Taiwan and the Czech Republic, living in the shadow of Russia and China, have found common cause.

Oil futures edged slightly higher early Monday, finding support from improved economic data from China, though upside remains capped by President Trump’s tariff plans. Investors were also navigating uncertainty around the prospects for a Ukraine peace deal after Friday’s public clash between Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in the Oval Office.

As diplomatic tensions rise and global alliances fracture, the US-Ukraine standoff, Trump’s unpredictable leadership and China’s strategic moves are reshaping the balance of power on the world stage

China and Russia “cannot be moved away” from one another, Chinese leader Xi Jinping told his counterpart Vladimir Putin Monday, in their first phone call since US President Donald Trump upended American foreign policy with a sweeping pivot toward Moscow as he pushes for peace in Ukraine.

China pushed back against recent remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, declaring that Washington could never "sow discord" in its ties with Moscow. Newsweek reached out to the White House and the Russian Foreign Ministry via email for comment.

But even in a relatively permissive environment, Russia’s appetite for global upheaval has limits. New bursts of conflict will not necessarily work in its favor. Given its finite resources and its preoccupation with Ukraine,

US President Donald Trump’s push to end the war in Ukraine appears poised to hand key concessions to Russia, leaving Kyiv and its European supporters on the sidelines as they face the prospect of a peace deal made over their heads.