Egyik 19

.

Europe

Bulgaria
(Saturday), 22/02/2025  Bulgarian consumers boycott major food retail chains and supermarkets in the country over discontent with rising grocery prices. Shoppers are demanding a law to regulate prices and asking supermarkets to limit their profit margins on foodstuffs to less than 30%. Last Thursday's boycott, the second of this year, led to a nearly 30% drop in the turnover of the stores, according to local media. Many consumers in the country say they hope the boycott will bring about a change in prices. For many small grocery store owners, the boycott has led to a favourable increase in sales, with regular customers purchasing more foodstuffs at their shops. Organisers of the boycott are demanding supermarkets limit their profit margins on foodstuffs to less than 30% and want parliament to pass a law to regulate prices. They have called for a fresh boycott on 27 February and urged the authorities to act. Consumer protests and boycotts over rising food inflation and high prices began sweeping across the Balkan region in January, starting in Croatia. A similar boycott has taken place in Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Greece. (Source: Euronews - Headquarters Lyon, France)

February 22, 2025  Bulgaria's new government, which was approved last month after October's snap election, the seventh in four years, has reaffirmed the country's commitment to joining the euro zone next year. Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov has said the 2025 state budget will set a deficit of about 3%, paving the way for the introduction of the euro on January 1, 2026. However, the country still needs to meet an extended inflation target before an examination of the country's bid. Bulgarians are divided over the introduction of the euro, with many worrying that it will cause prices to skyrocket, as happened in Croatia in 2023. Bulgaria's Revival party, which has accused the central bank and the national statistics agency of "fabricating data" to enable the introduction of the euro, has called for a wide public debate on the economic effects of its introduction. Several thousand supporters of Revival party scuffled with police today. while trying to storm the building of a European Union mission during a protest against the country's plans to adopt the euro next year. The anti-government protesters, chanting "Resignation" and "No to the Euro", threw red paint, firecrackers and Molotov cocktails at the EU building in the capital Sofia, setting the front door on fire before the police pushed them away. Around 10 police officers sustained minor injuries and about six people were detained. The protests began in front of the European Union country's central bank, with protesters setting effigies of European Central Bank President Lagarde and other officials on fire. Some waved Bulgarian, Soviet Union or East German flags, while others carried placards reading "We don't Want the Euro". "We don't want Bulgarian financial independence to be destroyed". „We want to keep the Bulgarian lev." Kostadinov, the Revival party chairman, told media: "We are here to defend our freedom." ’Economists say that Bulgaria, where the lev has been long pegged to the euro, would attract more foreign investment if it adopted the single currency and secure credit ratings upgrades that could cut its debt financing costs’. (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)

Germany
Feb 22, 2025  The Trump administration’s apparent intent to decouple U.S. foreign policy from the NATO alliance and cozy up to Putin has rattled Germany in advance of elections tomorrow. Politico reported early yesterday that conservative candidate Merz 'said Germany needed to discuss nuclear sharing options with the U.K. and France, a move that represents a drastic turn in German policy - away from the U.S. and toward ‘strategic autonomy’ with its allies in Europe.' /Source: SpyTalk, a U.S. newsletter/

Russia
Feb 22, 2025  Russia may be willing to use a portion of its $300 billion in frozen assets to help rebuild Ukraine as part of a potential peace deal but insist that some of the funds be allocated to occupied territories. Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, over $300 billion in Russian central bank reserves were frozen, with most - 191 billion euros ($198 billion) - held in Belgium's Euroclear depository. The discussions reportedly come amid negotiations between US and Russian officials following their Feb. 18 meeting in Saudi Arabia. The G7 has previously announced that these funds will remain frozen until Russia pays for the destruction it has caused in Ukraine. The EU has already begun leveraging proceeds from frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. In January, Ukraine received 3 billion euros ($3.09 billion) as part of the EU's Ukraine Facility, funded through interest earned on the frozen reserves. The US and G7 partners have pledged nearly $50 billion in loans to Ukraine, backed by revenue from Russian assets. According to Reuters, one of the sources said Russia could agree to allocate up to two-thirds of frozen assets for Ukraine's reconstruction, provided accountability guarantees. The remaining funds, Moscow reportedly insists, would go toward rebuilding Russian-occupied territories in eastern Ukraine, which the Kremlin claims as part of Russia. The distribution of funds and the allocation of reconstruction contracts remain key points of contention. It is unclear whether the frozen assets were discussed during the talks. A separate Kremlin-linked source, not directly involved in negotiations, said Russia still demands a gradual easing of sanctions and the full release of its frozen assets. (Source: MEHR News Agency – Iran)

Feb 22, 2025  Russian intelligence has established a new unit that is behind a spate of attempted killings, sabotage, and a plot to put incendiary devices on planes. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Department of Special Tasks is based out of the headquarters of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence service, on the outskirts of Moscow. The Journal reports that the department was stood up in 2023 in response to Western support for Ukraine, and it “includes veterans of some of Russia’s most daring clandestine operations in recent years.” Known to Western intelligence officials by its Russian acronym SSD, the unit has absorbed other units, including GRU Unit 29155, which has been blamed for everything from assassinations abroad to bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan and the so-called Havana Syndrome anomalous health incidents that have plagued U.S. diplomats, intelligence officers, and others. The department also runs an elite special operations center known as Senezh, where Russia trains some of its special forces. /Source: SpyTalk, a U.S. newsletter/

Ukraine
Feb 22, 2025  Ukraine's access to SpaceX's Starlink internet service may be at risk due to a disagreement over critical minerals with the United States. Last fall, Ukraine suggested opening its critical minerals sector to allied investments as part of a 'victory plan' to strengthen its hand in negotiations. Trump backed the move, seeking rare earths and other minerals from Ukraine in return for financial support during the conflict. The Trump administration has demanded $500 billion in mineral wealth from Ukraine as repayment for wartime aid, without offering specific security guarantees in return. The proposed deal would have entitled Washington and American companies to 50% of Ukraine's critical minerals, including graphite, uranium, titanium, and lithium. The conflict erupted after President Zelenskyy rejected a US proposal for shared ownership of Ukraine's key minerals. The mineral dispute was a major issue during talks between US special envoy Kellogg and Zelenskiy. Ukraine was warned that Starlink services could be terminated if no agreement on mineral access was reached. Haring from the Atlantic Council emphasized the strategic importance of Starlink for Ukraine's military operations, particularly its drone capabilities. "Losing Starlink would be a game changer," she said. (Source: NewsBytes – India)

