Egyik 19

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Germany
May 28, 2025  Military-industrial cooperation. Germany and Ukraine 'sign €5B deal on long-range weapons cooperation with Berlin committing to co-develop weapons systems and finance critical battlefield infrastructure. 'Our defense ministers will sign a letter of intent today on procuring long-range weapon systems produced in Ukraine', Chancellor Friedrich Merz said during a joint press conference with Zelenskyy in Berlin. ’There will be no restrictions on range.’ The package covers new contracts for air defense systems, munitions, and logistical support, including maintenance infrastructure and satellite communications. ’The Taurus system, with a range of over 500 kilometers, would enable high-precision strikes deep behind Russian lines’. Germany also confirmed it will finance a significant portion of Starlink satellite coverage in Ukraine. Merz refused to comment on specific weapons systems. (Source: Politico - headquarters U.S., owned by a German company)

Luxembourg
(28 May 2025)  Luxembourg has joined 19 other EU countries led by the Netherlands in calling on the European Commission to expeditiously take action against Hungary over a draft law which would ban the country’s annual pride if the Hungarian authorities do not reverse the measures themselves. They published a joint declaration yesterday. „A number of measures adopted by the Hungarian Parliament" in recent years are targeting the LGBTQ+ community, in particular a law passed in mid-March banning certain events, such as the Pride March. „Constitutional changes” are infringing on the fundamental rights of LGBTIQ+ people, the declaration states. The European Commission has remained largely silent. The European Commission’s Presidency Office had even discreetly recommended that European commissioners should not take part in the Pride March, in order to avoid provoking Viktor Orbán. The organisers have said that they will hold the event regardless, and many MEPs have stated that they will attend. Luxembourg MEP Angel (LSAP) is one of the European parliamentarians who will be attending the Pride March on 28 June. Angel is openly gay. Der Leyen was elected on the promise of a „pro-European, pro-democracy coalition’, so now is the time to prove where she stands, Luxembourg MEP Angel said. Also read: Luxembourg continues decline in LGBTQ+ rights ranking. Together with his Italian MEP Zan (S&D), Angel has initiated a parliamentary petition, published yesterday and addressed to the president of the European Commission, der Leyen, expressing deep concern at the decision to advise European commissioners not to attend the next Pride in Budapest. A first step could be to send a representative of the European Commission to the Budapest Pride event to show that the European Union 'is defending its values', said Angel. The ideal candidate, according to Angel, is the EU’s Equality Commissioner Lahbib, whose mandate includes proposing a renewed strategy for equal treatment of LGBTQ+ people. The former Commissioner for Equality, Dalli, attended such events. On 28 June in Budapest, delegations from ’the progressive forces’ in the European Parliament are expected to attend. (Source: Luxembourg Times / Virgule = Luxembourg)

Poland
28 May 2025  In April, five members of the US federal judiciary committee wrote to European Commission President der Leyen regarding rule-of-law concerns in Poland. They also targeted what they saw as double standards in the way EU funds were blocked under the PiS government and then promptly released when Tusk’s administration came into office. The chairman of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, Mast, has demanded that European Commission President der Leyen clarify concerns over the financing of the Polish election campaign of Trzaskowski, the candidate of the ruling centre-left coalition government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk on June 1, in the second round vote between Trzaskowski and opposition Conservatives (PiS) hopeful Nawrocki. Mast’s letter of May 27 was critical of the positions taken by the European Commission thus far on the situation in Poland. Online accounts have emerged attacking right-wing presidential candidates Nawrocki and the Confederation party’s Mentzen, placed third in the first round, while simultaneously posting content supporting Trzaskowski. These accounts were reported to have spent sums in excess of €200,000 and, 'according to published reports in the Polish media', the funding came from sources in Hungary and Belgium. Mast has written on behalf of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee to der Leyen to address funding concerns, stating that such activities taking place should be met by a reaction of the European Commission if it wishes to avoid being accused of applying double standards with regard to the observance of the rule of law in Poland. Mast’s letter marked further criticism from the US Republicans over Poland. Despite the vocal criticism of the European Commission and the decision to block [billions] of EU funds for Poland for alleged rule-of-law violations under the previous PiS government, it has remained silent with regard to the actions of the present government despite clear evidence that it is not transgressing in this area, Mast wrote. The letter also asked “what role was played by the company Estratos and its shareholders linked to the Democratic Party’ and whether the financing of such activities was in any way connected with funds associated with the US philanthropist and billionaire Soros. It also queried what the European Commission was planning to do about alleged evidence of foreign funding in Poland’s election campaign given it had taken a determined stance in supporting legal action over alleged foreign interference in the Romanian presidential elections last year. Also yesterday, US president Trump’s security secretary Noem attended a meeting of the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) in Rzeszów, Poland and endorsed Nawrocki ahead of the decisive second-round vote. She pledged to Poles that if they elected a leader who will work with President Trump, the Polish people will have a strong ally. ’You will continue to have a US military presence here,’ Noem added. Earlier in May, Nawrocki was invited for talks with Washington officials, including a meeting with the US President in the Oval Office. Trump has long enjoyed close relations with the PiS and Poland’s current PiS-aligned President Duda. (Source: Brussels Signal - Belgium)

Romania
28 May 2025  NATO-standard munitions co-production project - the United States and Romania can enhance defense production capabilities via potential co-production of both NATO-standard 155-millimeter artillery shells and 120-millimeter NATO tank ammunition. 'These projects are supported by a $920M foreign military financing loan from the U.S. Department of State announced in September 2024. (Source: U.S. Embeassy in Romania)

Russia
28th of May 2025  The major international treaties that are supposed to limit the number of certain missile types and nuclear warheads have fallen apart and the built-in mechanisms for conducting inspections at the opponent’s nuclear facilities have been put on hold. Officially, there has not been a single on-site inspection between the United States and Russia since April 2020. Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces form the backbone of the country’s three-legged nuclear deterrent. In addition to the heavy nuclear bombs that the Missile Forces can launch from buried silos or vehicles, Russia also has air- and sea-based nuclear weapons that can be launched from special bomber aircraft or submarines. Over 50,000 soldiers are part of the Missile Forces, which are divided into three armies, 12 divisions and more than 40 regiments. According to experts, the close to 900 operational nuclear warheads at the missile bases, and the intercontinental missiles that can launch them, ’have more than anything a psychological significance. These are weapons that can theoretically be used. Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces see themselves as a last resort, a purely destructive force that only comes into play when all hope is lost. Their official motto is as poetic as it is terrifying: ’After us – silence.’ ’Danwatch, in collaboration with German Der Spiegel, can for the first time reveal previously unknown details about the enormous upgrade of the military infrastructure at Russia’s most protected facilities’. Danwatch and Der Spiegel has gained access to hundreds of highly detailed blueprints showing how Russia is carrying out an enormous modernization of some of the world’s most sensitive nuclear weapons facilities. „Together we have analyzed more than two million documents relating to Russian military procurement that Danwatch systematically retrieved from a public database over a period of many months. The Russian authorities have gradually restricted access to the database, but we managed to circumvent these restrictions by using a veriety of digital techniques, including a network of servers located in Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus’. “Documents like these for extremely sensitive defense projects should never have been publicly available in any way, shape, or form”. ’Danwatch and Der Spiegel have reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for a comment on whether they regard it as a security breach that blueprints have been released to a public database. We have also asked whether they assess that the documents would reveal the bases’ vulnerabilities. They have not responded to our inquiries. (Source: Danwatch - Denmark)

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Europe

European Commission
28.05.2025  The European Union plans to deepen cooperation with Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Türkiye, Armenia and Azerbaijan, while advancing regional projects focused on connectivity. The new strategy aims to boost connections and growth by linking Europe with the South Caucasus, Central Asia and beyond, according to an official statement. A Black Sea maritime security hub will be Europe's early warning system in the Black Sea, enhance situational awareness and help protect critical infrastructure, like offshore installations and subsea cables, EU Foreign Policy chief Kallas said. Alongside upgrades, we want better screening of foreign owners in ports and key facilities, Kallas told. She emphasized that the EU would step up demining operations in the area. Kallas also underscored the importance of improving military mobility by upgrading regional ports, railways, and roads ’for transporting heavy military equipment’. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

European Parliament
28 May 2025  How to finance Europe’s ’long-overdue rearmament’ has dominated political discourse of late, particularly since the Munich Security Conference in February where the message from the United States was clear: Europe must assume greater responsibility for its own defence. The initial response has been fiscal. ’The European Union has championed ReArm Europe - a rearmament programme worth €150 billion of direct investment in defence and a temporary exemption from deficit rules that could unlock a further €650 billion in additional national defence spending’. ’Germany has pledged further investment, alongside other countries’. What’s missing is a parallel conversation about the role of monetary policy. Many member states remain wary of increasing debt levels. Decisions taken now will affect spending well beyond the exemption’s expiration, leading to a natural hesitancy in planning long-term defence outlays. In an environment where EU governments have committed to gradual debt reduction, investors may punish states that simultaneously increase defence spending. Eurozone members are acutely aware of their exposure to bond markets and ratings agencies, and will act cautiously as a result. ’The danger is that this caution will leave Europe under-equipped’. What matters is delivery: air defence systems, munitions, logistics, and personnel readiness. Monetary policy has historically been the EU’s first responder. The central bank’s secondary mandate: to support the general economic policies of the EU. The ECB should consider how it can support the EU’s defence buildup within its mandate. It is not difficult to imagine a scenario in which ’yields begin to rise for member states investing heavily in defence’. The Transmission Protection Instrument (TPI), created in 2022 to prevent unwarranted fragmentation in bond markets, could be adapted or deployed in defence-related contexts. Targeted asset purchase programmes or conditional refinancing mechanisms could be considered. "In its current form, the ECB primarily has a focus on price stability and cannot directly finance member state governments". The entire standing of the institution depends on its insularity from politics and policy goals that may be perceived as temporary. ’Aligning monetary policy with defence goals’ raises questions about ECB’s institutional positioning.  (Source: The Parliament magazine – based in Brussels, Belgium)
by Šuvajevs is a member of the Parliament of Latvia and vice-chair of the Latvian Budget Committee

Russia
(28 May 2025)  Russia’s first textbook on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has been added to the official list of educational materials for 8th- and 9th-grade students. According to the publishers, the textbook was developed to encourage young people to explore careers in drone operation and management. (Source: Conflict Intelligence Team - investigative group, relocated from Moskow to Tbilisi, Georgia)

Ukraine
May 28, 2025  What Europe can gain from Ukrainian arms exports? The EU’s recent establishment of a €150 billion defense fund under the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative 'enables Ukraine’s participation in joint defense procurement and borrowing in partnership with EU members'. These funds can only be spent on defense products where at least 65 percent of components are produced by an EU country, Norway or Ukraine. ’Kyiv has already successfully established joint ventures with European defense partners, like Rheinmetall or Thales’. Opening up Ukraine’s defense industry would allow Ukraine’s economy 'to benefit directly from European rearmament'. Ukraine’s private defense sector has the capacity to produce over 1,700,000 more drones and electronic warfare systems (EWs) than it currently does. Ukraine’s production capacity ’has grown beyond’ what its state contracts cover and what the government has funds to procure. 'Ukraine’s parliament is currently discussing easing wartime restrictions on domestic arms exports'. ’Building on the country’s experience for European rearmament’ would allow the country’s economy ’to directly benefit from European rearmament'. Several ways ’to take advantage’ of this: international partners purchase weapons from domestic producers on behalf of Ukraine; duties and revenues from exports would provide a financial boost to further develop new capabilities. For Europe, 'it would open up a supply of field-tested capabilities and equipment'. Providing a technological edge over the enemy, defy the purpose of ’stockpiling for the possibility of a future conflict’. ’European armies would greatly benefit from access to Ukrainian domestic arms production, allowing them to train soldiers in drone warfare and integrate drone units in command structures, thereby adapting to the realities of modern warfare at low cost’. Over 40 percent of weapons currently used by Ukraine’s army are domestically produced, with a heavy focus on innovative weapons systems. The industry ’needs to scale up its production of strategic weapons, particularly cruise and ballistic missiles and strategic air defense — - which is where cooperation with European partners and investment is most needed’. (Source: Politico - U.S.)
by Parzonka, a coordinator for Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia Program.
Note: What good can gain? Nothing.

Asia

Afghanistan
May 28 2025  As per habit, I got ready and started towards the office (in Afghanistan, we work on Sundays). The moment I arrived at the entrance door of the building of PEN Afghanistan, things did not seem the way they usually did; there was something different about that day. I entered the building. We used to have images of famous writers hung on the walls, along with some pictures and mementos of PEN activities pinned and glued to the wooden boards, and several contemporary and classic pieces of art on the flat surfaces of canvases. However, that day, the walls were empty of images, the mementos were gone, and the canvases seemed soulless. As I kept walking, my eyes were not able to find any traces of the familiar objects in my surroundings. The whole two-floored PEN building was lifeless, as if its soul had been snatched away from its body. I started checking the news, as was my habit, when I was called to an urgent meeting. The moment I arrived in the meeting room, I noticed the worried look on the faces of my colleagues, and my heartbeat grew faster; something was definitely wrong. It happens sometimes that despite sensing something, you are still not able to put a finger on what it is. At the meeting, Dr. Hamed, general director of PEN Afghanistan, informed us that the Taliban had arrived at the gates of Kabul city, and at any time now they could enter the city. He requested that we leave the office and go home. The city has not changed its golden yet gloomy outfit since that Sunday, the 15th of August *, the day that changed the lives of everyone in Afghanistan forever, the Sunday that left a massive scar in the hearts of millions of people. (Source: Penopp - Sweden)
by Suhrabie
* year 2021

Caribbean

Haiti
May 28, 2025  The Haitian government has hired American contractors and has signed in recent months a contract with Mr. Prince, who founded Blackwater Worldwide to work on a secret task force to deploy drones meant to kill gang members. The authorities have yet to announce the death or capture of a single high-value target. Prince, a private military contractor and prominent supporter of President Trump, is working with Haiti’s government to conduct lethal operations against gangs that are terrorizing the nation, killing civilians and seizing control of vast areas of territory and threatening to take over its capital. After the U.S. occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq ended, security firms like those owned by Mr. Prince started seeing big streams of revenues dry up. Blackwater no longer exists, but Mr. Prince owns other private military entities. Security experts said he has also been scouting Haitian American military veterans to hire to send to Port-au-Prince and is expected to send up to 150 mercenaries to Haiti over the summer. He recently shipped a large cache of weapons to the country. The full terms of the Haitian government’s arrangement with Mr. Prince, including how much it is paying him, are unknown. The State Department has provided millions of dollars in funding to equip and train Haiti’s National Police. It said it is not paying Mr. Prince or his company for any work in Haiti. Haiti’s crisis has deepened since its last president was assassinated in 2021. Armed groups escalated the violence last year by uniting and taking over prisons, burning down police stations and attacking hospitals. About one million people have been forced to flee their homes and hundreds of thousands are living in shelters. U.N. officials have warned that the capital is in danger of falling under complete criminal control. A $600 million international police mission started by the Biden administration and largely staffed by Kenyan police officers failed to receive adequate international personnel and money. Haiti’s undermanned and underequipped police force is struggling to contain the gang. Since drone attacks targeting gangs started in March, they have killed more than 200 people. Rampant government corruption is a key reason Haiti’s finances are in shambles. Haiti’s experience with private military contractors goes back decades. When U.S. forces returned former president Aristide to power in 1994 after he was ousted in a bloody military coup, he was accompanied by a private security team from the San Francisco-based Steele Foundation. Blackwater faced legal problems over its work for the U.S. military in places like Iraq, including an episode in 2007 in which its employees killed 17 civilians in Baghdad. (President Trump pardoned four Blackwater guards in 2020.) Prince, donated more than $250,000 to help elect Mr. Trump in 2016. In 2017, he proposed a plan to use contractors to take over Afghanistan. In 2020, The New York Times revealed that he had recruited former spies to help conservative activists infiltrate liberal groups in the United States. A year later, the United Nations accused him of violating an arms embargo in Libya, which he denied. In recent years, in Haiti Colombian mercenaries hired by an American security firm were accused of taking part in the 2021 assassination of the last elected president Moïse. U.S. military contractors doing defense work overseas are required to obtain a license from the State Department, but those licenses are not public record. Mr. Prince has been trying to expand his portfolio and has traveled overseas in search of new business, said McFate, a professor at the National Defense University and author of “The Modern Mercenary: Private Armies and What They Mean for World Order.” 'It’s always worth noting where Prince is going, because it’s sort of a barometer of where he thinks Trump world might end up, and he wants to make a buck from it,” Mr. McFate said. (Source: The New York Times - U.S.)

North America

United States
May 28, 2025  America depends on ocean shipping. The U.S. needs ships to deliver nearly 90 percent of its armed forces’ supplies and equipment, including fuel, ammunition, and food. Commercial shipyard capacity is essential for surge construction of warships and sealift-support ships that transport equipment and troops in times of national emergency. Yet the U.S. has an astonishing lack of maritime capacity. Of the tens of thousands of large vessels that dot the oceans, a mere 0.13 percent are built in the United States. China fulfills roughly 60 percent of all new shipbuilding orders and has amassed more than 200 times America’s shipbuilding capacity. Most U.S. imports and exports travel on foreign-built ships, owned and crewed almost exclusively by nine giant carriers based in Europe and Asia. By the end of 2024, these carriers had organized into three cartels that controlled about 90 percent of the U.S. containerized-shipping trade. After a ship arrives at a U.S. port, the crane that lifts containers from its cargo hold will probably have been made by a single Chinese corporation that produces 80 percent of all ship-to-shore cranes in the United States. China also makes 86 percent of the truck chassis onto which containers are loaded. Some 95 percent of the containers themselves are built in China. In the early days of the pandemic, foreign cartels raised the cost of spot contracts on certain shipping lanes by up to 1,000 percent while making a record $190 billion in windfall profits. ’They also rejected hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of U.S. agricultural exports, preferring to race back to China with empty containers to fill with more profitable Chinese imports while American-grown food rotted on the docks’. Because so few commercial ships fly the American flag and employ American mariners, the U.S. faces a critical shortage of civilian sailors needed to crew Navy support vessels. In November 2024, the Navy confirmed that it would lay up 17 support vessels, some delivered as recently as January, because of crew shortages. More alarming are shortages of support ships themselves. The U.S. would need more than 100 fuel tankers in the event of a conflict in the Pacific. It has access to about 15. After World War I broke out in Europe in 1914, the United States was so reliant on European shipping, freight rates soared. Foreign lines increased the rate to charter a vessel or ship key goods by about 20 times. The United States was effectively cut off from the rest of the world. The domestic economy went into a recession as goods piled up on the docks and imports stopped arriving in American ports. Congress passed a series of bills that poured public funds into bolstering U.S. shipping and shipbuilding capacity. Extensive public investment led to the construction of more than 2,300 vessels for World War I and more than 5,500 vessels during World War II. The United States became the world’s preeminent shipbuilder. Congress created a new agency, the United States Shipping Board (later replaced by the Federal Maritime Commission), which was charged with regulating the industry like a public utility. During the 1980s, however, Congress and Reagan abandoned the regulated-competition approach. Reaganites argued that the FMC, which at the time had a budget of just $11.8 million, had become a bloated bureaucracy. Congress passed a series of bills during the Reagan and Clinton administrations that stripped the FMC’s ability to regulate ocean-carrier cartels. As the rise of containerization led to ever larger ships, fixed costs grew. This increased carriers’ incentives to fill empty space on ships, even at steep discounts, because at least they would lose less money than if the space were unsold. American-flag carriers, which had higher costs than foreign counterparts, were particularly hurt by the rate wars, especially after the Reagan administration withdrew subsidies that had helped U.S. carriers defray the costs of paying crews livable wages. Shipyards in Asia began to enjoy massive government subsidies. Shipbuilding all but disappeared in the United States. At a time of escalating tensions with China, the United States has virtually no surge capacity to build naval or sealift ships. In fact, China builds all the commercial ships that the U.S. government contracts to provide military support. The central problem is not just inadequate investment or insufficient tariffs. It is the abandonment of a system of regulated competition that structures the industry to meet public purposes. Carriers would be required to offer all shippers, big and small, similar prices and terms of service. Combined with robust public investment in shipping, shipbuilding, port services, and mariner training, this system would re-create the market rules once used to address the challenge of unregulated monopolies in ocean shipping. (Source: The Atlantic - U.S.)
by Rao, a transportation policy analyst at the Open Markets Institute.

Global

May 28, 2025  Nostalgia ruins economies. The profound economic disruptions of the last few months might push analysts to revisit the idea that nostalgia is a grave, even life-threatening condition. The most notable example came on April 2, 2025, when U.S. President Trump rolled out a suite of massive, ostensibly reciprocal tariffs designed to restore the glory days of American manufacturing - resulting in a market crash. Trump’s announcement prompted a great deal of intellectual, as well as economic, shock. But he is not the first world leader to try cutting off his country. From the fifteenth to the nineteenth century, China sealed up its empire out of fear of outside influence. Japan did the same for much of the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, during its shogunate era. They were united by the belief that closing off the nation to preserve traditions would bring about economic and even spiritual health. Each of these cases ended poorly. Europe, unlike China and Japan, did not try to avoid economic development. European countries embraced new technologies that allowed them to build up powerful governments and militaries - with the purpose of building vast colonial empires. As the continent urbanized, many began to fret about the dwindling numbers of farmers and peasants, particularly during the Great Depression, which began in 1929. The widespread misery of that era made the old image of rural life appear more attractive than ever, resulting in specifically peasant political movements that promised a return to an idyllic, agrarian past. The rural ideal was strong enough that it formed a key component in building new coalitions of a populist right. In fact, farmers constituted such a large part of the electorate that these movements even acquired power within the center and the left. It was in Germany that the most striking - and devastating - use of agrarian romanticism occurred. The National Socialist Party rose to power in large part by capitalizing on agricultural depression, with the Nazis relying heavily on rural propaganda to win the votes of German farmers. We must recognize that without our own land, without our own peasantry, there can be no economic prosperity in Germany, that all notions of export and import and of the global economy are nothing to us but concepts that may be useful but can never replace our own living space and our own peasantry These are the foundation of every healthy economy, Hitler declared in one typical 1932 election speech. When he wooed rural audiences in the south of Germany, he even wore antiquated peasant dress, with traditional rural jackets and, sometimes, lederhosen. The principal architect of the Nazis’ rural political program was Darré, the author of the tract New Aristocracy of Blood and Soil, Darré had a reputation for being both a student of technical farm matters and a feverish proponent of German expansion, which he believed was necessary for Germans’ well-being. In his view, pure-blooded Germans should abandon the poisonous big industrial cities for a healthy life of the land. After being appointed minister for agriculture, Darré pushed for Germany to conquer territory so that the country’s city dwellers would have fields to plow and settle. But he was hardly the driving force behind Germany’s efforts to expand its borders. His efforts focused on creating a compulsory corporatist guild-style organization of farmers and pushed through a law prohibiting farms from being split up or sold by German peasants. But in reality, farmers continued to feel overburdened, abandoned by a government that wanted to industrialize quickly, largely for military reasons. The number of agrarian workers in Germany continued to drop. After Hitler became chancellor in 1933, the Nazi leader lost patience with rural policies - and with Darré - once he no longer needed peasant voters. By 1937, Hitler openly expressed his contempt for 'peasant philosophy stuff' and refused to receive Darré or entertain his requests. After 1939, his only response to farmer demands was to send forced laborers to work in their fields. The rural dream at the heart of German nostalgia ultimately ran counter to the Nazis’ drive to assert a racial hierarchy rooted in technology and industrialization. After World War II, 'Europeans' ’embarked on an alternative: encouraging a move out of the countryside while paying the remaining farmers substantial subsidies’ - ’more an effort to keep the dwindling losers of globalization on its side while still moving the economy forward’. In the 1980s, the Common Agricultural Policy (as it is called) accounted for over 70 percent of the European Community budget. Today, however, it consumes just over 25 percent of the EU’s budget. The continent’s people accepted that peasant life was firmly in the past rather than something that one could resuscitate at full capacity. Nostalgia now it has come roaring back into mainstream politics, again fueling European populism. This time, however, the nostalgic sentiment surrounds the loss of manufacturing. Italy, whose household appliances, textiles, and clothing trade were most vulnerable to the China shock, fell first, bringing about western Europe’s first postwar populist government by making Berlusconi prime minister in 1994. Now, even Europe’s industrial motor, Germany, is tottering as the populist Alternative for Germany grows in popularity, particularly in the eastern parts of the country most conspicuously left behind. But no country appears more afflicted by nostalgia than the United States. Anger about globalization and the country’s growing diversity is, after all, part of what propelled Trump to the White House. And especially since winning his second term, Trump has worked to make good on his atavistic promises. The president explicitly sold his sweeping tariffs as restorative. His commerce secretary, Lutnick, likewise depicted the tariffs as Washington seizing back its glorified past. China, Lutnick said, had created an “army of millions and millions of human beings screwing in little, little screws to make iPhones” - jobs that would once have belonged to Americans. Now, he said, that kind of activity would return. Trump replaced most of his tariffs with a flat ten percent levy after the stock market tumbled. But no matter how high the rate, tariffs are unlikely to restore lost jobs, especially as the automation revolution looms. AI now threatens office workers in a way analogous to robots in factories during the first wave of industrialization during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. As the world changes around voters, the familiar image of men working in the mines while their wives prepare meals at home is so comforting to many Americans that they are willing to make radical sacrifices to get it back. It is why U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent can argue that any tariff-induced pain is really a detox period, and why Trump can talk of tariffs as an operation and as medicine. The economics of nostalgia, its inevitable failure only breeds a cultural nostalgia that may be even more dangerous than the cutoffs. When the United States doesn’t get its jobs back - and in fact loses more as a result of the disruption caused by tariffs - Washington, might double down on assertions of American superiority. After all, someone must be to blame for the failure of economic policies that so many Americans endorse. Nostalgia, then, becomes both the cause of problems and a coverup for them. People are worried about the radically transformative technology of today. The twin forces of globalization and technology are upending jobs, communities, families, and social relations. The idea of going back to an airbrushed, idealized version of the world is thus highly attractive. As an individual feeling, it may be comforting. But as a policy prescription, it poisons discourse and breaks apart the body politic. Returning to an imaginary lost homeland is not an option. (Source: Forreign Affairs - U.S.)
by James, Professor of History and International Affairs at Princeton University, the author of Seven Crashes;
James, a visiting doctoral researcher at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, working on a Ph.D. on the history of nostalgia.

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Europe

Poland
27/05/2025  The European Commission today permitted Poland to repurpose nearly €6 billion in post-COVID funds to finance defence projects, when the college of commissioners endorsed the Polish request by written procedure. 'Poland will be the first to invest billions from the National Recovery Plan in security and defence'. Warsaw was allocated nearly €60bn - of which 25.3 billion are grants - of the Commission's €650 billion plan Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) aimed at kickstarting COVID-stricken economies across the EU. Article 41 regulates the financing of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, which includes the Union’s defence policy. Paragraph 2 stipulates that expenditures resulting from measures with military or defence implications are expressly excluded from financing from the EU's budget. RRF support for the defence sector may include financing the expansion of industrial capacity, the technological development of defence products, as well as investments that serve both civilian and military purposes, such as transport infrastructure, the Commission spokesperson also said. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France)

European Commission
27 May 2025  EU chief der Leyen denounced as ’abhorrent’ Israel's deadly wave of strikes on civilian facilities in Gaza including a school, during a call with Jordan's King Abdullah II yesterday. ’The expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza targeting civilian infrastructure, among them a school that served as a shelter for displaced Palestinian families, killing civilians, including children, is abhorrent,’ der Leyen said, according to an EU readout of the call, AFP reported. ’The European Commission has always supported - and will continue to support - Israel's right to security and self-defence," she said. ’But this escalation and disproportionate use of force against civilians cannot be justified under humanitarian and international law,’ der Leyen warned. The commission chief demanded that Israel immediately restore aid delivery in line with humanitarian principles, with the participation of the UN and other international humanitarian partners. The European Union has struggled to have an impact on the conflict due to long-standing divisions within the bloc between countries who back Israel and those considered more pro-Palestinian. The EU last week launched a review of its association agreement with Israel over alleged human rights abuses in Gaza, after 17 of its 27 member states backed the move. Germany will decide whether or not to approve new weapons shipments to Israel based on an assessment of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Foreign Minister Wadephul said in an interview published on Friday. Wadephul questioned whether Israel's actions in its war with Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza were in line with international law. The comments build on a shifting tone from Berlin. "For me, there is no question that we have a special responsibility to stand by Israel's side," Wadephul said. "On the other hand, of course, this does not mean that a government can do whatever it wants," he said. Yesterday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said airstrikes on Gaza were no longer justified by the need to fight Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 assault on Israel killed some 1,200 people and triggered the war. (Source: Asharq Al Awsat – headquarters London, United Kingdom, owned by a member of Saudi royal family)

European Union
27.05.2025  EU affairs ministers gathered today in Brussels to hold a hearing on the state of democracy and the rule of law in Hungary. The Article 7 process against Hungary was launched in 2018 after the European Parliament called for action over 'alleged rule of law breaches', particularly concerning the judiciary and media freedom. Since then, EU ministers have held seven hearings and are now holding the eighth, but have not advanced to the second phase, which could lead to sanctions such as suspending Hungary’s voting rights. Sanctions require unanimous approval by member states, excluding the country concerned, while a formal reprimand needs backing from 80% of states. In the case of the recovery and resilience facility of Hungary, at this point in time, about €18 billion ($20 billion) is not available to Hungary. Hungary has repeatedly denounced the process as a political attack. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Russia
Tuesday, 27 May 2025  Russian forces have seized four border villages in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, just days after Russian President Putin stated he had ordered the establishment of a buffer zone along the border. Putin said he told the Russian military to create a security buffer zone along the border but provided no public details of where the proposed zone would be or how far it would stretch. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

United Kingdom
27.05.2025  The Arctic is becoming an increasingly contested area, as countries seek 'to exploit new reserves of gas, oil, and natural minerals' exposed by melting ice due to rising global temperatures, which are also opening previously inaccessible shipping routes. The UK today announced a new artificial intelligence-driven initiative to strengthen its monitoring capabilities in the Arctic, to detect ‘hostile state' activity. During his Arctic trip today, Foreign Secretary Lammy would unveil the new UK-Iceland scheme. He will become the first UK foreign secretary to visit one of the Arctic’s northernmost inhabited points when he travels to the Svalbard Archipelago. Lammy cited the crucial role of the 'Arctic' frontier for geopolitical competition and trade. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

North America

United States
May 27, 2025  Russia criticized the U.S. for its Golden Dome anti-missile system, announced recently by President Trump, saying it undermines strategic stability. Today morning, Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry told Washington to abandon the deployment of weapons in space. China also recently urged the U.S. to abandon its Golden Dome project. Golden Dome is partly in response to the growing threat of advanced Chinese and Russian missiles. (Source: Miami Herald / Newsweek = U.S.)

