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Europe
France
(Wednesday), 05/03/2025 In a primetime speech today, French President Macron said France 'will head towards a single goal, one of peace and freedom, true to its history, true of its own principles'. And he called for a major European rearmament. Macron said he will confer with European allies 'on the idea of using France's nuclear deterrent to protect' the continent 'in the face of threats from Russia'. 'Our nuclear deterrence protects us, French 'from Asia'. 'Russia has become now and will continue to be a threat for France and for Europe'. 'We want to ensure that that deterrence applies to all European allies, whatever to be', he said. 'The future of Europe is not going to be decided by Russia, or by Washington'. 'We have Germany, Poland, Denmark, the Baltic states and numerous partners have also announced that they are going to increase military spending. ''France has a unique role to play. We have the most effective army in all of Europe', 'a nuclear capacity'. He said that they have to make 'new budgetary decisions, additional spending which are now essential.' (Source: France 24)
Wed, 05 Mar, 2025 French President Macron has said he will confer with European allies on the idea of using France’s nuclear deterrent' to protect the continent in the face of threats from Russia'. EU leaders are set to address the issue of nuclear deterrence, among other issues, during a special summit in Brussels tomorrow, focusing on support for Ukraine and European defence. Macron said the use of France’s nuclear weapons would remain only in the hands of the French president. (Source: Irish Examiner - Ireland)
European Commission
(Wednesday), 05/03/2025 Yesterday, der Leyen said the EU plans to bolster Europe’s defence and military spending by activating a mechanism to mobilise €800 billion in special funds, stating that Europe is 'in an era of rearmament' and is 'ready to massively boost its defence spending.' This announcement came after Washington suspended all military aid to Ukraine on Monday. The commission calls for member states to increase their defence spending by 1.5% of GDP on average, unlocking €650 billion over the next four years. It has also proposed extending the €150 billion in loans. The proposal is yet to be discussed at a summit attended by the 27 national leaders in Brussels tomorrow. Germany faces constraints on fiscal spending due to the “debt break” law enacted in 2009, which limits the government budget deficit to 0.35% of GDP. France and Italy may struggle to boost their spending due to limited fiscal capacity. The European Investment Bank is set to propose expanding its mandate to finance projects dedicated to military use. The bank is currently only permitted to fund projects with both civilian and military applications. (Source: Euronews, headquarters Lyon, France)
European Council
05 March 2025 Preparations for emergency talks today between European Union leaders in Brussels were being dominated by Washington’s withdrawal of support to Ukraine. The bloc has agreed 'it must significantly step up defence spending as part of a wider European strategy to placate Mr Trump'. Hungary and Slovakia were successful in blocking leaders from making a political decision on a new support package for Ukraine, which would have supplied €20-30 billion in artillery shells, missiles and drones. The main thrust of discussions between leaders will be on what post-war security guarantees the EU’s 27 countries can offer Ukraine. The principal strategy on the table involves arming Ukraine as the first pillar of the security guarantees - strategy shared by a majority of member states. An official said it was premature to discuss possible troop deployments to Ukraine because there was no ceasefire or final peace settlement on the table. The senior EU official said that Costa, the president of the European Council, would brief non-EU allies, including Sir Keir, in a video conference after the summit, which will be attended by Mr Macron. (Source: The Telegraph - United Kingdom)
European Union
March 5, 2025 'Fortunately', Europe is on the verge of a “big bang” moment, which could unlock more than a trillion dollars in funding for European defense over the next decade. An emergency EU summit tomorrow will see European leaders take the first steps in their journey 'to save Ukraine and lead the free world'. If Putin judges that guarantees - and European troops - will only appear once the fighting stops, then he won’t stop fighting. 'A strong Ukrainian military, which cannot be defeated on the battlefield, is the only realistic impediment to Russia’s crude but effective attempts to dominate its near abroad using military force. 'NATO and EU leaders have also identified peace through Ukrainian strength as the best solution for keeping their own citizens safe. 