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Europe
France
Sunday), March 16, 2025 French President Macron wants to lead a charm offensive to convince EU countries to stop buying U.S. defense equipment and buy French and European instead. ’Those who buy Patriot should be offered the new-generation Franco-Italian SAMP/T. Those who buy the F-35, should be offered the Rafale. That's the way to increase the rate of production, he said. yesterday in an interview with several French media. Macron's comments come as European NATO members ’have become even more dependent on U.S. weapons’. This month, the Netherlands and Belgium confirmed they would still buy American-made F-35 fighter jets. Portugal is wobbling about replacing its U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets with more modern F-35s because of the recent position of the United States, in the context of NATO. The French president also clarified what a possible deployment of European troops 'to help' Ukraine could look like. The goal is to ’deploy a few thousand men per nation’, at key points, ’to carry out training programs’ and ’show our support over the long term,’ he said. (Source: Politico - Headquarters U.S., owned by a German company)
Germany
17.03.2025 The German Foreign Ministry announced ahead of the 9th international conference in support of Syria, hosted by the EU, that Berlin will allocate €300 million ($326 million) for social and reconstruction projects in Syria and humanitarian assistance for Syrian refugees in neighboring countries. The ministry emphasized that all measures will be implemented solely through UN aid agencies and non-governmental organizations. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
European Commission
17/03/2025 On Wednesday, 19 March, the European Commission presents ’its White Paper on the Future of European Defence, along with a closely linked communication on the Savings and Investments Union’. ’The defence paper will outline ways to boost production and readiness, while the investment plan is indispensable to der Leyen's Rearm Europe initiative’. 'We need to ensure that the billions of savings from Europeans' are invested in markets inside the EU, the Commission president wrote to member states earlier this month. European households save €1.4 trillion annually compared to €800 billion in the US - yet €300 billion of those European savings flow into non-EU markets each year. ’The Savings and Investments Union aims to improve the channelling of these savings into productive investments, unlocking the full potential of the bloc's capital markets’. ’According to a draft, the plan targets areas such as encouraging retail investor participation, growing the supplementary pension sector, promoting equity and venture capital investment, and enhancing market integration across the EU’. ’As for defence, the white paper will urge member states to spend more’, spend better, and spend European. 'The latest draft outlines five strategic priorities: securing critical industrial inputs and reducing dependencies, promoting defence skills and expertise, strengthening industrial capacities across the EU, cutting red tape, and removing barriers to the circulation of defence products. Then on Thursday, 20 March - and likely Friday - EU leaders will gather in Brussels to hash out these proposals, set priorities for the next long-term budget (2028-34), and tackle competitiveness, which tops the agenda. ’Defence continues to dominate discussion across the bloc and within its various institutions’. The proposal for a ’Rearm Europe plan’, presented by President der Leyen, raised concerns among MEPs who feel sidelined by the executive’s plans. ’Weber, the German leader of the EPP, criticised Commission der Leyen for bypassing the European Parliament in shaping the defence initiative, arguing that excluding MEPs undermines democratic accountability”. 'The new financial instrument, worth €150 billion in loans, was presented directly to the Council, with the justification that the ’emergency situation’ warrants proceeding without consulting Parliament'. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France)
European Parliament
17 March 2025 'Renew Europe' calls upon the European Union 'to take immediate action to support Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and similar organisations'. 'This support could involve direct funding, facilitating partnerships, or integrating these entities into existing EU frameworks dedicated to promoting media pluralism and freedom'. (Source: Renew Europe Group)
Russia
(17 March 2025) By March of this year retreat from Kursk in full swing. Ukrainian soldiers fighting in Russia's Kursk region have described scenes "like a horror movie" as they retreated from the front lines. They recount a "catastrophic" withdrawal in the face of heavy fire, columns of military equipment destroyed and constant attacks from swarms of Russian drones as Ukraine lost Sudzha, the largest town it held. On 9 March in Sudzha was "panic and collapse of the front". Ukrainian troops were trying to leave - columns of troops and equipment. Some of them are burned by Russian drones on the road. It is impossible to leave during the day. Movement of men, logistics and equipment had been reliant on one major route between Sudzha and Ukraine's Sumy region. By 9 March it was all under the fire control. Before Russia retook Sudzha, Ukrainian forces were being pressed from three sides. By 11 March, Ukrainian forces were battling to prevent the road being cut. A few days earlier, they received an order to leave the defence lines in an organised retreat. Russia had amassed a significant force to retake the town. Military experts estimate Russia had amassed a force of up to 70,000 