NATO

5/27/2025  In Northern Europe, the U.S. military is ’doubling down’. The high north and the Baltics have been thrust into the center of U.S. war planning, as their access to shipping routes, territory and energy reserves will be crucial to the West in a new era of geopolitical conflict. The region is hawkish on Russia. ’It is driving European efforts to rearm and boost defense budgets’. The Trump administration wants the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to get more lethal. ’A testing ground is Europe’s north’, where NATO faces Russia on two sides. A dozen U.S. Marines recently took position in a field on a Swedish island about 200 miles from the Russian city of Kaliningrad and fired their mobile rocket system. The dummy munitions splashed into the Baltic Sea. U.S. military commanders say their posture remains firm. From a U.S. Army perspective, my orders haven’t changed, said Brig. Gen. Saslav, deputy chief of staff for operations for U.S. Army Europe and Africa. ’I have been doing this too long to get hyperfocused on political winds and messaging that isn’t orders.’ During a three-week exercise, U.S. and U.K. forces joined Nordic and Baltic troops to practice potential war scenarios including live-fire drills, blood resupplies by drone and airborne jumps above the Arctic circle in Norway. ’The goal was twofold: deter Russian aggression’ and more firmly integrate allies in this strategic corner of Europe, including new NATO members Finland and Sweden now, how NATO has a continuous piece of territory north of the Arctic Circle. Finland shares an 800-mile border with Russia. Norway’s border with Russia is close to the Kola Peninsula, home to Moscow’s main submarine force, the Northern Fleet. ’The Nordic NATO enlargement has also made it easier for NATO to transfer reinforcements to the Baltic states in the event of a military crisis or conflict in that region’, said Atland, senior research fellow with the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, which advises Norway’s armed forces. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have long warned of Russia’s militaristic ambitions and provide sophisticated intelligence about their larger neighbor. It’s not about creating a club inside the club, it’s about making NATO stronger, said Edström, Swedish chief of defense staff. Gotland is among the most strategic locations in Northern Europe, allowing the deployment of sensors and long-range weapons systems to dominate air and sea operations in the Baltic region. Former Swedish defense chief Bydén last year said that Russian President Putin had both eyes on Gotland. As Russia’s maritime strategic locations in the Baltic Sea are very weak, ’any conflict’ will include Russia immediately seeking to occupy key port areas in the Baltics, Finland and Poland,” said Lundqvist, Sweden chair to the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies in Alaska. The key military strategic location of Gotland will most likely be the scene of hostile action ’in the opening stage of conflict’, he said. After being demilitarized for years, Gotland is at the heart of Swedish rearmament. ’In war’, the island can serve as a hub for NATO logistics and control of sea line communications, and to help build up offensive capabilities for deep strikes on enemy soil. Hundreds of conscripts arrive each year – ’an awkward fit among the residents, many of whom relocated here in recent years, attracted by Gotland’s natural serenity and medieval cobblestoned streets”, not expecting shooting ranges in their backyard. The ’projected wartime strength’ on the island is about 4,500 troops. To simulate the defense of Gotland, a U.K. pathfinder platoon last week carried out reconnaissance. Days later, 110 U.K. paratroopers dropped 1,000 feet from two A400M transport aircraft onto an open field before trekking through the night through woods to secure an aircraft-landing zone. In Lithuania, NATO forces simulated evacuations and treatment of casualties through three types of medical and evacuation systems, each of which belonged to different nations. Around midnight, a unit of U.S. Marines arrived nearby with a mobile rocket system, which can be deployed quickly in the event of war. Hours earlier, the Marines had been in Norway. After launching the dummy munitions - poles made of concrete - the Marines flew the system to Finland for a similar demonstration. The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or Himars, fires Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System rockets, or GMLRS, with a range of about 45 miles, and longer-range Army Tactical Missile System known as ATACMS, which can shoot up to 186 miles. Ukraine has used the system to hit Russian logistics, tanks, bridges, infantry groups and ammunition depots. The American-led rocket launch on Gotland relied on complex, multinational communication involving sensors, command-and-control and airfields in several countries. (Source: MSN / The Wall Street Journal = U.S.)

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Európa      Europe

Magyarország
(2025. V. 26 / 2021) Támogatások: Nézd meg, hogy mi jár a családok tagjainak. (Forrás: Családbarát Magyarország Központ)

Hungary
26.05.2025 So many countries in the EU and centralized decision makers in the EU are not family friendly, Hungary’s culture and innovation minister Hankó said at the International Family Forum held in Istanbul today. He praised Turkish President Erdogan for his support of the traditional family model. Many policies introduced here in Türkiye were inspired by Hungarian examples, as Hungary is a family-friendly country with a family-friendly government. Our first goal is to protect the traditional family model, he said. Hankó highlighted that LGBTQ propaganda is forbidden in Hungarian schools or for those under 18, adding that the country brought forward debate on the issue with the European Commission. Hungary plans to significantly expand its pro-family policies in the coming year, allocating 5% of its GDP to support families and encourage higher birth rates, Hankó said. Providing financial assistance to families is a central part of Hungary’s strategy to address demographic challenges. Hungary will implement new tax reduction measures, with a key initiative being the exemption of nearly all mothers from paying personal income tax. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Germany
26.05.2025  ’There are no longer any range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine. Neither from the British, nor from the French, nor from us, nor from the Americans,’ German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said at the WDR European Forum in Berlin, allowing Kyiv to strike military targets inside Russia. This means that ’Ukraine can now also defend itself, for example by attacking military positions in Russia’, he said. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

26.05.2025  German Chief of General Staff Gen. Breuer approved a report on May 19, which aims to make the German army more effective in air defense. The Bundeswehr ’will purchase integrated missile defense, short and medium-range air defense systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, and weapons against drone swarms’. The German military also aims to expand and further develop modern air attack capabilities, including attack and defense capabilities in cyberspace. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Asia

Israel
May 26, 2025  A dual U.S.-German citizen has been arrested on charges that he traveled to Israel and attempted to firebomb the branch office of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, officials said yesterday. The man, Neumeyer, walked up to the embassy building on May 19 with a backpack containing Molotov cocktails but got into a confrontation with a guard. Law enforcement then tracked Neumeyer down to a hotel a few blocks away from the embassy and arrested him, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York. Neumeyer, 28, who is originally from Colorado, had traveled from the U.S. to Canada in early February and then arrived in Israel in late April. He had made a series of threatening social media posts before attempting the attack, prosecutors said. Israeli officials deported Neumeyer to New York Saturday and he had an initial court appearance before a federal judge in Brooklyn yesterday, the same day his criminal complaint was unsealed. (Source: NPR - U.S.)

North America

United States
May 26, 2025  'I don't know what the hell happened to Putin. I've known him a long time. Always gotten along with him. But he's sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don't like it at all. We're in the middle of talking and he's shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities," Trump said. Asked if he was considering more sanctions on Russia, Trump said, 'Absolutely.' Upon returning to Washington, Trump posted more comments on social media, saying of Putin, 'He has gone absolutely CRAZY!' Trump also criticized Zelenskyy, posting that he is 'doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does. Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don't like it, and it better stop." (Source: The Korea Herald - South Korea)

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Europe

Russia
12:16, Sun, May 25, 2025  Ukraine launched repeated military drone attacks when Putin made a visit close to the war zone, Russian air force Major-General Dashkin said. „The air defence group in this area destroyed 46 aircraft-type [Ukrainian military drones].’ The region borders Ukraine. Major-General Dashkin said: "The intensity of the attack during the flight of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's aircraft over Kursk region increased significantly. We simultaneously conducted an air battle and ensured the safety of the presidential helicopter in the air. "The task was accomplished. The attack of the enemy drones was repelled, and all air targets were hit." A state TV host asked if this meant Putin’s helicopter was actually in the combat zone. Dashkin replied: "Yes, that's right." The claim of Ukrainian drones targeting Putin were made by Vesti Nedeli, a propaganda show on Kremlin-funded TV. His secret visit - which was not disclosed until it had ended - included a tour of Kursk Nuclear Power Plant-2, which is under construction in the Kursk region. (Source: Express – United Kingdom)

Ukraine
(May 25, 2025) A Russian drone-and-missile attack targeted Kyiv, and other regions in the country for a second consecutive night, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens. Russia used 69 missiles of various types and 298 drones. Sunday's targets included Kyiv and Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Sumy, Ternopil, Zhytomyr regions. Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 110 Ukrainian drones overnight. (Source: NPR - U.S.)

European Court of Human Rights
May 25, 2025  Denmark - which is set to take over the presidency of the European Union in July - and eight other countries blasted the European Court of Human Rights for imposing limits on deporting criminal migrants. Today Denmark published a letter demanding more leeway to expel immigrants who commit crimes. "Many have come here via legal pathways. They have learned our languages, believe in democracy, contribute to our societies and have decided to integrate themselves into our culture. Others have come and chosen not to integrate, isolating themselves in parallel societies and distancing themselves from our fundamental values of equality, democracy and freedom,’ the letter read. ’In particular, some have not contributed positively to the societies welcoming them and have chosen to commit crimes.’ The letter goes on to argue that the court's interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights has ’limited our ability to make political decisions in our own democracies,’ citing examples where the court has blocked the deportation of illegal immigrants. Denmark and the signatories request that the court make more room for European countries to deport illegal immigrants who commit violent or drug-related crimes, as well as allow for European governments to track illegal immigrants more closely. "We need to be able to take effective steps to counter hostile states that are trying to use our values and rights against us. For example, by instrumentalizing migrants at our borders,’ the letter adds. (Source: Fox News - U.S.)

Asia

Afghanistan
(25 May 2025)  Repatriation of immigrants from Pakistan and Iran continue. At least 4,700 families were returned home over the past week - 3,130 families from Iran, and 1,560 families from Pakistan from May 15 to May 23, either forcibly or through so-called voluntary returns. The latest figures add to the fastest population movements Afghanistan has seen in recent years. In a recent report, the Norwegian Refugee Council said that since Pakistan began its deportation campaign in September 2023, more than one million Afghans have been expelled, with another 600,000 expected to be forced out in 2025. Iran has already returned over one million Afghans in 2024 alone. (Source: Amu Tv - U.S.)

Gaza
25.05.2025  An Israeli missile launched by Israel ’with advanced precision-targeting technology capable of identifying everyone inside a home’, struck where pediatrician Dr. Najjar’s 10 children and husband, Dr. Najjar, were staying in the Qizan Al-Najjar area in eastern Khan Younis. One child survived the brutal strike and is in critical condition in the ICU, alongside his father. The atrocity came three days after Feiglin, leader of the 'far-right' Israeli Zehut party, the former Knesset member from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, said: ’Every child, every baby in Gaza is an enemy.’ (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

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Europe

Belgium
Saturday, 24 May 2025  Princess Elisabeth, the heir to the Belgian throne, has been caught in the middle of US President Trump’s ban on foreign students attending the prestigious Harvard University. Princess Elisabeth has just completed her first year. The 23-year-old is studying public policy after graduating with her bachelor’s degree from Oxford University in England. Princess Elisabeth has returned home to Belgium for the summer. It remains to be seen if President Trump will grant an exception to a future head of state. (Source: Royal Central)

European Union
Saturday 24/05/2025  Israel can rely on the countries of Central and Eastern Europe as loyal allies for historical and ideological reasons. Their closeness to Israel also stems from the fact that parts of their populations fled to Israel to escape the Holocaust and anti-Semitism that was rampant under communist rule. Another phenomenon is also growing in some countries: aversion to liberal democracy. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, and former Czech President Zeman all share the political views of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is particularly useful for Netanyahu to have a leader like Orbán who can try to block decisions made by Brussels. During Netanyahu's recent visit to Budapest, Hungary announced that it would withdraw from the International Criminal Court, against which an arrest warrant is in effect for alleged war crimes committed in Gaza. Another factor that strengthens support for Israel in Central and Eastern Europe is the narrative that Israel is on the front lines of the war against Islam, which allows local far-right movements to cover up their anti-Semitism. There is also a connection between politics and business. Slovakia last year became the first NATO member to buy the Israeli Barak MX air defense system for 560 million euros ($630 million). In 2023, Germany signed a deal with Israel to buy the Arrow-3 anti-missile shield for an estimated $3.5 billion. Poland is an exception in the region, as its position on the Gaza conflict is closer to that of Brussels. Poland has distanced itself from Israel on several occasions, including after the deadly Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, in which 1,218 people were killed according to official figures. Warsaw, a staunch supporter of Kiev, is also outraged by Israel’s reluctance to provide military support to Ukraine and for not explicitly condemning the Kremlin. Although Poland previously supported Israel, it recognized the state of Palestine in a vote at the UN General Assembly in May 2024. In the same vote, the Czech Republic and Hungary voted against it, while Austria, Bulgaria, Germany and Romania abstained. (Source: The Arab Weekly - 'sister publication of Al-Arab, owned by a Lybian family, put out by Al Arab Publishing House in London')

Russia
24.05.2025  Russian Defense Ministry claims settlement of Odradne in eastern Donetsk region went under control of its forces. The ministry added that yesterday night it carried out a coordinated group strike using precision-guided weapons and drones on facilities of Ukraine’s military-industrial complex, producing missiles, attack drones, and also on the center for electronic intelligence and the position of a US-made Patriot air defense system. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Asia

Gaza
May 24, 2025  The AP spoke with seven Palestinians who described being used as shields in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and with two members of Israel’s military who said they engaged in the practice, which is prohibited by international law. They told that Israeli troops are systematically forcing Palestinians to act as human shields in Gaza, sending them into buildings and tunnels to check for explosives or militants. According to some Palestinians, it’s also happening in the occupied West Bank where the army has intensified its operations. The practice is banned by international law. The Supreme Court outlawed the practice in 2005. The two Israeli soldiers who spoke to the AP - and a third who provided testimony to Breaking the Silence, a whistleblower group of former Israeli soldiers that collected testimonies about the practice from within the military - said it was referred to as the ’mosquito protocol’ and that Palestinians were also referred to as wasps and other dehumanizing terms. The practice sped up operations, saved ammunition, and spared combat dogs from injury or death. The Israeli military says it prohibits using civilians as shields and has long accused Hamas of using the practice. Convincing soldiers to operate lawfully when they see their enemy using questionable practices is difficult, said Schmitt, a distinguished professor of international law at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Israeli officials and other observers say Hamas uses civilians as shields as it embeds itself in communities, hiding fighters in hospitals and schools. (Source: AP - U.S.)

May 24, 2025  At least 60 Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes across Gaza in a 24-hour period, Gaza’s health ministry said yesterday. The dead included 10 people in the southern city of Khan Younis, four in the central town of Deir Al Balah and nine in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the north. Israel said it will continue to strike Hamas until all of the 58 Israeli hostages are released - fewer than half of whom are believed to be alive, according to Israel - and until Hamas disarms. .” (Source: Gulf Today - United Arab Emirates)

Nato

May 24, 2025  Europe needs a new Great Power, Nato is just a social club. Once very deserving yet utterly indefensible countries such as Estonia were included in Nato - along with Poland, which mustered just 42,000 combat soldiers out of its population of 33 million a mere three months before Putin’s full-scale invasion began - it stopped being an effective military alliance. Instead, it became a kind of social club. The Nato calendar is full of meetings at the “Supreme Allied Headquarters” in Mons in Belgium, where all manner of military and related issues are addressed often very professionally and quite freely - except that nobody is allowed to mention, however politely, even the most glaring military shortcomings of fellow allies, which undermine important war plans. The highpoint of the Nato calendar is the splendid summits with all flags flying, in which the arrival of new countries is greatly celebrated, regardless of their ability to actually defend themselves. Both heads of state and heads of government are invited to those gatherings on the premise that there is strength in numbers, with no concerns about the inherent difficulty of reaching any agreements in such a vast crowd. In the last summit, held in Washington DC in July 2024, Biden’s confusion of President Zelensky with Putin added a touch of humour to otherwise gloomy proceedings: nobody in attendance offered any suggestions on how to end the war in Ukraine. Tripartite agreement is clearly easier than contending with dozens of European Nato members, from Estonia to Norway to Spain. A simple decision by the British, French and German governments to operate a joint foreign and defence policy coordination office would be quite sufficient to announce the arrival of the Great Power missing from the European scene. It would only require the designation of very few senior diplomats and military officers of each country, seconded from their ordinary duties to serve as joint crisis managers. The one thing necessary to make it work is that these individuals would each need immediate access to their respective leaders in the event of a crisis, overcoming the inevitable resistance of all others who must be left out. The left-out European capitals still pretend to matter. Brussels, too, would be outraged, where for all her charms President Der Leyen cannot conceal the inability of the European Commission to help assure Europe’s safety from threats large or small. 'France, Germany and the United Kingdom now have a new opportunity to combine forces and endow Europe with the Great Power it urgently needs. If they do not act, more wars are likely’. (Source: UnHerd - United Kingdom)
by Professor Luttwak, a strategist and historian known for his works on grand strategy, geoeconomics, military history, and international relations.

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Europe

European Union
23/05/2025  US President Trump today threatened to impose a 50 percent tariff on imports from the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025, lamenting that negotiations with the EU are going nowhere, accusing the 27-member trading bloc of stalling trade talks. Today early morning, Trump said the EU had been formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on trade and took a swipe at the difficult negotiations taking place. Stock futures on Wall Street fell on the news. The current US baseline is 10 percent levy against goods coming from the EU. The EU recently was threatening to hit US goods worth nearly 100 billion euros ($113 billion) with tariffs if the ongoing talks fail to lower levies on European goods. (Source: France 24 with AFP)

23.05.2025  Nine EU states called for a new and open-minded conversation about the interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights, particularly in terms of migration. "We have to restore the right balance," was stated in an open letter released by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office yesterday, signed by leaders from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic Denmark Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland. The letter urging a review of its application was made public following a meeting in Rome between Meloni and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, both of whom have taken a hardline approach to migration.(Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Europe
May 23, 2025  Fears for crops as drought hits northern Europe. Parts of northern Europe have seen their worst drought in decades in recent weeks. Countries including France, Belgium, Britain and Germany have seen much lower levels of rainfall than usual in some areas this spring, leaving the soil parched and dusty, with farmers from Scotland to the Netherlands fearing the dry spell will dent harvests if it continues. Water shortages can stunt the growth of crops such as wheat, corn, rapeseed and barley. The unusually dry weather has already delayed the life cycle of crops that would normally have sprouted by now. Britain suffers its driest spring in well over a century. According to the Environment Agency, levels in Britain’s reservoirs have fallen to exceptionally low. The Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) in early May twarned that the previous three months had been exceptionally dry, with just 63 millimetres of rainfall. Since 1874, there have only been seven times when less rain fell during the period from February to April, it said. Denmark has also seen above-average temperatures for the time of year. The country’s drought index, which runs on a scale of one to 10, has been above nine since May 15, the first time this has happened so early in the year since the index was established in 2005. In France, air temperatures have been warmer than usual, meaning plants need more water from the soil. Groundwater levels remain satisfactory. Northern France has been on drought alert since Monday after seeing the same rainfall between February and early May as it would normally see in a month. Strong northeast winds have also dried out the soil, with farmers increasingly turning to irrigation. Water for irrigation is primarily obtained from surface water such as rivers, lakes and reservoirs or from groundwater using wells and aquifers. Until five years ago, irrigation was not even considered in the north  - these days it can as much as double crop production, but you need the resources to do it. From February 1 to April 13, Germany saw 40 litres of rainfall per square metre, the its lowest level since records began in 1931, according to the German Weather Service (DWD).  Germany’s environment minister warned in April of a high risk of forest fires and poor harvests due to a worrying lack of rain. In the Netherlands, it has not been this dry since records began in 1906. The Federation of Swedish Farmers said it was too early to say what the impact on farming will be this summer but advised farmers to go over their water planning. The dry spell in northern Europe contrasts with southern Europe, including Spain and Portugal, where rainfall has been up to twice the usual amount for the time of year. (Source: Macau Business - China / AFP - France)

Asia

South Korea
23.05.2025  An option being developed by the Pentagon is to pull out roughly 4,500 troops from South Korea and moving them to another location in the Indo-Pacific region, including its island territory of Guam, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. According to the report, the proposal has not yet been submitted to President Trump for approval. Some 28,500 US troops are currently stationed in South Korea. Last month, US Indo-Pacific Command Commander Adm. Paparo Jr. opposed any troops withdrawal from South Korea and warned it would jeopardize their ability to prevail against North Korea, and in other possible conflicts against China and Russia. An unnamed Pentagon spokesperson told the agency that there is currently no policy announcement to make regarding any potential US troop reduction in the region. South Korea's Defense Ministry today also said there is no discussion held between Seoul and Washington over any possible withdrawal of troops. (Source: Anadolu Agency -Turkey)

North America

United States
May 23rd, 2025  Vice President Vance gave the commencement address at the Naval Academy’s graduation ceremony in Annapolis today. Vance declared the era of uncontested US dominance is over * while urging the U.S. to look inward in order to dominate globally. He declared a generational shift in foreign policy away from the U.S. ’meddling’ in other countries. Vance praised President Trump’s recent trip to the Middle East and said it signified the end of a decades-long approach to foreign policy that was a break from the precedent set by founding fathers. 'We had a long experiment in our foreign policy that traded national defense and the maintenance of our alliances for nation-building and meddling in foreign countries’ affairs,' he added. Even when those foreign countries had very little to do with poor American interests. „Our leaders traded hard power for soft power. We stopped making things: everything from cars to computers to the weapons of war, like the ships that guard our waters and the weapons that you will use in the future,’ he continued. “Too many of us believed that economic integration would naturally lead to peace by making countries like the People’s Republic of China more like the United States. What we’re seeing from President Trump is a generational shift in policy. The Trump administration has reversed course. No more undefined missions. No more open-ended conflicts. Returning to a strategy grounded in realism and protecting core national interests. Vance  argued that policy failed and warned that China and Russia are now working to surpass U.S. power globally. (Source: Mediaite - U.S.)
* See also: VP Vance delivers Naval academy commencement speech /Video/ (Source: YouTube - U.S.)
19 197 views

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Europe

Hungary
22/05/2025  Turkish President Erdogan and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán yesterday discussed bilateral relations, as well as regional and global issues. Erdogan met with Orbán during a visit to Budapest for an informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States. Erdogan arrived yesterday in the capital, to attend the informal summit. During the meeting, President Erdogan stated that Türkiye and Hungary share deep-rooted ties and that they will continue to take steps to enhance cooperation in all areas. He said hosting the Organization of Turkic States Summit in Hungary, which is an observer member, demonstrates the organization's importance to Budapest. He also underlined that Hungary adds strength to the Organization of Turkic States. Emphasizing that reviving Türkiye's EU accession process is also in the interest of Europe, President Erdogan added that Türkiye can contribute to the EU in many areas, particularly in the field of security. The president emphasized Türkiye's efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine with fair and lasting peace, as well as the urgent need for a ceasefire and the immediate start of peace talks. Accompanying Erdogan on the trip are first lady Erdogan, Communications Director Altun, and Cagatay Kilic, chief presidential adviser on foreign policy and security. Türkiye, alongside Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, is a member state of the OTS, while Hungary, along with Turkmenistan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, are observer states. (Source: Yeni Şafak / AA = Turkey)

Romania
22.05.2025  The ninth Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum started today in Bucharest, bringing together nearly 200 officials, diplomats, military personnel, and analysts to discuss regional security challenges. The two-day event is organized by the Romanian think tank New Strategy Center, in partnership with Romania's National Defense Ministry. The Romanian Foreign Ministry serves as an institutional partner, while Bucharest’s University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine are the academic partners. With 50 panels featuring 198 speakers from EU and NATO member states and partnering countries, the forum’s key themes include the transatlantic relationship and US military presence recalibration in Europe, prospects for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, and Moldova's EU integration - issues affecting the extended Black Sea and Balkans region. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

European Commission
22.05.2025  EU launches nearly $170B defense industry loan plan. EU member states have agreed to establish a €150 billion (nearly $170 billion) Defense Industrial Readiness Loan Instrument (SAFE) to boost the bloc’s defense sector. Kyiv gains access to EU supply chains, Ukraine is formally recognized as a partner country, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said on X yesterday. 'The decision would help integrate Ukraine into the EU’s joint defense procurement efforts’ and ’open opportunities for Ukrainian firms within European supply chains’, he said, thanking European Commission President Der Leyen, as well as Poland and other EU partners for their continued support. The European Commission has not yet publicly commented on the timeline for the instrument’s implementation. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

European Parliament
(Thursday), 22/05/2025  A group of MEPs has called on the European Commission to immediately suspending all EU funding for Hungary ’in line with the applicable legislation to protect the Union’s financial interest’. The letter, signed by 26 MEPs from five different political groups published on Tuesday, was addressed to European Commissioner for Budget Serafin and Commissioner for Democracy and Justice McGrath. It recalls that the Commission is currently withholding €18 billion from Hungary through various mechanisms triggered in December 2022. ’Regrettably, since the decisions in December 2022, Hungary has not only failed to make meaningful progress toward meeting the stipulated conditions and/or milestones but has instead witnessed further alarming regressions,’ the letter said. The letter cites four key issues, including direct government interference in the work of the Hungarian Integrity Authority, undermining the independence of the judiciary, resulting in a protest of the Hungarian Judges' Association, banning the Pride march in Budapest, and the approval of the "Defence of Sovereignty law". The letter recalls that this law, adopted in 2023, enables the investigation of the usage of foreign funds to influence voters. In addition to that law, the Hungarian parliament is currently debating a draft law that could see foreign-funded media and NGOs listed and fined. The signatories of the letter include lawmakers from the EPP group, S&D, Greens/EFA, Renew, and the Left. Some ’key MEPs’: Hohlmeier and Germain, co- rapporteurs on rule of law conditionality, Freund, the co-chair of the anti-corruption intergroup, Körner, a rule of law conditionality shadow rapporteur with the budget committee, Strik, a rapporteur on Hungary and Herbst, the chair of the Parliament's budgetary control committee.’ ’We therefore consider a freezing of all funds proportionate to the risk posed to the Union’s financial interests,’ the MEPs wrote. ’Yesterday's meeting of the College of Commissioners included consideration of the role of conditionality and respect for the rule of law in that regard’. ’The Commission is considering its approach to the next Multiannual Financial Framework, and we had a further discussion on this matter’ in his reply Commissioner McGrath said. Maintaining sovereignty and limiting foreign interference in Hungarian politics was a matter of national interest, members of Hungary's ruling Fidesz party said in the European Parliament debate. Hungarian MEP Dömötör accused Brussels of financing a network of leftist activists to intervene in politics. "Whatever you say, what we have here has nothing to do with civil society. The civil society organises itself from the ground, but those activists were financed by the grand coalition from here, or with the aid of the Open Society or the USAID,' Dömötör said. The new transparency law in Hungary might be approved by the Hungarian parliament in the coming weeks. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France)
by ’Zsiros

(22 May 2025)  MEPs backed increased tariffs on fertilisers and certain Russian and Belarusian agricultural goods today, ’seeking to reduce EU dependency’ on those imports. Products to be hit by the new tariffs include sugar, vinegar, flour and animal feed. The text also provides for a 6.5% tariff on ’fertilisers’ imported from Russia and Belarus, plus duties of between €40 and €45 per tonne for the 2025-2026 period. ’These tariffs will rise to €430 per tonne by 2028. Income from the sale of Russian and Belarussian fertilisers is considered to be contributing directly to the war against Ukraine’. The Commission presented its proposal to impose tariffs on fertilisers and certain agricultural products originating in Russia and Belarus, on 28 January 2025. The regulation was adopted by 411 votes in favour and 100 against, with 78 abstentions. ’It is not acceptable that three years after Russia launched its full-scale war, the EU is still buying critical products in large volumes, in fact, these imports have risen significantly, the standing rapporteur for Russia Vaidere (EPP, LV) said’. The regulation must now be adopted formally by the Council. (Source: European Parliament - official seat Strasbourg, France)

Asia

China
19 May 2025  China is preparing to launch a new drone-carrying mothership capable of releasing 100 kamikaze unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at the same time. Developed by Shaanxi Unmanned Equipment Technology, the Jiu Tan, which means “high sky”, is a high-altitude long-range UAV that can transport weapons and equipment. It was first unveiled at the Zhuhai air show, the largest in the country, in November. The fourth prototype will set off on its maiden flight next month. The vehicle has a 25-metre wingspan and can fly for 12 hours, with a maximum range of 7,000 kilometres. It has a take-off weight of 16 tons and a transporting capacity of six tons, which could be used to carry anything from surveillance technology to ammunition. The aircraft can also carry cruise missiles and medium-range air-to-air missiles, such as the PL-12E. Its ability to reach high altitudes means it would be harder to detect from ground-based radar systems and could fly above many of the defence systems operational around the world. China already has a large drone capacity. Earlier this year, it tested the TP1000, the first unmanned transport aircraft capable of carrying more than a ton of goods. The country has also previously operated long-endurance drones, such as the WZ-7 drone and the TB-001 Scorpion drone, around contested islands in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. Experts have said that the drone-carrying mothership will be a probable competitor to two American carriers, the RQ-4 Global Hawk and the MQ-9 Reaper. Neither the RQ-4 nor the MQ-9 are capable of the swarm strikes. (Source: The Telegraph - United Kingdom)

Gaza
May 22, 2025  “No one in the world will allow us to starve two million people,” said Israeli finance minister Smotrich last year. But 70 days ago, Israel imposed a total blockade on the Gaza strip, testing the world’s tolerance for man-made starvation. When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reluctantly allowed 100 trucks carrying aid into Gaza this week, Right-wing members of the Knesset were furious. The weaponisation of food in counter-insurgency is nothing new. The British counter-insurgency in Malaya in the Fifties is often cited as a textbook hearts and minds programme. The army also targeted Malayan stomachs. In 1951, Sir Briggs, director of Britain’s anti-bandit activities in the colony, launched ’Operation Starvation’. He ordered food denial operations to shut down farming and trade in the countryside where the Communist guerrillas roamed. Rural people were relocated to ’protected villages’ where all food supplies were rigorously monitored. As a metric of success, they counted the number of Communist guerrillas who surrendered, citing hunger as a reason. Food weaponisation is effective when two conditions are met. It’s important to prevent reports of famine - which are politically embarrassing, and there must be a big enough political carrot alongside the stick of hunger. Britain promised that when the Communist threat receded, Malaysia would become independent. Israel is doing something that has never been done before - bringing the weaponisation of food into the digital age and the Israeli strategy has evolved. It began, in a crude manner, the day after Hamas’s massacre of Israelis on 7 October 2023, with the imposition of a total blockade on the Gaza Strip. As Israel controls all the entry points, and local farm production is very small, the blockade quickly caused widespread hunger. The situation was made swiftly worse by an intense bombing campaign, which destroyed essential infrastructure, and the forced relocation of the Palestinian population to what were euphemistically called humanitarian zones. By the time of the short-lived ceasefire seven weeks later, when Hamas released a first batch of hostages and humanitarian aid was allowed in, most of the population were hungry. Since then, the UN’s Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system - that measures the distress of an afflicted population on a five-point scale with catastrophe and famine as its worst categories - has made assessments every few months, five in total. Three times Gaza has teetered on the brink of the IPC’s famine threshold, and Israel has opened the aid tap. Israel wants to deprive Hamas of all possible resources. It’s also likely that Israel wants desperate Gazans to blame Hamas for their plight and turn against them. Gazans had a brief respite with the ceasefire in January this year. The situation sharply deteriorated after Israel imposed a total blockade on 2 March and resumed its military actions on 19 March. Food stocks are running out. The statistics published by the UN’s IPC earlier this month showed a population once again on the brink of famine. Fully 93% of the population were in ’crisis’ levels of food insecurity, with 244,000 of the 2.1 million people of the Gaza Strip classified as suffering catastrophic lack of food. Adults are going hungry to provide what little food they have for children. The IPC have no data for the numbers who have perished from hunger, disease, exposure and exhaustion - possibly because mass death from starvation hasn’t yet arrived, but perhaps because Gaza’s deeply conservative society doesn’t report hunger deaths to the authorities and simply buries the dead quietly with only private grief. But this time Israel hasn’t responded by opening the regular, UN-based aid tap. Israel argues that this week’s relief supplies, provided by the United Nations and international organisations will fall into the hands of Hamas. A planned US-Israeli aid mechanism, called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), aims to use a small number of aid distribution sites, strictly controlling access. They will be run by private military contractors. In phase one it will have just four. (The UN and voluntary agencies had 400). The technology uses individual surveillance and ration minimisation. Pre-identified Gazans will be notified that they can go to one of these centres to collect a week’s worth of rations (including food, sanitary kits, and medical supplies) for their families at a specified time. Biometric screening will ensure that the correct person gets the ration. The target is 300 meals over 90 days (an average of 1.6 meals per person per day) with a ration of 1,700 kilocalories per day. This is less than the 2,100 Kcal/day recommended humanitarian ration used by the UN but more than the 1,560 Kcal/day fed in the Forties to the volunteers of the ’Minnesota Experiment’, which examined the effects of starvation on the human body. The IDF uses an algorithm known as Lavender for selecting Hamas suspects, based on individual profiles and electronically tracked behavioural traits. It’s a method for targeting assassination. That system can also generate a list of people who are not affiliated with Hamas - who can be targeted with food. If the ration is just enough to feed a family for a week, it’s fair to assume that the chances of food falling into Hamas’s hands are very low. Hamas operatives will go hungry; innocent civilians will be fed. It is a hybrid of Operation Starvation and surveillance humanitarianism. The recent IPC report outlines two scenarios. One is a continued blockade and ongoing war. The arithmetic of food availability is simple: mass starvation within weeks. The second scenario requires the GHF. In the unlikely event that it works it will slow starvation but won’t stop it. The quantities just aren’t sufficient and not in enough places. There’s no provision for specialised feeding for malnourished young children, which requires skilled staff and special foodstuffs. There’s no plan for clean water and electricity. A family member can not carry enough water even for a single day. The biggest problem is that counter-insurgency only works if there’s a political endgame. Hamas may be destroyed, but there’s no sign that the Palestinians of Gaza will abandon their land or submit quietly to Israeli occupation. They may turn on Hamas, accusing it of crimes and blunders, but that doesn’t exonerate Israel. And if protracted, intimate humiliation of surveillance humanitarianism in the ruins of their homes becomes the future. Not only will Palestinian society in Gaza become dismembered, but Israel itself will forever be tarred by the inhumanity it is inflicting. (Source: Unherd - United Kingdom)
by de Waal, an expert on famine, Sudan and the Horn of Africa.

