You’re reading the Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition newsletter. Get what you need to know to start your day. Get it sent to your inbox.

       Image

       A Ukrainian army vehicle passing through a destroyed Russian border post.Credit...David Guttenfelder for The New York Times

       U.S. says Russia assembled 50,000 soldiers ahead of a major attack The Russian military has assembled a force of 50,000 soldiers, including North Korean troops, as it prepares to begin an assault aimed at reclaiming territory seized by Ukraine in the Kursk region of Russia, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials.

       A new U.S. assessment concludes that Russia has massed the force without having to pull soldiers out of eastern Ukraine, its main battlefield priority. Russian troops have been clawing back some of the territory that Ukraine had captured in Kursk this year, but they have not yet begun a major assault there. Ukrainian officials say they expect such an attack involving the North Korean troops in the coming days.

       The Russian-North Korean offensive looms as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to re-enter office with a stated goal of ending the war quickly. Trump has said little about how he would settle the conflict, but Vice President-elect JD Vance has outlined a plan that would allow Russia to keep the territory it has seized in Ukraine.

       Advertisement

       SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

       Image

       Massad Boulos, the father-in-law of Tiffany Trump.Credit...Nick Hagen for The New York Times

       Palestinians try to sway Trump Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, is making widespread efforts to rehabilitate his once adversarial relationship with Donald Trump, hoping to influence his views on the conflict in Gaza and on cease-fire talks.

       Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like.