22 February 2025  Between 5,000 and 7,000 civilians, most of whom are elderly or disabled, remain in Pokrovsk from a pre-war population of 60,000. They survive in freezing, unlit basements with no electricity, living off humanitarian aid, at the mercy of relentless Russian glide-bomb and drone attacks. They do not want to leave, because their whole lives are in Pokrovsk. A mass exodus began last summer when, in one month, the population dropped from 48,000 to just 16,000. Last month, the Russians began marching up the city’s left flank, taking the town of Kotlyne just a few miles away. It is the last stop on the railway line connecting the city to the unoccupied regions to the west. Its capture amounted to the loss of a key supply line. The Russians have begun attempting to advance along the railway line. The capture of Kotlyne also brought the Russians closer to one of the last remaining highways into Pokrovsk – the E50, a couple of miles to the north. Its loss would significantly complicate Ukrainian logistics. Any vehicles coming into Pokrovsk, whether military or civilian, are being targeted by Russian drones. Only a Ukrainian police unit called the White Angels, a specialist evacuation unit, is still entering the city to rescue the remaining citizens. When Bondarenko, an aid worker for the International Rescue Committee asks civilians why they do not leave the towns and villages around Pokrovsk, their answer is often the same: home is home, even if it’s bombed. Some have even come back after initially fleeing. Every second person he sees breaks down when they receive their financial aid, he said and they have to be calmed down and given water. As the Russians inch closer to Pokrovsk, civilians well behind the front line are now evacuating in greater numbers. “If we were discussing this topic a few months ago, most internally displaced people (IDP ) would have been coming from the Donetsk region, from Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, the neighbouring city,” he says. “Now, we are even talking about IDPs from Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, the areas bordering the combat zones.” (Source: Independent – United Kingdom)

Asia

Iran
Feb 22, 2025  Tensions in the Middle East have reached a boiling point after a tit-for-tat exchange of threats between Iran and Israel. ’Operation True Promise 3 will be carried out at the right time, with precision, and on a scale sufficient to destroy Israel and raze Tel Aviv and Haifa to the ground,' Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) General Jabbari warned. In response to these threats, Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar said, "If the Jewish people have learned anything from history, it is this: if your enemy says his goal is to annihilate you - believe him. We are ready." This is the third threat from top IRGC officials in a week. Brigadier General Fadavi and Brigadier General Hajizadeh had also made similar statements pledging to destroy Israel as part of Operation True Promise 3. The increased rhetoric comes with the IRGC simultaneously ramping up missile production. Iran recently received a 1,000-ton shipment of rocket fuel precursor chemicals from China claimed a report published by The Jerusalem Post. The IRGC also unveiled a new underground ’missile city’, an underground missile base ’designed to target destroyers in strategic southern waters’. Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi has warned that any Israeli or American attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would lead to an ’all-out war’ in the region. This comes as reports suggest Israel might launch a preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear program by midyear. (Source: NewsBytes – India)

North America

United States
Feb 22, 2025  With Russia set to restore its diplomatic missions in the United States, it’s worth remembering why they were shut down in the first place: Russia waged a startlingly open and aggressive intelligence effort inside the United States. One example was Russia’s effort to map America’s underground communication nodes by dispatching intelligence officers to beaches, deserts, and Middle America. What FBI agents found especially unnerving was the Russians’ focus on communication nodes near military bases. 'According to multiple sources, U.S. officials eventually concluded that Moscow’s ultimate goal was to have the capacity to sever communications, paralyzing the U.S. military’s command and control systems, in case of a confrontation between the two powers,' Dorfman reported in Foreign Policy. /Source: SpyTalk, a U.S. newsletter/

Feb 22, 2025  A group of 200 U.S. intelligence community veterans, former ambassadors, Congressional staffers, and others calling themselves The Steady State have banded together to warn of the dangers of President Trump’s “capitulation to Russian interests.” Giving in to Russian demands undermines the foundational principles of U.S. foreign policy, signals weakness, and invites further aggression, the Steady State wrote in a letter to Congress. 'As veterans of national security policy, we understand that Ukraine’s struggle is not merely a regional conflict but a frontline battle in the broader contest between democracy and authoritarianism,' the group wrote in a letter to Congress. /Source: SpyTalk, a U.S. newsletter/

22/02/2025  US President Trump has announced a new phase of Ukraine war ceasefire negotiations between American and Russian delegations in the Saudi capital Riyadh on 25 February. (Source: Euronews - Headquarters Lyon, France)

22.02.25  US President Trump has once again raised USAID’s funding efforts purported $21-million grant to promote ‘voter turnout’. Trump, as usual, also questioned why such a significant amount was spent abroad when a similar sum could have been used to boost voter turnout in the US. „I want voter turnout too," Trump said at the Governors Working Session. '$29 million to strengthen the political landscape in Bangladesh went to a firm that nobody ever heard of. Got 29 million. They got a check. Can you imagine? You have a little firm, you get 10,000 here, 10,000 there, and then you get 29 million from the United States government. There are two people working in that firm. Two people. I think they're very happy, they're very rich. They'll be on the cover of a very good business magazine pretty soon for being great," he added. (Source: Telegraph India)

(Saturday), Feb 22, 2025  FBI Director Patel takes over the bureau that he spent eight years criticizing. 1,000 staff and special agents at the Pennsylvania Ave. headquarters were ordered into field offices around the country - and another 500 employees will be relocating to the FBI’s facility in Huntsville, Ala. The biggest changes came hours before Patel took his oath of office. Before he arrived all the support employees on the seventh floor where the director's office is - executive assistants and people who move the paper around, the bureaucracy  - they were all told to pack their desks …They were being reassigned, and they were to be removed from the seventh floor and then when he arrived with his own team the director's suite was sealed off, and no one else saw him essentially assuming command. Patel, finally confirmed by the narrowest-ever margin for an FBI nominee by far - 51-49 -  may be getting advice from a group of ex-FBI agents who call themselves “The Suspendables.” The Washington Post reported that these self-described victims of the FBI’s “weaponization” against conservatives have forged bonds with Patel, in some cases accepting financial help from his nonprofit foundation, and have been in contact with him since his nomination. Some of the “Suspendables” have singled out two senior FBI officials - Perkins and Veltri - for punishing political conservatives. Veltri and Perkins were among the eight high-level officials forced out of the bureau shortly after Trump’s inauguration at the request of acting deputy attorney general Bove.    A federal judge temporarily blocked the CIA and the Office of Director of National Intelligence from firing 11 people whose jobs were eliminated to comply with President Trump’s executive order seeking to end federal diversity programs. A total of 51 officers working in diversity and recruiting were placed on paid administrative leave and may be fired. That would be the largest mass dismissal in nearly a half-century. The CIA’s diversity office was closed, and office staff, including Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Laurienti, were placed on administrative leave. CIA Director Ratcliffe issued a memorandum Tuesday stating that Laurienti and other employees in the agency’s now-shuttered Diversity and Inclusion Office needed to go and gave them a choice: take retirement, resign and be paid through September, or be fired.    A Facebook account purportedly belonging to a former Soviet intelligence officer made the startling claim that the KGB recruited Trump under the code name “Krasnov” in 1987. The Daily Beast ran a story, which mysteriously vanished a few hours later. Maybe that’s because it’s not true? The Facebook account’s alleged owner is Mussayev, who served as chairman of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan in the 1990s and is now living in exile in Vienna. The post claimed that in 1987, Mussayev learned about Trump’s recruitment while serving in the KGB’s Sixth Directorate, which he said was responsible for recruiting businessmen from capitalist countries. The report raced around social media, exciting anti-Trump partisans. One problem: the KGB’s First Directorate handled foreign intelligence and recruited Americans; the Sixth Directorate was responsible for economic counterintelligence and industrial security. Another problem: Online biographies reveal that in 1987, Mussayev, then 23, worked in the central office of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs, not the KGB. He fled Kazakhstan in 2007 amid a corruption scandal.  In 2015, he faced charges in Austria for the abduction and murder of two Kazakh bankers but was acquitted. How come such an explosive allegation is popping up just now, nearly a decade after such allegations reached a fever pitch during Trump’s first term? Could it be that the Facebook 'Mussayev' is a fake, a sophisticated disinfo op? And why use Facebook, a playground for fake personas and foreign disinformation, to air such a charge (instead of a carefully arranged press conference with documents and the backing of experts)? And to what end? One possibility is that it was designed by enemies of Trump - pick a name, any name - to boost the anti-Trump fury while he’s on a roll in Washington. Another, far more devious, ploy, but much in the Russian disinfo DNA, could be that it was actually designed by Moscow to be unmasked in order to embarrass and discredit the legions of people who believe that Putin has some sort of direct leverage over Trump, It’s real wilderness of mirrors stuff.  /Source: SpyTalk, a U.S. newsletter/