Pakistan
May 22, 2025  India blocks Neelum River flow to Pakistan, restricting the flow of water from the Kishanganga Dam into the Neelum River, affecting the livelihoods of thousands of Pakistanis who depend on the river for agriculture and daily necessities. India’s unilateral decision comes following New Delhi’s suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, a key agreement governing the sharing of water between the two sides. The use of water as a political weapon violates international law, threatens regional peace and stability - 'tactics aimed at destabilizing Pakistan through resource depletion, pushing the region closer to an environmental and humanitarian crisis’. (Source: Ausaf - an international Urdu daily newspaper. Headquarters Islamabad, Pakistan)

North America

Canada
22.05.2025  Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed yesterday that Canada is in high-level talks with US President Trump’s administration about joining the proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense system aimed at strengthening North American security. Carney declined to specify how much the country might contribute financially. Trump earlier this week claimed that Canada had reached out to express interest in the US-led defense shield and that his administration would work to ensure that Ottawa pays its fair share. Carney confirmed that he discussed the project directly with Trump and that Canadian and American military officials have explored missile defense cooperation for years, the military decision will be evaluated accordingly, citing threats from North Korea, Russia and China - and “even outer space in a not-too-distant future.’ (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

United States
May 22, 2025 9:17pm EDT Two Israeli embassy staffers were shot and killed leaving the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. late yesterday. Lischinsky and Milgrim were shot while leaving a Jewish event, after which the suspected shooter, identified as 31-year-old Rodriguez from Chicago, yelled, Free, free Palestine! and security officers apprehended him. Israeli ambassador to the United States Leiter connects embassy staffers' slaying to 'very important' larger issue both in America and on the global stage: "The big picture is very important for us to understand," the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. said. ' ‘Free, free Palestine’ is part of the chant that was heard across universities all across the country, and it included the chant, 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,’ which is basically an eliminationist demand for the elimination of Israel. That's what's going on. Hamas tried to do on October 7. ' Leiter argued that Rodriguez's use of the Free, free Palestine! chant shows he allegedly believed ’he's going to implement it, the eliminationist policy regarding Israel, by shooting Jews here in Washington.’ Pro-Palestinian sentiment has grown in the United States, as a result of the ongoing war in Israel instigated by the Oct. 7 attacks. The shooting comes as tensions over Israel’s operations in the Gaza Strip have drastically escalated this week amid growing humanitarian concerns. While the Trump administration has been cracking down on antisemitism, particularly on college campuses, Leiter criticized world leaders for fueling anti Israel sentiment. ’If we're talking about the big picture, the outrage here is that we have international leaders like the president of France, Macron, who's trying to press for an immediate recognition of a Palestinian state, as if the response to October 7 should be to call it Palestine Liberation Day,’ Leiter told. ’So he's fueling these chants of the likes of this Rodriguez.’ The crime will be investigated as a hate crime and act of terrorism. (Source: Fox News - U.S.)

Published: 12:36 BST, 22 May 2025  Updated:19:42 BST, 22 May 2025  A man suspected of shooting dead a young Israeli diplomat couple is expected to be hauled in front of a judge today afternoon to face the music after approaching a group of four people and allegedly opening fire outside the Capital Jewish Museum yesterday night. Rodrigues, 30, allegedly shot Lischinsky and his girlfriend Milgrim as they left a Young Diplomats event at the museum in the heart of Washington D.C. Two people were stood by the couple when they were shot at close range last night. An Israeli official told they were young American women, also Israeli embassy staffers. Neither was injured in the shooting, and they have not been publicly identified. Israeli Foreign Minister Saar identified the DC shooting victims. Milgrim earned a master’s degree in international studies from American University. Lischinsky was actually just starting his new career as a diplomat after studying at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Sarah’s mother Nancy said her phone rang, and when she picked up it was Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Leiter, on the other line who said about the shooting. Sarah's father Robert added that Leiter pointed to rising anti-Semitism in the US following the October 7 attacks on Israel. 'What went through my mind is, I feel the antisemitism that has surfaced since Oct. 7 and also since the election of President Trump,' Milgrim’s father Robert said. The family of Sarah heartbreakingly revealed they did not know she was set to get engaged until officials said she was after yesterday's shocking murders. Lischinsky held a German passport, he was a duel German-Israeli national. Lischinsky became an Israeli after moving from Germany to study in the Middle East. 'He is the best that Israel can offer’, Otmazgin, the Dean of Humanities at the university said.' Lischinsky had purchased an engagement ring earlier this week 'with the intention of proposing next week in Jerusalem,' Israeli ambassador to the United States Leiter revealed. Hours before shooting, Rodriguez allegedly posted a manifesto online calling for 'armed demonstration' as a response to the 'genocide' in Gaza, Metropolitan Police Chief Smith said. Suspected gunman Rodriguez was quoted as a member of the Party for Socialism, a pro-Palestinian activist who has been unmasked as radical, far left wing activist. He holds a B.A in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago. At Rodriguez’s first federal court appearance in Washington DC expected to be given a closed-door hearing, he is not expected to be seen by the public as federal prosecutors hide him from the cameras. His exact charges have not yet been announced. White House Press Secretary Leavitt touted the Trump administration's efforts to root out antisemitism across the US. Leavitt said President Trump was'saddened and outraged by the fatal shootings of two young Israeli embassy staffers. As she responded yesterday’s shooting in Washington DC, Leavitt said hatred has no place in the United States of America under Trump', and said the administration would be stepping up its policies to crack down on antisemitism.' She pointed to actions such as withholding federal funds from universities that fail to crack down on pro-Palestine demonstrations, and the revocation of thousands of student visas involved in such protests. 'So, the president’s made it very clear that such hatred will have no place in our country,' she said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Trump expressed his deep sorrow over the tragedy. The Israeli leader's office said he also thanked Trump for his efforts to fight antisemitism in the United States. Israeli Ambassador to the US Leiter added to reporters at the scene of the shooting that Trump reaffirmed his commitment to uproot the violent antisemitism that has swept across university campuses in this country. Israeli PM Netanyahu has announced increased security measures at Israeli diplomatic missions worldwide in order to protect state representatives. New York City Mayor Adams said he is re-inforcing police protextions at Israeli diplomatic buildings and Jewish institutions across the Big Apple. The Capital Jewish Museum in Washington D.C. received a little over $30,000 security grant from the DC government days before yesterday's shooting after voicing concerns for its safety not only because it is a Jewish organization but also due to a new LGBTQ exhibit it was displaying, per NBC Washington. FBI Deputy Director Bongino, updated investigation ”in the interest of transparency”, ’the charges being aggressively pursued’. The bureau is aware of alleged shooter Rodriguez's social media posts of an apparent manifesto, and ’we hope to have updates as to the authenticity very soon’, Bongino said. He did not offer details on Rodriguez’s interrogation. The double slaying of two Israeli embassy staffers yesterday came as Israel has launched a new campaign targeting Hamas in the Gaza Strip that has set tensions aflame across the wider Middle East, rising global protests over Israel's treatment of civilians in Gaza. Israel's devastating campaign in Gaza has killed more than 53,000 people, according to local health authorities, whose count doesn’t differentiate between combatants and civilians. The fighting has displaced 90% of the territory’s roughly 2 million population, sparked a hunger crisis and obliterated vast swaths of Gaza’s urban landscape. Aid groups ran out of food to distribute weeks ago, and most of the population of around 2.3 million relies on communal kitchens whose supplies are nearly depleted. Fry, the neighbor of suspected gunman held a sign reading 'Ceasefire Now - No More Deaths', as he faced questions from reporters. 'You don't stop war with guns and bombs,' he said. An unidentified person was shot and wounded outside CIA property in McLean, Virginia around 4am, just hours after two Israeli embassy workers were shot dead eight miles from the CIA shooting. There is currently no indication from law enforcement that the two incidents are linked. /Photo, video/ (Source: Daily Mail - United Kingdom)

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Europe

France
(21 May 2025) Islamists are infiltrating France's republican institutions and are a threat to national cohesion, according to a report drawn up by two senior civil servants, presented to President Macron today. The report claims to find evidence for a policy of ’entryism’ by the Muslim Brotherhood into public bodies like schools and local government. Macron asked the government to come up with ’new proposals’ by early next month. While separatism implied Muslims living in a parallel society in France, ’entryism means getting involved in republican infrastructure… in order to change it from the inside. It requires dissimulation… and it works from the bottom up. A copy of the report was published in Le Figaro newspaper. The authors identified the Federation of Muslims of France (FMF) as the main emanation of the historic Muslim Brotherhood, which was founded 100 years ago to promote a return to core Islamic values. They said the FMF controlled 139 places of worship in France, with a further 68 affiliated – in all around 7% of the total. The organisation also ran some 280 associations, in sports, education, charity and other fields, as well as 21 schools. The aim of the movement was to set up ecosystems ’at local level to structure the lives of Muslims from birth till death’. The veil, beards, dress, fasting - are gradually imposed as the ecosystem solidifies, the authors write. Religious practice become stricter, young girls wearing Islamic headscarves. Some are as young as five or six. The Federation angrily rejected any allegation that associates them with a foreign political programme, or with a strategy of 'entryism'. Behind these unfounded accusations there is a plan to stigmatise Islam and Muslims, the FMF said. The report has been seized on by proponents of a strict enforcement of France's secular laws, which are meant to exclude all religion from public life. Interior minister Retailleau, who on Sunday was elected leader of the conservative Les Républicains party, warned yesterday of ’below-the-radar Islamism trying to infiltrate institutions, whose ultimate aim is to tip the whole of French society under sharia law’. Retailleau has won a reputation as a hardliner. He aid he is concerned about the possibility of Islamic lists of candidates. ’Far-left’ leader Mélenchon warned that Islamophobia has crossed a line, accusing the president's security cabinet of adopting the "delusional theories" of both Retailleau and ’far-right’ National Rally leader Le Pen. The report's authors visited 10 different regions of France and four other European countries. They concluded that the Muslim Brotherhood was losing influence in the Middle East and North Africa, and so was targeting Europe, backed by money from Turkey and Qatar. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

Romania
21 May 2025 Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) leader Simion, runner-up in Romania’s May 18 presidential elections asked the country’s Constitutional Court (CCR) to annul the recent Romanian elections, accusing France and Moldova of engaging in foreign interference. „We will challenge the election of Dan at the CCR for exactly the same reasons why they annulled the December 6 elections”: external interferences by state and non-state actors, said Simion. Paid influencers were bought to show their support for Dan with amounts between €200,000 and €300,000, he added. On May 18, Durov, owner of social media app Telegram, fed the dispute by sharing on his personal channel he had been pressured by the French government to influence the election outcome in Romania. Last summer, Durov was arrested in France. On May 19, Durov opened up about the arrest, saying, “French foreign intelligence confirmed they met with me -  allegedly to fight terrorism and child porn. In reality, child porn was never even mentioned. They did want IPs of terror suspects in France, but their main focus was always geopolitics: Romania, Moldova, Ukraine.” After Simion announced his move to annul the Romanian elections, Durov reacted he was ready to come and testify about the subject. Simion had said he wanted Durov to testify about everything in front of a Romanian court. France categorically rejects these allegations and calls on everyone to exercise responsibility and respect for Romanian democracy, France Diplomacy said on X. France has been remarkably involved with the elections in Romania. Former vice-president of the European Commission Breton had said Romania was justified in annulling its presidential election due to alleged Russian interference. He added “we’ Europeans should be willing to do something similar in Germany if similar interference occurs, something for which US Vice President Vance later criticised him. One week after the elections, Renew Europe President Hayer, a close ally of Macron, told French TV station Franceinfo she would ’do everything on the ground’ to ensure that Romania’s next president was pro-European. This caused opponents to accuse her of foreign interference. Cenușa, a fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and expert on Eastern European politics, said on X Simion’s likely goal is to weaken the legitimacy of President-elect Dan. A discredited presidential mandate could make it difficult for Dan to cohabit with the existing governing coalition, leading to early elections that would benefit Simion-AUR, said Cenușa. In the repeat presidential election, “fundamental freedoms of assembly and association were respected”, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe said in its report. ’However, defamatory rhetoric, biased media, and persistent inauthentic behaviour online, alongside regulatory gaps and fragmented responses by institutions, limited voters’ opportunity to make an informed choice and impacted public trust’, said the OSCE. „Technical preparations for the second round were professional and efficient, despite a continued lack of transparency in the work of the election administration,’ their observation mission found. ’The rules on campaigning, campaign financing, and media coverage are ambiguous or lack sufficient detail, sometimes leading to inconsistent interpretation by political parties and candidates as well as a lack of oversight and transparency,’ it said. (Source: Brussels Signal - Belgium)

European Council
21.05.2025  ’EU countries have agreed on a €150 billion ($170 billion) loan plan to boost defense spending’ through 2030, including joint projects, new procurement, and restocking. New plan seeks to strengthen joint European defense procurement, restock military supplies, and expand capacity of Europe's defense industry. ’The more we invest in equipping our armies, the better we will deter those who wish us harm,’ Poland, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said on X. Amid the new US administration's pressure for NATO allies – most of them also members of the EU – to boost defense investments, the EU began seeking new defense strategies. As part of these efforts, The European Commission unveiled a new White Paper strategy in March aiming to boost military spending and production by 2030. ’A key component, the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument, includes the loan package of up to €150 billion’. Countries that have signed partnership agreements with the bloc on security and defense are also eligible to participate in SAFE. The EU has established such agreements with Norway, Moldova, South Korea, Japan, Albania, and North Macedoni. At a EU-UK summit in London on Monday, both sides agreed that the British defense industry could potentially also gain access to the SAFE plan. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Africa

South Africa
May 21 2025  Trump hosted President Ramaphosa at the White House today to confront him about claims that South Africa's government isn't punishing people who kill white farmers. The chat started friendly as Trump complimented the South African golfers that Ramaphosa brought to the Oval Office. Then, Trump played a video that he said showed evidence of an alleged genocide of white farmers in South Africa. The video showed a rally from last year where attendees chanted 'Kill the Boer, the farmer,' an inflammatory song. The clip also showed rows of white crosses purportedly in South Africa, each one marking a white farmer who was murdered, Trump said. The White House later shared the four-minute video on X, calling it "proof of persecution in South Africa.' Trump said the video showed the graves of thousands of white farmers and showed printouts of articles that he claimed showed evidence of the alleged genocide and blamed the media for not covering it. Trump has cut off foreign aid to South Africa based on the claims, which stem from a land reform law. He accused the country's government of taking land from white farmers and fuelling violence against them with hateful rhetoric and government actions. Trump also recently offered refuge to white Afrikaners based on their claims that they were racially discriminated against. /Video, photo/ (Source: The U.S. Sun)

Asia

Iran
21 May 2025  Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has publicly expressed his displeasure at the demands of President Trump and the US administration in the crucial nuclear talks. Khamenei today said on his X handle, ’We won’t allow Iran to enrich uranium,’ is utter nonsense. We aren’t waiting for anyone’s permission. The Islamic Republic has certain policies, and it will pursue them.' Following four rounds of talks, Khamenei urged the US to stop making "nonsense" demands on Iran's enrichment, saying it's "non-negotiable”. He said he did not know whether the talks would yield any results or not. Iran is playing it cool on the US request for a fifth round of talks, with Foreign Minister Araqchi stating, ’A date has been suggested, but we have not yet accepted it.’ The two sides are exploring Rome as a possible venue. Both sides have been aggressive in the talks on uranium enrichment, and no one is ready to back down from their stand, due to which a deadlock situation is now emerging. To stop this, Trump has openly threatened Iran, "Take action quickly or else something bad is going to happen.’ In recent times, when Iran was reluctant to even come to the negotiating table, Trump had threatened Tehran on several occasions, saying that if Iran does not compromise on its nuclear programme, it will be bombed and will also have to face very harsh sanctions. President Trump has already deployed two US aircraft carriers, the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Harry S Truman, to the Arabian Sea, as well as ordered the largest ever deployment of B-2 bombers to the Indian Ocean from its military base at Diego Garcia. (Source: Outlook – India)

May 21, 2025  U.S. intelligence has gathered new indications that Israel may be preparing to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. The intelligence includes intercepted Israeli communications, gathered intelligence based on Israeli military movements, statements from senior Israeli officials suggesting that preparations for a strike could be underway and completed air exercises. While Israel lacks the capability to eliminate Iran's nuclear program without U.S. assistance, it may act independently if it views the final deal as inadequate, it fails to remove Iran's uranium stockpile. An Israeli strike on Iran would mark a significant rupture with the Trump administration, escalating tensions between Tehran and Washington, which is currently engaged in nuclear talks with Tehran. Iran and the U.S. have participated in four rounds of negotiations mediated by Oman-the highest-level engagement since Trump exited the 2015 nuclear deal. Their last meeting on May 11 was described by Iran as difficult but useful, while a U.S. official said the administration was encouraged. A unilateral move by Israel potentially trigger a broader conflict across the Middle East. Some U.S. officials see these actions as part of a pressure campaign on nuclear talks, while others view them as signs of a real operational plan. Israeli leadership has not made a final decision. U.S. officials have emphasized that a complete halt to uranium enrichment is a non-negotiable demand, with U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Witkoff calling it a red line due to concerns over potential weaponization. ’We cannot allow even one percent of an enrichment capability... Everything begins from our standpoint with a deal that does not include enrichment,’ Witkoff said. Iranian leaders have rejected the demand, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei calling it excessive and outrageous, with Foreign Minister Araghchi saying that enrichment is a sovereign right. Enrichment in Iran, however, will continue with or without a deal, Araghchi, wrote on X. President Trump warns that time is running out to secure a nuclear agreement, his offer of diplomacy with Iran will not remain on the table indefinitely, threatening maximum pressure, including driving Iranian oil exports to zero, if talks fail.  Araghchi recently told reporters that Oman will officially announce the time and place of the fifth Iran-U.S. talks soon. (Source: Miami Herald / Newsweek = U.S.)

Israel
May 21, 2025 14:25 IST  Since the 2000s, Iran has embarked on a nuclear power generation program which many believe will give it nuclear weapons. Like India, Pakistan and Israel, whose nuclear weapons programme is a by-product of its civilian nuclear power generation facilities, Iran is believed to be pursuing twin routes to nuclear weapons: extracting plutonium from civilian nuclear plants, and enriching uranium, which it mines in the country. Israel acquired nuclear weapons in the 1960s. Like India and Pakistan, it is not an NPT signatory. Israel has ensured no Arab country acquires nuclear weapons that could threaten its existence. It launched airstrikes against Iraq in 1981 and Syria in 2007 in order to destroy nuclear reactors it believed could create nuclear weapons. Since the 1979 revolution, the Iranian regime has directly targeted Israel, with successive leaders threatening to wipe it off the map. Israel has embarked on an extensive covert programme since the 1980s to ensure Iran doesn't get the bomb. It has assassinated Iranian nuclear weapons scientists and sabotaged reactor centrifuges using computer viruses. Iran had ringed Israel with proxies to ensure it can fight a non-contact battle with Israel. But in 2024, Israel and Iran struck each other's territories using fighter jets, drones and missiles. This suggests an Israeli strike against Iran's nuclear weapons program is plausible. Iran has learnt from Israel's pre-emptive nuclear strikes against Syria and Iraq. Both those strikes were against single reactors: Osirak in Iraq in 1981 and at the Al-Kibar facility in Syria in 2007. Iran's nuclear programme is hence dispersed across its geography. Iran's nuclear infrastructure includes uranium mines and facilities such as gas centrifuges, which enrich this uranium and process it. Two of these nuclear facilities - the enrichment facilities in Fordow and Natanz - are buried deep underground, under several metres of rock, requiring precise bunker-busting munitions and reinforced concrete. Iran is 1000 kms away from Israel's border. Hypothetically, Israel could launch an extraordinarily complex military operation, primarily involving fighter jets, to knock out the country's nuclear facilities. These fighters would need to be refuelled in the air and fly extreme distances to get to their targets. Israel's air force lacks either the platforms or specialised munitions to destroy the facilities. Israel will need something like the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), which weighs over 12 tonnes, and at 6 metres long, The MOP can penetrate and explode 61 metres below the soil. It can only be carried by US heavy bombers like the B-52 and the B-2, which Israel does not have in its inventory. In short, Israel cannot destroy Iran's nuclear weapons sites on its own. Israel could well create a home-grown MOP to target Iran's buried nuclear facilities. The Israeli MOP could either be launched from the back of a converted military transport aircraft like a C-130 Hercules or by a converted intermediate range ballistic missile. Using either of these platforms would be fraught with extreme risk and technological challenges. ’Israel has always risen to these challenges in the past.’ (Source: India Today)

North America

United States
21.05.2025  The US State Department approved the possible sale of GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs and related elements to Poland. The proposed sale will improve Poland’s capability to meet current and future threats by enhancing its capacity to conduct effective air-to-ground strikes, reinforcing its capability to protect Polish sovereign territory, and improving its ability to meet NATO requirements, it added. The estimated cost is $180 million, 'the principal contractor will be The Boeing Corporation', located in Missouri. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

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Europe

Belgium
May 20, 2025  Tractors return to chaotic Brussels. A major EU budget meeting in Brussels today is a beacon for Belgian farmers expressing their fury. The European Quarter can expect the area around the Schuman roundabout, Parc du Cinquantenaire and Rue de la Loi to be occupied by farmers until around midday. With similar protests planned in Dublin and Madrid, farmers are responding to a flash action call by agri mega-union Copa-Cogeca to sway policymakers as they discuss the shape of the EU’s agriculture subsidy system. The Common Agriculture Policy represents a third of the EU’s €1.2 trillion, seven-year budget. The European Commission is expected to land its proposals on both the budget and the CAP in mid-July. Agriculture Commissioner Hansen spoke directly to Copa representatives yesterday afternoon. (In an FT interview published this morning, Hansen said "the EU’s increased military spending shouldn’t come at the expense of the Common Agriculture Policy".) Budget Commissioner. Serafin is up next, his team said. He’s likely to get an earful about their gripes over technicalities of the CAP’s place within the budget. (Source: Politico - U.S.)

Germany
(20 May 2025)  Germany has offered to take the lead on joint European Union projects regarding air defence, land and marine systems, Defence Minister Pistorius said ahead of a meeting of the bloc’s defense ministers today. Brussels has urged members to jointly invest in areas of heightened common interest, particularly air defense. The EU’s member states have given initial approval to a €150 billion defense fund that will distribute money to countries looking to jointly invest in security capabilities such as ammunition, drones and the protection of critical infrastructure. The fund comes in addition to new rules that ’allow member states fiscal flexibility for defense spending, which could mobilize a combined €800 billion’. Pistorius highlighted Germany’s expertise in air defence, pointing to its role in the European Sky Shield Initiative, launched after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The project, which has the support of 24 Nato members, aims to build a ground-based European air defence system which can shoot down ballistic missiles. Berlin can also offer European partners know-how with land and marine defense systems, he said. We also offer framework agreements for Leopard 2A8 tanks and for 212CD-class submarines, Pistorius added. Germany is also strengthening Nato’s eastern flank with the deployment of a battle tank brigade in Lithuania, with up to 5,000 troops in coming years. The so-called Panzerbrigade 45 will be the first German brigade-sized unit to be based abroad permanently since World War II. The EU’s defence chief, Kubilius, said yesterday that the commission will present a proposal on 17 June aimed at simplifying procedures and lifting regulatory barriers to encourage joint defence procurement and aid the transportation of defence products within the bloc. The aims include fast-tracking permits for the construction of new defense plants or expanding existing ones. The commission would also need to address environmental restrictions on defense industry expansion, Kubilius said. ’The simplification or even repeal of environmental legislation restricting the use of certain chemicals used in defense manufacturing is also being considered’. (Source: Luxembourg Times / Bloomberg - U.S.)

European Commission
(20 May 2025)  Following the Foreign Affairs Council, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Kallas, has ordered a review of the EU-Israel association agreement, a free trade deal between the two regions. The decision follows Israel's 11-week blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

Europe
Tuesday 20 May 2025  Trump’s negotiations with Putin mean 'Europe needs to prepare for a second cold war'. ’A European-led Nato command structure could be trimmed down and adapted. They must present a rigorous strategy for how a Europe that is free and secure from the 'long-term existential threat posed by Russia' can be achieved without US participation. ’The first step in such a strategy is to provide the means, capabilities and expertise to support Ukraine in defeating Russia’... (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)
by General Sir Shirreff, who was Nato’s deputy supreme allied commander of Europe; Dr Babst, a former Nato deputy assistant secretary general

United States
May 20 2025 08:22:18  Trump spoke to a host of Western leaders after the Putin call, including European Commission President Der Leyen and the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Finland. Pope Leo XIV has meanwhile offered to host the Russia-Ukraine talks at the Vatican, according to both Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. European nations backed Kiev's calls for Western sanctions against Russia to be toughened if it does not agree to a ceasefire quickly after the Trump-Putin call. There were signs from Trump that he is more interested in resetting relations with Moscow than imposing sanctions. He held out the carrot that Russia could do "largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic 'bloodbath' is over." On the ground, the Russian army continued its attacks. Moscow claimed its forces had captured two villages in Ukraine's Sumy and Donetsk regions. Russia also fired 112 drones on Ukraine overnight, 76 of which were repelled. (Source: Hürriyet Daily News - Turkey)

(Tuesday), May 20, 2025 6:40 AM GMT+2  Trump said after his call on Monday with President Putin that Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations for a ceasefire, but the Kremlin said the process would take time and the U.S. president indicated he was not ready to join Europe with fresh sanctions to pressure Moscow. In a social media post, Trump said he relayed the plan to Zelenskiy as well as the leaders of the European Union, France, Italy, Germany and Finland in a group call following his session with the Russian leader. "Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War," Trump said, adding later at the White House that he thought "some progress is being made." Putin thanked Trump for supporting the resumption of direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv after the two sides met in Turkey last week for their first face-to-face negotiations since March 2022. After the Monday call he said only that efforts were "generally on the right track". "We have agreed with the president of the United States that Russia will propose and is ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum on a possible future peace accord," Putin told near the Black Sea resort of Sochi. European leaders decided to increase pressure on Russia through sanctions after Trump briefed them on his call with Putin, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said late on Monday. European participants were 'shocked" that Trump did not want to push Putin with sanctions. Asked why he had not imposed fresh sanctions to push Moscow into a peace deal as he had threatened, Trump told reporters: "Well because I think there's a chance of getting something done, and if you do that, you can also make it much worse. But there could be a time where that's going to happen." If Trump were to impose new sanctions, it would be a milestone moment given that he has appeared sympathetic towards Russia and torn up the pro-Ukraine policies of his predecessor, Biden. Trump said there were 'some big egos involved.' Without progress, "I'm just going to back away," he said. "This is not my war.’ Kremlin aide Ushakov said Trump and Putin did not discuss a timeline for a ceasefire but did discuss trading nine Russians for nine Americans in a prisoner swap. "There are no deadlines and there cannot be any. It is clear that everyone wants to do this as quickly as possible, but, of course, the devil is in the details,' Kremlin spokesperson Peskov was saying. Trump said Pope Leo had expressed interest in hosting the negotiations at the Vatican. Peskov said Moscow welcomed the Vatican's proposal, but no decision had been made on a place for possible future contacts, he added. Putin, whose forces control a fifth of Ukraine and are advancing, has stood firm on his conditions for ending the war, including the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from four regions Russia claims. He said the memorandum Russia and Ukraine would work on about a future peace accord would define a number of positions, such as, for example, the principles of settlement, the timing of a possible peace agreement. "The main thing for us is to eliminate the root causes of this crisis," Putin said. "We just need to determine the most effective ways to move towards peace." (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)

Global

May 20, 2025  For places that are already functionally independent, a transactional global order might open new diplomatic venues or economic channels that bring them closer to official recognition - provided, of course, that they can offer strategic value like basing rights or resource access. For regions which lack de facto independence, success will now hinge even less on legal or moral claims. In this newly contingent and chaotic world, separatist-related violence will also become more frequent. In part, that will simply be the product of renewed separatist attempts. But breakaway regions could also launch more violent attacks, encouraged by their newfound patrons and the diminished consequences of breaking international law. Incumbents, likewise, will feel more empowered to use violence to quash independence movements. The global institutions that traditionally restrain both secessionist overreach and heavy-handed repression are losing their power to constrain either. For independence movements, the new rules of secession mean a more volatile and uncertain future. If success depends on timing, charisma, and strategic utility, some breakaway regions may have a shortcut to recognition. Others might suffer. All of them, however, will have to navigate a landscape where sovereignty is not earned but cynically auctioned off. (Source: Foreign Affairs - U.S.)
by Griffiths, Professor of Political Science at Syracuse University and the author of The Disunited States: Threats of Secession in Red and Blue America and Why They Won’t Work; Gunitsky, the George Ignatieff Chair of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Toronto.

