Beijing and European capitals are looking at each other with renewed interest as US President Donald Trump's administration threatens to upend transatlantic ties and global trade.

Russia and the US held 'challenging but productive' talks on Ukraine, Russian officials say, adding that future discussions will include the UN and other nations as Ukrainian and US delegations continue negotiations in Saudi Arabia.

Over the weekend, more than a dozen wildfires erupted across South Korea, burning thousands of hectares and claiming four lives, with the damage set to make the fires the third-largest in the nation's history.