troops to retake Kursk – including about 12,000 North Koreans. Russia had also sent its best drone units to the front. It was using kamikaze and first-person-view (FPV) variants to take fire control of the main logistics routes. They included drones linked to operators by fibre-optic wires - which are impossible to jam with electronic counter-measures. They managed to destroy dozens of units of equipment, and twrecks had created congestion on supply routes. On 11 March Russia had an advantage with more accurate air strikes and a greater number of troops. Western officials estimate that Ukraine's Kursk offensive involved about 12,000 troops. Their ogistics no longer work – organised deliveries of weapons, ammunition, food and water are no longer possible. They were some of their best-trained soldiers, equipped with Western-supplied weapons including tanks and armoured vehicles. Russian bloggers published videos showing some of that equipment being destroyed or captured. On 13 March, Russia said the situation in Kursk was "fully under our control" and that Ukraine had "abandoned" much of its material. "The roads are littered with hundreds of destroyed cars, armoured vehicles and ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles). There are a lot of wounded and dead. Vehicles were often hunted by multiple drones. Many Ukrainians retreated on foot, walking 15km to 20km. 14 March. „Everything is finished in the Kursk region... the operation was not successful." Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers had died since the first crossing into Russia in August. Last week, Zelensky said he believed the Kursk operation had ’accomplished its task’ by forcing Russia to pull troops from the east and relieve pressure on Pokrovsk. But it is not yet clear at what cost. Any 'hopes' that Ukraine would be able to trade Kursk territory for some of its own have significantly diminished. Ukraine's top general, Syrskyi, insists that Ukrainian forces have pulled back to ’more favourable positions’, remain in Kursk, and would do so ’for as long as it is expedient and necessary’. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)
March 17, 2025 Russia seeks Nato exclusion in Ukraine's peace treaty. In a broad-ranging interview with the Russian media outlet Izvestia that made no reference to the ceasefire proposal, Deputy Foreign Minister Grushko said that any long-lasting peace treaty on Ukraine must meet Moscow's demands. "We will demand that ironclad security guarantees become part of this agreement," Izvestia cited Grushko as saying. "Part of these guarantees should be the neutral status of Ukraine, the refusal of Nato countries to accept it into the alliance." Moscow is categorically against the deployment of Nato observers to Ukraine, Grushko also reiterated the Kremlin's position. "It does not matter under what label Nato contingents were to be deployed on Ukrainian territory: be it the European Union, Nato, or in a national capacity," Grushko said. "If they appear there, it means that they are deployed in the conflict zone with all the consequences for these contingents as parties to the conflict." Grushko said that a deployment of unarmed post-conflict observers can be discussed only once a peace agreement is worked out. Grushko said that European allies of Kyiv should understand that only the exclusion of Ukraine's membership in Nato and the elimination of the possibility of deploying foreign military contingents on its territory will work for the region. "Then the security of Ukraine and the entire region in a broader sense will be ensured, since one of the root causes of the conflict will be eliminated," Grushko said. Britain and France both have said that they were willing to send a peacekeeping force to monitor any ceasefire in Ukraine. Australian Prime Minister Albanese said his country was also open to requests. French President Macron said in remarks published yesterday that the stationing of peacekeeping troops in Ukraine is a question for Kyiv to decide and not Moscow. US President Trump is trying to win President Putin's support for a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine accepted last week and which Putin says needs to meet crucial conditions to be acceptable. Trump is expected to speak with Putin this week on ways to end the three-year war in Ukraine, US envoy Witkoff told yesterday after returning from what he described as a "positive" meeting with Putin in Moscow. (Source: AsiaOne - Singapore)
Asia
Syria
Monday 17 March 2025 Hundreds of Syrian civilians killed in attacks. /Video/ (Source: Sky News - United Kingdom)
North America
United States
Mar 17 2025 President Trump said the U.S. would hold Iran responsible for any future attacks by the Houthis who have launched repeated attacks on shipping passing through the Red Sea and on Israel. The militant group is allied with the Islamic Republic and Hamas. U.S. crude oil futures rose 0.6%, to $67.58 per barrel. Global benchmark Brent traded higher by 0.62%, at $71.02 per barrel. Trump has reimposed a maximum pressure campaign against Iran 'with the goal of driving down the Islamic Republic’s oil exports'. Treasury Secretary Bessent recently said 'the Trump administration’s goal is to collapse Iran’s economy'. The White House believes Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon, an allegation the Islamic Republic denies. Trump’s national security advisor, Waltz, said yesterday that all options are on the table to ensure Iran does not acquire a nuclear bomb. “We cannot have a situation that would result in an arms race across the Middle East in terms of nuclear proliferation,” Waltz said. Trump has said he wants to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran. (Source: CNBC - U.S.)
