SINGAPORE PERSPECTIVE

Straits Times reports Ukrainian drones attacked Rosneft's Tuapse refinery on the Black Sea, causing a fire — the latest in a series of repeated strikes on the site that had already halted operations on April 16. Ukraine has ramped up strikes on Russia since March, with US-brokered peace talks paused as Washington focuses mainly on the Iran war. Channel NewsAsia documents Kim Jong-un's reaffirmation of North Korea's support for Russia's 'sacred war' in Ukraine, noting Pyongyang has sent missiles, munitions and thousands of soldiers, while Moscow sends financial aid, military technology, food and energy in return. Russia's Defense Minister Belousov announced a new bilateral military cooperation plan covering 2027-2031. Singapore's perspective, focused on stable international rules, sees this institutionalization of the autocratic axis as a deterioration of the liberal international order.