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Europe

Hungary
18/05/2025  Tens of thousands of people protested in Budapest today against a planned law that would allow the government to sanction NGOs and media it deemed a threat to Hungary's sovereignty. The bill on transparency in public life would empower the government to blacklist organisations that threaten the sovereignty of Hungary by using foreign funding to influence public life. They would need permission to receive foreign funding. The government has denied any authoritarian intent, insisting it only wants to dismantle a foreign-funded propaganda network. "Yes to political debate, yes to freedom of speech, no to foreign money," PM Orbán told ruling party activists at an event yesterday. (Source: France 24)

Germany
May 18, 2025  German defense company Rheinmetall and American aerospace titan Lockheed Martin have announced plans to establish a joint venture aimed at producing advanced missile systems, including the Army Tactical Missile System [ATACMS] and Patriot PAC-3, in Europe. Negotiations are underway for Rheinmetall to hold a 60% stake in the venture. The initiative, which is pending approval from both U.S. and German governments, is expected to commence production of rocket motors in 2026 and missiles by 2027. The venture could generate annual sales of up to €5 billion. Rheinmetall is already a key contractor for Lockheed’s F-35 program, set to produce 400 center fuselage sections starting in July 2025 at its facility in Weeze, Germany. 'Rheinmetall has recent financial performance with a 46% sales increase to €2.305 billion in Q1 2025'. Spain recently signed an agreement with Lockheed Martin to produce PAC-3 MSE components, while Poland has begun manufacturing launch tubes for the system. (Source: BulgarianMilitary - Bulgaria)
by Nikolov

Poland
(Sunday), May 18, 2025 6:46 PM EDT  Liberal Warsaw Mayor Trzaskowski and the conservative historian, Nawrocki, emerged as the front-runners in Poland’s presidential election today, according to an exit poll, putting them on track to face off in a second round in two weeks, on June 1. A late exit poll by the Ipsos institute released three hours after polls closed showed Trzaskowski with an estimated 31.1 percent of the votes and Nawrocki with 29.1 percent. ’Far-right’ candidate Mentzen was projected to garner 14.8 percent, a strong result his Confederation party celebrated. An extreme right-wing candidate, Braun, was predicted to win 6.3 percent, according to the exit poll. Official results are expected tomorrow or Tuesday. Polish authorities have reported foreign attempts at interference during the campaign, including denial-of-service attacks targeting parties in Tusk’s coalition and allegations by a state research institute that political ads on Facebook were funded from abroad. The presidency carries substantial power, with a strong role in foreign and security policy and veto power over laws. The conservative outgoing president, Duda, has repeatedly used that power over more than the past year to hamper Tusk’s agenda. A Trzaskowski victory could be expected to end such a standoff. He is a liberal allied with Prime Minister Donald Tusk who speaks foreign languages and holds pro-European Union views. Exit polls show the terrain ahead being challenging for Trzaskowski. His support is strongest in cities, where many like his secular views and support for LGBTQ+ rights. Trzaskowski has pledged to support reforms to the courts and public media, both of which critics say were politicized under Law and Justice. Tusk’s opponents accuse him of also politicizing public media. Trzaskowski, who ran for the presidency in 2020 and narrowly lost to Duda, had been polling higher earlier in the campaign but had mishaps including disappointing debate performances, with behavior described by political commentators as overconfident or even arrogant. He described Nawrocki as someone who is radical and seeks conflict and promised to be a constructive president who would reduce tensions in the deeply divided nation. Nawrocki is a conservative historian with no prior political experience who was backed by the national conservative Law and Justice party. The head of a state historical institute, Nawrocki has positioned himself as a defender of conservative values and national sovereignty. He was welcomed by President Trump at the White House earlier this month in what was viewed as an endorsement. He has embraced anti-Ukrainian rhetoric during the campaign. It was a worse showing for Trzaskowski than expected, and it appeared overall to be a good showing for the candidates on the right in a large field of 13 candidates. Addressing his supporters, Nawrocki hailed his result, noting that there was just a cosmetic difference between himself, a political newcomer, and Trzaskowski, long viewed as the frontrunner. During an election night event in Gdansk he thanked the millions of Poles „who did not succumb to the pressure of propaganda, falsehood, lies.’ (Source: PBS – U.S.)

Portugal
19.05.2025  Portugal’s center-right Democratic Alliance (AD) won the most seats but fell short of a majority in yesterday’s general election. The ’far-right’ Chega party nearly overtook the Socialist Party for second place. Incumbent Montenegro is expected to remain Portugal’s prime minister, but a surge in support for Chega dashed his ambitions of securing a stronger mandate. The snap election was triggered by ethical concerns related to the business dealings of Montenegro’s family. Sunday’s vote was the country’s third general election since 2022, highlighting ongoing political volatility. With 99.13% of the votes counted, the Socialist Party held a two-seat lead over Chega, preserving its status as the main opposition party by only a slim margin. With 98% of the votes counted, they were tied, the Socialists and Chega both won around 23% of the popular vote. The final results could see a change in the total seat count - votes from abroad still need to be counted, with around 17 seats still up in the air. Led by former football pundit Ventura, Chega campaigned on hardline anti-immigration policies and an aggressive anti-corruption message. Chega’s gains were fueled by victories in traditionally left-leaning areas in southern Portugal. The AD retained control over conservative strongholds in the country’s center and north. The Socialists are expected to back the conservative alliance to keep the ’far-right’ out of government, as they did after the 2024 results. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Romania
5 5 19 Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, claimed yesterday that he rejected a direct request from French intelligence to block conservative voices in Romania ahead of the country’s presidential election runoff. In a series of posts on his Telegram channel, Durov alleged that Lerner, the head of France’s DGSI (domestic intelligence agency), personally approached him during a meeting in Paris this spring at the Salon des Batailles in the Hôtel de Crillon. ’Lerner, head of French intelligence, asked me to ban conservative voices in Romania ahead of elections,’ Durov wrote. “I refused. We didn’t block protesters in Russia, Belarus, or Iran. We won’t start doing it in Europe.” (9:38 PM May 18, 2025) Earlier, Durov had cryptically hinted at the country involved, writing, “A Western European government (guess which 🥖) approached Telegram asking us to silence conservative voices in Romania ahead of today’s presidential elections. I flatly refused. Telegram will not restrict the freedoms of Romanian users or block their political channels”. (5:28 PM · May 18, 2025) /2,3 M views/. He continued, “You can’t ‘defend democracy’ by destroying democracy. You can’t ‘fight election interference’ by interfering with elections. You either have freedom of speech and fair elections - or you don’t. And the Romanian people deserve both.” France swiftly rejected the accusations. The French foreign ministry posted on X that completely unfounded allegations are circulating on Telegram and Twitter (X) regarding alleged French interference in the Romanian presidential election. ’France categorically rejects these allegations and calls on everyone to exercise responsibility and respect for Romanian democracy’. Durov’s claims surfaced just hours before polls closed in Romania’s high-stakes runoff between centrist independent Dan and hard-right nationalist Simion. As per The New York Times, Dan, won with 54% of the vote, defeating Simion, who secured 46%. Simion, aligned with Trump-style populism and sceptical of EU policies, preemptively claimed fraud, warning of dead people on voter rolls without providing evidence. We are the clear winners of these elections, he told supporters before results were confirmed. Durov, who was detained in France last year in an unrelated investigation into Telegram’s role in enabling illicit activity, has remained a controversial figure. According to The New York Times, he was charged with complicity in crimes like child sexual abuse distribution and drug trafficking. Durov denies the allegations and argues Telegram exceeds its legal responsibilities regarding content moderation. (Source: MSN - U.S. / Times of India)

(Sunday), May 18, 20257:17 PM ET  Pro-European Union candidate Dan has won Romania's presidential runoff against a hard-right nationalist, nearly complete electoral data shows. A huge turnout today played a key role in the tense election that many viewed as a geopolitical choice between East or West. The race pitted front-runner Simion, the 38-year-old leader of the hard-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, against Dan, the incumbent mayor of Bucharest. After 10.7 million of 11.6 million votes were counted, Dan was ahead with 54.19%, while Simion trailed at 45.81%, according to official data. In the first-round vote on May 4, Simion won almost double the votes as Dan, and many local surveys had predicted he would secure the presidency. When voting closed at 9 p.m. local time (1800 GMT), official electoral data showed a 64% voter turnout. About 1.64 million Romanians abroad at specially set-up polling stations participated in the vote, some 660,000 more than in the first round. In the first round on May 4, the final turnout stood at 53% of eligible voters. Dan, a 55-year-old mathematician, rose to prominence as a civic activist fighting against illegal real estate projects. 'In 2026', he founded the reformist Save Romania Union party but later left, and ran independently on a pro-European Union ticket reaffirming Western ties, support for Ukraine and fiscal reform. Romania's political landscape was upended last year when a top court voided the previous election in which 'far-right' outsider Georgescu topped first-round polls, following allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference, which Moscow denied. After coming fourth in last year's canceled race, Simion backed Georgescu, who was banned in March from running in the election redo. Simion then surged to front-runner in the May 4 first round after becoming the standard-bearer for the hard right. In the early afternoon, Simion told reporters that his team was confident in a landslide victory, if the election was free and fair. He repeated allegations of voting irregularities among Romanian citizens in neighboring Moldova and said that his party members would conduct a parallel vote count after polls closed. A former activist who campaigned for reunification with neighboring Moldova, Simion says he would focus on reforms: slashing red tape and reducing bureaucracy and taxes. Still, he insists that restoring democracy is his priority, returning the will of the people. After polls closed, standing on the steps of Romania's colossal Communist-era parliament building, Simion had predicted a victory, and said that Georgescu was supposed to be the president before last year's election was annulled. He also called for vigilance against election fraud, but said that overall he was satisfied with the conduct of the vote. His AUR party says it stands for family, nation, faith, and freedom and rose to prominence in a 2020 parliamentary election. It has since grown to become the second-largest party in the Romanian legislature. Years of endemic corruption and growing anger toward Romania's political establishment have fueled a surge in support for anti-establishment and hard-right figures. The president is elected for a five-year term and has significant decision-making powers in matters of national security and foreign policy. The winner of today's race will be charged with nominating a new prime minister after Marcel Ciolacu stepped down following the failure of his coalition's candidate to advance to the runoff. Both Simion and Dan have made their political careers railing against Romania's old political class. Romania comes out of this election very divided. Older political parties are challenged to adapt to a new reality. (Source: NPR - U.S.)

Russia
19 May 2025  Russian opposition media continue broadcasting from abroad. Since February 2022, the last media outlets in Russia that were opposed to the government and the invasion were blocked. Those both outlets started to rely heavily on Western social media platforms, mostly YouTube. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Google had cut all the monetization of YouTube for Russia-based accounts. The Russian government started blocking YouTube in 2024, and, by the first half of 2025, traffic to YouTube from Russia fell to just 20 percent of the previous levels. Even now, tens of millions of people inside Russia receive information from independent media - and that still has real influence, Kournikov, editor of the Echo of Moscow website working from Berlin, said. Western platforms had not helped opposition journalists to get to the Russian audience. All attempts - open letters, conversations in different formats with them or their representatives - have led to nothing over these past three years, Dzyadko, the editor-in-chief of Dozhd (TV Rain) said in an interview to Kolezev, another opposition journalist. „To be blunt, from what I understand, economically, it’s an insignificant market for them now. It’s a gray zone at best. It’s easier to avoid the hassle - they might have employees or relatives who could be taken hostage, so they just stay away’. Despite YouTube being blocked in Russia, journalists of many political opposition channels on YouTube claim that they have not noticed the drop. Their monetization increased, as it did for everyone targeting a Russian-speaking audience. Russians are using VPNs to access these channels. Many Russians moved to places like the Netherlands, Singapore, the US, Germany, etc., and continued watching them. Opposition media also encountered funding issues, when US President Trump’s administration stopped USAID funds. Living abroad, Russian Zimin said in an interview to an online Russian opposition media Breakfast Show the day USAID funds were frozen, Khodorkovsky and he announced they would help NGOs from Ukraine and Russian opposition media and NGOs abroad. These two in exile would make up part of the funds they lost, to keep them afloat for 90 days. This happened over three months ago. It is not known whether their fund continues doing it. “We can't replace USAID - those are massive sums, billions,’ Zimin said: At the moment, it is not known which media will stop working altogether after losing US funds. Dozhd (TV Rain), Breakfast Show, and Echo of Moscow (website and YouTube channels that work from Berlin and some from Moscow), are selling t-shirts or baseball caps, books. They also organize public meetings or concerts with their speakers and anchors for the Russian speaking audience abroad, selling tickets. Many media joined a call to help Mediazona, an outlet originally founded by Pussy Riot members, and devoted to human rights and political prisoners of the regime in Russia. Mediazona said they would not survive till the end of 2025 unless they get 10,000 monthly subscribers. At the moment the outlet has a bit over 5000 monthly subscribers. Kournikov described the financial situation of the foreign-based projects of Echo of Moscow: We’re short on funds, but our audience is growing. We’re publishing books, holding events. We recently released a book on US–Russia relations in the 1990s, and soon will publish a book on the history of the Russian Orthodox Church under Gorbachev and Putin. We’re also traveling with lectures. (Source: Global Voices - headquarters Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
by Dergacheva

Ukraine
18 May 2025  Ukraine's air force said Russia had launched 273 drones by 08:00 today (05:00 GMT) targeting the central Kyiv region, and Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions in the east. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

United Kingdom
May 19, 2025  E.U. and Britain announce trade, defense deals after Brexit rupture. The deal does not undo Brexit. The leaders of Britain and the European Union announced deals today on defense, security and food exports at a landmark summit intended to usher in the most significant resetting of relations between the two sides since Brexit. The summit, held in London, is the culmination of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s push to rebuild ties with the E.U. - by far Britain’s biggest trading partner - and is the first major bilateral meeting between the two sides to be held on British soil since the 2016 referendum that led to Brexit, Britain’s exit from the 27-member bloc. The British government hopes that closer ties with the E.U. will help revive its sluggish economy. The E.U. is wary of granting the United Kingdom benefits of membership in the bloc without obligations, including financial contributions. Limiting the scope of any renewed relationship, Starmer has ruled out rejoining the E.U.’s single market and customs union. Starmer’s office said: After the 21% drop in exports and 7% drop in imports seen since Brexit, the UK will also be able to sell various products, such as burgers and sausages, back into the EU again, supporting these vital British industries. The statement said the agreement will add nearly £9 billion [about $12 billion] to the UK economy by 2040. The agreement includes a 12-year-deal allowing European fishing crews continued access to British waters. The E.U. agreed to reduce some of the red tape for British farms and fisheries that want to export their goods - including fish - into the bloc. The parties agreed to a security and defense pact that grants Britain access to the E.U.’s 125 billion euro ($141 billion) defense fund, to which London will also contribute. In a sign of the tensions on both sides, talks ran until the 11th hour, with fisheries and a proposal over youth mobility emerging as sticking points. Ahead of the summit, there was talk of a youth mobility agreement that would allow young people the chance to live and work in each other’s countries for up to two years. In the end, the language was vague, allowing for negotiations to continue. The 2016 Brexit vote was dramatic and divisive in Britain. Farage, leader of the right-wing, populist Reform U.K. party - and one of Britain’s most enthusiastic Brexit backers - has pledged to scrap the deal if he becomes prime minister. He criticized the fisheries agreement on social media, calling it the end of the fishing industry. Surveys now show that a majority of Britons regret leaving the E.U. Farage’s Reform U.K. recently scored major gains in council and mayoral elections in England and is leading in national polls. This political uncertainty could hamper future talks, with E.U. officials hesitant to commit to long-term deals with a British government that may not last. (Source: The Washington Post - U.S.)

Europe
19 May 2025  Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer held urgent discussions with leaders from the United States, France, Germany, and Italy over the weekend. on the Ukraine conflict, ahead of US President Trump's scheduled call with Russian President Putin today. The leaders stressed the importance of an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine. The joint discussions also included warnings about the potential imposition of further sanctions. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking to reporters at the Vatican following the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV, confirmed he had conferred with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio about the upcoming Trump-Putin call. Merz also met with Zelenskyy during the visit. Trump, said he also plans to speak with Zelenskyy. In Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Peskov confirmed that preparations for the Putin-Trump conversation were underway. At the Istanbul talks, Russian envoys had demanded Kyiv withdraw its forces from all territories claimed by Moscow as a precondition for a ceasefire. (Source: Outlook – India)

Asia

Iran
May 19, 2025  In the past several days, there have been surprising developments in the negotiations between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s civilian nuclear program. U.S. President Trump has frequently, but not always, defined the goal of the negotiations as being limited to preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. ’He repeated that definition as recently as May 25’, saying Iran must “permanently and verifiably cease pursuit of nuclear weapons…. They cannot have a nuclear weapon.” But the message from his team has been contradictory. Then National Security Advisor Waltz said that the U.S. is demanding full dismantlement, and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said that a Trump deal means Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program. Rubio said that Iran can have a civilian nuclear program, but by importing uranium enriched up to 3.67 percent, and no longer by enriching their own. On May 9, Witkoff told that “An enrichment program can never exist in the state of Iran ever again. That’s our red line. No enrichment.” Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has placed a firm limit that Iran will not negotiate the full dismantling of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Iranian President Pezeshkian was insisting that Iran has never sought, is not seeking, and will never seek nuclear weapons but that Iran will not give up its peaceful nuclear rights. U.S. insistence on ending Iran’s civilian enrichment program could put a quick end to the talks. On May 14 Trump suggested that breaking off relations with proxy groups in the region must be part of any deal. Iran must stop sponsoring terror, he said, and halt its bloody proxy wars. When Trump introduced Iran’s support of regional proxies into the discussion, Araghchi called the remark, not unproductive or unhelpful, but deceitful. Contradictory statements emanating from the Trump administration appear to have been because of a lack of decision on key strategic points, Parsi, Executive Vice President of Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and an expert on Iran, told. Indeed, on May 7, Trump said, “We haven’t made that decision yet.” “As a result, Parsi said, the debate on these points is now, rather unhelpfully, taking place out in public. During the third round, Araghchi gave Trump’s special envoy Witkoff a document with Iran’s proposals for a deal. The U.S. studied it and returned it to Iran with questions and requests for clarifications. Iran replied, the U.S. prepared a new proposal and then presented it to Araghchi who has now brought it back to Tehran for consultations with Supreme Leader Khamenei and President Pezeshkian. During the fourth round of talks, the U.S. presented Iran with a written proposal. How far down the path to a settlement the proposal is is unknown. Araghchi said future negotiations now become more difficult. But he then said, “We can now say that both sides have a better understanding of each other’s positions.” Following a flurry of American threats, the fourth round of talks was postponed. Iranian officials said that [d]epending on the U.S. approach, the date of the next round of talks will be announced.” Recently, that approach subtly changed. Notably, bombing was replaced with sanctions. In his most recent remarks, which went largely unnoticed, Trump softened, saying only “If Iran’s leadership rejects this olive branch … we will have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure, drive Iranian oil exports to zero.” On May 15, Trump again seemed to reject the risk of war: “Because things like that get started and they get out of control. I’ve seen it over and over again. They go to war and things get out of control, and we’re not going to let that happen.” Iran may have facilitated negotiations with a creative and unexpected proposal. Iran has suggested for consideration that they could join with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in a nuclear enrichment consortium. Iran would continue to enrich uranium but accept a cap at the 3.67% enrichment required by a nuclear energy program. Saudi Arabia and UAE, who would gain access to Iran’s nuclear technology, would be shareholders and funders. If true, the proposal would be based on a consortium idea first proposed by Princeton physicist Hippel and former Iranian nuclear negotiator Mousavian. The idea was inspired by the URENCO enrichment consortium of Germany, the Netherlands and Britain and by the ABAAAC consortium of Brazil and Argentina. This level of trust between Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE was unthinkable only a very short time ago and testifies to the changes going on in the region and in the evolving Iran-Saudi Arabia relationship. This sends a strong signal that Tehran as well as Riyadh and Abu Dhabi would prefer to prioritize cooperation over conflict. All three countries have growing motivation for peace in the region. Crown Prince Salman needs to avoid violent conflict to encourage the foreign investment and tourism needed to fuel his planned economic diversification. Zayed needs economic security in the face of competition from Saudi Arabia to be a regional hub. Iran needs to encourage peace in the region because of the recent weakening of its own strategic position in the region. Saudi Arabia and Iran have recently been moving towards enhanced friendship both bilaterally and through multinational organizations. Trump should take advantage of these circumstances to sign a nuclear deal with Iran and avoid unnecessary war. All of these developments, may present an opportunity to return to a nuclear agreement with Iran and to usher in a new hope for peace and friendly relations both between the U.S. and Iran and in the region. (Source: Antiwar - U.S.)
by Snider

North America

United States
(Monday), May 19, 2025 10:31 PM  President Trump, who once vowed to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine in 24 hours, now says the two sides should work it out themselves. President Trump today backed off his demand that Russia declare an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, instead endorsing President Putin’s call for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia after a two-hour phone call with Russian leader. Trump said Putin had agreed to immediately start direct negotiations with Ukraine toward a ceasefire and a broader peace deal to end the war. He said the conditions would be negotiated directly between the warring countries because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of. It was a shift from Trump’s recent threats of more pressure on Russia, such as when he raised the prospect of new banking sanctions in April. Trump also appeared enthusiastic to surrender his mediating role to the pope. In his statement, Trump said the Vatican had expressed interest in hosting the upcoming negotiations, and urged: “Let the process begin!” But while Trump presented the start of peace talks as a concession by Putin, he was largely endorsing Putin’s own approach, given that Russia has responded to calls to stop the fighting by proposing extended negotiations. Now, Trump appears to be prepared to step back and urge Russia and Ukraine to make a deal directly with each other. Zelenskyy expressed concern about that, saying today after he held two calls with Trump that the negotiation process must involve both American and European representatives at the appropriate level. The lack of any meaningful breakthrough in today’s talks shows how Trump’s belief in his personal charisma and negotiating acumen has run up against deep divisions and complex political motivations guiding Russia and Ukraine. After the call, Trump leaned into the economic benefits of ending the war, saying that Russia wanted to engage in large-scale trade with the United States when this catastrophic blood bath is over, recasting the end of the conflict as a business proposition rather than a diplomatic victory. Trump’s comments showed that Putin appears to have had success in promoting the possibility of lucrative business deals in Russia to Trump. The U.S. president described Russia as a key future American trading partner, Putin’s foreign policy adviser Ushakov, told. There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth, Trump wrote on his Truth Social account. Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said that Trump has grown weary and frustrated, with both sides of the conflict. Trump told reporters later today that he expected there to be progress in the talks, but if there wasn’t he was just going to back away. On the call, he said he asked Putin to meet with him. The leaders addressed each other by first name throughout, Ushakov said. Putin made it clear after speaking to Trump today that he wasn’t budging from his demands and that Russia was not on the verge of declaring a ceasefire. He said Russia was ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum on a possible future peace agreement. He repeated that a peace deal needs to remove the root causes of this crisis, referring to Russia’s pursuit of wide-ranging influence over Ukraine. In fact, direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine started last Friday in Istanbul, in talks that Putin initially proposed. In that meeting, Russia stuck to its hard-line demands, including that Ukraine withdraw from a large swath of Ukrainian land that its forces still control. It resulted in an agreement to conduct what would be the largest prisoner swap of the conflict, but not in a ceasefire. Earlier today, the Kremlin sought to lower expectations for the call between Trump and Putin, the third since Trump took office. Peskov, Putin’s spokesperson, said that ending the war would require rather painstaking and, perhaps, prolonged work. Afterward, the Kremlin said the two leaders discussed not only the war, but also improving bilateral ties -- a key goal for Putin as he seeks relief from the economic sanctions the Biden administration placed on Russia. Among the topics was a potential nine-for-nine prisoner swap between the United States and Russia, Ushakov said. The agreement was not disclosed by Trump. Trump also spoke separately with Zelenskyy, ’who said he made it clear to Trump’ that his country would never withdraw its forces from its own territory and will not yield to any ultimatums from Russia. Zelenskyy said he also asked Trump not to make any decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine. Zelenskyy joined another call between Trump and European leaders who have rallied to Ukraine’s defense. Zelenskyy said it remains unclear if the United States would join with European nations in stepping up sanctions against Russia. Trump’s statement gave few specifics about his calls with Zelenskyy, but said that like Russia, Ukraine can be a great beneficiary on trade, in the process of rebuilding its country. (Source: Miami Herald / The New York Times)

May 19, 2025  The U.S. Supreme Court let Trump's administration today strip temporary protected status from Venezuelans living in the United States that had been granted under his predecessor Biden, as the Republican president moves to ramp up deportations as part of his hardline approach to immigration. The court's brief order was unsigned, as is typical when the justices act on an emergency request. The U.S. government under Biden, twice designated Venezuela for TPS, in 2021 and 2023. The Department of Homeland Security has said about 348,202 Venezuelans were registered under Biden's 2023 TPS designation. The Trump administration in April also terminated TPS for thousands of Afghans and Cameroonians in the United States. The TPS program is a humanitarian designation under U.S. law for countries stricken by war, natural disaster or other catastrophe, giving recipients living in the United States deportation protection and access to work permits. The designation can be renewed by the U.S. homeland security secretary. In a separate case on Friday, the Supreme Court kept in place its block on Trump's deportations of Venezuelan migrants under a 1798 law historically used only in wartime, faulting his administration for seeking to remove them without adequate legal process. The State Department currently warns against travel to Venezuela ’due to the high risk of wrongful detentions, terrorism, kidnapping, the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, poor health infrastructure.’ (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)

Global

18 May 2025  Nearly a fifth of global carbon emissions is propped up by billions of euros in European 'green' investments. Investment funds featuring green labels and names like 'Sustainable Global Stars' continue to hold stakes in the fossil energy majors which drive the climate crisis. An EU crackdown on greenwashing looks imminent. (Source: Voxeurop - headquarters Paris, France)

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Europe

Albania
17. 05. 2025  European Political Community Summit in Tirana. Europe stands ready to preserve peace and enhance the prosperity of the continent, stated the participants of the Sixth Summit of the European Political Community, which took place in Tirana on 16 May. The meeting brought together heads of state and government leaders from 47 European countries, along with senior representatives of key European and international institutions. Three high-level roundtables took place around the following topics: Europe’s security and democratic resilience, including Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; competitiveness and economic security; and mobility challenges and youth empowerment. In his address, Albania's PM Edi Rama called for a new European vision that went beyond military security. “The enemies of peace should not drag us into the glorification of weapons. Here in the Balkans, we have survived war, bombs, territorial conflicts, destruction, and disruption. It happened in our lifetimes, not in some distant black-and-white documentary archive. And we have learned that peace has no competitors. Perhaps, that is why hope in that other Europe is greatest here”, Rama stressed. (Source: European Western Balkans – headquarters Belgrade, Serbia)

Ukraine
Saturday 17 May 2025  Since U.S.-brokered talks began in March, Ukraine’s strategy has been to convince the Trump administration that Putin is unreliable and that Kyiv is serious about peace. All along, Zelenskyy's message, directed at the Trump administration, has been: The Russian leader cannot be trusted. But the political theatrics are underscored by stark realities on the ground. In this war of attrition against Russia's invasion, Ukraine’s position is poised to grow weaker as time goes on, unless powerful sanctions are imposed against Moscow and the U.S. continues arms deliveries. ’They're desperate to keep the Americans on their side,’ said Jarabik, an analyst specializing in Eastern Europe and Ukraine. Russia’s position has remained mostly consistent. The Kremlin kept repeating that it was ready for peace talks with Ukraine - while making demands that were politically untenable for Zelenskyy, and would require Ukraine to make territorial concessions, neutralize its army and vow never to join NATO. Throughout the war, Moscow has also accused Kyiv and its Western allies of seeking to prolong the fighting and derailing peace efforts. Most recently, Russian officials underscore the effort to resolve the conflict is complex. “We understand that Washington wants to achieve quick success in this process, but at the same time we hope that there is an understanding that the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis is too complicated, there are many questions and details that need to be addressed before the settlement,” Kremlin spokesman Peskov told last month. The Istanbul talks were demoted to a technical meeting yesterday that failed to yield substantial results on ending the war. Putin’s no-show did not result in a strong reaction from Trump, which frustrated Ukrainian officials. The U.S. has expressed frustration with the stalled talks. Yesterday, Trump told reporters after boarding Air Force One to return to Washington from Abu Dhabi that he may call Putin soon. “He and I will meet, and I think we’ll solve it, or maybe not,” Trump said. “At least we’ll know. And if we don’t solve it, it’ll be very interesting.” Ukraine is asking for an unconditional temporary ceasefire, during which time future diplomatic talks can take shape. Zelenskyy has expressed support for a sanctions package pushed in the U.S. Congress by Republican Sen. Graham 'that could impose 500% tariffs on Russian energy imports'. There needs to be a strong reaction, including sanctions against Russia’s energy sector and banks, Zelenskyy said at a European summit in Albania yesterday. For Ukrainian soldiers fighting along the 1,000-kilometer front line the theatricality of the week’s political developments stood in harsh contrast with the grinding war. Better to call it a circus, said a Ukrainian drone operator with the 68th brigade who gave only his call sign Goose. Russia likely gearing up for summer fighting campaign. “The feeling is that we will either hold out and allow the political leadership of the country to freeze the conflict along the contact line, or the enemy will break through,” said a Ukrainian soldier with the call sign Corsair Denis in the Sumy region. Russian forces recently intensified offensive operations in the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, according to Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces spokesperson. Soldiers said Russia has a clear aim of reaching the borders of the Dnipropetrovsk region, to be able to claim the capture of two out of four partially occupied territories. Analysts say Russia is at a crucial crossroads in the war, where it can negotiate a truce and consolidate gains, or launch a summer military campaign to maximize wins before the onset of winter. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)
’Litvinova contributed from Tallinn, Estonia’.

Ukraine
May 17, 2025  A Russian drone struck a passenger bus in Bilopillia city in northeastern Sumy region in Ukraine, around 10 kilometers from the front line and border with Russia, killing nine people and injuring four others. The local media outlet Suspilne said the passengers on the bus were being evacuated from Bilopillia when the strike occurred. Yesterday, Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Turkey in an attempt to reach a temporary ceasefire, but the talks ended after less than two hours without a breakthrough. While both sides agreed on a large prisoner swap, they clearly remained far apart on key conditions for ending the fighting. Zelenskyy was in Tirana, Albania, yesterday. He met with French President Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the second for the group since May 10. (Source: ABC News / Associated Press = U.S.)

