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Europe
Hungary
13/05/2025 The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has denounced Ireland's Prime Minister Micheál Martin for criticising Budapest. Martin told that he believes the European Union should act against the Hungarian government's use of vetoes. Orbán responded. “We Hungarians have always regarded Irish patriots as champions of freedom and national independence", Orbán wrote on X. "For us, Ireland is a symbol of liberty and sovereignty,” He added that, for this reason, it is always shocking to see an Irish patriot standing on the side of an empire instead of national sovereignty. Martin told that, until now, the EU has always accepted the unanimous voting system in some respects. He added that the European Union will become unworkable if what he refers to as Hungary’s ’abuse’ of the veto continues. Martin stressed that Ukraine should join the EU for geopolitical reasons and strongly condemned Hungary's obstruction of this. In Hungary, the government is holding a referendum to ask people's opinion on Ukraine's membership. Hungary is opposing Ukraine's accession to the EU, which Orbán believes could bankrupt the EU. Orbán has also threatened to delay the extension of economic restrictions against Russia that expire at the end of July unless all 27 member states agree to extend them for another six months. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France)
Germany
13 May 2025 German police have arrested members of the so-called Kingdom of Germany group, accusing them of wanting to overthrow the government. Newly appointed interior minister Dobrindt, a Christian Democrat, banned the group, part of the Reichsbürger movement, leading to an immediate series of raids carried out since the early morning hours of May 13. Reichsbürger (Citizens of the Reich) adherents do not recognise Germany’s post-Second World War Federal Republic as a legitimate state, and the Kingdom of Germany organisation (or Königreich Deutschland) has instead sought to install a king. The police arrested Fitzek, the self-proclaimed king of the group. (Source: Brussels Signal - Belgium)
Lithuania
13.05.2025 Lithuanian lawmakers have introduced a bill that would strip dual citizens of their Lithuanian nationality if they are found supporting Russia or any foreign state deemed a threat to Lithuania or its allies. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
European Union
13 May 2025 In early April this year, China imposed export controls on a number of rare earth elements in response to the US levying hefty tariffs on Chinese goods. The move sent shockwaves through global supply chains, including Europe’s. The continent depends heavily on China for critical raw materials (CRMs), including, for example, for all of its heavy rare earth elements that are needed to produce wind turbines and electric vehicles. European countries need to urgently diversify their sources of CRMs and strengthen partnerships with resource-rich countries to mitigate their dependency on China. Africa is home to an estimated one-third of the world’s mineral resources, a natural source for CRMs. The EU has signed strategic partnerships with several African countries to develop sustainable CRM value chains with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Namibia, Rwanda and Zambia, and on green hydrogen with Namibia. Green hydrogen forms part of Europe’s green energy transition as a way to reduce Europe’s reliance on Russian natural gas. The electrolysers needed for green hydrogen production require CRMs like platinum group metals, rare earth elements and nickel. Progress under these mineral and energy partnerships has been uneven. Although Namibia’s green hydrogen sector has secured some investments from the EU, the signing of the strategic partnerships has so far failed to unlock new European investment in either mining or mineral value addition in any of the African partner countries. In fact, European companies are not only behind China’s lead in CRM mining in Africa, they are also losing ground to other countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Russia. Even America has entered the fray, with US-based KoBold Metals backing a copper mine in Zambia, expanding exploration activities to nickel and lithium in Namibia and potentially entering lithium mining operations in the DRC too. European policymakers assume that higher environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards give European companies an advantage, making them more attractive to potential partners because these standards promise more responsible business practices, which would benefit host countries. Yet these standards have not helped European firms make inroads in African countries. Europe is losing out in the race to access critical raw materials even though European leaders believe the EU’s high environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards appeal to mineral-rich countries, including in Africa. European ESG standards are now so strict they stymie the investment needed to unlock access to critical minerals. European policymakers’ predominant focus on ESG standards also fails to recognise that African countries have other policy priorities - including job creation, infrastructure