22/02/2025  President Trump today said he would appoint retired Air Force Lt. Gen. “Razin” Caine as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, replacing Air Force Gen. Brown Jr., a Biden appointee. Caine worked for three years at the Central Intelligence Agency until December 2024 as associate director for military affairs. Before, he was director of special-access programs at the Pentagon from 2019 to 2021 and a deputy commanding general in the fight against the islamic state, based in Baghdad in 2018 and 2019. Caine, was commissioned in 1990 and served in various roles in the Air Force over more than two decades, including as a fighter pilot. He has also served in the National Guard. Caine has also worked in the private sector as a serial entrepreneur and investor, has held varied private-sector roles, including advising the security and space technology company Voyager and co-founding a Texas-based private airline that was later acquired. He retired from the military last year. Every previous appointee for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff since 1949 has been either a four-star general or an admiral. This requirement can be waived, however, if the president “determines such action is necessary in the national interest,” according to the law. If confirmed, Caine would be promoted to general. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the highest-ranking military officer in the Pentagon while holding the position and the principal military adviser to the president. The chairman heads the body consisting of top-level leaders of the main branches of the military. The role does not have executive authority to command combatant forces, and its primary purpose is to provide advice and opinions to the presidential administration. Six years ago at Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) the president described a “perfect” man named “Raisin Caine” whom he had spoken to while visiting troops in Iraq. Trump recounted a conversation in which Caine told him their mission could be “totally finished” in one week if they could use more force. “Why didn’t my other generals tell me that?” Trump said he responded. (Source: MSN / The Washington Post = U.S.)

22 February 2025  President Trump yesterday fired the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen Brown, and pushed out five other admirals and generals. The president will also replace the head of the US Navy, a position held by Adm Franchetti, as well as the air force vice chief of staff. He is also removing the judge advocates-general for the Army, Navy and Air Force. Pentagon was already bracing for mass firings of civilian staff, an overhaul of its budget and a shift in military deployments under Trump's new America First foreign policy. While the Pentagon's civilian leadership changes from one administration to the next, the uniformed members of the US armed forces are meant to be apolitical.    Brown, the president's top uniformed military adviser, was serving a four-year term meant to end in September 2027. He was relieved with immediate effect, before the Senate confirms his successor. During last year's presidential campaign, Trump spoke of firing “woke” generals and those responsible for the troubled 2021 pullout from Afghanistan. „I want to thank Gen Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family, Trump wrote. Brown, a former fighter pilot who has held commands in the Middle East and Asia, recounted experiencing discrimination in the military in an emotional video posted online after the 2020 killing of Floyd, which sparked nationwide protests for racial justice. Defence secretary Hegseth had been sceptical of Brown before taking the helm of the Pentagon with a broad agenda that includes eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military. In his most recent book, Hegseth, a former Fox News personality and military veteran, asked whether Brown would have got the job if he were not Black. “Was it because of his skin colour? Or his skill? We'll never know, but always doubt - which on its face seems unfair to Brown. But since he has made the racecard one of his biggest calling cards, it doesn't really much matter, he wrote in his 2024 book The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free. Trump said in a post on Truth Social he would nominate former Lt-Gen Dan “Razin” Caine to succeed Brown, breaking with tradition by pulling someone out of retirement for the first time to become the top military officer.    Franchetti was the first woman to command the US Navy. Her 2023 nomination by then-president Biden had been a surprise. Pentagon officials had widely expected the nomination to go to Adm Paparo, who at the time led the navy in the Pacific. Paparo was instead promoted to lead the US military's Indo Pacific Command.    On his first day in office, Trump fired Adm Fagan as head of the US Coast Guard. She had been its first female commanding officer.    It is unclear whom Trump administration will pick to become the new judge advocates-general for the Army, Navy and Air Force. In his 2024 book, Hegseth was highly critical of military lawyers, saying most “spend more time prosecuting our troops than putting away bad guys”. (Source: Time – South Africa / Reuters – United Kingdom)

.5 2 27

.

Europe

United Kingdom
Feb 21, 2025  A sobering message for Starmer ahead of talks with Trump via Number 10. As Britain’s Prime Minister gears up for a critical meeting with Trump in Washington next week, NATO’s former second-in-command to Europe has a sobering message for him. Keir Starmer “will just be laughed out of court, frankly”, warned General Shirreff today, ’unless there’s been a clear signal from the UK Government that defence spending is going to rise to probably around 3 per cent as a starter’. Britain spends around 2.3 per cent of GDP on defence, which is higher than NATO’s current target of 2 per cent. But it’s well below the whopping 5 per cent figure Trump is demanding of other alliance members, while threatening to encourage the Russians to do whatever the hell they want to any NATO country that doesn't cough up. In its election manifesto, Labour promised to increase the military’s budget to at least 2.5 per cent, which would cost around £5bn extra a year. RUSI estimated back in 2022, that increasing defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2030 would require £157 billion worth of additional spending over eight years. The government’s winter fuel payment cut to pensioners is forecast to save £1.3 billion in 2024-25. Britain’s tax burden is already at a post-war high - in the financial year to January, the UK borrowed more than £118 billion - the fourth highest borrowing period since comparable records began in 1993. One key issue to tackle to find savings will be the rising levels of economic inactivity in Britain. The number of individuals in Britain on out-of-work sickness benefits - who are not actively seeking employment - currently stands at 3.2 million. That’s a rise of one million in just five years, with an associated welfare cost of another £10 billion a year. In some parts of Glasgow and Grimsby, almost a third of the working-age population is on sickness benefits. When it comes to the ballooning £48bn UK welfare bill for sickness, which is expected to increase to over £60bn by the end of the decade if trends continue, the fault, lies not with the individuals claiming sickness benefits but with flaws in the system, which mean those struggling with long-term illness are not supported to return to the workplace, and those wanting to return to work are actively disincentivised from doing so: combine sickness benefit with disability benefit (or “PIP”) and it adds up to more than the minimum wage. Reeves is planning £5 billion of welfare cuts at the spending review. The Work and Pensions Secretary, Kendall, is understood to be pressing the Treasury to use some of the savings for an expansion of back-to-work support services for the long-term sick, insisting this measure will pay for itself and is in everyone’s interest. Ahead of the spending review, Reeves is under heavy pressure from officials in the Ministry of Defence who insist that any savings generated should be prioritised for their department. When it comes to increasing defence spending, a bigger budget is only half the challenge: the other crucial task will be ensuring that money is spent wisely. Ministers will be required to make about how best to allocate resources between land, air and sea. When it comes to investment in tech and hardware, a recognition of the ever-greater role that AI plays in defence and deterrence is important. Warnings about the danger of re-arming without re-industrialising will also place demand on ministers to strengthen their support for Britain’s steel industry. Another sticking point as Starmer gears up for his trip across the Atlantic next week. (Source: Reaction.life - news website, United Kingdom)
by Allen, Deputy Editor