Asia

Gaza
May 17, 2025, 04:48 PM  Israel’s airforce killed at least 58 Palestinians in new attacks on Gaza overnight, as the country appeared set to press ahead with a new ground offensive. More than 300 Gazans have been killed in Israeli strikes since May 15, according to local health authorities. (Source: The Straits Times - Singapore)

(Saturday) 17/05/2025 - 10:40  The Israeli military said today it had launched extensive strikes in the Gaza Strip over the past day as part of the initial stages of a fresh offensive on the besieged Palestinian territory. More than 300 Gazans have been killed in Israeli strikes since Thursday. (Source: France 24)

05/17/2025, 10.10  The Israeli army has announced that it launched large-scale strikes in the past 24 hours, marking the “initial phases” of the Gideon’s Chariots operation, which involves troops taking control of strategic areas in the Gaza Strip. Thousands of Palestinians were forced to evacuate areas in northern Gaza following orders by Israeli forces, while indiscriminate airstrikes have killed at least 115 people since dawn yesterday. (Source: AsiaNews, an official press agency of the Catholic Church's Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) - headquarters Roma, Italy)

Pakistan
17.05.25  Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has publicly acknowledged that Indian ballistic missiles struck the Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi and other key military sites during Operation Sindoor. Satellite imagery released by Maxar Technologies later showed damage at multiple locations. Images captured on April 25 and May 10 indicated structural damage at four sites - Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi, PAF Base Mushaf in Sargodha, Bholari Air Base, and PAF Base Shahbaz in Jacobabad. (Source: Telegraph India)

Turkey
17 May 2025  Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul. In its messaging ahead of the talks, the Russian side depicted the talks as a return to the failed Istanbul negotiations of early 2022. The implied message was that the Ukrainians could have taken what the Russians offered then, and now, after the loss of so much human life, they were back to where they started. Much is still unknown about the 2022 peace talks and they remain highly contentious. But what is known is that they produced something called the Istanbul Communiqué, a draft treaty that would have declared Ukraine a permanently neutral state, meaning it would agree to never host foreign military bases or to join Nato. Further, the proposed treaty listed a number of potential guarantors of Ukraine’s future security, including the permanent members of the Security Council, (including Russia), Canada, Turkey, Poland, Belarus, and Italy. These states would be obliged to assist the Ukrainians in restoring peace in the event of an attack on its territory. The Communique envisioned a path for the country’s eventual EU membership. There were also some glaring omissions. Most significantly, the Communique did not address the burning issue of territory and borders. The Russian side has claimed that both sides were close to an agreement, but that it was ultimately thwarted by Boris Johnson, who purportedly pressured the Ukrainians not to sign because he wanted them to fight in order to weaken Russia at any cost. Though Western leaders were indeed skeptical of the talks, and Johnson reportedly told Zelensky that any deal with the Russians would deliver the Kremlin a victory of sorts, the West’s main issue with the treaty was reportedly that it would have necessitated engaging Russia diplomatically in order to hammer out the specifics of Ukraine’s security guarantees. And neither direct diplomatic engagement with Russia nor the provision of security guarantees were things the West was interested in doing. The Ukrainians were also infuriated by the discovery of Russian atrocities against Ukrainian civilians, including women and children, in the city of Bucha. Further, Russia’s failure to take Kyiv convinced Zelensky that with sufficient Western military aid, ’Ukraine could win the war’. In another nod to 2022, the Russian delegation would once again be led by the Ukraine-born Russian nationalist and Kremlin aide Medinsky. The Russians are reportedly looking at any potential settlement on Ukraine as part of a larger grand bargain with the Americans, one that would also keep the Trump administration onside. From the outside, all the diplomatic activity of Turkey looks impressive: just this week, it hosted Russia-Ukraine talks, nuclear talks between the Europeans and Iran, and the Nato foreign ministers’ meeting. Though this week’s peace talks failed to deliver peace, at the end of yesterday, it was announced the Russia and Ukraine had agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each, the largest of the war. It wasn’t peace; it wasn’t even a ceasefire, but 'it was more than nothing'. As this week’s peace talks failed to deliver, Trump asserted that no deal on Ukraine was possible until he met with Putin. And perhaps he’s right. (Source: The New Statesman - United Kingdom)

North America

17/05/2025, Saturday  US President Trump said yesterday that he has to come together with Putin to end the Ukraine war. "I have a very good relationship with Putin. I think we'll make a deal. We have to get together, and I think we'll probably schedule it up," Trump told in Abu Dhabi. "I think Putin is tired of this whole thing," he said, adding he would use leverage if he had to. "Nobody uses leverage better than me," he added. Istanbul hosted Russia-Ukraine talks yesterday to advance peace efforts between the two countries which resulted in an agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners from each side as a confidence-building measure. Turkish FM Fidan said Ukrainian and Russian officials agreed in principle to meet again for negotiations on a ceasefire. Trump said he is tired of having other people "go and meet and everything else." (Source: Yeni Safak / Anadolu Agency = Turkey)

May 17, 2025  Axios obtained the audio of former President Biden's October 2023 interviews with special counsel Hur. /Audio - 5 h 10 min/ (Source: YouTube - U.S.)
213 572 views

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Europe

Poland
(Friday), May 16, 2025 Presidential elections: Thirteen candidates of all stripes are vying to be the next president of the Central European country of 38 million people. The electoral campaign in the European Union and NATO member largely revolved around foreign policy, showcasing a clash of philosophies over Poland's attitude towards the European Union, towards migration, towards the United States. It was a kind of identity campaign. And there was Ukraine. The job of Polish president comes with some real power. That has often stymied Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a former European Council chief whose ’centrist’ Civic Coalition (KO) has clashed on multiple fronts with conservative President Duda since coming to power in 2023. Tusk's KO is supporting Warsaw mayor Trzaskowski for president. Duda, who cannot run again, is allied with historian Nawrocki, endorsed by the main opposition Law and Justice party (PiS). Trzaskowski is the front-runner, with 33% of the vote in the latest opinion polls, compared with 26% for Nawrocki. With neither on track to win more than 50%, they will likely meet again in a runoff on June 1. Mentzen, the ’far-right’ Confederation party candidate is polling in third with 11%. The three candidates of the fragmented left have no more than 11% together. The governing coalition is hopeful a victory by Trzaskowski, 53, would enable it to fulfill its hitherto undelivered campaign pledges. Tusk's administration e.g. has been blocked from easing Poland's stringent abortion laws. Unfulfilled pledges - or ones carried out only partially or later than hoped for - have left some voters disappointed in the government. The difficult cohabitation would only be reinforced if Nawrocki, 42, becomes president. Poland's president is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, steers foreign policy and can introduce and veto legislation. "With Nawrocki as president, the government would be paralyzed, and that could eventually lead to the fall of the ruling coalition," said political scientist Materska-Sosnowska of the University of Warsaw. The vote is also crucial for security, said Przybylski, head of the Res Publica foundation. Under Tusk, Poland ’has grown more important’ on the continent and reinforced its position as a ’key voice’ on NATO's eastern flank. Depending on the outcome of Romania's presidential election, Poland risks becoming the only large country with strategic security importance there. Tusk's government meanwhile is beginning to operate in a new paradigm where security is not uniquely based on transatlantic ties, Przybylski said. Last week, Tusk signed a treaty with France, committing both sides to mutual assistance in case of an attack by an aggressor. Nawrocki's politics are clearly linked to the mindset and approach of U.S. President Trump whose country the candidate touts as the sole guarantor of security. Nawrocki admires Trump, whom he met at the White House this month. The Pole claimed Trump told him: "You will win." ’Some lawmakers from the governing coalition have accused Trump of election interference. Days before the vote, Nawrocki received an endorsement from Romania's ’far-right’ presidential candidate Simion, who faces a run-off on Sunday. The two Trump fans vowed to work together. (Source: The Japan Times / AFP-JIJI)

16.05.2025  Poland will hold the first round of the presidential elections on May 18, Sunday. Only two days before the Polish elections a group of Russian hackers active on Telegram have attacked the Civic Platform internet sites, Polish premier Donald Tusk said on X. He added that websites of the other coalition partners, center-right Poland 2050 and conservative Polish People’s Party, have also come under attack. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Portugal
16/05/2025  Ahead of Sunday's vote Portugal prepares for its third early general election in three years. Polls suggest a fragmented outcome, with no clear majority expected. The ruling centre-right Democratic Alliance is set to lead, but questions remain about forming a stable government amid growing support for the 'far-right' Chega party. (Source: France 24)

Romania
(Friday), 16/05/2025  Romania's election campaign closes. Invited to a live talk show yesterday in Paris, Simion proclaimed his love for France and then bluntly accused Macron of dictatorial tendencies and stated that France interfered in the Romanian elections. The leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), Simion chose France as the finish line for his election campaign, reaching out to the decisive votes of the Romanian diaspora,  also declaring his aversion to Macron. I don’t like Macron’s dictatorial tendencies, Simion said, to which the host replied that If you already call your counterpart a dictator, this is promising for Romania’s relations with France. Today, the hard-right candidate chose to continue the charge when he met the French media in an event organised by ’far-right’ French MEP Marechal, who endorsed Simion. With just hours before the end of Romania’s fiery presidential election campaign, the AUR leader Simion continued his attack, saying that Macron is not just dictatorial, but if things go in this rhythm, in 20-50 years we won’t be able to talk of the France that we know.’ It can become anything, maybe a caliphate or something else, Simion said. Simion accused French President Macron of interference. ’We don’t respect Macron who is trying to interfere in our election. He did it in December. He is doing it again now, through the French embassy,’ he added. „My message is very clear: this is none of your business. Nor that of Putin. It’s none of Zelenskyy’s business. It’s not Trump’s business. This is the decision of the free and sovereign Romanian people. You are not an emperor. You don’t even really love the French people.” While Simion was raging against Macron in the French capital today, his contender Dan, who studied mathematics at the Sorbonne in Paris, released a video of a warm conversation between him and Macron. In his social media post, Dan says that ’while my contender was insulting the French people right at their home, I had a dialogue with Monsieur Macron, while thanking him for his support. The video starts with Macron speaking in English to which Dan replies that they can talk in French, “because I spent few years in Paris long time ago”, in contrast to Simion’s talk-show performance in which he displayed an approximate French, ultimately switching to Romanian. During the call, Macron praises France and Romania's profound relations and legacy, concluding that what is at stake in these elections is ’of course the key to not only Romania’s destiny, but also ours. ’Therefore, the French president said, it is essential to have a pro-European partner involved in the collective security and economic modernity. Dan replied that security is without a doubt Europe’s main concern and this is the first thing that must be developed if he become the president of Romania. We must pass this Sunday for Romania’s direction to be clearly towards Europe, Dan concluded. The hard-right candidate Simion and the independent centrist Dan are neck and neck in the latest opinion polls before the vote on Sunday. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France)

European Parliament
16/05/2025  Last month the Hungarian parliament passed an amendment to the constitution codifying the law banning public events that are considered to be in breach of the Child Protection Act, which heavily restricted depictions of homosexuality and gender reassignment. Events held by the LGBTQ+ community, such as the yearly Pride parade in Budapest were prohibited under the new law. A group of Members of the European Parliament is preparing to travel to Hungary to protest 'the government’s decision' to ban this year’s Budapest Pride. A delegation of MEPs from The Left to the European People Party is expected to join Pride march in Budapest next month. By banning Pride, 'the Hungarian government' 'wants to silence opposition', said Angel, S&D MEP and co-chair of the LGBTIQ+ Intergroup. Next Tuesday in LIBE committee, there will be a vote on this year's rule of law report and the European People Party (EPP) group has requested separate votes on all paragraphs that include the LGBTQI+ rights, he said, referring to language on same-sex marriage, gender recognition and conversion practices. Activists from Romania, Bulgaria and Italy warned that the situation is not limited to Hungary, citing rising violence, legal crackdowns and public hostility against LGBTIQ+ people across the region. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France)

Albania
16 May 2025  European leaders gathered in Albania for a Political Community Summit. In an opening video clip, the heads of states were portrayed as babies. /Video/ (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)
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Ukraine
May 16, 2025  One of the F-16 fighter jets provided to Ukraine by its Western allies was lost today. Ukraine received its first F-16s in early August 2024. On August 26 it lost the first fighter jet. (Source: Meduza - based in Latvia)

Asia

Gaza
16.05.2025  More than 100 Palestinians were killed in several attacks carried out by the Israeli army in northern Gaza at daybreak today. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Turkey
Friday 16 May 2025 13:40 BST  Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in three years today, gathering in Istanbul for Turkish-brokered negotiations. Officials and observers expected them to yield little immediate progress on stopping the more than three-year war. A senior Ukrainian official at the peace talks in Istanbul said that Kyiv’s delegation was prepared ’to achieve a lot’ today. He accused Moscow of introducing unacceptable demands that had not been previously discussed, including calls for Kyiv’s forces to withdraw from large swaths of territory they control so a complete ceas efire to be implemented. He said it seemed as if the Russian delegation deliberately wants to throw nonstarters on the table ’in order to walk away from today’s meeting without any results’. The Ukrainian side reiterated it remained focused on an immediate ceasefire and a pathway to substantive diplomacy, ’just like the U.S., European partners, and other countries proposed’, the official added. Ukrainian officials held an early-morning meeting with national security advisers from the United States, France, Germany and the United Kingdom to coordinate positions, a senior Ukrainian official told. The U.S. team was led by retired Lt. Gen. Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, while Umerov and presidential office chief Yermak represented Ukraine. A three-way meeting between Turkey, the U.S. and Ukraine also took place, Turkish Foreign Ministry officials said. The U.S. side included Secretary of State Rubio as well as Kellogg. Rubio yesterday said he didn't foresee major developments in Istanbul. ”Frankly, at this point, I think it’s abundantly clear that the only way we’re going to have a breakthrough here is between President Trump and President Putin,” Rubio told. Zelenskyy, meantime, flew to Albania to attend a meeting today of the leaders of 47 European countries. Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Umerov sat down with a Russian team headed by presidential aide Medinsky. The two sides are far apart in their conditions for ending the war, and Trump said yesterday during a trip to the Middle East that a meeting between himself and Putin was crucial to breaking the deadlock. Kremlin spokesperson Peskov told top-level talks were “certainly needed.” He noted that preparing a summit would take time. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

16.05.2025  Turkey-Russia-Ukraine Trilateral Meeting. Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan said Ukrainian and Russian officials agreed in principle to meet again for negotiations aimed at reaching a ceasefire. The intense diplomatic talks, held under Türkiye’s facilitation, resulted in an agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners from each side as a confidence-building measure. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

North America

United States
May 16, 2025  Trump administration working on plan to permanently relocate up to  1 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Libya. No final agreement has been reached, but the administration has discussed it with Libyan leadership. In exchange for the resettling of Palestinians, the administration would potentially release to Libya billions of dollars of funds that the U.S. froze more than a decade ago. Israel has been kept informed of the administration’s discussions. After publication of this article, a spokesperson told “these reports are untrue.” Such a plan was not discussed and makes no sense, the spokesperson said. (Source: NBC News - U.S.)

Fri, May 16 2025  Moody’s Ratings cut the United States’ sovereign credit rating down one notch to Aa1 from Aaa, the highest possible, citing the growing burden of financing the federal government’s budget deficit and the rising cost of rolling over existing debt amid high interest rates. The decision to lower the United States credit profile would be expected, at the margin, to lift the yield that investors demand in order to buy U.S. Treasury debt to reflect more risk, and could dampen sentiment toward owning U.S. assets, including stocks. That said, all the major credit rating agencies continue to give the United States their second-highest available rating. Standard & Poor’s downgraded the U.S. to AA+ from AAA in August 2011, and Fitch Ratings also cut the U.S. rating to AA+ from AAA, in August 2023. The U.S. is running a massive budget deficit as interest costs for Treasury debt continued to rise due to a combination of higher rates and more principal debt to finance. The fiscal deficit in the year that began October 1 is already running at $1.05 trillion, 13% higher than a year ago. Revenue from tariffs helped shave some of the imbalance last month. In early April, Treasury yields rose and the dollar weakened against its global counterparts in reaction to Trump imposing high tariffs on imported goods coming into the U.S., a sign that investors could be starting to move away from the U.S. as the safest place in the world to invest. (Source: CNBC - U.S.)

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 Europe

Poland
15 May 2025  Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has accused Romanian presidential candidate Simion of pro-Russian interference in his country’s affairs after the right-winger spoke at a Silesian rally to support opposition Conservative (PiS) candidate Nawrocki ahead of Poland’s vote for its own new president on May 18. The Romanian politician replied by posting a 2010 photograph of the Polish leader making a friendly gesture towards Russian president Putin in the aftermath of the Smolensk air disaster that led to the death of PiS-supporting Polish president Kaczyński and 95 other officials and staff. In this photo is Putin's man in Poland. The whole of Europe knows it. Nobody believes your lies and hypocrisy anymore, Donald!, Simion wrote on May 13, 2025. The Romanian candidate attended a rally for Nawrocki on May 13 in Zabrze, where a local recall referendum earlier this month resulted in voters removing the Tusk-allied mayor from office. Simion told the Zabrze audience that the unelected European authorities tried to steal the elections in Romania, but the Romanian people stood against it -  stood for freedom, just as you Poles once stood against communism. Simion, the candidate of the Romanian right-wing party AUR, is a member of the European Conservative Reformists in the European Parliament, of which PiS and Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party are also members. Speaking on Polish government controlled broadcaster Radio Trójka, PiS MP Fogiel criticised Tusk for his attack on Simion, saying that it was against Poland’s interests to argue with allies. 'Tusk has in the past made out that Trump is a Russian spy and that ended with the Polish PM being debarred from entry to the White House. Now he wants to get into conflict with a potential president and ally in Romania', he said. (Source: Brussels Signal - Belgium)

European Commission
15-May-2025  The European Commission is urging the EU countries to speed up visa procedures in a bid to attract U.S. researchers, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation Zaharieva said yesterday. She noted that EU research ministers are scheduled to meet on May 23 to discuss strategies for attracting U.S.-based scientists seeking to leave the country in light of Trump administration's ongoing budget cuts to science and research. A survey published by the British scientific journal Nature in late March revealed that approximately 75 percent of surveyed U.S. scientists were considering leaving the country as the current U.S. administration has disrupted their future career plans. Europe and Canada ranked among the most favored destinations. Last week, the commission announced the launch of a half-billion-euro research incentive program for 2025-2027, aimed at drawing top-tier scientific talent globally. (Source: CGTN - China)

European Union
15.05.2025  'The ongoing war in Ukraine had prompted European countries to increase their defense spending. Rheinmetall, which produces Leopard 2 tanks and is Europe’s largest ammunition producer, saw its stock surge more than 1,400% since the start of the war in Ukraine. Its market value surpassed $78.4 billion' - greater than that of the region’s largest carmaker Volkswagen. Excluded from the Ukraine peace talks, European leaders initiated a strategic defense framework for the bloc. 'European defense stocks rose as Trump urged NATO allies to boost military investments'. "Companies in the EU’s defense index have already seen a five-day decline in shares prior to the restart of Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations in Türkiye. The STOXX Europe Aerospace and Defense index declined about 2% in the last five days. Shares of German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall fell roughly 9% to €1,592 ($1,784), down from a peak of $1,954 on May 9. The five-day drop was 3.25%". "Other defense firms are also seeing declines. Over the last five days, shares of Sweden’s Saab dropped 6.15%, France’s Thales 5%, Italy’s Leonardo SpA 5%, Germany’s Hensoldt 4%, and the UK's BAE Systems about 2%". In contrast, France’s Safran and the UK’s Rolls-Royce each gained about 1%, while Airbus shares remained mostly flat. "US and Asian defense firms’ shares also declined. Most notably, Lockheed Martin, the US-based maker of the F-35 fighter jet, lost 2.51%". (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Russia
15/05/2025 US  President Trump and Russian President Putin indicated they would not attend what could be the first direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv in three years today, with the Kremlin sending instead a group of experienced technocrats. The US delegation to Turkey included Secretary of State Rubio and senior envoys Witkoff and Kellogg. While the Kyiv leader was on his way to Turkey late yesterday, a Ukrainian official said, he had said he would take part in the talks only if Putin attended. Direct talks between negotiators from Ukraine and Russia last took place in Istanbul in March 2022, a month after Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in what he calls a “special military operation” to root out neo-Nazis. (Source: France 24)

Ukraine
May 15, 2025  U.S. President Trump said today that there would be no progress toward peace in Ukraine until he meets with Russian leader Putin, as much-hyped Moscow-Kyiv talks in Turkey turned into a huge nothingburger. “Look, nothing is gonna happen until Putin and I get together,” Trump told on board Air Force One en route to the United Arab Emirates. “And he wasn’t gonna go … He wasn’t going if I wasn’t there”. „But we are gonna have to get it solved because too many people are dying.’ Zelenskyy arrived in Turkey, Putin refused to attend and instead sent a lower-level delegation. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov belittled Zelenskyy and said that any kind of pause in the conflict will be used to rearm Ukraine. Moscow has once again dismissed a ceasefire, and not backed down on any of its original war goals from the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, notably including Ukraine disarming, dropping its NATO aspirations and reinstating dominance of Russian language, church and culture in its society. ’The Russian chair in Turkey is de facto empty. Because it makes little difference whether Mr. Nobody, sent by Putin, and his insignificant colleagues sit in their chairs or not. They are not the ones making decisions. And the person who does - Putin - is either afraid to come or does not take the U.S.-led peace effort seriously,’ said a Ukrainian diplomatic official. ’Still, we are considering sending someone at the appropriate level to at least hear what these people have to say and whether they are able to decide at least anything. If they are willing to have a serious conversion, we may engage in it. Otherwise, we will have the right to conclude that this is a Russian charade, not meaningful work for peace,’ the official added. After a meeting with Turkish President Erdoğan in Ankara, Zelenskyy said he was sending a delegation, led by Ukrainian Defense Minister Umerov, to talk to the Russians and Americans in Istanbul. Zelenskyy is going to European Political Community summit in Tirana with Erdoğan tomorrow. We will not recognize all occupied territories as Russian, Zelenskyy said. We want sanctions from Europe and United States as a minimum, Zelenskyy added. Prior to the planned negotiations, the Russian army attacked Ukraine with 145 drones, injuring dozens of people, and continued to grind forward on the enormous battlefield in the country’s east. Russians are getting ready to continue their offensive in Ukraine while pushing for negotiations, and that’s a normal practice, let’s be honest, Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence told yesterday in Kyiv. ’Talks do not mean a solution.’ And Kremlin troops are already eyeing a new region - Ukraine’s eastern industrial stronghold of Dnipro. We have to deal with the enemy that wants to destroy our entire state, Budanov added. (Source: Politico - headquarters in U.S., owned by a German company)

Asia

Iran
(Thursday, 15 May 2025)  US President Trump says that Iran has "sort of" agreed to the terms of a nuclear deal with the United States. He described the latest talks between the two countries, which ended on Sunday, as "very serious negotiations" for "long-term peace". The US has insisted that Iran must scrap its uranium enrichment to prevent the country developing nuclear weapons - though Iran insists its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful. "We're not going to be making any nuclear dust in Iran," Trump said after a meeting in Doha, Qatar, with business leaders, on the second stop of his multi-day Gulf tour. "I think we're getting close to maybe doing a deal without having to do this. Earlier, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Shamkhani, said that Tehran was willing to accept far-reaching curbs on its nuclear programme. He told that Iran would give up stockpiles of highly enriched uranium as part of a deal in which the US lifts sanctions. The latest talks over Tehran's nuclear programme finished on Sunday, with both sides agreeing to meet again. US Middle East Envoy Witkoff said they were encouraging, while Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi described them as "difficult but useful". Trump previously warned of possible military action against Iran's nuclear facilities if the fresh set of talks, which began in April, did not succeed. A senior US official said the latest discussions lasted more than three hours, adding: "Agreement was reached to move forward with the talks to continue working through technical elements. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

Kazakhstan
15 May 2025  Opinion: The Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks need multiple platforms for negotiations. While Turkey sought to maintain balanced relations throughout the conflict, its provision of military support to Ukraine, including drones, complicated its image as a neutral party. Despite these complexities, as a NATO member with significant energy partnerships with Russia, Turkey serves as a crucial intermediary. Furthermore, its active role in initiatives like the Black Sea Grain Agreement reinforced its credibility in international diplomacy. Turkey’s continued involvement, therefore, benefits not only the peace process but also its own economic and strategic interests. Kazakhstan is also well-positioned to contribute to the peace negotiations. Kazakhstan’s shared history with Russia and Ukraine as former Soviet republics has shaped mutual economic and security frameworks, rooted in decades of centralized governance and cooperation. The continued use of the Russian language as one medium of communication across these nations underscores intertwined cultural and historical links. Kazakhstan’s relationship with Russia spans centuries, marked by alliances, trade, and cultural exchange, further deepening ties beyond the Soviet era. In recent years, Kazakhstan has diversified its alliances through its multi-vector foreign policy. It has forged strong relationships with China, the U.S., the EU and organizations like the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) while cultivating robust economic ties. Its energy sector has attracted major foreign investors such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell. By hosting peace talks and global summits, Kazakhstan has established itself as a neutral mediator, balancing traditional ties with Russia while expanding its global influence. President Tokayev hosted pivotal talks in Almaty in 2024 between Armenia and Azerbaijan, addressing over three decades of conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. Kazakhstan also played a key role in facilitating the 2018 agreement on the Caspian Sea’s legal status, which resolved disputes over resources and territorial boundaries. The country hosted multiple rounds of Syrian peace talks starting in Astana in 2017, bringing together the Syrian government, opposition groups, and international stakeholders, including Russia and Turkey. Similarly, it provided a platform for the Iran nuclear talks in 2013 and supported the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Additionally, Kazakhstan hosted the 2010 OSCE Summit that led to the adoption of the Astana Declaration. This reaffirmed the Helsinki Principles on peace, security, and cooperation from Vancouver to Vladivostok. It represented a critical collective commitment to territorial integrity, sovereignty, and human rights since the dissolution of the USSR, promoting lasting geopolitical cooperation. Kazakhstan’s foreign policy has adhered to the principles of the UN Charter, including respecting sovereignty, territorial integrity, and peaceful dispute resolution. Kazakhstan’s neutrality has faced challenges during the Ukraine-Russia conflict. By refusing to recognize separatist regions in Ukraine, Kazakhstan affirmed its opposition to unilateral border changes through force. Simultaneously, it engaged with both Kyiv and Moscow, ensuring open channels of communication to mitigate tensions. By offering its capital, Astana, as a neutral venue for diplomatic talks, Kazakhstan has continually emphasized the importance of diplomacy and mutual respect in resolving conflicts. Kazakhstan exemplifies how middle powers can contribute constructively to global peace and security in a multipolar world. (Source: The Times of Central Asia - Kyrgyzstan)

Turkey
Thursday 15 May 2025  Zelenskyy has landed in Turkey's capital Ankara 'for ceasefire talks with the country's President Erdogan". /video/ (Source: Sky News - United Kingdom)

15 May 2025  Foreign ministry spokeswoman, Zakharova, announced the talks, which are due to take place in Istanbul, have been pushed back until this afternoon at Turkey’s initiative. US president Trump said he was not surprised Russian president Putin will be a no-show for anticipated peace talks with Ukraine in Turkey this week. I didn't think it was possible for Putin to go if I'm not there, Mr Trump said as he took part in a business roundtable with executives in Doha on the third day of his visit to the Middle East. Mr Trump earlier this week floated potentially attending himself. But the US president noted today that secretary of state Rubio was already in the country for meetings with Nato counterparts. (Source: LBC - United Kingdom)

May 15, 2025  A proposed trilateral summit between U.S. President Trump, Zelensky, and Russian President Putin to end the war in Ukraine has collapsed after Putin declined to attend. Trump and Zelensky both decided not to travel to Istanbul, Türkiye, where peace talks were scheduled for May 15, citing Putin’s absence. According to a U.S. official quoted yesterday, President Trump canceled his visit after Putin announced a delegation that did not include himself. The U.S. will still participate in the peace talks. Secretary of State Rubio, along with special envoys Witkoff and Kellogg, will attend negotiations in Istanbul to mediate between Russia and Ukraine. Rubio arrived in Antalya, Türkiye, on May 14 to attend an informal NATO foreign ministers' meeting, where he held talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sybiha to discuss ending the war and increasing defense spending among Western allies. Rubio is expected to conclude his NATO meetings today and join the peace talks in Istanbul tomorrow, coordinating with Witkoff and Kellogg. As a result, initial Ukraine-Russia discussions will begin today, with U.S. officials joining the following day. The framework for the discussions is expected to be based on proposals made by Ukraine during the 2022 Istanbul talks. At the time, Ukrainian presidential adviser Podolyak suggested a 15-year negotiation period regarding the status of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, and direct talks between Putin and Zelensky on the Donbas region controlled by pro-Russian separatists. Ukraine also proposed adopting a neutral status, renouncing foreign military bases and troop deployments, and receiving security guarantees from countries like Israel, Türkiye, and France. Medinsky, a presidential aide, who lead Russia’s delegation to Istanbul confirmed at the time that Ukraine had submitted a formal proposal declaring itself a non-aligned, non-nuclear state. The proposal included a ban on all weapons of mass destruction, including biochemical arms, a prohibition on foreign troops and bases in Ukraine, and a requirement for consent from security guarantor countries before conducting military exercises. Ukraine also suggested dropping efforts to reclaim Crimea by force, excluding the pro-Russian Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) from international security guarantees, and signaling a potential withdrawal of its bid to join the European Union, according to Medinsky. (Source: Asiatoday- South Korea)

North America

United States
(Thursday), May 15, 2025  President Trump today said he would skip Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul and downplayed Russian President Putin’s decision not to attend. Speaking at a business roundtable with executives in Doha as part of a four-day tour of the region, Trump said he wasn’t going because of scheduling conflicts. "I actually said, why would he go if I’m not going?" Trump said. "I didn't think it was possible for Putin to go if I'm not there." But he noted during the business roundtable that Secretary of State Rubio was already in Istanbul for meetings with NATO counterparts. Trump's special envoy, Witkoff, also plans to be in Istanbul tomorrow for the anticipated Russia-Ukraine talks. Putin was the first to propose restarting direct peace talks today with Ukraine in the Turkish city that straddles Asia and Europe. Zelenskyy challenged the Kremlin leader to meet in Turkey in person. Speaking in Doha, Trump said the Russia-Ukraine war "has to stop." 'We spent $350 billion there – just handed. Nobody even knows where the money is. There’s no accounting. There’s no one. It’s just give him money,' Trump said, referring to Zelenskyy. 'I have to hand it to him. I think he’s the greatest salesman, maybe in history. Every time he came to the United States, he’d walk away with $100 billion. That’s a good salesman, right?’ Trump said. "Last time he didn’t do as well. He only got $60 billion.' Zelenskyy last visited the White House in February. The two leaders last met on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral last month. Later today, Trump will visit a U.S. installation in Qatar at the center of American involvement in the Middle East. He has used his four-day visit to Gulf states to reject the ’interventionism’ of America's past in the region. (Source: Fox News; „The Associated Press contributed” = U.S.)

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Europe    Európa

Germany
MAY 14, 2025 ’The federal government will provide all the financial resources that the Bundeswehr needs to become the strongest conventional army in Europe,’ Merz said in a speech in the Bundestag today. ’Our friends and partners also expect this from us, and what's more, they are actually demanding it.’ This come after Merz led a historic U-turn on German fiscal policy, including a drastic 'loosening of the country’s constitutional debt brake to potentially unlock hundreds of billions of euros of borrowing for defense. That cash can also be used to finance military support for Ukraine’. Our goal is a country, a Germany and ’a Europe that are together’ so strong that we never have to use our weapons, the new chancellor added. Merz vowed that Germany would continue to back Kyiv and revamp Germany’s struggling, export-driven economy, which has contracted for two years in a row. Gen. Breuer, Germany’s top military commander, told an audience at the German Council on Foreign Relations in April that Germany needs 100,000 additional troops ’as quickly as possible.’ Yet, despite intensified recruitment efforts, troop levels have flatlined at around 182,000 as many young people in Germany shun military service. (Source: Politico - U.S.)

May 14, 2025  Merz woos Trump with invitation to German ancestral village Kallstadt, where the president’s grandfather, Friedrich was born and raised before emigrating to the United States at the age of 16 in 1885. (Source: Politico - U.S.)