development and industrialisation - that may take precedence over ESG standards. The European offering may therefore be less appealing than those of its competitors, like China and the Gulf countries, whose offers better match African policy priorities. The policy brief examines European climate policies and ESG standards in the context of EU mineral and energy partnerships with African countries, focusing on Namibia and Zambia as case studies. Research (through focus groups, interviews and workshops) conducted in Namibia and Zambia between September 2024 and February 2025 provides valuable insights into how African stakeholders perceive European and other actors in their mining and mineral value addition sectors. Namibia and Zambia have thriving mining sectors, with Chinese mining companies prominent in both countries. In Namibia, Australian and Canadian companies are also notable, while in Zambia, Canadian, Indian and South African companies are big players. Emirati and American companies have also recently entered the Zambian market. No European-domiciled mining companies are currently active in these countries, but they have been in the past, thereby allowing a degree of comparison. The findings also draw out the misalignments between the EU’s high ESG standards and African policy priorities, as well as contradictions between European climate policies and objectives to de-risk its CRM supply chains from China. The brief explores how these misalignments dissuade European investment in African energy and mineral value chains. It concludes with recommendations to help align the EU’s approach to ESG standards with its de-risking objectives, which would facilitate access to CRMs. European policymakers need to rebalance the weight of ESG standards in their considerations and ensure African needs are better reflected in partnership agreements. (Source: The European Council on Foreign Relations - Germany)
by Logan, a visiting fellow in the Africa programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations, an economist and lawyer with significant experience working with governments of countries experiencing fragility and conflict; Acheampong, a visiting fellow with the Africa programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations, an economist and risk analyst with over 15 years of experience working on natural resource governance and public financial management issues.
Asia
Iran
(Tuesday), 13 May 2025 Tehran and Washington on Sunday held their fourth round of nuclear talks. Iran says it's open to temporary uranium enrichment limits. "For a limited period of time, we can accept a series of restrictions on the level and volume of enrichment," said Deputy Foreign Minister Takht-Ravanchi. Despite the talks, Washington has continued to impose sanctions targeting Iran's nuclear programme and oil industry, with the latest announced on Monday. (Source: The Peninsula - Qatar)
Saudi Arabia
(Tuesday), May 13, 2025 US President Donald Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia today. Air Force One took off on a journey that will include visits to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates - and possibly talks in Turkiye on the Ukraine war. Trump has in recent weeks seemed to cool on his efforts to end the Gaza war. He has also been increasingly at odds with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Gaza, as well as over strikes on Yemen’s Houthis and on how to handle Iran’s nuclear program. Trump said there were very good things happening on talks between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear ambitions - though he added that Iran “can’t have a nuclear weapon.” The US president said that he hoped for more developments on Gaza during his trip to the Gulf, noting that his tour involved three primary countries in the region. Trump said he could change his plans and fly to Istanbul on Thursday if talks between Russia and Ukraine happen there and make progress. Israel this time it is not on the itinerary. (Source: Daily Ausaf - Pakistan / AFP - France)
North America
United States
May 13, 2025 President Trump signed off on the largest defense sales agreement in history, worth $142 billion, on his first full day in Saudi Arabia today - part of a series of bilateral deals worth $600 billion in investments. The president pitched Saudi Arabia as the key to building peace and prosperity in the Middle East, contrasting the kingdom with the nuclear intransigence of Iran. The $142 billion defense agreement calls for the US to give the Saudis state-of-the-art warfighting equipment and services from over a dozen U.S. defense firms, per a White House readout. The deal will focus on air force advancement and space capabilities; air and missile defense; maritime and coastal security; border security and land forces modernization and communication systems upgrades.The $600 billion investment commitment includes letters of understanding for future cooperation on energy, future defense capabilities, mineral resources, and space and infectious diseases. Saudi-based DataVolt, will invest $20 billion towards US AI centers; while Google, Oracle, Salesforce, AMD, and Uber have pledged $80 billion in technology across both countries. “It is crucial for the wider world to