'Europe has been the most generous, providing $138 billion (and committing another $120 billion), compared to $119 billion (and $4 billion) from the United States'. Europe has a plentiful supply of political goodwill toward Ukraine but lacks the fiscal and industrial capacity to make good on it. Ukraine now depends on the defense industry in Europe and elsewhere for two-thirds of its military aid. But current capacity is either low or nonexistent in key areas such as guided weapons, tanks, and aircraft. Meanwhile, the United States has the opposite problem: It can afford and produce much more, but the political desire to do so has disappeared under the new administration. This dramatic reversal in Washington’s policy leaves the burden of 'peace through Ukrainian strength' resting on Europe’s shoulders. Ukraine’s main backers are reaching the political and economic limits of what they can provide. The transatlantic security is no longer Washington’s foreign policy priority. The next NATO summit will take place in June in The Hague, the Netherlands. If every European member of NATO took that opportunity to raise defense spending from their current average of 2 percent to 3 percent - as at least four allies already did last year - it would raise nearly $200 billion. Germany alone could add $220 billion if it agrees on a new ’whatever it takes’ special fund for defense. If negotiations this year over the European Union’s next budget cycle (2028–2034) meet the target set by the bloc’s new defence commissioner, Kubilius, that could add $110 billion to EU defense spending (defense spending in the current cycle was only around $11 billion). If the European Commission is able to repurpose untapped Covid-19 recovery funds, it would make available up to $100 billion, while redirecting portions of the $50 billion EU “Cohesion Fund” - designed to help lower income member states through investment in environment and transport - could make several billion available for defense and security. If Europe agreed to liquidate Russia’s frozen assets, it could provide another $300 billion. As Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has urged: ’Let’s finance our aid for Ukraine from the Russian frozen assets.’ The original purpose of the London summit was to discuss the United Kingdom’s idea for a European “rearmament bank,” a joint fund to issue AAA-rated debt to finance increased defense spending across Europe. European defense’s big-bang moment could be worth well over a trillion dollars. Ahead of tomorrow’s meeting, der Leyen has already previewed some of the measures on the table as part of a package called “ReARM Europe.” These include relaxing the European Union’s fiscal rules on debt for defense spending, a loan program of up to €150 billion ($165 billion) backed by the European Union’s common budget, and reallocating some of the Cohesion Fund. These initial measures still require EU leaders to unanimously agree with them. The biggest threat comes from Hungary, although Budapest’s opposition appears to be narrowly focused on support to Ukraine rather than strengthening European defense writ large. Ukraine’s own defense industry already produces $30 billion a year in weapons. Ukraine is now the world’s largest manufacturer of military autonomous systems, able to make over 4.5 million drones per year. It plans to make 30,000 long-range drones and 3,000 missiles this year. Ukraine already makes 2.5 million artillery and mortar rounds annually. In the last year, Ukraine’s production of artillery systems tripled while production of armored vehicles increased fivefold. Ukrainian Defence Minister Umerov explained that while capacity will reach $37 billion this year, available funding is only $18 billion. In 2024, Denmark became the first country to order weapons made in Ukraine for use by Ukrainian armed forces. To date, around $950 million worth of Ukrainian-made artillery and drones have been ordered by Denmark and delivered to Ukraine. In October, the Netherlands announced a plan to purchase around $440 million of drones from Ukraine, with a 50–50 production share. Last week Norway also committed to buy $312 million of drones and other military equipment from Ukrainian firms. Europe will continue to rely on U.S. companies for advanced air defense, combat aircraft, missile and long-range artillery systems, plus other technology. If Europe can generate a flood of new funding and transform its defense industry, "the only remaining question is what purpose would all this military power serve?" ’Deterrence and defense’. Through their urgent plan to ’rearm Europe,’ European leaders must find a way ’to unlock a trillion euros to fund large increases in defense spending and transform Europe’s industrial base’. One Wall Street Journal headline: “Trump, not Putin, forces Europe to get serious about defense.” After Friday’s shouting match in the Oval Office added more fuel to the fire, Kallas, 4, the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs, declared: ’Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.’ The most important thing Europe can do for Ukraine and the free world is transform its ability to defend ’the continent from Russian aggression’. The consequences of the confrontation between Russia and the West are global. It is possible that Trump is betting that his unprecedented actions will provide the spark Europe needed to ignite its big bang transformation into a defense superpower. (Source: Center for Strategic and International Studies, based in Washington D.C., U.S.)
by Monaghan, a visiting fellow in the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.