North America

United States
February 21, 2025  President Trump delivers remarks at the Governors Working Session /Video/ (Source: YouTube / White House = U.S.)
164 918 views

February 21, 2025  ... - The administration knows where wants to go. There’s no interagency process, but when has that ever stopped a Trump administration before? Kellogg, the president’s special envoy for Ukraine, stayed in Europe after the others left and talked to European leaders. He even made a trip to Kyiv. So they aren’t completely ignoring Europe. But the administration clearly intends to be in the driver’s seat on negotiations. They even sent around a survey asking states what they can commit to future Ukrainian defense in concrete terms. The elephant in the room: seems like Trump is having some kind of personal spat with Zelensky. He took to Truth Social this week to refer to him as a “dictator” and suggested that Ukraine should hold new elections. Trump also suggested - not so subtly - that Ukraine itself was responsible for starting the war. This is some attempt at 12-dimensional chess from the administration, some people have argued that this is just about pushing Zelensky to the table. Then Zelensky refused to sign a document committing some of Ukraine’s mineral resources to the United States, almost as a kind of reparations for U.S. aid. At least some of these resources are in Russian-occupied areas, and others will be hard to extract in wartime       - What Trump does? In his first term, he said nice things about Putin while instituting a hard-nosed underlying policy. The idea of using Ukrainian critical minerals as collateral for U.S. assistance would give the United States a direct stake in the long-term security and stability of Ukraine. A good strategy starts with a clear goal. How will Ukraine be secured in the long run? Many European allies are promising to commit troops as a kind of trip-wire force. But what if deterrence fails and Putin attacks anyway? Will these European nations, like Sweden and the United Kingdom, really go to war with Russia? Are they expecting an American military backstop? If so, how is that different from NATO membership for Ukraine? Some kind of American backstop could still commit the United States to fight a war with Russia over Ukraine - something the Trump administration is keen to avoid. There is too much talk about a trip-wire force and not enough talk about the military strategy for defending Ukraine. One should start with the defense strategy and then design the trip wire accordingly.      - There are a lot of different proposals out there for what to do next: neutrality and security guarantees, global south peacekeepers, even Europe leaving NATO! The most prevalent is this notion that Europe will send troops, either to act as peacekeepers or as a trip-wire force to prevent future conflict. All the European discussions of a trip-wire force are pointless. They’re not credible, barely practical, and all of them require U.S. support of some kind. ’The only viable approach is a Ukraine that is strong enough to deter future attacks’. It’s quite achievable, particularly when Europe and the United States aren’t pouring thousands of rounds of ammunition and arms into an active conflict. It’s also likely to be more acceptable to Russia than some token European force, and it gives the Europeans more breathing space to build up their militaries for their own defense. ’I sincerely hope this is one of the options the administration has on the table; it’s win-win-win. (Source: Foreign Policy - U.S.)
by Ashford, a columnist at Foreign Policy and a senior fellow with the Reimagining U.S. Grand Strategy program at the Stimson Center, an adjunct assistant professor at Georgetown University, and the author of Oil, the State, and War; Kroenig, a columnist at Foreign Policy and vice president and senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, a professor in the Department of Government and the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. His latest book, with Negrea, is We Win, They Lose: Republican Foreign Policy and the New Cold War. 

(February 21, 2025)   '1991 – 2025 Ukraine’s struggle for independence in Russia’s shadow' /Photo/ (Source: Council on Foreign Relations - Headquarters New York City, U.S.)
Note: A version

NATO

February 21, 2025  Ukraine’s biggest backers in percent of GDP. For the Baltic states - NATO states near Russia - helping Ukraine ’is a strategic necessity’ given their geographic vulnerability. Estonia is contributing 2.2 percent of its GDP, Lithuania 1.8 percent, Latvia 1.5 percent. Denmark has a vital interest in the security of the Baltic and Arctic regions. It allocates more than 2 percent of its GDP to supporting Ukraine. The U.S. is the 12th largest contributor as a share of GDP (0.5 percent). Europe as a whole provided more than 132 billion euros in financial, humanitarian and military aid. The U.S. has provided nearly $120 billion (115 billion euros), far more than any single European country or the EU. The U.S. is the biggest contributor of military aid, providing roughly five times more than Germany, the next largest contributor. If Washington has its way, Europe's share of the burden is about to rise. /Map/ (Source: Geopolitical Futures - U.S.)

.

.

Europe

France
2/20/2025  France and Britain, the only nuclear powers among the Europeans, have been drawing up plans for a ’reassurance’ force that could be deployed to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire deal, a proposal that would require U.S. support. French President Macron convened a meeting Wednesday evening as part of his efforts to bring together a crisis coalition of sorts. It was the second urgent meeting this week at the Élysée presidential palace. Leaders of 19 countries, including European allies and Canada, joined mostly by video link. After the meeting, Macron outlined three conditions for a long-lasting and solid peace: Ukraine must be included, an agreement must have robust and credible guarantees, and Europe’s security concerns must be taken into account. ’We are convinced of the need to increase our defense and security spending and capabilities for Europe and each of our countries’, Macron said. Macron is due to visit Trump in Washington Monday, and will be followed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer later in the week. Starmer called Zelensky yesterday to express support and said it was ’perfectly reasonable to suspend elections during wartime,’ according to the British prime minister’s office. Trump’s national security adviser Waltz, speaking at the White House briefing, said the president is “very frustrated” with Zelensky, referring to a deal that would give the United States a stake in Ukraine’s natural resources. “The fact that he hasn’t come to the table, that he hasn’t been willing to take this opportunity that we’ve offered,” Waltz said, adding that he hopes there will be an agreement “very soon.” Waltz also pushed back today against concerns that Ukraine was being shut out of negotiations over its own future. “We’ve had plenty of engagement and dialogue,” he said, adding that Kellogg “is literally there right now” and that the administration was consulting with European allies. (Source: MSN / The Washington Post = U.S.)