14 May 2025 German prosecutors said three Ukrainian nationals have been arrested in Germany and Switzerland on suspicion of acting as secret agents and planning to send parcels with explosives to Ukraine in an act of sabotage for Russia. (Source: LBC - United Kingdom)

Románia
2025.05.14.  Nem egyszerű feladat; izgalmas a közélet Romániában. 'Ahogy azt a manipulációs iskolákban tanítják: nevezd meg a valós problémát, az ember ismerje fel magát benne, majd ajánlj neked kedvező megoldást. Ha igazad volt a probléma megnevezését illetően, akkor a polgár azt fogja gondolni, hogy a megoldási javaslataid is igazak lehetnek.' Néhány esemény, amely hozzájárult a politikai osztállyal szembeni teljes kiábránduláshoz, ahhoz az állapothoz, amely végül szélsőséges, népámító népies szereplőket emelt fel a politika színpadára: A tavaly november–decemberi választások idejére a PSD–PNL-együttműködés hosszú távú alapjai már biztosnak tűntek. A „Binom” néven emlegetett politikai szörny (PNL+PSD) és az RMDSZ uralta a helyi önkormányzatok 98 százalékát, közösen kormányozták az országot, és csak az államfői szék hiányzott a portfólióból. A múlt azonban ismételni próbálta önmagát, még ha szánalmasabb formában is: a PSD és a PNL között kiéleződtek a feszültségek, amelyek ezúttal csak egy felszínes versenyhelyzet meglétét jelezték, semmiképp sem vízióbeli vagy ideológiai különbséget. Mindkét párt szerette volna magáénak tudni az államfői széket, mindketten saját első emberüket indították a választáson. A PNL a koalíciós kormány rotációs rendszerében a kormányfői posztot elsőként elfoglaló Ciucăt, míg a PSD az épp hivatalban levő kormányfőt, Marcel Ciolacut. A két párt közötti versengést nyíltan nem lehetett művelni, ugyanis közösen kormányoztak, ezért miniháborújukat a különböző proxyjaikon keresztül vívták meg. Azzal kezdték, hogy a PSD–PNL „Binom” által feltöltött Alkotmánybíróság eltiltotta a választásokon való szerepléstől Șoșoacă képviselőnőt, az S.O.S. Romania párt erősen és nyíltan oroszbarát, az alkotmányos rend megdöntését kilátásba helyező elnökét. A román sajtóban több helyen is megjelent az a vélemény, hogy a PSD valójában Simionnak dobott egy mentőövet. Șoșoacă eltiltásával ugyanis nyugodtan lehetett úgy számolni, hogy a neki szánt szavazatok majd Simion irányába vándorolnak át, ami a PSD által elképzelt Simion–Ciolacu második forduló irányába mozdítja el a választást. A párt kampánystratégiája ugyanis a jelek szerint arra épült, hogy megismétlik a 2000-ben történt elnökválasztások módszerét, amikor a mindenki által megvetett Iliescu a szélsőséges Tudorral került a második fordulóba, így a nép, félve a nagyobb veszélytől, ismét megszavazta a posztkommunista államfőt. A PSD-nek, különösen a nem túl karizmatikus Ciolacunak egyéb kontextusban nem lett volna esélye győzni egy második fordulóban, amikor az ország, a hagyományok szerint, összeáll a baloldal (a PSD) ellen. Így született meg az az elképzelés, hogy Simiont proxynak használva mesterségesen idéznek elő egy Ciolacu–Simion második fordulót. Az ügy érdekében, mint utólag kiderült, a PSD néhány ezer voksot is átirányított Simionhoz. A PNL érzékelte az ebben rejlő veszélyt, és ugyancsak keresett magának egy proxyt, akivel Simiont tudja gyengíteni, hogy elkerülje a Ciolacu–Simion második forduló kialakulását. Ez lett Georgescu. Az ő TikTok-kampányának finanszírozásába még a párt is beszállt. A két koalíciós partner annyira elszakadt a valóságtól, hogy elhitték: egy kis proxyharc árán ugyan, de valós esélyük van a második fordulóba juttatni jelöltjüket. Végül egyikük sem érte el az ehhez szükséges szavazatmennyiséget, a proxybábuk pedig életre keltek: Georgescu lett az első, a rendszerellenes, elitek által nem támogatott Lasconi USR-elnök a második, Marcel Ciolacu csak a harmadik, míg Simion a negyedik helyen végzett. Azok a politikai szereplők, akik a választások időpontjának manipulálásával, Șoșoacă kizárásával, a proxykkal való játszadozással önmagukat juttatták volna a második fordulóba, nem értek be az első két helyre. A végeredmény ennél is érdekesebb: a választópolgárok percepciójában mind Georgescu, mind Lasconi rendszerellenesként jelenik meg. A román társadalom világos üzenetet küldött: elege van a politikai osztályból. Utóbbiak azonban nem sokat értettek meg az üzenetből. Előbb egy zárt CSAT-ülésen a hírszerzés vezetői Johannis elnöknek mutatták be azokat a dokumentumokat, amelyek szerint idegen ország avatkozott be a választásokba, majd egy héttel később, a sajtó és a nép nyomására, a második forduló előtt pár nappal nyilvánosságra is hozzák ezeket – bizonyító erejük kétséges. Az Alkotmánybíróság előbb elrendeli a szavazatok újraszámolását, ami lehetetlen küldetés, de ettől még meg kell csinálni. A vélt szempont: annyi szavazatot találni, amivel Ciolacu kerülne a második helyre, így közte és Georgescu között dőlne el a második forduló. Mivel ez nem sikerül, az Alkotmánybíróság a választási vasárnap előtti péntek estéjén dönt úgy, hogy megsemmisíti az első forduló eredményeit. A sajtó és néhány hatóság azonban nem ült tétlenül, és elindul a nyomozás: mi is történt itt tulajdonképp? Georgescu ugyanis a választási hatóság előtt bejelenti, hogy nulla lejt költött kampányára, miközben a TikTokra feltöltött tartalmai egy időben a kilencedik helyezést érték el a globális trendek között. És elkezdenek kihullani a csontvázak a szekrényből. A szélsőjobbos jelölt mögött ott állt egy erőszaktól sem visszariadó paramilitáris szervezet, amelynek főbb tagságát a Kongóban zsoldosként szolgáló egykori idegenlégiósok adták, de a román sajtó azt is kideríti, hogy több aktív és nyugalmazott katona, rendőr is összeköthető az azóta szökésben lévő Potra zsoldosvezérrel. A terrorizmusellenes kommandó, a DIICOT az ország több pontján csap le a legionáriusok sasfészkeire, fegyverek és elképesztő mennyiségű pénz kerül elő a padlók alá épített rejtekhelyekről. A román sajtó ugyanakkor kinyomozza: Potra és több, Georgescuhoz közel álló személy 'mély' kapcsolatokat ápol az orosz katonai hírszerzés embereivel, vagy épp Kadirov csecsen hadúrral. Szintén minden kétséget kizáróan bebizonyosodik, hogy az oroszok aktívan segítették Georgescut a kibertérben: több tízezres hamis fiókok, trollfarmok és botok támogatták a TikTok-kampányt, amelynek egyik finanszírozója ma már előzetes letartóztatásban ül. Csakhogy ezek az információk nem tudnak elég mélyen áttörni a napi hírek által keltetett zajban, és nem sokat segített Vance amerikai alelnök Romániával szemben megfogalmazott kritikája sem. Bár Vance nem igazán ismerte a romániai helyzetet, ez nem akadályozta meg őt abban, hogy kritikájával burkolt támogatást nyújtson a román szélsőjobbnak, mely kapva kap az alkalmon, felismeri az ebben rejlő lehetőséget, és 'Trump istenítésével próbálja magát helyzetbe hozni'. Az a két jelölt jutott a második körbe, akikről a nép elhitte, hogy rendszerellenesek, és nem részei az elitnek: Simion és Dan. Így aztán Románia egyértelmű döntés előtt áll május 18-án. A két politikus közötti különbség nem is lehetne nagyobb. 'Simion magyarellenes, és a nyugat-európai szuverenista, euroszkeptikus tábor narratíváját másolja, attitűdjében, politikai terveiben szélsőséges, Romániát bezárkózó pályára állítaná, Oroszországgal szemben támogató, Ukrajnával szemben ellenséges külpolitikát hirdet. Vele szemben a nyugatos, de a nyugati liberalizmus vadhajtásait bíráló, jogállam iránt elkötelezett, a közéleti vitákat a racionalitás felé terelő Dan áll. Simion győzelme, az öt évre szóló elnöki mandátum pont elég ahhoz, hogy kiépítse hatalmát, a pártjában megbúvó egykori szekusokat, korrupt vállalkozókat, alvilági figurákat különböző intézmények vezetésébe ejtőernyőzze, majd egy huszárcsellel kiharcolja az előrehozott parlamenti választásokat, amelyeken az AUR egyedül is többséget szerez az addigra összesimionozódott választási hatóságoknak köszönhetően. Az amúgy is törékeny román demokrácia könnyen halálos sebet kaphat május 18-án'. Ezt akarjuk elkerülni. (Forrás: Index - Magyarország)

European Commission
(14 May 2025)  The case T-36/23 Stevi and The New York Times v Commission. European Commission President der Leyen lost a court fight against attempts to force her to disclose ’secret’ text messages with Pfizer Inc.’s boss as the bloc was negotiating massive vaccine deals at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Judges at the EU’s General Court in Luxembourg backed a challenge from the New York Times against the commission’s refusal to disclose the texts - message exchange between der Leyen and Pfizer’s chief executive officer, Bourla, that could show how a costly vaccine deal was struck in 2021 -saying it has not given a plausible explanation to justify the non-possession of the messages. Moreover, the commission has not sufficiently clarified whether the requested text messages were deleted and, if so, whether the deletion was done deliberately or automatically or whether the president’s mobile phone had been replaced in the meantime, the court said. The Brussels-based commission argued that while it couldn’t deny that text messages were exchanged between der Leyen and Bourla -  as nations rushed to secure enough vaccines for their populations - it never kept hold of any records of them ’as they were not considered important’. Der Leyen announced a new contract in May 2021 for Pfizer to supply as many as 1.8 billion shots between 2021 and 2023. A New York Times article claimed that the deal was negotiated over text. (Source: Luxenbourg Times / Bloomberg - U.S.)

Russia
May 14, 2025  'Russia is probably testing its Oreshnik in order to prepare it for an imminent strike.' It is believed that the Oreshnik, which hit incredible speeds of up to Mach 10 (over 7,500 miles per hour) with a range of around 3,000 miles, can hit anywhere. The November 2024 strike, while caustic, was nowhere near as destructive as the Russians could have made it. That’s because they chose not to load the kind of warhead on the Oreshnik that they otherwise could have - and likely would have done, if Moscow truly wished to end the war as quickly as possible. As a hypersonic weapon, there is next to no serious defense against this system. The THAAD system is advanced, but it has never demonstrated a real-world capacity for both tracking and knocking out incoming hypersonic weapons. The Russian military’s recent “Notice to Airmen” (NOTAM) alert was set for May 12-13, restricting access to the airspace around the legendary Soviet-era Kapustin Yar missile test range. NOTAM restrictions were previously issued for the airspace around Kapustin Yar in December 2024. Those tests were followed on by a large-scale Russian missile strike on Ukraine that month, involving ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles. By preparing, Moscow is sending a clear message to Kyiv: negotiate. (Source: The National Interest - U.S.)
by Weichert

14/05/2025  Putin will not travel to Turkey and is instead sending Galuzin and Fomin, the deputy foreign affairs and defence ministers, Kostyukov, the head of military intelligence agency (GRU) and the presidential aide Medinsky, who will lead the delegation, the Kremlin announced late today. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France)

14 May 2025  Speaking at the 20th Congress of the Business Russia Organisation today, Putin blasted the West’s moron leaders for threatening Russia with new sanctions if he refuses to meet Zelensky for ceasefire negotiations tomorrow. Putin said: “You'd think they wouldn't do this or that, since it clearly hurts them, but nope, they still do it. Morons!' His comment was met with laughter from the audience, before Putin went on to apologise, adding: 'The world's top economies are tipping into recession just to spite us.' (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

Vatican
May 14, 2025  Pope Leo XIV offered to host or facilitate peace talks among countries at war, calling for world leaders to meet, talk, negotiate during an address to Eastern-rite Catholics at the Vatican today. Leo said leaders should view peace not as a political tool but as a moral imperative, grounded in respect for human dignity. "The Holy See is always ready to help bring enemies together, face-to-face, to talk to one another, so that peoples everywhere may once more find hope and recover the dignity they deserve, the dignity of peace," Leo said. The pontiff appealed to all global leaders to engage in diplomacy before resorting to combat. "Weapons can and must be silenced, for they do not resolve problems but only increase them." "Those who make history are the peacemakers, not those who sow seeds of suffering," he said. "The church will never tire of repeating: Let weapons be silenced," he said. He expressed gratitude for those who "in silence, prayer and self-sacrifice, are sowing seeds of peace," mentioning Christians in the Middle East who remain in their homelands despite conflict and instability. He insisted that Christians must be allowed to stay in their native lands with all the rights needed for a secure existence. He noted the importance of Eastern-rite Christian communities, highlighting their historical role as the birthplace of Christianity. He mentioned Pope Leo XIII's 1894 apostolic letter Orientalium Dignitas, which recognized the dignity of Eastern churches and called for the preservation of their rites and traditions. Citing war, persecution, and instability as reasons many have been forced to flee their homelands, the pope acknowledged the challenges facing by Eastern Christians in the diaspora, and the priceless heritage of the Eastern churches. He listed Eastern Christian communities affected by conflict, including the Holy Land, Ukraine, Lebanon, Syria, the Middle East, Tigray, and the Caucasus. Leo said these communities as martyr churches, quoting Pope Francis. He pointed to the endurance of Eastern Christians who continue to live in war-torn regions despite the risks, highlighting their resilience as a testament to faith. The new pontiff described the contribution of the Christian East as essential to the global church. "Preserving the Eastern rites is more important than is generally realized," Leo said. He urged the Vatican Dicastery for Eastern Churches to help define principles that would allow Eastern Catholics to preserve their traditions in the West. (Source: The National Catholic Reporter - U.S.)

05/14/25  Pope Leo XIV’s life: A timeline. (Source: Aleteia - an online catholic news website via Foundation for Evangelization through the Media based in Paris, France)

Asia

Gaza
May 14, 2025  To counter Israel Defense Force (IDF) superiority, Hamas long ago adopted the strategy of human shielding, one widely condemned as unlawful. But reports have also emerged concerning an alleged practice by some IDF ground units labeled the Mosquito Protocol, in which Palestinian civilians in Gaza reportedly have been compelled to enter dangerous areas ahead of soldiers. The analysis examines the law applicable in each of these cases. Concluding thoughts: The law of armed conflict unequivocally prohibits using human shielding as a method of warfare in international and non-international armed conflicts. This prohibition includes active human shielding, whereby civilians or other protected persons are used to shield or otherwise support military operations. Accordingly, the Israeli military’s decision to initiate investigations into the so-called Mosquito Protocol is consistent with its obligations under international law. Taking action to ensure its forces do not engage in active shielding in the future is not only a further legal obligation, but also an endeavor of strategic consequence. (Source: The United States Military Academy’s Lieber Institute for Law & Warfare, West Point)
by Schmitt, the G. Norman Lieber Distinguished Scholar at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Professor of Public International Law at the University of Reading and Professor Emeritus and Stockton Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at the United States Naval War College; Major Hernandez, an active-duty Army judge advocate and a military professor assigned to the Stockton Center for International Law in Newport, Rhode Island.

14 May 2025  As indirect ceasefire talks continue in Qatar, at least 50 people were killed in attacks on northern Gaza, around Jabalia and 10 others in the southern city of Khan Younis, since the early hours today, according to medical sources. (Source: Al Jazeera - Qatar)

India
14.05.2025  India today rejected what it called preposterous attempts by China to rename places in the Indian northeastern Arunachal Pradesh state. Arunachal Pradesh is known as Zangnan in China, with Beijing stating it has never recognized the so-called Arunachal Pradesh. China’s Civil Affairs Ministry published its latest names for some 27 places in Arunachal Pradesh, which covers 15 mountains, five residential areas, four mountain passes, two rivers, and one lake. Beijing said: Zangnan is China’s territory. China considers the contested areas as part of ’its’ southern Tibetan autonomous region, which Beijing calls Xizang. ’Chinese government has standardized the names of some places in Zangnan, which is entirely within the scope of China’s sovereignty,’ Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin told in Beijing. The statement coincides with New Delhi’s move to block the X accounts of the state-run Xinhua News Agency, as well daily Global Times in India today. Since May 2020, the two Asian giants had been engaged in a tussle along the 3,500-kilometer Line of Actual Control - their de facto border in the Ladakh area of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region. That tense and long-running standoff has seen both sides deploy thousands of military personnel and heavy weapons in the region. The India-China relations saw a thaw last year. Since then, both countries have been working to improve relations with each other. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey) 

Israel
4/05/2025  Spain and Ireland have undergone a significant change, becoming the most hostile states regarding the state of Israel and the Jewish community, Israel’s Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Chikli told. Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognised a Palestinian state last year. Chikli accused the French president of not supporting the Jewish community in France, the largest in Europe and the third largest in the world after Israel and the US. When Macron chooses not to attend the parade of the Jewish community against antisemitism, it sends a message, Chikli pointed out. Israel has found support with what used to be considered unimaginable partners, like the right-wing, including France’s 'far-right' National Rally party (RN). First, Le Pen  removed her father from the party. And since 7 October she attended the parade of the Jewish community against antisemitism. She spoke very clearly against the ICC decision against (Prime Minister) Netanyahu and the defence minister Gallant, Chikli told. This is why Israel sees the RN and Spain’s Vox party as potential partners in the future, he concluded. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France)

Syria
May 14, 2025  For more than a decade, Syria stood as one of the world’s most isolated nations, battered by civil war, economic collapse, and the unyielding grip of international sanctions. On May 14, US President Trump met with Syria’s new president, Sharaa - a former insurgent known under the nom de guerre Jolani. The two met briefly in Riyadh on the sidelines Trump’s meeting with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council. It is the first meeting between the leaders of the two nations in a quarter of a century. Speaking in the Saudi capital, Trump said the decision to lift sanctions, announced a day earlier, is meant to provide Syria with an opportunity for greatness as the country seeks to rebuild after more than a decade of civil war and economic devastation. The White House said Trump asked the Syrian leader to normalize relations with Israel by joining the so-called Abraham Accords, which have already been signed by some Gulf Arab states. He also pushed for Sharaa to deport Palestinian militants ’and take control of camps holding Islamic State fighters’ that are currently being run by Kurdish guerillas who are opposed by Turkey. Sharaa’s transformation from insurgent commander to head of state is both remarkable and controversial. While he has worked to project a pragmatic image, promising security for minorities and outreach to the international community, his past continues to raise concerns among Western and Israeli officials. Saudi Arabia, under Crown Prince Salman, played a key role in orchestrating the diplomatic breakthrough. Saudi Arabia, joined by Turkey and several Gulf Arab states, lobbied Washington relentlessly, arguing that engaging with Sharaa’s government was essential for stabilizing Syria and curbing Iranian influence in the region. Trump’s embrace of Syria’s new government is reverberating across the region. For Israel, the move is a source of deep unease. There are reports of indirect talks between Syria and Israel, possibly mediated by the United Arab Emirates, but Israeli skepticism remains high. Israeli officials, wary of Sharaa’s jihadist past and the communal violence that accompanied his rise, fear that US normalization with Damascus could limit Israel’s freedom of action and embolden hostile actors. For Iran, the developments represent a major strategic blow after already Iranian assets in Syria have been seized, and the new government has shown little interest in establishing relations with Tehran. Russia, too, finds its influence diminished. Russia is seeking ways to reengage with Damascus, but its leverage has waned. Moscow retains military bases on the Syrian coast. The new government has made it clear that Russia’s future presence will depend on agreements that serve Syrian interests. (Source: RFERL – U.S.)

North America

United States
5/14/2025  U.S. energy officials are reassessing the risk posed by Chinese-made devices that play a critical role in renewable energy infrastructure after unexplained communication equipment was found inside some of them. Power inverters, which are predominantly produced in China, are used throughout the world to connect solar panels and wind turbines to electricity grids. They are also found in batteries, heat pumps and electric vehicle chargers. While inverters are built to allow remote access for updates and maintenance, the utility companies that use them typically install firewalls to prevent direct communication back to China. Rogue communication devices not listed in product documents have been found in some Chinese solar power inverters by U.S experts who strip down equipment hooked up to grids to check for security issues. Over the past nine months, undocumented communication devices, including cellular radios, have also been found in some batteries from multiple Chinese suppliers. In February, two U.S. Senators introduced the Decoupling from Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependence Act, banning the Department of Homeland Security from purchasing batteries from some Chinese entities, starting October 2027, due to national security concerns. It aims to prevent Homeland Security from procuring batteries from six Chinese companies:Contemporary Amperex Technology Company (CATL), BYD Company, Envision Energy, EVE Energy Company, Hithium Energy Storage Technology Company, and Gotion High-tech Company. Utilities are now preparing for similar bans on Chinese inverter manufacturers. Huawei is the world's largest supplier of inverters, accounting for 29% of shipments globally in 2022, followed by Chinese peers Sungrow and Ginlong Solis. Since 2019, the U.S. has restricted Huawei's access to U.S. technology, accusing the company of activities contrary to national security, which Huawei denies. Chinese companies are required by law to cooperate with China's intelligence agencies, giving the government potential control over Chinese-made inverters connected to foreign grids. In November, solar power inverters in the U.S. and elsewhere were disabled from China, highlighting the risk of foreign influence over local electricity supplies and causing concern among government officials. Household solar or battery storage systems fall below thresholds where security requirements typically kick-in, despite now contributing a significant share of power on many Western grids. In Europe, exercising control over just 3 to 4 gigawatts of energy could cause widespread disruption to electricity supplies, experts said. The European Solar Manufacturing Council estimates over 200 GW of European solar power capacity is linked to inverters made in China - equivalent to more than 200 nuclear power plants. At the end of last year, there was 338 GW of installed solar power in Europe. NATO said China's efforts to control member states' critical infrastructure - including inverters - were intensifying. 'If you remotely control a large enough number of home solar inverters, and do something nefarious at once, that could have catastrophic implications to the grid for a prolonged period of time,' said Sadot, cyber security program director at Israeli inverter manufacturer SolarEdge. (Source: MSN - U.S./ Reuters - United Kingdom)

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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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Europe

France
Monday 12 May 2025  France has shut down a wild conspiracy peddled by the Russian foreign ministry that Europe’s leaders, including Keir Starmer, were doing cocaine together on a train into Ukraine. The claims centre on a video in which French president Macron picks up a white tissue from a table and German chancellor Friedrich Merz retrieves a coffee stirrer. Keir is seen smiling on the opposite side of the table. The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Zakharova wrote a lengthy diatribe on social media site Telegram over the weekend in which she claimed the video was evidence that the trio had spent the train journey doing cocaine and had forgotten to remove the drug paraphernalia. She claimed the tissue was a bag of cocaine and the stirrer was a spoon used to consume the drugs. Russian officials and bloggers have frequently peddled the idea that Zelensky and other major European leaders are regular cocaine users. The French president has been personally targeted on multiple occasions by Russian disinformation, including rumours that he is homosexual, that his wife Brigitte was born a man and that he is part of a deep state cabal backed by Soros, the financier. Theories originated in Russia were claiming Zelensky used US aid to buy two luxury yachts. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

France
13/05/2025  The allegations that the leaders of France, Germany and the UK took drugs while on a train on their way to Kyiv 'are part of a wider Russian disinformation campaign'. 'It looks like a tissue or napkin and a bit of thread, Matheson, professor of substance use at the University of Stirling, told. There's no evidence of cocaine.' (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France)

European Court of Human Rights
12.05.2025  Denmark and Italy are urging other European countries to back a letter criticizing the European Court of Human Rights for going too far in interpreting the law, particularly on migration issues. Recent Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights decisions expanded European Convention on Human Rights interpretation beyond its original intent. This expansion limits national governments’ ability to make sovereign decisions on politically sensitive matters such as irregular migration. What was considered right in the past may no longer be applicable in current contexts. The letter is still open to additional signatories and is expected to be released in the coming weeks. Countries such as Czechia, Finland, Poland, and the Netherlands — members of a migration-focused EU bloc — are considered potential backers. All 27 EU member states are signatories to the European Convention on Human Rights, but the EU itself has yet to accede to the treaty, despite a legal obligation under the Lisbon Treaty. Accession would mean that EU institutions could be held accountable before the European Court of Human Rights, a move still under negotiation. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

'European Union'
12/05/2025  German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's visit to Brussels prompted a schedule change. Der Leyen, Costa and Metsola flew together on a private plane from Brussels to attend an event in Luxembourg, Friday. The presidents of the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament visited the Robert Schuman house, to commemorate Europe Day, accompanied by Luxembourgish Prime Minister Luc Frieden. The extraordinary, high-cost decision of the trio was made for flying rather than driving to Luxembourg - roughly 200 km from Brussels. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France)

Europe
12/05/2025  Gas prices: Which countries are paying more? The EU is feeling the bite of energy prices going up again. Gas reached its highest cost on record in the second half of 2024. The average rate is now €12.33 per 100 kWh, up from €11.04 in the first half of last year. It is also the first time that prices in the EU are climbing up, following the 2022 energy crisis. Price differences range from €18.93 per 100 kWh in Sweden and €16.71 in the Netherlands, to €1.73 in Georgia, €2.13 in Turkey, €3.15 in Hungary, €4.56 in Croatia, €4.92 in Serbia, €5.13 in Bosnia-Herzegovina and €5.41 in Romania. None of the countries with the cheapest gas prices - excluding Croatia and Romania - cut Russian gas supplies. Croatia's liquefied natural gas terminal on Krk became operational in 2021. The country now plans to ramp up gas production by 82% in the next three years. Romania is planning to go completely autonomous, gas-wise. Its Neptune Deep offshore project is expected to become operational in 2027 and is aiming to double Romanian gas production. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France)

Asia

Turkey
(12 May 2025)  Outlawed Kurdish group, the PKK has announced it is laying down its arms and disbanding. The move followed a call in February by the group's jailed leader, Ocalan, 76, for the organisation to disband. The group is banned as a terrorist group in Turkey, the EU, UK and US. The PKK insurgency initially aimed to create an independent homeland for Kurds, who account for about 20% of Turkey's population. The PKK leader has been in solitary confinement in prison on an island in the Sea of Marmara, south-west of Istanbul, since 1999. He wrote a letter from prison in February saying "there is no alternative to democracy in the pursuit and realisation of a political system. Democratic consensus is the fundamental way." There is speculation that he may be paroled. The PKK has been hit hard by the Turkish military in recent years, and regional changes have made it harder for them and their affiliates to operate in Iraq and Syria. President Erdogan needs the support of pro Kurdish political parties if he is to be able to run again in Turkey's next presidential election, due in 2028. Moving away from its separatist goals, PKK is focusing instead on more autonomy and greater Kurdish rights. The decision to disband was an important step towards a terror-free Turkey. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

North America

United States
May 12, 2025  Hours after Washington and Beijing agreed to slash respective punitive tariffs and de-escalate their trade war,. 'European Union is in many ways nastier than China, okay?" Trump said, as he lashed the bloc. 'They treat us very unfairly.' Brussels last week dangled a list of potential concessions and threatened tariffs on €95 billion worth of U.S. goods if talks stall. Trump's trade hawk Navarro condemned the mooted counteroffensive as provocative. As he seeks to repair perceived injustices in the way Europe has treated the U.S., Trump imposed a 10 percent baseline tariff, as well as a 25 percent levy on cars and metals, with more tariffs underway. Trump announced today a new drug-pricing scheme, intended to force companies to sell drugs in the U.S. at the lowest price they offer abroad. (Source: Politico - United States)

May 12, 2025  Stocks and the dollar surged today after the United States and China said they had agreed on a 90-day pause on tariffs and reciprocal duties would drop sharply. U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent, speaking after talks with Chinese officials in Geneva, told the two sides had reached the deal that reciprocal rates would drop by 115 percentage points. There is a de-escalation between China and U.S. resulting in a reduction of tariff on Chinese goods to 30% and Chinese tariffs on US goods to 10%. This is very positive news for economies in both countries and for the global economy, and makes investors much less concerned about the damage to global supply chains in the short term. But this is only a three-month temporary reduction of tariffs, a very good starting point. How can Trump credibly raise tariffs when the 90-day pause ends? He has toned down his tariffs faster than anyone thought he could. (Source: The Straits Times - Singapore / Reuters - United Kingdom)

NATO

12th May 2025  Nato's largest - Ex Formidable Shield, a US Sixth Fleet-led, live-fire, naval - exercise in Europe is underway. The multinational integrated air and missile defence (IAMD) exercise runs from 1-31 May. It will be taking place in Norway and the United Kingdom. Nine allies are participating in the naval-led operation. Norway, the UK and the United States will also participate with their maritime patrol aircraft. Eurofighters from the United Kingdom, the Royal Air Force's primary multi-role combat aircraft, will make up the exercise's air assets, along with Norwegian F-35s. The fourth-generation Eurofighter Typhoon is highly capable and used for a variety of missions, including air policing, peace support, and high-intensity conflict, with a primary role in quick reaction alerts (QRA) for UK airspace. Scenarios include a series of complex ballistic missile defence (BMD) and air defence (AD) missions. The first phase of the exercise will take place at the Andøya firing range in Norway before continuing at the Hebrides Range in Scotland. (Source: British Forces Broadcasting Service /BFBS/ - United Kingdom)

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Europe

Hungary
09.05.2025  Ukraine today announced it had ordered two Hungarian diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours, responding to Budapest’s earlier expulsion of Ukrainian diplomats over espionage claims. The move follows Hungary’s decision to expel two Ukrainian diplomats accused of spying. Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjártó said the individuals had been working under diplomatic cover at the Ukrainian Embassy in Budapest. The accusations came after Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) claimed it had dismantled a Hungarian spy network operating inside the country, detaining two Ukrainian military veterans allegedly recruited by Hungarian intelligence to gather information on western defense lines. Szijjártó dismissed the allegations as propaganda, stating that Hungary had yet to receive official evidence from Kyiv. Since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, Hungary has maintained a neutral stance, refraining from sending military aid to Ukraine. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

France
'May 11, 2025 4:03 PM From Ukraine, the war-ravaged country:  Macron, Starmer, and Merz caught on video on their return from Kiev. A bag of white powder on the table. Macron quickly pockets it, Merz hides the spoon. No explanation given. Zelensky, known cocaine enthusiast, had just hosted them. All three of the 'leaders' look completely cracked out'. (/video/ Source: Alex Jones)

26,9 M views09.05.2025  France, Poland sign strategic treaty to boost Franco-Polish ties, defense cooperation. French President Macron says 'agreement to help accelerate joint investments in European defense industrial base, including in production of weapons, ammunition'. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Romania
May 9, 2025  The EU and NATO state Romania should be compensated for aiding Ukraine, ’hard-right’ presidential frontrunner Simion said late yesterday, during a televised presidential debate with Dan. The eurosceptic nationalist Simion, 38, opposes military aid to Ukraine, is critical of the EU leadership and says he is 'aligned with' U.S. President Trump's Make America Great Again movement. Romania's president has a semi-executive role that includes commanding the armed forces and chairing the security council that decides on military aid. The president can also veto important EU votes that require unanimity. I will vote for the interest of the Romanian state without prioritising other states, Simion said during the debate. Our position towards Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine is one of neutrality not escalation, not supplying weapons. For the donated Patriot system and other spending by Romanians there should be reciprocity, he said. To date, Romania has donated a Patriot air defence battery to Kyiv, is training Ukrainian fighter pilots and has enabled the export of 30 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain through its Black Sea port of Constanta. Simion suggested he would veto Brussels military aid to Ukraine. Analysts have said a Simion victory could isolate Romania, erode private investment and destabilise NATO's eastern flank, where Bucharest plays a key role in providing logistical support to Ukraine. ’Under the ReArm Europe plan, the EU is looking to boost military spending by 800 billion euros ($876 billion) over the next four years, via loosening fiscal rules on defence investment and joint borrowing for large defence projects against the EU budget’. Simion said that for defence we have NATO, not the EU. (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)

2025.05.09  Romania’s 19 million voters will elect a new president on the 18th of May from among Simion and Dan, who have advanced to the second round. Guaranteeing the rights of the Hungarian minority living in Romania and the use of the Szekler flag were among the topics discussed in the first televised debate between the two remaining candidates in the Romanian presidential election - Dan, liberal candidate and independent mayor of Bucharest, and Simion, ultra-nationalist candidate and President of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR). The candidates were asked what guarantees they would offer to the Hungarian minority living in Romania as head of state in the spirit of the country’s relations with its western neighbor, Hungary, to ensure that they can freely express their ethnic identity. And would they support the display of the Szekler flag at local cultural or sporting events? The Szekler flag has become a symbol of autonomy for the Hungarian community in Romania. Its public display has been a recurring source of tension between local authorities and the Romanian state. In Dan’s opinion, the use of a “symbol of territorial autonomy” should not be allowed at official events. Simion considers himself a representative of the sovereigntist movement. His politics differ sharply from those of leaders like Viktor Orbán or Giorgia Meloni. Simion’s nationalism often takes an openly antagonistic tone toward ethnic minorities - particularly Hungarians - rather than focusing primarily on defending national interests within the EU. His version of sovereigntism is more exclusionary and inflammatory, raising concerns that it could deepen ethnic tensions rather than simply affirm national identity. His opponent reminded Simion, who began his public career in the stands of sports stadiums, that Romanian fan communities have chanted anti-Hungarian slogans at football matches on numerous occasions in recent years. I would like to ask Mr. Simion if he was there, Dan inquired. Simion did not answer the question. (Source: Hungary Today / MTI)

European Union
May 9, 2025  'The fear of a new war is increasingly worrying Europeans'. ’Russia is looking more threatening than ever’. According to Ipsos’ monthly What Worries the World report, more and more Europeans fear the prospect of war. Frontline countries in Central Europe are most concerned. Concerns are particularly widespread in Poland (39%). The Netherlands, Germany and France are also seeing significant increases in the share of respondents who picked war as a top 3 concern (29%; 27%; 25%) . Hungary: 5%. Fears of war are less widespread in other parts of the world, with an average of 12 percent of respondents naming it a top concern across 29 countries. In South America, with less than five percent of respondents were in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Argentina and Peru naming war as a top concern. (Source: bne IntelliNews - Germany)

Russia
(Sunday), 11/05/2025 Russian President Putin today proposed holding direct negotiations, without any preconditions, with Ukraine, in Istanbul next week on Thursday, May 15 to “eliminate the root causes of the conflict” and to achieve the restoration of a long-term, lasting peace rather than simply a pause for rearmament. His announcement comes just hours after Kyiv and European leaders called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire to begin tomorrow or face massive new sanctions. “Our proposal, as they say, is on the table. The decision is now up to the Ukrainian authorities and their curators, who are guided, it seems, by their personal political ambitions, and not by the interests of their peoples.’ Putin dismissed what he said was the attempt by some European powers to lay down ultimatums. He said that he would speak to Turkish President Erdogan later today about facilitating the talks, which he said could lead to a ceasefire. Russia, Putin said, had proposed several ceasefires, including a moratorium on striking energy facilities, an Easter ceasefire and most recently the 72-hour truce during the celebrations marking 80 years since victory in World War II. In June 2024, he said that Ukraine must officially drop its NATO ambitions and withdraw its troops from the entirety of the territory of four Ukrainian regions claimed by Russia. Russian officials have also proposed that the US recognise Russia’s control over about one fifth of Ukraine and demanded that Ukraine remains neutral though Moscow has said it is not opposed to Kyiv’s ambitions to join the European Union. Putin specifically mentioned the 2022 draft deal which Russia and Ukraine negotiated shortly after the Russian invasion of February 2022. Under that draft, Ukraine should agree to permanent neutrality in return for international security guarantees from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. “It was not Russia that broke off negotiations in 2022. It was Kyiv,’ Putin said. He thanked China, Brazil, African and Middle Eastern countries and the United States for their efforts to mediate. Trump, who says he wants to be remembered as a peacemaker, has repeatedly said he wants to end the bloodbath of the Ukraine war which his administration casts as a proxy war between the United States and Russia. Putin casts the war as a watershed moment in Moscow’s relations with the West, which he says humiliated Russia after the Soviet Union fell in 1991 by enlarging NATO and encroaching on what he considers Moscow’s sphere of influence, including Ukraine. (Source: France 24 „with Reuters, AFP”)

10.05.2025  Russian President Putin is open to holding talks with new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz if Berlin expresses readiness, Kremlin spokesperson Peskov said today, following Merz’s indication that he may speak with the Russian leader by phone amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between Russia and Western nations. Peskov said that the Kremlin observes “many contradictory statements from Europe,” adding: 'They are generally more confrontational in nature than aimed at trying to somehow revive our relations.' (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

09.05.2025  Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan today attended the military parade at the Red Square in Moscow, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Also, the premier went on Facebook and posted a video from this military parade. (Source: News.am - Armenia)
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09.05.2025  The topic of gas supplies to European countries is being raised during the talks between Moscow and Washington, Russian presidential aide Ushakov confirms. (Source: News.am - Armenia)

Asia

India
12:24 AM CEST, May 11, 2025  Before the ceasefire was reached, India’s military said Pakistan had targeted health facilities and schools at its three air bases in Kashmir early today and India had launched missile strikes in response. They targeted Nur Khan air base in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad, Murid air base in Chakwal city and Rafiqui air base in the Jhang district of eastern Punjab province, according to Pakistan’s military spokesman. Pakistan’s military said it launched retaliatory strikes against a Indian missile storage facility and air bases in the cities of Pathankot and Udhampur. (Source: The Associated Press - U.S.)