Africa
Egypt
(5 March 2025) Arab leaders have approved a reconstruction plan for Gaza, spearheaded by Egypt in collaboration with Palestine. The initiative, now an official Arab League proposal, rejects any forced displacement of Palestinians and outlines a structured path for rebuilding the war-torn enclave. The plan includes clearing debris, restoring essential services, and securing international funding through a trust overseen by the World Bank. The framework preserves Gaza’s legal status as part of a future Palestinian state alongside the West Bank. Egypt will host an international conference in cooperation with the United Nations to coordinate global support. (Source: Africanews, based in Lyon, France. Owner: Euronews)
Central America
Panama
03/05/2025 The Hong Kong company CK Hutchison Holding, which manages two ports in the Panama Canal, one on the Atlantic Ocean and one on the Pacific Ocean, has agreed to sell the majority of its shares to a group led by the US investment company BlackRock for 22.8 billion dollars. Founded by billionaire Li, the company is not owned by the Chinese government, but has controlled the ports since 1997. /Source: AsiaNews, an official press agency of the Catholic Church's Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME). headquartered in Rome, Italy/
North America
United States
(Wednesday), 05/03/2025 Hungary's Foreign Minister Szijjártó yesterday met with US Secretary of State Rubio. According to a statement from the US State Department, "The Secretary underlined the urgency of ending the war in Ukraine and ensuring lasting peace and stability in the region." Szijjártó 's meeting with Rubio came as the Hungarian government threatened to oppose an EU bloc-wide accord or joint statement on Ukraine ahead of tomorrow's extraordinary summit dedicated to Ukraine and EU defence. In a ’Rearm Europe Plan’, EU Commission president der Leyen said yesterday that member states ’might raise as much as €800 billion to fund a significant defence increase’. Hungary, unlike the majority of European countries, has been a staunch critic of EU. Prime minister Viktor Orbán, has frequently criticised, and threatened to veto EU sanctions against Russia over its aggression but has ultimately always voted for them. On Sunday, some European leaders at a summit in London floated the idea of a ’coalition of the willing’ among member states that could send troops on the ground to Ukraine as a guarantee after a potential peace deal. Leaders of the UK, Canada, France, and other EU countries present at the summit also agreed to keep military aid flowing into Ukraine and to ensure any peace talks and agreements respect the country's sovereignty. Reacting to the summit, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán slammed the idea and berated the leaders, saying they wanted ’to continue with the war instead of opting for peace.’ (Source: Euronews, based in Lyon, France)
05/03/2025 The United States has "paused" intelligence sharing with Ukraine after a breakdown in relations between Kyiv and the White House, CIA director Ratcliffe said today. (Source: France 24)
05.03.25 Request to the Grok 3 (beta) version of the artificial intelligence bot on Musk’s platform, X: "Analyse Trump’s speech to US Congress". The AI turned in a surprisingly cogent analysis, complete with reference to the “campaign promise to dismantle the federal bureaucracy, though the execution has drawn criticism for incompetence”. “Since I don’t have the full text of President Trump’s 2025 speech to the U.S. Congress (delivered on March 4, 2025), I’ll provide an analysis based on the available context from the search results and general insights into Trump’s rhetorical style and policy priorities. This speech, his first joint address to Congress in his second term, offers a window into his agenda and approach after returning to office on January 20, 2025. Below is an analysis structured around key themes, delivery, audience reception, and implications, drawing on the details provided. Key Themes Triumphalism and Electoral Mandate: Trump opened his speech with a strong assertion of victory, claiming “America is back” and touting his November 5, 2024, election win as a “mandate like has not been seen in many decades.” He highlighted winning all seven swing states, securing 312 Electoral College votes, and a significant popular vote margin. This framing aligns with his tendency to emphasize personal and political success, positioning his administration as a transformative force. However, reports note his victory margin was narrower than he suggested, indicating possible exaggeration to bolster his narrative of overwhelming support. Policy Priorities:. Economy and Tariffs: Trump pushed his reciprocal tariff policy, set to begin April 2, 2025, arguing it would incentivize domestic production (“If you don’t make your product in America, you will pay a tariff”). He also praised the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Musk, for uncovering “hundreds of billions” in fraud - though specifics remain vague. Critics highlight his minimal focus on inflation, a pressing public concern, suggesting a disconnect from voter priorities. Immigration: Border security featured prominently, with Trump claiming a drastic reduction in border crossings (8,326 in February 2025, per his Truth Social post). He urged Congress to fund deportations and wall construction, though his administration’s deportation pace has lagged behind Biden’s, contradicting his campaign promises of mass deportations. Foreign Policy: Trump addressed peace efforts in Ukraine and the Middle East, announcing a freeze on U.S. military aid to Ukraine after a contentious meeting with President Zelenskyy. He recited a letter from Zelenskyy indicating a willingness to negotiate, claiming “strong signals” from Russia for peace. His brief mention of foreign policy (a few minutes in a 100-minute speech) and provocative ideas - like welcoming Greenland into the U.S. - signal a disruptive approach to global alliances. Cultural Flashpoints and Government Overhaul Trump celebrated eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, declaring, “Our country will be woke no longer,” aligning with his base’s cultural priorities. He also touted firing tens of thousands of federal workers, framing it as part of a broader government “reshaping” via DOGE. This reflects his campaign promise to dismantle the federal bureaucracy, though the execution has drawn criticism for incompetence (e.g., firing critical experts and leaking classified data). Rhetorical Style and Delivery. Length and Tone: At 100 minutes (or 99, per some sources), Trump’s speech set a record for the longest presidential address to Congress, surpassing Clinton’s 2000 State of the Union. Its defiant, celebratory tone leaned into campaign rally energy rather than traditional unity-seeking rhetoric. He avoided detailed policy explanations, focusing on bold claims and viral moments, consistent with aides’ reported strategy to dominate post-speech media cycles. Partisanship: Trump directly needled Democrats, lamenting their lack of applause and accusing them of intransigence (“There is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy”). This combative stance, paired with his comparison to George Washington, underscored a self-aggrandizing narrative over bipartisan appeal. Performance: Observers noted a shift from his more restrained 2017 address. Emboldened by his victory and unrestrained by impeachment or opposition control of Congress, Trump’s 2025 delivery was unscripted at times, reflecting his “weaves”—tangents that energize supporters but risk alienating others. Audience Reception Republicans: GOP lawmakers cheered, chanting “USA” and offering standing ovations, particularly for tariff and border security proposals. House Speaker Johnson hailed it as a “triumphant return,” reflecting party alignment with Trump’s agenda. Democrats: The opposition was visibly hostile. Rep. Green’s ejection for interrupting, signs like “Save Medicaid” and “Protect Veterans,” and walkouts signaled deep dissent. Guests like fired federal workers underscored Democratic efforts to highlight policy fallout. Sen. Slotkin’s rebuttal criticized Trump’s recklessness, contrasting his approach with a call for responsible change. Public: Pre-speech polls (e.g., CNN’s 48% approval rating) suggest a polarized reception. Post-speech sentiment on X ranged from praise for his “Golden Age” vision to accusations of lies and exhaustion, indicating the address did little to broaden his base. Implications Legislative Push: Trump’s calls for border funding and tax cut extensions test his influence over a slim Republican House majority and a Senate with differing priorities. His hands-off approach to budget reconciliation details leaves uncertainty about execution. Polarization: The speech entrenched divisions, offering no olive branch to Democrats or moderates. This risks gridlock if GOP unity falters, especially with contentious issues like tariffs sparking trade war fears. Global Signal: Freezing Ukraine aid and floating Greenland’s acquisition signal a retreat from traditional U.S. leadership, potentially emboldening adversaries and straining alliances. Critical Assessment Trump’s address was a defiant sales pitch, doubling down on campaign promises rather than adapting to governance realities. Its length and bombast catered to his base but ignored broader economic anxieties (e.g., inflation) and offered scant detail on implementation. While effective as theater - crafting moments like the Zelenskyy letter - it lacked the substance or outreach needed to unify a fractured nation or Congress. Historically, such speeches aim to set a tone; Trump’s set one of relentless disruption, for better or worse. For a deeper analysis, access to the full transcript would refine these observations. If you have specific aspects you’d like explored further (e.g., a particular policy or reaction), let me know! (Source: Telegraph India)
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