Poland
February 20, 2025  The Three Seas Initiative (3SI), championed by Polish president Duda, received strong support from President Trump during his first term. European leaders with strong American backing should articulate a fitting vision and strategy at the upcoming Three Seas Initiative Summit in Poland in April. Poland should engage the 3SI member states and the European Commission to announce a bold and expanded vision that serves both European and American interests by inviting Trump to the summit. 3SI is an opportune vehicle to realize the region’s growing import across Eurasia optimally. There are two key avenues for cementing 3SI as a European priority and advancing American interests. First, establish 3SI as the primary conduit for constructing military mobility corridors to buttress NATO’s forward posture along an expanded front from Finland to Romania. Central to this vision is improved road and rail connections that would link NATO’s front lines to the region’s economic hinterlands and the three key ports of Trieste on the Adriatic, Gdańsk on the Baltic, and Constanța on the Black Sea. This bolstered interconnectedness enhance deterrence against Russia. It would be indispensable to the reconstruction and security of a post-war Ukraine. Second, institute 3SI - in close coordination with the European Commission - as the primary launchpad for the European Global Gateway initiative. Trusted connectivity can be achieved. To the south, the Global Gateway-3SI region through Trieste connects to burgeoning Indo-Mediterranean trade driven by the world’s fastest-growing large economy, India, along with the Gulf states and Israel. A reinvigorated 3SI coupled with the India-Middle East-European Economic Corridor (IMEC) is well positioned to usher in a “New Golden Road” that can drive Indo-European trade and commerce to new heights in the twenty-first century. President Trump recently announced that he and Prime Minister Modi have “agreed to work together to help build one of the greatest trade routes running from India to Israel to Italy and onwards to the U.S. - connecting our partners, roads, railways and undersea cables.” To the east, the three sea regions connect with the Caucasus, Caspian Sea, and Central Asia, establishing a Central Asia-Caucasus-Europe Economic Corridor (CACE). The European Global Gateway project boasts subsea digital and power lines across the Black Sea to the Caucasus as one of its flagship projects. CACE stands to elevate freedom of navigation in the Black Sea and indemnify Ukrainian coastal integrity.  To the north, the three-seas region connects to Baltic and Arctic NATO member states for greater coordination in advancing shared security and economic interests from the Gulf of Finland to the Gulf of Alaska. The upcoming 3SI Summit offers a propitious platform not only to expand 3SI’s vision but also to increase membership. 3SI should endeavor to include all major European littoral nations of the three seas, in particular Italy and Ukraine. The fifteen-member 3SI becomes an indispensable regional actor in shaping the future of European security and prosperity. The primary objective is to attract private institutional investors to infrastructure projects. Member states may consider a 3SI-NATO Fund with earmarked budgetary contributions to leverage matching private funds in constructing dual-use military mobility corridors. If optimally executed, the above strategy may transform Eastern Europe to a degree comparable to what the Marshall Plan achieved for Western Europe. (Source: The National Interest - U.S.)
by Arha, President of the Free & Open Indo-Pacific Forum and a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue; Debski, Professor of Strategy at the College of Europe in Natolin, Warsaw; Riisalo, former Minister of Economy and Technology of Estonia.

Ukraine
2/20/2025  Amid war of words, President Trump's envoy meets Zelensky today. Retired Lt. Gen. Kellogg, Trump’s envoy on the war in Ukraine arrived in Kyiv soon after Trump describing the Ukrainian president as failing and blaming him for Russia’s 2022 invasion of the country. Zelensky countered that Trump was repeating misinformation about him and the war. Ukraine is ready for a strong, truly beneficial agreement with the President of the United States on investments and security, Zelensky wrote on Telegram after the meeting. At the request of the American side, the format of the meeting was for a protocol photo op. (Source: MSN / The Washington Post = U.S.)

Feb 20, 2025  Pressured by Putin and Trump, walls close in on Zelensky. Outgunned Ukrainian forces have slowly lost territory to Russian troops over recent weeks. US President Trump described Zelensky as a corrupt "dictator" and claimed he was no longer Ukraine's legitimate leader. Zelensky accused Washington of helping Putin come out of isolation and said Trump was trapped in a Russian disinformation bubble. Zelensky, a former comedian, won accolades abroad and drew comparisons with Winston Churchill when he remained in Kyiv in February 2022. In Kyiv, the ground is shifting rapidly beneath Zelensky's feet. He called off an official visit to Saudi Arabia this week. The leader's problems mount at home. The 47-year-old has seen his approval ratings plummet. Old political rivalries are resurfacing. Zelensky’s decision last week to sanction former president Poroshenko sparked protests in parliament. Poroshenko described the move as a huge blow to internal unity. The mayor of Kyiv Klitschko - a long-standing rival of Zelensky - said the spat was harming both democracy and the country as a whole. A source in the Ukrainian presidency said there was no panic within Zelensky's office. Zaluzhny, the former head of the army tipped to be the favourite in any upcoming election, this week refused to rule out that he would stand in a presidential vote. (Source: Barron’s – U.S. / Agence France-Presse)

United Kingdom
Thursday 20 February 2025  A Downing Street spokesperson said Sir Keir Starmer spoke to Zelensky today evening to express support for him ’as Ukraine's democratically elected leader’. Zelensky was elected as president of Ukraine in May 2019. Previously scheduled to go ahead in 2024, elections were not held as a result of martial law being in place. /Video/ (Source: Independent – United Kingdom)

Thursday 20 February 2025  UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer will reportedly present the peacekeeping plan agreed in Paris to US president Trump during a visit to Washington, D.C. next week, as he hopes to lead European efforts to influence the future settlement in Ukraine. He will push for US fighter jets and missiles to be on standby in eastern Europe to deter Russian forces from breaching any agreed terms. The plan will see troops stationed in Ukraine’s strategic cities, ports and nuclear power stations - but kept well away from the frontline. There would be a heavy emphasis on intelligence and surveillance capabilities, allowing European countries to send a smaller number of troops on the ground in Ukraine.  But they would be backed up by a “US backstop”, which Sir Keir said was the “only way” to deter Putin from attacking again. The backstop may include US fighter jets in Romania and Poland, or a large multi-national land force stationed on Nato’s eastern borders ready to move into Ukraine if necessary to protect European troops. Downing Street hopes that Trump will be inclined to accept this proposal, largely as it does not involve having US troops stationed in Ukraine. (Source: Independent – United Kingdom)

Asia

Turkey
20.02.2025  At least 31 terrorists were "neutralized" in counterterrorism operations in northern Iraq and Syria over the past week. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

North America

United States
Feb. 20, 2025  Patel, a longtime loyalist to President Trump, was confirmed by the Senate today as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He previously worked on Capitol Hill and in the first Trump administration, after working as a federal prosecutor in Washington and a federal public defender in Florida. Patel is a firebrand who appeared on a broad array of conservative media shows and has spoken about his desire to "come after the people in the media." At his confirmation hearing on Jan. 30., he distanced himself from Trump's sweeping pardons of Capitol rioters, saying he disagreed with the commutations of individuals who assaulted law enforcement officers on Jan. 6. Democratic senators confronted Patel about his repeated contentions that the 2020 election was stolen. The final vote was 51-49. Since Trump took office a month ago, the head of the Washington Field Office - which oversaw the sprawling Jan. 6 probe - was forced out, as were six of the FBI’s most senior executives and multiple heads of FBI field offices around the country. The FBI ultimately handed over the names of FBI employees who worked on Jan. 6 cases as requested. Patel has a close relationship with a network of conservative former FBI agents who were pushed out over the past several years. It is predicted that Patel would do what needs to be done at the FBI, which is not just dismantle this agency from the top headquarters down to 56 FBI field offices, but also hold accountable those agents who have used their unaccountable power to weaponize the most powerful law enforcement agency in the country against the political foes of the regime. (Source: NBC News - U.S.)

