12 people in attacks that damaged residential homes. At the same time, several high-ranking Kremlin officials participated in a slew of global conferences focused on advancing Moscow’s economic and diplomatic agendas.

Russia’s ability to engage with the international community at the highest levels despite its continued war against Ukraine signals that Moscow has managed to avoid becoming the global pariah that many Western powers have advocated for.

Nowhere was this more obvious than in Asheville, North Carolina, where U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov on Monday on the sidelines of the G-20 finance ministers’ meeting. This was the first time that Moscow’s top financial official attended the global gathering in person since the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022.

Axios reported on Monday that the two officials discussed U.S. President Donald Trump’s Russia-Ukraine peace proposal, opportunities for economic growth, and G-20 engagement. Although Bessent reportedly ruled out economic relief for Russia while the war continues, many European countries were unhappy with........

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