(Monday), March 17, 2025 The National Nuclear Security Administration - one relatively small outpost in a federal work force - has lost a huge cadre of scientists, engineers, safety experts, project officers, accountants and lawyers. The nuclear agency not only manages the nation’s 3,748 nuclear bombs and warheads, it is modernizing that arsenal - a $20-billion-a-year effort that will arm a new fleet of nuclear submarines, bomber jets and land-based missiles. Though it was still hundreds of employees short of what it had said it needed, it had edged up to about 2,000 workers by January. Now: retraction. More than 130 employees took the government’s offer of a payout to resign. Those departures, together with those of about 27 workers who were caught up in a mass firing and not rehired, wiped out most of the recent staffing gains. Engaged in top-secret work, tucked away in the Energy Department, the agency typically stays below the public radar. But the Trump administration’s cuts, touted as a cure-all for supposed government extravagance and corruption, are threatening the muscle and bone of operations that involve national security. The exodus is going to make the job more difficult because what you lost were some of your most valuable leaders. The agency lost not only officials deeply steeped in the weapons modernization program, but also a noted arms control expert at a time when President Trump has said he hopes to restart talks with Russia and China about limiting nuclear arsenals. “Contrary to news reports, the Energy Department’s nuclear weapons production plants and nuclear laboratories are operated by federal contractors and have been exempt” from cuts, Dietderich, the Department of Energy’s chief spokesman said. But the loss of staff would hobble the agency’s ability to monitor the more than 60,000 contract employees who carry out much of the agency’s work. The federal oversight is vital. (Source: Dnyuz - Armenia ? / The New York Times - U.S.)
Mar 17, 2025 President Trump today declared all the pardons issued by his predecessor Biden as void, claiming that they had been executed without Biden's approval. "The 'Pardons' that Sleepy Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen. In other words, Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them!, Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "The necessary Pardoning Documents were not explained to, or approved by, Biden. He knew nothing about them, and the people that did may have committed a crime. Therefore, those on the Unselect Committee, who destroyed and deleted ALL evidence obtained during their two year Witch Hunt of me, and many other innocent people, should fully understand that they are subject to investigation at the highest level. The fact is, they were probably responsible for the Documents that were signed on their behalf without the knowledge or consent of the Worst President in the History of our Country, Crooked Biden, he added. In final hours in office of Biden were issued a series of preemptive pardons to several individuals, including his family members - brothers James and Francis, sister Valerie, and their spouses. Biden stated that his family had been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt him - 'the worst kind of partisan politics'. Additionally, there were granted pardons to figures such as Dr Fauci, former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; retired General Milley, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and members of the House committee that investigated the January 6 attack on the Capitol. These preemptive pardons were intended to protect individuals from potential politically motivated prosecutions by the incoming administration. The specific application of the autopen for presidential pardons has not been extensively tested in courts, leaving room for legal debate. (Source: Hindustan Times - India)
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