February 20, (2025)  The Center for the National Interest hosted two experts on Russia, Ukraine, and the war to discuss these issues and more. Dr. Gvosdev is a professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College and a non-resident fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, a former editor of The National Interest and a current contributing editor; Haring is a senior advisor at Razom for Ukraine, a non-governmental advocacy and assistance organization, and a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, where she was previously deputy director of the Eurasia Center and editor of Ukraine Alert. She recently returned from meetings in Ukraine. Saunders, the president of the Center for the National Interest, moderated the discussion. /Video/ (Source: YouTube / The National Interest = U.S.)
212 views
Note: A summary opinion (insight): 'The Bundeswehr is now an army where you have one infantryman to every four kennels. Was it now the British have more admirals than they have ships in the British, in the Royal Navy?'

.

.

Europe

European Union
(Wednesday), February 19, 2025  European Union ambassadors approved today the 16th package of sanctions against Russia, banning Russian aluminum imports and imposing new export bans on Moscow. This package is now expected to be approved by EU ministers at a regular meeting next Monday. Despite last-minute concerns expressed by Greece, EU countries agreed to stop imports of Russian aluminum. Downstream Russian products of the metal have already been blocked, and the European Commission proposed in this package to also ban primary aluminum. Absent from the package is a full ban on Russian liquified natural gas (LNG). The issue has been caught up in trade talks now just getting started with U.S. President Trump’s administration, with Brussels holding off on barring Russian LNG until it potentially strikes a deal to buy more American LNG. Source: (Source: Politico – U.S.)

Ukraine
Wed, 19 Feb, 2025 - 10:00  US President Trump’s Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Mr Kellogg, is in Kyiv for talks with Zelensky and military commanders. Mr Kellogg said his visit is “a chance to have some good, substantial talks”. “We understand the need for security guarantees,” he said in comments on his arrival at Kyiv railway station. His visit comes after Trump suggested Kyiv was to blame for the war which enters its fourth year next week and talks between top American and Russian diplomats in Saudi Arabia sidelined Ukraine and its European supporters. Mr Zelenskyy cancelled his planned today trip to Saudi Arabia. He has said any settlement will require US security commitments to keep Russia at bay. “It’s very clear to us the importance of the sovereignty of this nation and the independence of this nation as well … Part of my mission is to sit and listen,” the retired three-star general said. Mr Kellogg said he will convey what he learns on his visit to Mr Trump and Secretary of State Rubio “and ensure that we get this one right”. The battlefield has brought grim news for Ukraine in recent months. A relentless onslaught in eastern areas by Russia’s bigger army is grinding down Ukrainian forces, which are slowly but steadily being pushed backwards at some points on the 1,000km front line. (Source: Associated Press – U.S.)

Feb 19, (2025)  Russia unleashed a mass drone attack on Ukraine's southern city of Odesa for the second night running today, knocking out power for some 5,000 residents. Nearly 90,000 people had been left in the dark in Odesa district in and around the city. Zelenskiy said a similar number was without heating. The temperature in the Black Sea port was about minus 6 degrees Celsius. The strikes had triggered a fire at a restaurant and a storage facility and damaged an administrative building. One person was injured. Photos on social media showed areas of the city in darkness. Four people, including a child, were injured in the initial attack yesterday. The Ukrainian military said Russia launched 167 drones overnight yesterday in the region and elsewhere in the country. Air defence units and mobile drone hunting groups shot down 106 of them, and 56 drones were 'lost' ’in reference to the military using electronic warfare to counter unmanned aircraft, it said’. Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian power infrastructure since March 2024, knocking out about half of the available generating capacity and causing widespread blackouts. (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)

Feb 19th 2025  Yesterday, Mr Zelensky cancelled a long-planned trip to Saudi Arabia, saying he did not want to be associated with talks held there without him: ’We were not invited…It was a surprise for us, I think for many others as well.’ Today, Mr Trump responded by calling Mr Zelensky “a dictator”. The country faces a fight for its survival. People, politicians and soldiers are exhausted. Hundreds of thousands are dead or wounded. Millions have left the country. Perhaps a third of the ’4.3m Ukrainians who fled to Europe’ are under 18; many of them will never return. A deal without long-term security will push more parents to send their children abroad, exacerbating Ukraine’s already pronounced demographic malaise. Either they send their boys to Europe while the law still allows them to, or they let them stay and risk everything. For all the turmoil, there is still nothing resembling a deal—yet. But so far much is developing according to Ukraine’s worst-case scenario. Many of its elite are apprehensive that the language coming from the Trump team 'echoes a Russian trap': calling for a ceasefire without security guarantees, and immediate elections that would shatter Ukrainian unity. ’Mr Trump appears to want to get rid of Mr Zelensky, whom he has never liked and who he thinks is difficult, says a former diplomat. ’This is not about elections, it’s about getting rid of Zelensky. In theory, Ukraine could fight on in defiance of a Trump deal. In practice, its hand will worsen with time. The war is brutal for both sides, but more so for the poorer and less numerous Ukrainians. There are serious problems at the operational level, and a notable absence of strategic planning. Front-line brigades are running out of men, with some down to less than a third of their regular size. As one senior American official says: ’If Zelensky can mobilise 18- and 20-year-old men, it might be worth fighting. If he can’t, he should take the best deal he can.’ Insiders worry Mr Zelensky is retreating into an ever narrower circle - right at a time he needs the broadest support. Standing up to an American leader who thrives on using enemies to define himself will be dangerous, and psychologically tough. ’There is no one who is ready to say no to him,’ complains one, ’and he is making mistakes.’ Many Ukrainians are clearly frustrated with their war leader too. Internal polling revealed shows that while Mr Zelensky would lose a future election by 30% to 65% to Zaluzhny, his former top general, who has yet to enter politics. Mr Trump, meanwhile, has many levers he might pull to enforce a solution. He can - and very likely will - cut or stop military aid. He might unilaterally lift sanctions on Russia. He might cut other vital support such as real-time targeting and Starlink, the backbone of Ukraine’s battlefield communications. There are new workarounds, but turning those systems off would hurt. If all this seems perilous, it is not the worst-case scenario. The true Ukrainian nightmare would come from Mr Trump enforcing the Kremlin blueprint in entirety: ceasefire without effective security guarantees; elections that result in political paralysis, a weak presidency, a fractious parliament; then demobilisation, mass emigration and the beginning of internal disintegration. The unity shown by Ukrainians in the early days of the war would be a distant memory. ’This is far from an impossible scenario,’ admits one official. ’Remember there are millions of weapons in the country. You can even buy a captured Russian tank on the frontlines for 100,000 hryvnia [$2,400].’ A senior Ukrainian official says it is unlikely Ukraine would ever formally recognise lost territories as part of a deal, but concedes NATO membership is understood to be a distant prospect. A bare minimum of what Ukraine could accept, he says, is continued ties with Western armies, no serious demilitarisation, continued flow of weapons and money, and a foreign peace-keeping force. The size of that force matters less than the fact it is present. ’Once they are here, we believe it will be hard for them to walk away.’ (Source: The Economist – Headquarters London, England)