May 09, 2025 7:35 AM  Blasts rang out across the Indian city of Jammu late yesterday, during what the government said was a Pakistani drone and missile attack on military stations around the Kashmir region. Military stations at Jammu, Pathankot & Udhampur were targeted by Pakistani-origin drones and missiles along the international border in J&K today, India's Ministry of Defence said, citing places in and near the federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Sirens sounded and red flashes and projectiles erupted in the night sky above Jammu for about 2-1/2 hours. Two days of fighting have killed nearly four dozen people. Indian TV channels also showed flares and flashes in the sky above Jaisalmer city in Rajasthan state, which shares a border with the southern Pakistani province of Sindh. In a statement, Islamabad denied attacking Pathankot in India's Punjab state, Srinagar in the Kashmir Valley and Jaisalmer. Electricity in Jammu was slowly being restored after a blackout during the attack. Eight missiles, fired from Pakistan at the Jammu region towns of Satwari, Samba, Ranbir Singh Pura and Arnia, were intercepted by air defence units. The US Consulate General in Pakistan's Lahore ordered staff to shelter in place. India and Pakistan gained independence from colonial Britain in 1947. The countries have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir, and clashed many times. The neighbours, which both claim Kashmir in full and rule over parts of it, separately acquired nuclear weapons in the 1990s. (Source: AsiaOne – Singapore)

Pakistan
(Friday), May 9, 2025 at 10:30 JST  Global militaries to study India-Pakistan fighter jet battle. A Chinese-made Pakistani fighter plane shot down at least two Indian military aircraft on Wednesday. There was high confidence that Pakistan had used the Chinese-made J-10 aircraft to launch air-to-air missiles against Indian fighter jets. A dogfight between Chinese-made Pakistani jets and French-made Indian Rafale fighters will be closely scrutinized by militaries - including in China and the United States - seeking insights that could offer an edge in future conflicts. U.S. President Trump in March awarded Boeing the contract to build the U.S. Air Force’s most sophisticated fighter jet yet, which would likely include stealth, advanced sensors and cutting-edge engines. Social media posts focused on the performance of China’s PL-15 air-to-air missile against the Meteor, a radar-guided air-to-air missile produced by European group MBDA. There has been no official confirmation that these weapons were used. There are conflicting reports on whether Pakistan has the domestic version of the PL-15 from the PLAAF, China’s air force, or the lower-range export version publicly unveiled in 2021. Pakistan most likely has the export version. The French and Americans would likely be hoping for similar intelligence from India. Western analysts and industry sources said crucial details remained unclear including whether the Meteor was carried and the type and amount of training the pilots had received. Arms firms would also be anxious to separate technical performance from operational factors. A defense industry source from a Western country operating the Meteor said an online picture of a seeker appeared to feature the component of a missile that had missed its target. The Meteor’s range has not been officially published. European nations are exploring a mid-life upgrade for the Meteor, which specialist publication Janes says could involve propulsion and guidance, but analysts say progress has been slow. The United States is developing the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile via Lockheed Martin partly in response to the PL-15 and its beyond-visual-range performance - part of a broader reset of Western priorities toward China. (Source: The Asahi Shimbun - Japan / Reuters - United Kingdom)

North America

United States
(Sunday), May 11, 2025  When President Trump took office in January, he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were closely aligned on how to approach the aggression from Iran and war in Gaza. Israeli military strikes crippled Iranian strategic air defenses in October, meaning manned aircraft conducting new strikes now would not be as susceptible to being shot down. Trump agreed with Netanyahu on confronting Iran and its proxy groups in the region. He encouraged Israeli military operations “to finish the job” against Hamas in Gaza. Hamas has been significantly degraded and Iran weakened. In recent weeks, the relationship between Trump and Netanyahu has become strained for tackling these challenges now as the two leaders are increasingly at odds over a strategy. When Netanyahu visited the White House last month, for the second time since Trump took office, he hoped the president would pledge U.S. air support for a possible Israeli operation against Iran’s nuclear facilities. Netanyahu sees an opportunity. Israel has argued that Iran is so weakened by economic sanctions and the degradation of its proxies in the region that now is ’an ideal moment to take out its nuclear facilities’. It is concerned the window for doing so is closing while the U.S. negotiates. The Israeli leader was taken aback when the president announced he would agree to direct talks with Tehran. Trump sees an opportunity to remove the threat of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon by making a deal. Netanyahu has privately said he thinks Trump’s negotiations with Iran are a waste of time because Tehran will never hold up its end of any deal. And the Iranians are rebuilding their air defenses. Twice in just this past week alone, Trump made public comments that rankled Netanyahu. Trump said Wednesday that he had yet to decide whether Iran would be allowed to enrich uranium under a new nuclear deal his administration is negotiating. And Trump has been frustrated with Netanyahu’s decision to begin a new military offensive in Gaza, which the president sees as at odds with his plan for rebuilding there. Privately, Trump has said the new Israeli offensive in Gaza is a wasted effort because it will make it harder to rebuild. Trump is currently pushing Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza and looking to implement his postwar plan for rebuilding the area into a Riviera of the Middle East. And Trump has expressed an openness to Iran maintaining a civilian nuclear program. The president is committed to ensuring Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon. Netanyahu was particularly upset. The Israeli leader has been frustrated for weeks with Trump’s refusal to support military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and his decision to instead try to reach a deal aimed at blocking Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. ’Israel has made clear to the U.S’. that it does not want Trump to cut a nuclear deal that leaves Iran with any uranium enrichment. Republican Sens. Cotton and Graham said this week that the only acceptable Iran deal is one that completely stops Tehran from any uranium enrichment. They also urged Trump to submit any Iran nuclear deal to the Senate for ratification, which requires a two-thirds majority vote. The 2015 Iran nuclear deal reached by President Obama was not ratified by the Senate, which allowed Trump to simply withdraw the U.S. from the agreement during his first term. Netanyahu was blindsided and infuriated this past week by Trump’s announcement that the U.S. was halting its military campaign against the Iranian-backed Houthi militant group in Yemen after the Houthis agreed to stop firing on U.S. ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis had just attacked Israel with a missile that hit close to Ben Gurion, Israel’s main airport. A shocked Netanyahu said Israel would then defend itself. Trump is popular with Netanyahu’s base in Israel. Netanyahu’s coalition and political base love Trump, so for him to go very publicly against Trump is something he really can’t do. The president is set to travel to the Middle East next week, with stops scheduled in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Trump is not currently scheduled to visit Israel on this trip, though he did during his first term. Witkoff also planned to attend another round of negotiations with Iran this weekend in Oman. (Source: NBC News - U.S.)

11.05.2025  US President Trump announced late yesterday that his team had a "very good meeting" on trade with Chinese officials in Switzerland. He claimed a "total reset" in US-China relations had been achieved. The meeting, which began at 10 a.m. local time (0800GMT) and included a lunch break, ended around 8 p.m., lasting at least eight hours The trade talks concluded in Geneva with discussions set to resume today. The US was led by Treasury Secretary Bessent and Trade Representative Greer, while Vice Premier He headed the Chinese team. Trump said an 80% tariff on Chinese goods seems right, before the meeting. The White House emphasized that Trump’s team has his full backing to secure the best deal possible for America. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

May 11, 2025  United States President Trump has praised Russian President Putin for proposing direct negotiations with Ukraine. Trump also expressed his intention to get Russia and Ukraine talking again. "I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens." He added that the end of their three-year conflict would greatly improve global conditions and save many lives. Trump also emphasized the US's focus on "Rebuilding and Trade" with Russia and Ukraine. (Source: NewsBytes - India)

May 11, 2025 10:24 IST  Indian strike on Rawalpindi's Nur Khan air base alarmed US, stoked fears that Pakistan’s nuclear HQ - the Strategic Plans Division which oversees and protects the country’s nuclear arsenal - could be hit too. It finally pushed the US to ramp up mediation efforts after initially opting to stay out of the conflict. It was then that US Vice President Vance called Prime Minister Narendra Modi directly. The Nur Khan Air Base is situated less than 10 kilometres from Islamabad and adjacent to the country's military headquarters. Alongside the base, the Benazir International Airport now houses Pakistan's National Aerospace Centre. The missile strike caused a huge explosion at Nur Khan. Rubio also called Pakistan’s foreign minister Dar, and Jaishankar, 'but it was not clear how persuasive he was, at least initially'. However, the last move came from Trump himself. (Source: The Week - India)

Saturday 10 May 2025 22:56 EDT  The vice president, Secretary of State and interim national security adviser Rubio, and White House chief of staff Wiles were compelled to increase America’s role in the conflict after receiving the intelligence yesterday morning. It marked a change of position for Vance, who said days before in an interview on Fox News that the conflict between the two nuclear powers was “none of our business.” After reportedly briefing President Trump on the latest developments and their plan of action, Vance then called Modi at noon E.T. yesterday, telling him the White House believed there was a high probability for dramatic escalation. Vance outlined to Modi a potential off-ramp that the U.S. understood the Pakistanis would be amenable to and encouraged Modi to have his country communicate with Pakistan directly and to consider options for de-escalation. Rubio and State Department officials reportedly worked through the night liaising with their counterparts in India and Pakistan. The Trump administration’s role was largely to get the two sides talking. Trump announced today morning U.S. time that India and Pakistan agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire after America mediated the talks. Pakistan expressed gratitude for the U.S. involvement. India’s foreign secretary Misri said the two countries worked directly to reach the deal. Just a few hours later, the countries accused each other of violating the ceasefire agreement after explosions were heard over two cities in India-administered Kashmir. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

5/10/2025  White House spokeswoman Kelly said Trump and his team had been “laser-focused on delivering peace around the world and stopping bad actors from doing harm to Americans and our allies.” “Their approach has been successful - Houthis agreed to a cease-fire, 47 Americans detained abroad have come home, 'NATO countries are increasing defense spending', China is deterred, and we are closer to peace in the Russia-Ukraine War than ever before,” she said. Today, Trump said the U.S. helped broker a cease-fire between India and Pakistan, after growing clashes in which both countries said they were acting defensively. The de-escalation appeared shaky but if it holds, it would mark a diplomatic success for Trump. The wars in Ukraine and Gaza have proven more intractable. (Source: MSN / WSJ = U.S.)

Saturday 10 May 2025 22:11 BST  President Trump, hailing a successful U.S.-mediated ceasefire between India and Pakistan today, brought flashbacks to his inauguration day address and desire to be seen as a “peacemaker.” Sandwiched between promises to build the strongest military the world has ever seen and a desire for an expansionist America, Trump said: „We will measure our success, not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into. My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That’s what I want to be, a peacemaker and a unifier.” He also revisited some of his familiar grievances about how unfairly he has been treated - President Trump has made no secret that one thing he really desires is a Nobel Peace Prize. He has complained about not getting one for almost a decade and is particularly galled by the fact that President Obama was awarded one after just nine months in office for working toward ’the great climatic challenges.’ On the campaign trail last year, Trump said: If I were named Obama, I would have had the Nobel Prize given to me in 10 seconds. Former Trump national security adviser, turned vocal opponent, Bolton told: Trump felt if Obama got it for not doing anything, why should he not get it? Trump said in one of his many public airing of grievances, in February, during an Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,: “They will never give me a Nobel Peace Prize. It’s too bad. I deserve it, but they will never give it to me.” Indeed, the president has been nominated for the award by Republican allies in early 2024. New York Rep. Tenney put Trump forward for the honor for his role in the Abraham Accords treaty that normalized relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. And yet, nothing came of the nomination - it was instead awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, the Japanese organization of atomic bomb survivors dedicated to advocating for nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation. This year Russia’s war on Ukraine is now in its third year, and Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza has continued for more than 18 months. The president made grandiose promises to end the former in 24 hours and quickly restore stability in the latter case. Both conflicts grind on, with a fragile two-month ceasefire in Gaza coming to a catastrophic end in March. Adding further to the tense global situation, India and Pakistan entered the most serious military escalation between the two nuclear powers in years in April. As cross-border missile and drone attacks escalated, the U.S. engaged with officials on both sides to lower tensions. In this case, there was quick progress. Shortly before 8 a.m. East Coast time today, May 10, the president took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to triumphantly announce: “After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Secretary of State Rubio and Vice President Vance, who recently visited India, reportedly did the heavy lifting, with Rubio tweeting a few minutes later: “Over the past 48 hours, [Vice President] Vance and I have engaged with senior Indian and Pakistani officials, including Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shebbaz Sharif, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, Chief of Army Staff Munir, and National Security Advisors Doval and Malik.” Vance added: Great work from the President’s team, especially Secretary Rubio. And my gratitude to the leaders of India and Pakistan for their hard work and willingness to engage in this ceasefire. Saudi Arabia and Turkey both played an important role in securing the deal, according to Pakistan's foreign minister Dar. The chiefs of military operations on both sides have spoken, according to Indian foreign secretary Misri. However, it is Trump himself who announced the ceasefire and claimed credit for the U.S. in de-escalating the situation, although there are reports today that the ceasefire has already been violated. At the same time this was happening today, there was also progress in Europe, with Ukraine and European leaders agreeing to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire on May 12 with the backing of Trump, threatening Russian President Putin with new massive sanctions if he failed to comply. Today’s announcement of a unified approach was made by the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Poland, and Ukraine at a meeting in Kyiv, after which they held a phone call with Trump. President Trump, who still says he wants a rapid path toward peace, has not yet said anything publicly himself on the course of action, perhaps not keen to try and claim any credit until Russia comes to the table. Being the weekend, shortly after his post on the ceasefire in South Asia, Trump left the White House for a round of golf at his club in Virginia. Any consideration for international recognition of Trump’s diplomatic record needs to be weighed against his failure to stop the fighting in Gaza - and his disturbing vision of its future - as well as threats to take back the Panama Canal and annex Greenland with possible military force. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

May 9, 2025  The United States Department of State has a lengthy database of travel advisories, divided into four categories. Level 4 travel advisory is the most severe, warning Americans to simply "Do Not Travel" to those locations. This category of warning usually applies to active armed conflicts or countries that are enemies of the United States or have little to no diplomatic relationship with the United States. Yesterday, the State Department reaffirmed one of those Level 4 travel advisories, reminding travelers not to travel to Russia "for any reason" due to the following issues: Danger associated with the continuing war between Russia and Ukraine; The risk of harassment or wrongful detention by Russian security officials; The arbitrary enforcement of local laws; The possibility of terrorism. The U.S. government has limited ability to help U.S. citizens in Russia, especially outside of Moscow. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow has reduced its staff and the Russian government has restricted travel for embassy personnel. All U.S. consulates in Russia have suspended operations, including consular services. (Source: The Tribune – newspaper, covers San Luis Obispo County, California, U.S.)

May 09, 2025  Singer’s Elliott Management is kicking the tires on a deal: buying a stake in the Bulgarian extension of TurkStream—Russia’s last functioning gas pipeline that carries Russian natural gas into Europe. (Source: Oilprice - United Kingdom)

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Europe

Russia
8 May 2025  Russia has commenced its three-day ceasefire, announced in honour of WW2 Victory Day, today - May 8. Ahead of the May 8 ceasefire, Russia reportedly shot down 12 Ukrainian drones in Moscow. The Zhukovsky airport in the Moscow region and the main airport in Kaluga have been temporarily shut down. Apart from Xi, 28 leaders are expected to visit Moscow for the parade. Furthermore, representatives from North Korea and Russian-controlled Abkhazia and South Ossetia will also be present. (Source: Outlook - India)

Vatican
(May 8, 2025) 7:13 PM CEST  The doors have opened ... a new pope emerges.    7:14 PM CEST Prevost is elected the first American pope in history.    7:17 PM CEST Cardinal Prevost, an American missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and leads the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops, was elected the first American pope. Prevost, 69, took the name Leo XIV. (Source: Associated Press – U.S.)
See also: AP News
by Winfield, Chief correspondent, Italy and Vatican

Europe
May 8, 2025  In London later today, a service will be held in Westminster Abbey and a concert, for 10,000 members of the public, at Horse Guards Parade. In Paris, French President Macron is expected to oversee a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe. In Berlin, Chancellor Friedrich Merz will highlight how "Germany has remodeled itself into a beacon of European democracy' by laying a wreath at the central memorial for the victims of war and tyranny. Russia and President Putin will be celebrating its Victory Day one day later with a huge military parade on Red Square in central Moscow to mark the massive Soviet contribution to defeat Nazi Germany. (Source: ABC News - U.S.)

May 07, 2025  Any peace talks that did take place without the US, would lack a means of feasible enforcement. The European proposal to commit 25,000 troops to a Ukrainian peacekeeping force is unlikely to come to fruition, or have the required deterrent effect. In fact, a greater risk of commitments like this is that they overpromise a level of European capability to the Ukrainians that we would not be able to deliver on. This is becoming increasingly clear to military and political leaders in the West and, just as significantly, is evident to Putin too. (Source: The i Paper - United Kingdom)

 (Wednesday), 07/05/2025  Ukrainian drones caused massive disruptions at Moscow airports days before Russia’s Victory Day parade on Friday, with around 350 flights reportedly affected. Serbian President Vučić’s flight to Moscow to attend the parade was disrupted, his plane was reportedly forced to divert to the Azerbaijani capital of Baku. ’Brussels issued a stark warning to the Serbian leader a few days ago’, indicating that Vučić's visit would violate EU membership criteria and potentially hurt Serbia's accession process to the 27-member bloc. Earlier, Lithuania and Latvia have denied a flight with Vučić on board from crossing their airspace en route to Moscow for the Victory Day parade on Friday. Poland and Lithuania had denied flyover rights to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. His attendance remains uncertain at this point. Estonia also said it would not allow the aircraft carrying leaders heading to the Victory Day parade in Moscow to pass through its airspace. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France)

Asia

China
May 08, 2025  Chinese President Xi yesterday called for concerted efforts to defend the legacy of World War II (WWII) victory. Xi made the call as he arrived in Moscow for a state visit to Russia and celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War. A massive military parade will take place in Moscow's Red Square tomorrow. Flags with the word Victory fluttered in the wind along the streets of Moscow, and the roads were lined with billboards and decorative windows depicting the history of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union. Xi's visit comes at the invitation of Russian President Putin. This marks his 11th visit to Russia since he became the president of China. It will be Xi's second time attending Russia's May 9 Victory Day commemorations as Chinese president. In a signed article published in the Russian Gazette newspaper ahead of his arrival, Xi urged the international community to uphold a correct historical perspective on WWII. 'China and the Soviet Union were the principal theaters of that war in Asia and Europe respectively', Xi wrote. The two countries served as the mainstay of resistance against Japanese militarism and German Nazism, making pivotal contribution to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, he wrote. As the world is facing stiff headwinds from unilateralism, hegemonism, bullying and coercive practices, Xi emphasized the importance of multilateralism. (Source: Xinhua - China)

India
(8 May 2025 10:34 CEST)  All districts of Punjab put on high alert, public events cancelled. The state shares a 532-km border with Pakistan. At least 26 persons were killed in Pakistan in India’s strikes, reported AFP. Islamabad claimed that the strikes killed and injured several civilians and called the operation a violation of its sovereignty. The terror attack at the Baisaran area near Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam town on April 22 left 26 dead and 17 injured. The terrorists targeted tourists after asking their names to ascertain their religion, the police said. All but three of those killed were Hindu. (Source: Scroll - India )

(8 May 2025, 09:26 CEST)  In a counter-terror operation dubbed Operation Sindoor, the Indian Armed Forces struck deep into Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) early yesterday, reducing key terror facilities to rubble. Executed between 1:05 am and 1:30 am, the strikes involved a coordinated tri-services operation by the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. The operation targeted nine key terror sites, including five in PoJK, linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Among the primary targets was a major JeM stronghold in Bahawalpur, Punjab, known as Markaz Subhan Allah. Operational since 2015, Markaz Subhan Allah served as JeM’s main hub for training, indoctrination, and planning major terror attacks, including the Pulwama bombing on February 14, 2019. It housed top JeM leadership, including Chief Azhar, de facto Chief Mufti Asghar, Ammar, and other family members. Azhar frequently delivered anti-India speeches from this facility, rallying youth to join violent jihad. Regular arms and religious training sessions were conducted at the compound. High-resolution visuals confirmed the complete destruction of the Bahawalpur facility. At a press briefing in New Delhi, Foreign Secretary Misri, Colonel Qureshi, and Wing Commander Singh detailed the objectives and execution of Operation Sindoor. Colonel Qureshi named the four terror camps destroyed in mainland Pakistan as Bahawalpur, Muridke, Sarjal, and Mehmoona Joya. Markaz Subhan Allah, the operational HQ of JeM located 100 km inside Pakistan, was completely destroyed, she confirmed. The nine terror camps were chosen based on credible intelligence and with strict measures to avoid civilian casualties, Wing Commander Singh stated. She further revealed that Pakistan has maintained a network of 21 terror infrastructure sites across its territory and PoJK over the past three decades, including recruitment and launchpad centres. (Source: DD News, an Indian state-owned Hindi news television channel, founded by the Government of India)

May 8, 2025  India’s precision‐guided missile and air strikes on 9 sites in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir under Operation Sindoor lasted less than 30 minutes in the early hours of May 7 2025. Through the day of May 7, Pakistan claimed that it shot down three separate Rafale aircraft and one each of Russian origin MiG 29 and SU-30MKI. The Pakistani Defence Minister Asif claimed that the Pakistani Air Force (PAF) had shot these aircraft down during an aerial dogfight. Rafale, manufactured by the French giant Dassault Aviation is the most advanced type of combat aircraft in the inventory of the Indian Air Force (IAF). IAF operates 36 Rafale airframes. While India is yet to acknowledge any aircraft or equipment losses during or after Operation Sindoor, an image posted on X claimed to show parts of a Chinese origin PL-15 Air to Air missile which also allegedly fell in the Indian region of Punjab. While no concrete evidence has emerged connecting the alleged shooting down of an IAF Rafale to a PL-15 missile likely fired by a PAF J-10 fighter supplied to Pakistan by India’s main strategic threat China - the mere assertion is likely the manifestation of the worst case scenario in the defence policy planning circles in New Delhi. Even if judged purely from a fiscal perspective, if the types, numbers and nature of loss of the Indian aircraft as claimed by Pakistan is accurate it would amount to the loss of over $1bn in military hardware within a day for India. (Source: bne IntelliNews - Germany)

Pakistan
8 May 2025, 15:20 (BST)  When India and Pakistan clash, their military backers clash. Islamabad currently gets the vast majority of its arms needs from China. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which tracks global arms trade, around 82 percent of imports between 2019 and 2023 came from its “iron brother.” Meanwhile, imports from the United States have collapsed. Beijing has been quick to supply Pakistan with armored vehicles, a jointly developed fighter jet (in the form of the JF-17 Block 3) and missile systems. At the same time, India’s main suppliers, Russia and France (which account for 36 and 33 percent of imports respectively), have been slower to fulfill their orders. Delhi has been increasing arms purchases from its Western allies and reducing its dependence on Russia. According to SIPRI, imports from Moscow have fallen from 75 percent of total imports to 36 percent. Purchases from France, Israel and the United States have surged since 2006. The Indian Air Force (IAF) operates a fleet of 36 Rafale F3Rs, the most advanced model of the aircraft, and still operates MiGs. The Rafale F3R has been described as a “4.5 generation fighter”, similar to the British Eurofighter Typhoon and almost on par with fifth generation systems such as the US-made F-35. A Rafale wreckage has been discovered in the interior of India, near the city of Bathinda? This is the first time a Rafale has been lost in combat. Neither Pakistani nor Indian aircraft crossed the border, instead engaging in a “standstill”-style conflict at times over 100 km. The PL-15 missile, carried by J-10C fighters, has never been used in combat before, and has not been field-tested against Western-made systems such as the Rafale. The PL-15E, exported to the Pakistani armed forces, can travel up to 145 km. For Pakistani air force pilots, the PL-15 missile has several advantages. After launch, it is equipped with a large booster rocket engine that briefly accelerates the projectile to speeds above Mach 5, i.e. hypersonic speeds. During flight, it is guided towards its target by an active electronically scanned array (AESA). It engages its own AESA radar as it approaches the target, locking on to the signal with deadly accuracy. The dual-pulse engine means that after the initial boost fades, a second boost can be generated within 10 kilometers of the target. The switch from the first radar system to the on-board version of the missile allows the aircraft that fired the missile to turn away from the target and escape possible counterfire. Pilot error or failure to follow battlefield rules may have contributed to the downing of the Indian Rafale. The alleged role of Chinese aircraft in the downing of a Rafale has sent shares in the aircraft’s manufacturer, Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, up by as much as 20 percent. (Source: RUSI - United Kingdom)

May 08, 2025 12:30  The nine terror camps targeted by India include Muzaffarabad's Sawai Nala Camp and Syedna Belal Camp, Gulpur Camp, Abbas Camp, Barnala Camp, Sarjal Camp, Mehmoona Joya Camp, Markaz Taiba and Markaz Subhan in Bahawalpur. After the airstrikes, Pakistan declared a 48-hour airspace closure for all air traffic. India also closed about 25 flight routes that allow planes to enter Pakistan through the Indian airspace. In a bid to ease tensions, Pakistan's Defense Minister Asif said the situation could be "wrapped up" if India de-escalates. "If India backs down, we will definitely wrap up these things. But as long as we are under fire, we have to respond," he said. Terrorist outfit Al-Qaeda has released a statement, via its media arm As-Sahab Media. It called the Indian government the saffron regime and accused it of systematically waging war against Islam and Muslims. It claimed India had specifically targeted mosques and civilian settlements, killing and injuring several Muslims. It wrote, "The Muslims of India and Kashmir have long endured some of the worst forms of oppression and tyranny in history.’ ’The Hindutva-driven Bhagwa terrorists and their Modi-led government are currently waging a military, political, cultural, idelogolical and media-based war to eliminate Islam and Muslims from the entire Indian subcontinent.’ Al-Qaeda further vowed to avenge the bloodshed. (Source: NewsBytes – India)

May 08, 2025, 03:30 PM  Pakistan shot down 12 drones from India, the military said today. India sent Israeli Harop drones to multiple locations. Islamabad was saying it shot down five Indian aircraft. The Indian embassy in Beijing termed reports of fighter jets being shot down as misinformation. (Source: The Straits Times - Singapore / Reuters - United Kingdom)

08 May 2025 07:52 BST  Comparative satellite images before and after the strikes released by Maxar Technologies show damage to mosques and buildings in Pakistan’s Punjab province. The pictures showed the impact on the Masjid-e- Markaz Taiba religious school in the industrial town of Muridke in northeastern Punjab, 33km north of Lahore.and in Bahawalpur in southern Punjab where the Jamia Mosque Subhal Allah complex came under attack after the precision strike. The Indian defence ministry yesterday blamed two terrorist organisations for the deadly attack on tourists in its side of Kashmir on 22 April. India said "no Pakistani military facilities have been targeted" and it only hit sites "from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed". Azhar, chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed, who was in Bahawalpur, said in a statement that his family members were killed in the strike. Pakistan said 31 civilians, including children, were killed in the strikes that hit six locations, calling it an act of war. Azhar said his older sister and her husband, his nephew and his nephew's wife, as well as his niece and five children from his family were killed in a strike on the mosque in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Azhar is listed as a global terrorist by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and is sanctioned by countries like the US, UK, and India. He founded the Jaish-e-Mohammed after his release from an Indian prison in a deal for the release of hostages in the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814. At least 15 civilians have been confirmed dead so far in Indian-administered Kashmir in Pakistani firing at the border. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

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Europe

Germany
06.05.2025 Leader Merz, a parliamentary veteran with no prior government experience, has become Germany's new chancellor. Politician Merz's - Germany's 10th chancellor -  immediate priorities include revitalizing the stagnating economy, rebuilding voter trust, and containing the rise of the ’far-right’. During his campaign, Merz emphasized ’Germany's commitment to taking greater responsibility for European security’, has pledged 'to maintain military support for Ukraine’. Merz 69, has had a lengthy political career since the late 1980s, when he was first elected to the European Parliament. He served in the German parliament from 1994 to 2009, holding the leadership position of the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) parliamentary group from 2000 to 2002. Merz has never held a government position. Critics are questioning his ability to lead Europe's largest economy through its current challenges. Between 2009 and 2020, Merz worked in the private sector as a corporate lawyer and board member at several major companies, including as 'chairman of the asset management firm BlackRock’ Germany. His confrontational approach and polarizing statements have made him one of Germany's least popular politicians. Merz's personal popularity remains well below that of the conservative leader of the center-right Christian Democratic Union and former chancellor Angela Merkel. Following the elections, he announced that visiting Washington, DC to meet with US President Trump would be among his first priorities as chancellor, aiming to address trade, security, and other key issues. The leader is planning to make his first official visits to France and Poland tomorrow. He emphasized that EU member states must present a unified position and pursue common European interests in negotiations with Trump. The leader has also been a strong supporter of Israel, repeatedly declaring that Israel's security is part of Germany's reason of state, and has pledged to strengthen bilateral relations during his chancellorship. Following his election victory, Merz spoke with Netanyahu by phone and later told reporters they had also discussed a potential Berlin visit, stating he would find ways and means to make such a visit possible. He did not make any comment about the Israeli government’s war crimes or killing of thousands of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, but criticized the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. ’On Ukraine, Merz is advocating for enhanced military support, including long-range Taurus missiles capable of reaching Russian territory’, which ’help Kyiv disrupt Russian military supply lines, particularly those connected to Crimea’. A recent poll by the public broadcaster ZDF revealed that more than half of respondents oppose his leadership - only 38% support him as chancellor, while 56% disapprove. Since 2015, Germany has accepted more than 2 million refugees and asylum seekers. About the new coalition's effectiveness: 48% believe the conservative-social democrat alliance will help solve Germany's problems, while 47% doubt it. The new coalition agreement sets forth stricter measures to curb irregular migration, which will be implemented under the leadership of new Interior Minister Dobrindt. There will be controls at national borders and returns of asylum seekers at the border, Merz said. We will intensify deportations, end voluntary admission programs, and suspend family reunification, he stressed. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

May 6, 2025  German leader is elected chancellor after historic first-round loss in the Bundestag - first of its kind in post-war Germany. The coalition of CSU/CDU and SPD has 328 seats in the German lower house of parliament Bundestag, more than enough to secure a majority victory, the position of chancellor. The coalition deal is involving his party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU); its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU); and the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Merz would have needed to win 316 out of 630. However, at least 18 Members of the German Parliament in the coalition did not back him - Merz received 310 votes, while 307 members voted against him and nine others abstained. In the second round, 325 lawmakers voted for Merz, bringing him past the 316-vote threshold. The ’far-right’ Alternative for Germany (AfD) has already demanded that Merz step down and call for new elections following his loss in the first round. (Source: Fox News - U.S.)

