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Europe
Estonia
June 20, 2025 5:24 pm CET Estonia’s social affairs minister, Joller, who is also a doctor, is profoundly dismayed at WHO's Europe regional director Kluge's meeting with Russia’s foreign minister, who had discussed from the pandemic deal to HIV prevention, as well as the obligation not to attack health care facilities. (Source: Politico - U.S.)
Latvia
June 20, 2025 4:12 pm CET The Latvian parliament voted yesterday to bar Russian and Belarusian citizens from buying real estate in the country. (Source: Politico - U.S.)
Russia
June 20, 2025 11:26 am (EST) Putin’s war in Ukraine is not just about territory - it’s a calculated move rooted in history to reclaim Russia's global influence and potentially redraw Europe’s borders. To safeguard European security, the West must revive its proven strategy: build a strong deterrent while pursuing dialogue to ensure long-term stability. In broad terms, NATO countries should pursue four measures: ’Enhance deterrence’ to stabilize the Russia-West frontier; Aim for domestic consolidation to reduce the scope for Russian meddling; Support the preservation of a sovereign Ukrainian nation-state to tame Russia’s expansionist impulse; Begin a dialogue with Russia about coexistence to lay the foundation for a more secure and peaceful future. Even as the West seeks to counter Putin’s territorial ambitions, it should propose a discussion on how to manage relations responsibly in the years ahead. No matter how the Russia-Ukraine war ends, Russia is going to remain a rival power on the European continent, certainly under Putin and likely under his immediate successors. As during the Cold War, the dialogue should focus on lessening the costs of maintaining stability along the Russia-West frontier and reducing the risks of conflict. Coexistence with a nuclear-armed Russia remains a geopolitical imperative. Making that point a central element of the West’s public presentation of its Russia policy would have the added benefit of reassuring parts of the Russian political elites that there is a way forward from today’s tense adversarial relationship to a less fraught one in which their interests will be properly considered. Although the immediate benefits should not be exaggerated, such an approach could also elevate the domestic pressure on Putin to negotiate in earnest a settlement to his war against Ukraine. In the long run, it will almost certainly lead to a more secure and peaceful future for Europe. (Source: The Council on Foreign Relations - U.S.)
by Graham, a distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. His book, Getting Russia Right, was published in September, 2023
Asia
Iran
June 20, 2025, 4:00 PM GMT+2 What could happen if President Trump does decide to use the United States' largest conventional bomb to destroy Iran’s fortresslike Fordo nuclear enrichment facility. (Source: NBC News - U.S.)
Persian Gulf
(June 20, 2025) Gulf monarchies hold rival Iran close as Israel conflict rages. Gulf rulers have strong relations with Trump, and his visit to the region last month was considered a success. The US president drew applause in Riyadh when he chastised past US “nation-builders' and neocons for their failed Middle East interventions. Since Israel launched its offensive last week, the rulers of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - the region’s biggest economies - have spoken with Iranian President Pezeshkian to express solidarity, and repeatedly condemned Israel’s attacks. Arab monarchies are seeking to stay close to their regional rival Tehran as they frantically try to avoid being engulfed in the war on the other side of the Gulf and to head off potential Iranian missile attacks. They fear US involvement would put Gulf states that host American bases in the line of fire, and could even strangle their oil and gas exports if Iran retaliated by closing the Strait of Hormuz. They have been highly critical of Israel’s conduct of its 20-month war against Hamas in Gaza, and its strikes in Syria as a new government seeks to stabilise the country. (Source: The Financial Times - United Kingdom)
Qatar
(June 20, 2025) 3:11 PM GMT+2 Satellite images captured yesterday, provided by Planet Labs, which operates a fleet of Earth-imaging satellites indicate the removal of U.S. warplanes from Al-Udeid air base in Qatar, one of the main U.S. military bases in the Middle East. (Source: NBC News - U.S.)
Turkey
(Friday), 20 Jun 2025 - 11:53 pm An emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers began today in Istanbul, Turkiye, with the participation of Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan. The emergency Arab meeting is being held on the sidelines of the meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which begins Saturday, in Istanbul and continues until Sunday. (Source: The Peninsula – Qatar)
North America
United States
June 20, 2025 Within the last week, Trump quietly ordered the movement of the US Air Force’s key B-2 Spirit bombers from California into the Pacific. Their final destination is not yet known, but is almost certainly the US airbase at Diego Garcia, America’s military redoubt in the Indian Ocean that lies within striking distance of Iran. The B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bomber is the best plane in the American arsenal for deploying GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) gravity bombs. These bombs can supposedly collapse the hardened bunkers of Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment facility. Israel was managing to repeatedly strike suspected nuclear weapons development facilities with 3,000 and 5,000-pound bunker busting bombs. It has been apparently unable to destroy hardened facilities such as Fordow. Israeli war planners rightly fear that they will soon be unable to reliably penetrate Iranian airspace and continue striking the hardened Iranian nuclear weapons sites. The Israelis will need the Americans to do this for them. The president has moved the bulk of America’s midair refueling tankers into the Middle East, as well as massive numbers of warplanes. Now, he is positioning an unusual number of warships into the area. 'America’s B-2s, escorted by the Super Hornets and Growlers, will fly into Iran from Diego Garcia. The Growlers will conduct sweeping electronic disruption attacks against the Iranian air defense networks. Meanwhile, the Super Hornets will cover the bombers from any potential enemy fighters or from incoming air defense fire. Floating just across the border from Iran in Saudi Arabia or Iraq, pickets of F-22s and F-35s will be shadowing the B-2s, preparing to enter the fray if they encounter heavier-than-expected resistance. Once in Iran’s airspace, the B-2s will proceed to Fordow and drop their GBU-57 MOP bombs. Once dropped, the B-2s will high-tail it out of the contested Iranian airspace, moving swiftly northward toward the Mediterranean. At some point, these planes will be topped off by US refuelers positioned throughout the region, as the B-2s make their way back to Whitman Air Force Base in the United States via the European air route. This is likely how it will go down this weekend'. (Source: The National Interest - U.S.)
by Weichert. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower; Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life; The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book: A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine.
United Nations
20 June 2025 “The Non-Proliferation Treaty is a cornerstone of international security,” United Nations Secretary-General Guterres said. “Iran must respect it. But the only way to bridge the trust gap is through diplomacy – not destruction.” IAEA Director General warned the Security Council that Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities are degrading critical safety systems and placing millions at potential radiological risk. At Natanz, the destruction of electricity infrastructure and direct strikes on enrichment halls have led to internal contamination. While no radiological release has been detected outside the facility, uranium compounds now pose significant health hazards within. At Isfahan, multiple buildings – including a uranium conversion plant and a metal processing facility – were hit. At Arak’s Khondab reactor site, damage was sustained, though the facility was not operational. The greatest risk, however, is the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which remains operational. A direct strike could result in a high release of radioactivity to the environment.” Even disruption of its external power supply could lead to a core meltdown. In the worst-case scenario, radiation would affect populations hundreds of kilometres away and require mass evacuations. Mr. Grossi also warned against any attack on the Tehran Nuclear Research Reactor, which could endanger millions in the capital. He pledged that the IAEA would continue to monitor and report on nuclear safety conditions in Iran and reiterated his readiness to mediate. Mr. Grossi stressed the agency can guarantee, through a watertight inspections system, that nuclear weapons will not be developed in Iran, urging dialogue. (Source: UN News - New York)
NATO
June 20, 202 5 'But to preserve the peace, we must prepare for war. That is precisely what we are doing at our next summit in The Hague'. (Source: Foreign Affairs - U.S.)
by Rutte
. 5 6 21 23:12