February 19, 2025  Zelenskiy has frozen a proposed concession to mine Ukraine’s considerable mineral resources worth several trillion dollars after the US side offered little in return. The leader has been clear that the US minerals deal must encompass not only subsoil resources but also security guarantees and foreign investment in Ukraine. It is becoming increasingly clear that none of his allies are willing to offer a genuine security deal. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov kicked off preliminary talks in the the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia capital with his counterpart, Secretary of State Rubio. Rubio said an agreement could unlock “historic” gains for Russia that would "be good for Russia and good for the world." During the talks, the Russian and US delegates outlined the scope of the talks that will also include energy and business. No Ukrainians were present at the talks. The Secretary of State said that should the countries come to terms on a Ukraine deal, this would pave the way to "work together on other geopolitical matters of common interest and some pretty unique, potentially historic economic partnerships. Russia is also heavily involved in the Middle East where it has reportedly just closed a deal with the new Syrian leader Sharaa to keep its military bases in that country. Moscow is also close to Tehran, as a fellow sanctioned pariah, and it has also been suggested that Trump hopes to negotiate with the Iran theocracy through Russian President Putin. A Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia arrived a few days ago and opened discussions to deepen economic cooperation with nearly 100 local entrepreneurs. They presented these businesses with promising investment opportunities in Ukraine worth $500mn in energy, agriculture, agro-processing, and infrastructure. Collaboration in public-private partnerships and the involvement of Saudi Arabian companies in privatisation were also discussed. The Minister of Economy, Svyrydenko said that Saudi Arabia actively supports Ukraine, noting that it has already allocated $500mn for reconstruction. Zelenskiy is also due to arrive in Riyadh today but won’t participate in the US-Russian talks. In the meantime, the leader has been left scrambling to rescue something from his rapidly deteriorating position and travelled to the Middle East to reach out for new investors. During a working visit to the United Arab Emirates, Zelenskiy announced the signing of a bilateral trade agreement that will simplify trade between the two countries. This agreement could accelerate real GDP growth by 0.1% in the medium to long term. (Source: bne IntelliNews - Berlin, Germany)

United Kingdom
19.02.2025  Last year, 6,313 anti-Muslim hate cases were recorded, a 165% rise from 2022, the Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks or Tell Mama said in its annual report released today. 'The group attributed this sharp rise to the conflict in the Middle East'. Online anti-Muslim hate reports to Tell Mama surged by 1,619% after Oct. 7, 2023, Tell Mama Director Iman Obe stressed. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Asia

Syria
February 19, 2025  More than one million people have returned to their homes in Syria after the overthrow of Assad, including 280,000 refugees who came back from abroad, Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees wrote yesterday. At a meeting in Paris in mid-February, some 20 countries, including Arab nations, Turkey, Britain, France, Germany, Canada and Japan agreed at the close of a conference in Paris to work together to ensure the success of the transition in a process led by Syria. The meeting’s final statement also pledged support for Syria’s new authorities in the fight against all forms of terrorism and extremism. (Source: Gulf News - United Arab Emirates)

North America

United States
19 Feb 2025  On his social media platform Truth Social today, United States President Trump accused Zelenskyy of taking US money and embroiling the country in an endless conflict. Trump’s broadsides against Zelenskyy followed after the leader had said the US president was inhabiting a Russian-made disinformation space when it came to his views on the war in Ukraine. Trump later was telling an audience at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute summit in Miami that Zelenskyy had done a terrible job, his country is shattered, and millions and millions of people have unnecessarily died. Trump in his speech in Miami was branding the leader a “dictator”. “A dictator without elections. Zelenskyy better move fast or he’s not going to have a country left. Gotta move. Gotta move fast cause that war’s going in the wrong direction”. “In the meantime, we’re successfully negotiating an end to the war with Russia. Something I’ll admit that only Trump is going to be able to do and the Trump administration – we’re going to be able to do it. I think Putin even admitted that,” Trump said. “Biden never tried. Europe has failed to bring peace and Zelenskyy probably wants to, maybe he wants to keep the gravy train going. I don’t know what’s the problem, but he has been able. He’s very upset,” he added. (Source: Al Jazeera – Qatar)

Feb 19, 2025, 4:47 PM  "Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and “TRUMP,” will never be able to settle. The United States has spent $200 Billion Dollars more than Europe, and Europe’s money is guaranteed, while the United States will get nothing back. Why didn’t Sleepy Biden demand Equalization, in that this War is far more important to Europe than it is to us - We have a big, beautiful Ocean as separation. On top of this, Zelenskyy admits that half of the money we sent him is “MISSING.” He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden “like a fiddle.” A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left. In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only “TRUMP,” and the Trump Administration, can do. Biden never tried, Europe has failed to bring Peace, and Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the “gravy train” going. I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died – And so it continues….. (Source: Truth Social - U.S.)
by @realDonaldTrump

17:23 GMT, 19 February 2025  The US Air Force launched a hypersonic missile early today to demonstrate the nation's nuclear deterrent remains safe, secure, reliable and effective. The Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) exercise kicked off at 1am PT (5am ET) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, just a few hours after Russia deployed its 'Yars' ICBM for combat training. The Air Force said today's launch was a scheduled exercise. The nuclear missile took off in the dead of night, traveling 15,000 miles per hour to a test range near Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It completed the 4,200-mile journey in about 22 minutes. /Photo, video/ (Source: Daily Mail - United Kingdom)

19/02/2025, Wednesday  Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, US President Trump said the Ukrainian leader should have never started the war, criticizing Zelenskyy after he expressed concern that Ukraine was not included in talks between the US and Russia in Saudi Arabia. "But today I heard, 'oh, well, we weren't invited.' Well, you've been there for three years. You should have ended it in three years. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal," he said. Trump reiterated that it's a senseless war. „It should have never happened. Would have never happened if I was president. And it's a shame to see." Stating that he likes Zelenskyy personally, Trump said his leadership however has "allowed a war to go on that should have never even happened, even without the United States.” “Look, we had a president who was grossly incompetent. He had no idea what he was doing. He said some very stupid things, like going in for portions and all those things. He made a lot of bad statements, but he's grossly incompetent. And I think everyone knew that,” referring to former President Biden. In response to a question on whether he would support an election in Ukraine, Trump said there has not been an election under the Ukrainian president since the war. "We have a situation where we haven't had elections in Ukraine, where we have martial law, essentially martial law in Ukraine, where the leader in Ukraine, I mean, I hate to say it, but he's down at a 4% approval rating, and where a country has been blown to smithereens, you got most of the cities are laying on their sides," said Trump. "You know, when they want a seat at the table, you could say the people have to, wouldn't the people of Ukraine have to say, like, you know, it's been a long time since we've had an election. That's not a Russia thing. That's something coming from me and coming from many other countries also," he said. "Ukraine is being just, just wiped out." "Look at what's happening to the cities. There's not even a building standing. It's massive. You talk about Gaza, I mean, it's literally, these cities look like Gaza. Actually, many have, percentage wise, more buildings knocked down than in Gaza. So, you know, people are tired of it," he added. US and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia earlier in the day for the first high-level talks since Russia began its war on Ukraine in February 2022. The talks concluded with the delegations agreeing to hold additional rounds of discussions aimed at ending the war and improving bilateral ties. Trump also commented on the talks in Riyadh, saying he has emerged much more confident that a peace deal can be struck to end the war on Ukraine. The president described the discussions, which included Secretary of State Rubio, his Russian counterpart Lavrov and other senior officials, as very good, saying he believes the Kremlin wants to stop the savage barbarianism of the war. Earlier yesterday, Zelenskyy voiced dissatisfaction over Kyiv's lack of inclusion in the talks. ’We learned about it from the media’, he said, speaking alongside Turkish President Erdogan in Ankara. He emphasized the need for the European Union, Türkiye, the UK and the US to be involved in negotiations to secure guarantees for the Russia-Ukraine war. ’If these negotiations are fair, and if Ukraine, the US and Europe are at the table, these guarantees will be developed with the participation of all these countries. Of course, Türkiye is among them', he said. Trump further strongly supported the possibility that European countries deploy troops to Ukraine as part of any prospective deal to end Russia's war in Ukraine. "If they want to do that, that's great. I'm all for it. If they want to do that, I think that'd be fine," Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate. "If we have a peace deal, I think having troops over there, from the standpoint of Europe, we won't have to put any over there because we're very far away, but having troops over there would be fine. I would not object to it at all." Trump further claimed that Zelenskyy "said last week that he doesn't know where half of the money is that we gave him. Well, we gave them, I believe, $350 billion, but let's say it's something less than that. But it's, it's a lot." He was likely referring to an interview the Ukrainian president gave to The Associated Press, which was published on Feb. 2. "When I hear, and I heard before, and today we hear from the United States of America that America gave Ukraine hundreds of billions, 177, to be more precise. That's what the exact figure sounded like, which was supported or voted by the Congress, etc. Look, as the president of a warring country, I will tell you that we received just over 75," he said, according to a clip of the interview that has English-language captions. "That is, 100 billion of these 177 billion, or 200, some people even say, we have never received. And this is important, because we are talking about specific things," he said. ’Congress has allocated some $175 billion to aid Ukraine's war effort, but much of that sum goes towards domestic and other spending outside of Ukraine. A summary of the spending compiled by the Council on Foreign Relations think tank indicates that of the total sum, roughly $106 billion went directly to Ukraine’. (Source: Yeni Şafak / Anadolu Agency = Turkey)