Tuesday 06 May 2025  The debacle. Merz’s voting debacle could upset his ambitious plans for the EU. Germany’s Merz today became the first chancellor-in-waiting to fail to form a coalition government at the first attempt. The conservative leader needed 316 votes in the 630-seat Bundestag to form a majority in parliament but unexpectedly fell six seats short just over two months after winning the snap election. Mr Merz was expected to be Germany’s next chancellor upon his party, the Christian Democrat Union (CDU) winning February’s snap election, prompted by the collapse of incumbent chancellor Olaf Scholz’s SPD coalition in November. The SPD came third in February’s election, with 120 seats, behind the 'far-right' Alternative for Germany (AfD) on 152 seats, and Mr Merz’s CDU with 208. Today’s vote was expected to be a formality. The SPD and the CDU had spent months making concessions to one another in order to form a viable coalition. Together, the CDU and SPD should command 328 votes, meaning 18 members of Mr Merz’s intended governing majority failed to vote for him in today morning round. After the results were read out, the CDU leader immediately began discussions with colleagues in the Bundestag to expedite a second vote. ’After the collapse of the previous SPD-led coalition late last year, Mr Merz had hoped to start his own government from a position of strength’. In March, Mr Merz promised to do ’whatever it takes’ on defence spending, to strengthen the defence capability ’of Germany and the European continent’. He led calls for Europe to ween itself off America’s military strength. It is the first time in Germany’s post-Second World War history that a prospective chancellor has failed to secure a majority government at the first round of voting. “Merz failed to secure a majority because he had to abandon large parts of his own campaign platform in order to buy the SPD’s support. In doing so, he disappointed parts of his own party while still not conceding enough to satisfy the SPD", AfD spokesperson Braga told. Following today morning vote, AfD co-leader Weidel, slammed Mr Merz's failure proof that his coalition has a weak foundation. She called for Merz to resign immediately and for new elections to be held.  (Source: The Independent – United Kingdom)

May 06, 2025  Merz failed to secure enough votes to become the next German chancellor for all the careful choreography of his confirmation. MPs humiliatingly failed to confirm him on today morning – unprecedented in Germany’s history as a federal republic. SPD members backed the deal last week, their leaders formally signed the deal yesterday with the CDU/CSU. Today’s vote in the German parliament, the Bundestag, was supposed to be a mere formality. The coalition has 328 representatives, and Merz needed just 316 votes to be confirmed by the 630-member chamber. Members in Merz’s own coalition voted against him. Needing a majority of 316 out of 630 votes in a secret ballot, he received 310. The 69-year-old CDU leader - a former investment banker - is a polarising figure. He is recognised as dynamic and clever, known for being hot-headed, combative and politically impulsive. Germany’s partners – especially the European Union authorities were hopeful that after the torpor of the 'ultra-cautious' Scholz, Merz can bring Berlin back to the fore. His ’defence’ plans and his ’outspoken criticism’ of US President Donald Trump suggest ’he is ready to revive the motor driving the EU’. These expectations may be overblown. Merz will almost certainly find a way to clinch the vote. However, it is a reminder that for all his achievements in cobbling a coalition, his position is far from assured. At home, his base is far from steady. Merz still needs to secure a fragile coalition. In the February 23 elections, his CDU-CSU alliance secured just 28.5 per cent of the vote, while the AfD came second with 20.8 per cent. This already thin margin has vanished: last month, a poll put the AfD on 26 per cent and the CDU/CSU on 25 per cent. ’The whole of Europe looked to Berlin today in the hope that Germany would reassert itself as an anchor of stability and a pro-European powerhouse, said Puglierin, who heads the Berlin office of the European Council on Foreign Relations’. “That hope has been dashed”. AfD leader Weidel responded to the Bundestag debacle by calling for snap elections. (Source: The i Paper – United Kingdom)

Romania
(Tuesday), 06.05.2025  Romania’s Interior Minister Predoiu was named interim prime minister today, as the country grapples with political instability following the resignation of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, after 'far-right' candidate Simion secured a decisive victory in Sunday’s presidential election. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

06.05.2025  European right-wing leaders yesterday celebrated Simion’s showing in the first round of Romania’s presidential election, in which the ’far-right’ candidate emerged as the clear frontrunner. Salvini, Italy’s deputy premier and transport minister, congratulated Simion on X, describing the result as a triumph of popular will over political elites. ’In Romania the people finally voted, freely, with their heads and hearts. With all due respect to the ‘gentlemen’ of Brussels and their dirty tricks,” Salvini wrote. Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who now serves as president of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the European Parliament, also extended his congratulations to Simion, as did French ECR Vice President Maréchal. Simion, 38, is known for his ultra-nationalist and Eurosceptic rhetoric. Representing the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), he received over 40.9% of the vote in the first round on May 4. He will face off in the May 18 runoff against Dan, the centrist mayor of Bucharest, who came in second with around 21% of the vote. (Source: Anadolu Agency – Turkey)

5 May 2025 Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has resigned and his Social Democrat party is to leave the government after a right-wing nationalist candidate won the first round of the presidential election. Ciolacu's party was part of a three-party coalition and the prime minister told his colleagues they had come together with the aim of having a joint presidential candidate and a parliamentary majority. One of these two objectives has failed, he explained. Simion's victory on Sunday was largely driven by popular frustration at the annulment of presidential elections late last year. His likely success on 18 May is awaited nervously in European capitals, as well as in Kyiv. He has called for restoring Romania's old borders and has been banned from entering Moldova and Ukraine. Public resentment at Romanian financial support for Ukrainian refugees has been a central plank in Simion's campaign. Simion did particularly well with Romania's diaspora voters, polling more than 73% in Spain and almost 65% in the UK among a broadly blue-collar electorate. He has said he wants an EU of strong, sovereign nations and his party has opposed supply weapons to Ukraine. Ciolacu is now expected to submit his resignation to interim president Bolojan, who will then appoint a caretaker prime minister. Bolojan himself took on the role of interim president last February because of the scandal surrounding the annulment of the presidential vote. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

May 5, 2025  On May 18, voters must decide between Simion, a 38-year-old firebrand who leads the 'far-right' Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), and Dan, the cerebral, 55-year-old pro-European mayor of Bucharest. Dan represents everything Simion opposes: technocratic governance, European integration, and civic activism. As Bucharest’s mayor, he has fought corruption, and modernised the city’s crumbling infrastructure. His Sorbonne PhD in mathematics symbolises his faith in evidence-based policy-making - a stark contrast to Simion’s emotional nationalism. Simion’s programme is a cocktail of populist promises and nationalist rhetoric. He pledges to take back control from Brussels, negotiate Romania’s EU budget contributions, and prioritise Romania first policies. Foreign investors, already jittery after the electoral turmoil of November, could flee. The Romanian leu might plummet. Borrowing costs would soar as markets price in the risk of a sovereign debt crisis. Unlike the gradual drift from liberal norms seen in Hungary and Poland, a Simion presidency would represent a dramatic rupture. Any chance of restoring economic growth, not long ago the highest in the EU, would evaporate. The flow of European structural funds, worth 80 billion euros over seven years, 'would dry up as Brussels invokes its rule-of-law mechanism'. Migration, which has already seen four million Romanians leave since EU accession in 2007, would accelerate. Domestic businesses, particularly in tech and manufacturing, would relocate to more stable jurisdictions. Simion's success reflects a profound alienation from Romania’s political class. He denounces Romania’s leaders as puppets of Brussels, questions NATO’s military spending requirements, and rails against the betrayal of traditional values. His rallies feature calls for "Romanian withdrawal from the EU’s migration quotas". The geopolitical implications dwarf the economic damage and threat to challenge Romania’s borders with Ukraine and Moldova. Simion's vision for Romania includes recovering lost territories in Moldova and Ukraine, echoing irredentism. He has vowed to end Romania’s support for Ukraine. While stopping short of his disqualified predecessor’s outright praise for Putin, he has called for neutrality and described Ukraine’s territorial integrity as negotiable. Romania shares a 650-kilometre border with Ukraine - the longest among EU countries. Its Black Sea port at Constanța handles millions of tonnes of Ukrainian grain exports. The country hosts NATO’s largest land base on the alliance’s eastern flank and 'has welcomed over 100,000 Ukrainian refugees'. For Ukraine, the consequences would be immediate and severe. Romania provides logistical backbone for Western military aid flowing through the Black Sea corridor. It served as the primary alternative route for grain exports when Russia blockaded Ukrainian ports. A Simion government would likely restrict both, potentially collapsing Ukraine’s agricultural economy and disrupting NATO’s supply lines. Moldova, already struggling with separatist threats and energy crises, 'would lose' its main EU ally. Putin would suddenly find his Black Sea strategy transformed, with a 'friendly power' controlling the western coast. (Source: Emeging Europe - Romania)

05/05/2025  Propelled by nationalist rhetoric, rural discontent and a viral TikTok strategy, 'far-right' leader Simion won almost 41% in the first round of Romania’s re-run presidential vote yesterday, setting up a decisive run-off with a pro-EU candidate that will determine the country’s democratic and geopolitical course. Simion’s campaign flooded TikTok with dozens of videos daily, often filmed in rural settings. Many featured fiery monologues, flag-waving backdrops and anti-Brussels messaging. Meme pages and nationalist influencers helped spread his message in formats tailored to a younger, disillusioned audience. TikTok, since last year’s disinformation controversies, said it removed over 27,000 fake accounts linked to Simion and Georgescu and formed a Romanian election task force to combat manipulation. Simion swept economically struggling rural regions, where discontent with unemployment and state neglect runs deep. He often is claiming he defends those who want to work but are mocked by the system. His campaign focused on reclaiming sovereignty, including promises to nationalise farmland and strategic sectors. Simion has branded himself Romania’s MAGA president. Washington has weighed in on Romania’s political futures. In February, US Vice President Vance condemned the annulment of Georgescu’s first-round victory, while White House adviser Musk repeatedly criticised Romanian authorities on his social media platform X. In the first round, just over 9.5 million voters participated, representing 53.2 percent of eligible voters. Simion victory could decisively shift Romania’s foreign policy and its commitment to democratic institutions. There would be less support for Ukraine, more MAGA-aligned interests and a potential democratic backsliding. For Dan, mobilising urban and diaspora voters, a democratic coalition will be essential. (Source: France 24)

May 05, 2025  Last November, authorities annulled the results of Georgescu, a ’pro-Russian nationalist’ seen as a fringe candidate amid accusations of a Russian influence campaign to boost his candidacy. Georgescu was banned from running in the new elections. The canceled vote drew criticism outside of Romania, most prominently from US Vice President Vance, who weighed in during a speech at the Munich Security Conference in February. Now, near-final results have given ultranationalist Simion, the 38-year-old leader of the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) party a victory 'in the first round' of Romania's presidential election. He led with about 40.9 percent, or 3,857,463 votes. The 55-year-old Dan - considered a political moderate - overtook Antonescu, a member of the country's ruling coalition helped by diaspora voting, lifting him into the second round of Romania's crucial presidential election. Dan had 20.98 percent of votes to Antonescu's 20.1 percent, representing a lead of 82,000 votes. Nearly all diaspora votes had been tallied - an estimated 973,000 people cast ballots in the diaspora. Simion led diaspora voting with 61 percent, followed by Dan with 26 percent, and Antonescu with 6.8 percent. Exit polls earlier gave Simion a smaller lead and included a higher total for Dan. In a pre-election report, monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) criticized some of Romania's registration and vote tallying procedures. ’We are approaching an exceptional result, far beyond what the [mainstream] television outlets are presenting...which only know how to stir up division with arrogance, to spray venom, and to distort everything and spread lies,’ in remarks recorded earlier in the night, Simion told supporters through a video link. ’Together we wrote history today.’ Simion has publicly embraced some of the rhetoric of US President Trump and his Make America Great Again movement. He recently said he's perfectly aligned ideologically with the MAGA movement. On April 24, electoral authorities announced an investigation into Simion's political party over allegations that Simion it had violated campaign-financing rules, organized a $1.5 million payment to a US lobbying firm to set up meetings in Washington with prominent media figures allied with Trump. The vote was closely watched outside of Romania, because Simion has made statements claiming parts of Ukrainian and Moldovan territories as well as questioning Romanian military aid to Ukraine. He has also criticized Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The election campaign drew outside observers to monitor the vote. The Trump administration sent election observer, a top official from the Federal Election Commission, which oversees US elections. A second round of voting between the top two candidates will be held on May 18. (Source: RFE/RL - U.S.)

European Union
Tuesday, 2025-05-06  According to the EU Asylum Agency's (EUAA) Monday report, in February 2025, Syrians filed approximately 5,000 asylum requests across the 27 EU member states, along with Switzerland and Norway - a 34% decrease compared to January. The total number of asylum applications received by the EU, Norway, and Switzerland in February stood at around 69,000. Syrians, once the largest group of asylum seekers, fell to third place, behind Venezuelans and Afghans. (Source: Shafaq News - Iraq)

Russia
May 06 (2025)  NATO and the European Union have launched programs aimed at preparing the collective West for a direct military conflict with Russia, Russian Security Council Secretary Shoigu said. Incited and patronized by London and Paris, the European elites continue to make loud statements about the need to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, Shoigu said in his article "On the importance of the lessons of the Great Patriotic War for ensuring national security in modern geopolitical conditions" for the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper. ’But not only that. Accompanied by this annoying hype, NATO and the European Union have launched programs aimed at preparing the collective West for a direct military conflict with Russia. These aggressive steps, as well as NATO's continuing advance to the east, to Russia's borders, are justified by Russophobic fabrications in the best traditions of Goebbels' propaganda,’ Shoigu added. (Source: MEHR News Agency – Iran)

Ukraine
May 6, 2025  Corpses for cash. Corruption follows Ukrainians through every aspect of their lives, even to their graves. Corruption stalks Ukraine’s war dead. Corruption allegations are connected to military procurement or bribes paid to avoid recruitment into the armed forces. Estimates for 'the number of Ukrainians killed in three years of war range from over 40,000 to 100,000'. The war creates fertile ground for new corruption schemes in which criminals profit from people’s grief, said Lysko, a senior investigator at the National Police of Ukraine. In the spring of 2023, in Poltava, a city in eastern Ukraine, local government official Nechyporenko needed someone to help transport some of the dead from near the front lines to be buried in their home region. He turned to funeral director Burgardt. At a meeting at a city cemetery, the two men thrashed out their deal: Burgardt would get the contract for bringing corpses back from the morgue, and Nechyporenko, then deputy head of funeral services, would receive share of the fees Burgardt received. Later that month, the funeral director met the official to hand him his 13,200 hryvnia cut, some $320. Nechyporenko has been suspended from work as the case continues. Burgardt, who has not been charged, said he had gone to the police after Nechyporenko demanded more kickbacks. Police, emergency officials and medical workers are routinely paid by funeral homes for tips on imminent or actual deaths. Some funeral homes pay officials to win large contracts for transporting or burying dead troops. Funeral homes overcharge councils for soldiers’ headstones and coffins and split the difference with officials. The problem of corruption intruding on fallen soldiers’ funerals is felt across the country, from Odesa to Zaporizhzhia. Police in Kryviy Rih last month said they arrested eight local officials and a funeral-home owner on bribery charges over the transportation of soldiers’ corpses and other alleged crimes related to funeral services. Any family that has lost a soldier can claim around 15,000 hryvnia, or $360, from the state toward funeral costs. Families taking that cash can decide where the ceremony takes place but not who conducts it. Local authorities put the dead out to tender and funeral homes bid for the right to handle ceremonies in batches. Funeral homes sometimes pay authorities to win that business in the eastern city of Zaporizhzhia. Often the terms of the tender are customized in a way that only one bidder can win, such as coffins being specified to a standard that only one company follows. Ovcharenko had no choice of who conducted the Dnipro funeral of her infantryman son last October. The funeral home chosen for her provided a cheap coffin and memorial cross, and a bouquet of fake flowers, she said. Ovcharenko, who raised her only child as a single parent, spent 30,000 hryvnia, or $723, of her own money for a better cross and colored gravel to cover the grave. In Odesa, city authorities also pay for grave stones for local soldiers. But police are investigating whether some funeral homes are overcharging councils for monuments and giving a cut of the proceeds to officials, according to Lysko. Since 2021, the year before Russia’s invasion, the number of criminal convictions in corruption cases increased by almost 10% to 5,235 last year, over a period in which Ukraine’s population has fallen by around a quarter, mostly as a result of refugees leaving. The business of burying Ukraine’s dead, both soldiers and civilians, remains a focal point for graft—and those who refuse to take part often lose out. Sorrow Funeral Home in the town of Rodyns’ke,is the last to offer services to the under-fire city of Pokrovsk, on the eastern front line. It never pays bribes and would get half the custom of another local funeral home, its owner, Popov, said. Transparency International, a corruption-tracking nonprofit, ranks Ukraine 105th out of 180 countries. (Source: VSJ - U.S.)

Asia

China
Monday, May 5, 2025  China’s military forces are escalating preparations for a military attack the military operations represent a steady flow of expanding training and rehearsals for a future attack against Taiwan. The Chinese military also is conducting frequent ’pressure operations’ around Taiwan that simulate the closing of a military zone. The PLA in 2021 held a single brigade exercise near Taiwan and followed it with a six-brigade drill in 2022 and a 42-brigade exercise in 2024. „We notice quick change,” Adm. Paparo said of People’s Liberation Army operations in remarks at a conference hosted by the McCain Institute on Friday. The 2024 war games involved two-thirds of the PLA navy’s amphibious fleet with hundreds of assault combat vehicles in the water that practiced breaching barriers and obstacles and then moving military forces on land in simulated attacks on urban terrain, he said. 'These are rehearsals for selective blockade quarantine, and then we’re seeing rehearsals across the board and so that that number from one, to six, to 42 are step level changes in the environment,' the four-star admiral said. Growing ties and partnerships between China and two other U.S. adversaries, Russia and North Korea, also are worrisome. 'All of it is palpable over the last year,' Adm. Paparo said. The military rehearsals by China described by Adm. Paparo last year range from small island seizures -  like Taiwan’s small island near the Chinese coast - to larger operations like blockade rehearsals that would seek to prevent the island from receiving needed resources. Last are rehearsals for large-scale invasion operations across the 100-mile-wide Taiwan Strait. Adm. Paparo described the rehearsals as the ’entire range of military operations, providing every option that they would want.' China, he noted, is producing two submarines a year versus 1.4 for the United States and six warships for every 1.8 U.S. naval combatant. China also is producing 120 fighters a year to about 90 for the United States. Beijing has set the stage for a military takeover in 2005 by passing an anti-secession law that can be used to try an annexation if Taiwan declares formal independence or is seen moving further away from mainland control. Other signs of increasing Chinese belligerence in the region include recent naval patrols and live-fire exercises around Australia and New Zealand. Asked about the balance of power between the United States and China, Adm. Paparo said he is convinced the United States would prevail in a war, based on American military advantages in submarine warfare, counterspace ’and the ability to strike Chinese forces from the surface to the Karmann line’ - a zone 62 miles above Earth. On North Korea, Adm. Paparo said its ties to Russia will result in greater military capability for Pyongyang. This is a dangerous and unpredictable potential adversary, he said. (Source: The Washington Times - U.S.)

India
6 May 2025 22:32 CEST ’A little while ago, the Indian Armed Forces launched ‘OPERATION SINDOOR’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed. Altogether, nine (9) sites have been targeted,’ a statement from the Indian armed forces reads, adding: ’India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution’. It said its actions have been ’focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature’ and that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted. The statement says the strike comes in the wake of the 'barbaric' attack in which dozens of Indians were murdered in Pahalgam in Kashmir. Pakistan vows response to ‘heinous provocation’ (Source: The Guardian – United Kingdom)

Tuesday 06 May 2025  India calls for drills to test war preparedness. Pakistan conducts second missile test in days. The home ministry has ordered several states and federal territories to conduct mock drills to test air raid warning sirens, evacuation plans, implement crash blackout measures, and training people to respond in case of any attacks. The announcement of the drills came after prime minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting with top defence officials, including national security advisor Doval, defence secretary Singh, and Air Chief Marshal AP Singh. Yesterday, Pakistan carried out its Fateh series - second - missile test, testing a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 120km, two days after it claimed a successful launch of the Abdali surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of 450km. The situation remains volatile at the Line of Actual Control, the 740km frontier separating the Indian and Pakistani-administered parts of Kashmir. Cross-border firing has continued from both sides for the 11th straight night. (Source: The Independent – United Kingdom)

North America

United States
05/06/2025  The United States will stop strikes against Yemen’s Houthi group, President Trump announced today, after a nearly-two month bombing campaign. He said the halt would start immediately. The Houthis approached the administration yesterday night indicating no longer attacking American ships - “they want to stop the fighting,” he said. Omani Foreign Minister Albusaidi confirmed that his country mediated talks between the Houthis and the U.S. The Houthis have launched more than 500 strikes on commercial ships in the Red Sea and against Israel since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. The group hasn’t targeted a commercial vessel since late December. The Trump administration labeled the Houthis a terror group in March. The military has struck at least 800 targets in Yemen and killed hundreds of Houthis since March, according to U.S. Central Command. Israel escalated strikes against the Houthis yesterday night with 20 fighter jets bombing the rebel-held port city of Hodeidah. Israeli forces were responding to a ballistic missile strike against the Jerusalem airport by the group. The Trump administration’s military effort, dubbed “Operation Rough Rider” by the Pentagon, has helped reduce ballistic missile launches by 69 percent this year and cut launches of one-way attack drones by 55 percent. The costs have continued to pile up with an extraordinary display of U.S. military force. Defense Secretary Hegseth extended the deployment of the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group in the region and sent a second carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, in a major allocation of resources. The Pentagon also sent six B-2 bombers to the U.S. airbase at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean - a third of the entire U.S. fleet. The strike halt comes before Trump heads to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates next week. (Source: Politico - U.S.)

06.05.25  The Trump administration is offering a cash stipend and travel home to immigrants in the country illegally who willingly leave the United States. The policy will offer $1,000 and a flight home to each immigrant who leaves. “But what we thought we’d do is a self deport where we’re going to pay each one a certain amount of money and we’re going to get them a beautiful flight back to where they came from, and they have a period of time, and if they make it, we’re going to work with them so that maybe someday, with a little work, they can come back in if they’re good people,” Trump said. The money being offered to migrants will be paid after they confirm their travel home through a government app called CBP Home. Officials say the program will save the government money by avoiding the costs necessary to arrest, detain and fly people out of the country on government-chartered planes. The Trump administration announced last week that it had deported around 140,000 migrants from the U.S. since January. (Source: Telegraph India)

Mon May 5, 2025 Today US Secretary of Defense Hegseth has ordered senior Pentagon leadership to cut the number of four-star generals and admirals by at least 20% across the military, “removing redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership by reducing excess general and flag officer positions.” As of 2023, there were 37 four-star generals and admirals across the entire military. The memo also directs the Pentagon to cut the number of general officers in the National Guard by 20%, and to cut the total number of general and flag officers across the military by 10%. There are currently about 900 general and flag officers - those with the rank of one star or higher - across the military. The Pentagon has been considering making significant cuts to the top of the military, potentially consolidating combatant commands, such as merging European Command and African Command. Hegseth said during a podcast interview last summer that he believes roughly a third of the military’s most senior officers are actively complicit in the politicization of the military. In a second podcast, Hegseth claimed that senior officers in the military are playing by all the wrong rules to cater to idealogues in Washington, DC. “And so they’ll do any social justice, gender, climate, extremism crap because it gets them checked to the next level,” he said. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

May 5, 2025  As the Soviet Union collapsed and the Berlin Wall fell, the peace dividend promised reduced defense spending and, with it, a smaller industrial base. When Defense Secretary Aspin gathered industry leaders, the message was clear: consolidate or disappear. The merging of the defense-industrial base in the 1990s created clear horizontal market era dominated by platforms. Lockheed Martin claimed the skies, General Dynamics commanded the land, Northrop Grumman secured space, Raytheon dominated missiles and electronics, and Boeing straddled commercial and military aviation. This horizontal segmentation mirrored the strategic realities of late Cold War military doctrine. Distinct domains of warfare operated with relative independence, military operations were compartmentalized by service branches with distinct requirements, budgets, and acquisition processes, naturally leading defense companies to organize themselves around these same domain-specific structures. Three decades later, Department of Defense’s small business strategy claims to lower barriers to entry. In practice, it’s reinforcing a new class of giants. Palantir now drive the narrative championing the value of defense primes while posting record stock gains. It underscores the irony that yesterday’s industrial base diversification solution has become today’s new defense establishment, following the same consolidation playbook that created the primes they claim to challenge. Anduril acquired Dive Technologies, Copious Imaging, and Blue Force Technologies. Shield AI purchased Martin UAV and Heron Systems. These acquisitions are much smaller than the big maneuvers that shored up market segments in the 1990s, like Lockheed acquiring Martin Marietta, Northrop merging with Grumman, or Boeing with McDonnell-Douglas. The purpose of capturing a new market segment is the same. It is mainly the scale and timeframe for return that are different. The military’s doctrinal shift toward concepts like joint all-domain command and control recognizes that future conflicts will be won by forces that can operate across domains with speed and coherence. As warfare becomes more integrated across domains, defense companies are consolidating to mirror this integration. The result is not greater diversity and resilience in the industrial base but greater concentration, a trend that directly parallels the post-Cold War consolidation. Whether will be the resulting industrial base sufficiently diverse, resilient, and innovative to meet the challenges ahead? Should be we skeptical? The fundamental motivation for those participating in the defense industry remains the strengthening of the warfighter. Addressing complex, multi-domain challenges demand integrated solutions that smaller, fragmented organizations struggle to provide. The consolidation we observe is less about eliminating competition and more about creating entities capable of delivering comprehensive capabilities that meet increasingly sophisticated military requirements. This consolidation results in vendor lock, where only one integrated entity possesses the capability to address complex requirements. This dependency creates significant downstream challenges for the government. The absence of competitive alternatives severely undermines the government’s negotiating position, making it extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible, to secure fair and reasonable deals. The prime contractor wields disproportionate leverage, dictating terms, timelines, and costs with minimal accountability. The government becomes perpetually captive to the prime’s demands. The imbalanced power dynamic ultimately compromises both cost-effectiveness and innovation in defense procurement, reinforcing the very inefficiencies. Today’s complex battlespace seems to necessitate the quick injection of cash to maneuver from prototype to production. The Department of Defense’s growing emphasis on Other Transaction Authorities could fundamentally reshape the landscape for small businesses. Recent executive orders establish “a first preference for commercial solutions” in defense acquisition, creating streamlined pathways that enable non-traditional contractors to bypass the bureaucratic hurdles that previously secured the incumbents’ advantage. Evidence of this success is clear: 68 percent of Other Transaction Authorities contracts through the Defense Innovation Unit have gone to small businesses, directly challenging the oligopoly that has long characterized defense procurement. The Commercial Solutions Opening process developed for Other Transaction Authorities enables the Department of Defense to establish “fast, flexible, collaborative” contracts with innovative companies outside the traditional defense sector, directing procurement officials to prioritize commercial solutions while restructuring performance evaluations to reward employees who implement these approaches. The defense secretary’s paradigm shift in defense procurement could revolutionize the defense industrial base by attracting commercial technology companies that traditionally avoid working with the Defense Department. His directive creates an unprecedented opportunity to harness the $43 billion in private capital currently being invested in dual-use technology companies. “After a successful prototype, the relationship can continue and grow,” allowing small companies to build credentials through initial contracts and compete for larger opportunities, establishing a clear path from initial engagement to sustained defense partnerships. The results speak for themselves: Since 2016, Defense Innovation Unit has awarded over 500 Other Transaction Agreements, with 88 percent going to non-traditional contractors and 68 percent to small businesses. Their transition rate from prototype to production has improved from 35 percent to approximately 50 percent in recent years. To date, the Defense Innovation Unit has delivered more than 80 prototypes, with 52 successfully transitioning to the warfighter. These innovations have attracted over $30 billion in private investment and include technologies rapidly deployed to meet urgent national security challenges. (Source: War on the Rocks - U.S.)
by Hooper, director of growth and strategy at Defense Industry Advisors, a former U.S. Army intelligence officer, with past roles at Boeing as a senior strategy analyst and business development representative.

Monday 5 May 2025  In a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday night, US President Trump has said he will impose a 100% tariff on films made outside the US - produced in Foreign Lands - coming into country, as part of his ongoing trade war. (Source: ITV - United Kingdom)

May 5 2025  Air traffic controllers at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) facility in Philadelphia responsible for directing traffic into the busy New Jersey hub lost radar and radio contact with incoming planes headed to Newark Liberty International Airport for roughly 90 seconds on April 28, prompting a cascading wave of flight disruptions and renewed alarm over aging federal aviation infrastructure and a nationwide shortage of certified controllers. The  FAA is currently short about 3,000 personnel, according to recent estimates. During the outage, controllers were unable to see or speak with aircraft under their supervision. Several controllers were placed on trauma leave following the incident. United Airlines, which uses the airport as a major domestic and international gateway, later announced a reduction of 35 round trips per day in response to the operational strain. (Source: The Mirror US)