note, this great transformation has not come from Western interventionists flying in with lectures on how to live or how to govern your own affairs,” Trump said. “The gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called nation-builders, neo-cons, or liberal non-profits like those who spent trillions failing to develop Kabul and Baghdad. “Instead, the birth of a modern Middle East has been brought about by the people of the region themselves, developing your own sovereign countries, pursuing your own unique visions, and charting your own destinies in your own way.” Turning to Iran, Trump said he did not want merely to condemn the past choices of Iran’s leaders, but to offer them a new and a better path toward a much more hopeful future. The investment conference was packed with business leaders lobbying for more economic partnerships between the US and Saudi Arabia, which has targeted increased diversification as part of its Saudi Vision 2030 initiative. The projects include New Murabba, a climate controlled indoor city that is said to be the world’s largest downtown project - and will include a cube skyscraper when completed at the turn of the next decade. Trump aide Musk made a surprise appearance on stage at the forum, revealing he spoke with Trump and Saudi royal family about building tens of millions of humanoid robots that he hopes will be a part of our everyday lives soon. He also spoke about autonomous cars and how his technology would be relevant to Saudi Arabia’s future economic vision. Other business leaders who had access to Trump and MBS today included BlackRock CEO Fink, OpenAI CEO Altman, Boeing CEO Ortberg, Google CIO Porat, Blackstone Group CEO Schwarzman, and Coca-Cola CEO Quincey. (Source: The New York Post - U.S.)
May 13, 2025 'Capitalizing on U.S. mistakes. Bold moves by European leaders could make American talent part of a European competitive edge in the coming decades. Brussels and London should go big on siphoning American science and technology talent. French President Macron hosted a conference at Sorbonne University in early May aimed at attracting U.S. scientists to France. European Commission President der Leyen gave him an assist, announcing a two-year, 500 million euro ($556 million) effort to support U.S. scientists moving to Europe. Among U.S. President Trump’s most consequential actions for the United States’ long term international power has been the assault on science at home. 'By slashing federal funding for basic research, mounting attacks against universities, and sowing chaos in the visa system for foreign students, Trump has undermined one of the United States’ most important strategic advantages': the best basic research ecosystem in the world, one that drives U.S. commercial innovation and competitive success. This ecosystem is underwritten by the United States’ ability to attract, develop, and retain a significant share of the world’s top researchers in a country where intellectual property rights and rule of law are upheld, and academic freedom is protected and respected. The European Union and its member countries - together with the United Kingdom and perhaps Canada - should work together to create a research investment fund with an initially available drawdown of $20 billion to buy U.S. scientific and technological research labs. The idea would be to make quick investments at current run rates for lab and research group operations, with similar intellectual property arrangements to their current arrangements with U.S. universities and federal research facilities. The fund could offer to move these labs to European universities or research centers. It’s difficult for a single U.S.-based scientist to pick up and move, find another compatible research group across the ocean, and arrange funding. Johns Hopkins University, famous for its medical and public health research, recently announced the layoffs of 2,000 people involved in public health work. Europe should be ready to scoop up that talent in buckets when it comes on the market. It’s not hard to see the country becoming a net exporter of AI talent in the next 24 months while the competition with China intensifies. The EU should fast-track a new scheme - let’s call it a blue-and-yellow card - that is available to any U.S. citizen or green card holder with a graduate degree and $50,000. Such a card could provide for residency with permission to work until, say, Jan. 20, 2029, with a possible extension for those who are employed on that date. The design and marketing of this scheme won’t work if there are too many complicated conditions or bureaucratic rules. A big, bold offer will get more news coverage, more water cooler and dinner table conversations, and more attention from skilled workers. Europe could lure many thousands of these workers, who are likely to quickly contribute to European economies and tax receipts. Salaries are lower in Europe, but the quality of life is good, and social safety nets and accessible health care are part of the European offer. Many people are likely to stay for the long run. (Source: Foreign Policy - U.S.)
'by Baer, the senior vice president for policy research at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace'
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