Feb 19th, 2025  Bannon, the former White House adviser to President Trump warns Republicans the ‘Oligarchs’ will abandon them: ‘They’re with us – but only temporarily.’ Zuckerberg banned Trump from Facebook after the 2021 Capitol riot. He reinstated the president’s account on the platform in 2023 and appeared at his inauguration last month. Musk, meanwhile, spent at least $277 million to return Trump to the White House. “He wants to impose his freak experiments and play-act as God without any respect for the country’s history, values, or traditions,” he said in an interview with UnHerd this week. (Source: Mediaite - U.S.)

NATO

February 19, 2025  The Steadfast Dart 2025 drills comprise about 10,000 military personnel from nine nations as part of NATO’s new Allied Reaction Force. They are taking place over six weeks in Romania, Bulgaria and Greece. Today’s combat exercises in Romania saw live-fire training and trench warfare drills. Britain leads the operation with 2,600 military personnel and 730 vehicles. The drills also include Romania, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey and involve 1,500 military vehicles, more than 20 aircraft and more than a dozen naval assets. (Source: AP - U.S.)

Space

19 February 2025  Our civilisation is changing. At about 03:30 GMT today, the sky across northern Europe was illuminated by an object zooming through the air in flames, caused by a Falcon 9 rocket manufactured by Musk's company SpaceXr, re-entering the Earth's atmosphere. There are reports of sightings in Denmark, Sweden and England. The rocket is used to transport people and payloads into the Earth's thermosphere, sometimes beyond. It is designed to be reusable. It was supposed to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere in a controlled manner and crash into the Pacific Ocean. Pieces of the rocket then crashed into Poland, measuring around 1.5m by 1m behind a warehouse in Komorniki. Experts say, may also have landed in western Ukraine. It was launched by SpaceX from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on 1 February. Space debris from rockets and satellites re-enter the Earth's atmosphere several times a month. This is the fourth incident recently with a SpaceX Falcon which is causing concern. (Source: BBC – United Kingdom)

.5 2 23

.

France
February 19, 2025  French President Macron painted a veneer of European unity by inviting a small number of handpicked European leaders to the Élysée Palace, while the Trump administration sidelined the continent by moving ahead with direct negotiations today with Russia on the war in Ukraine. Cracks in European consensus were hard to ignore. From Macron’s push for European-led defense to Keir Starmer’s “third way” diplomacy, Giorgia Meloni’s balancing act between Brussels and Washington, and Olaf Scholz’s resistance to breaking with NATO, Europe remains divided on its next move. At the same time, the debate over military spending is intensifying, as NATO officials stress the alliance’s 2% GDP target is now a baseline rather than a cap. By hosting the Monday summit in Parisian palace, Macron reinforced his bid to become the dominant voice on Ukraine and European security, with Germany’s Scholz politically weakened, the UK outside the EU and with Italy leaning toward Trump.    Macron has emerged as the bloc’s most vocal advocate for strategic autonomy. With a presidential mandate until 2027 and France’s nuclear arsenal making it European Union’s only atomic power, Macron has positioned himself as the only leader with both the ambition and authority to act. His proposal for a European-led security force in Ukraine, even in a limited training and logistics role, fits into his broader push for a continent less dependent on Washington. But Germany is resisting, key frontline EU nations were left out of the summit, and Trump’s unpredictability clouds Europe’s security outlook. Since his first term, Macron has always presented himself as the natural leader of liberals against ’nationalist populists’. One cannot say that this has worked well.” Macron is setting the stage. Is Europe ready to follow?    If Macron is stepping forward, Scholz is pushing back. The German Chancellor rejected Macron’s proposal for a European-led security force in Ukraine, calling it “completely premature” and “highly inappropriate” given the ongoing war. He was “a little irritated” that peacekeeping forces were even being discussed “at the wrong time.” He insisted NATO - not an independent European force - must remain the foundation of security.     Notably absent from the Paris talks was Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close Trump ally and frequent critic of EU policies. Some observers saw it as a pointed message from Paris and its European allies about the limits of engagement with leaders seen as too closely aligned with Trump’s worldview.    Giorgia Meloni, the only leader of a major European economy to attend Trump’s inauguration in January, arrived late to the Paris summit and left without making a public statement. Meloni questioned why the summit was held in Paris rather than Brussels, the EU’s natural decision-making hub. She criticized the exclusion of frontline states such as the Baltic nations, Sweden, and Finland. Meloni pushed back against deploying European troops to Ukraine, calling it “the most complex and least effective option” - especially without firm security guarantees for Kyiv. She still engaged in the talks, bringing Italy’s concerns over long-term European military commitments to the table.    Keir Starmer is positioning himself as Europe’s key link to Washington - while maintaining a firm pro-Ukraine stance. The British prime minister is set to travel to Washington next week. While Trump moves toward de-escalation in Ukraine, Starmer is doubling down on support for Kyiv. Stating the UK is ready and willing to send British troops if necessary, this stance stands in contrast to Macron and Scholz’s more cautious approach. The UK is practically the only major ally that Trump hasn’t antagonized since his inauguration. Some analysts suggest Starmer is positioning himself as Trump’s European “whisperer.” (Source: Asharq Al-Awsat, heardquartered in London, United Kingdom, supported by the Saudi government)

19/02/2025  Benhamou, director of OPEWI, Europe's War Institute, says that Trump is aiming to open the Russian market to American companies, rather than support Ukraine and its allies. /Video/ (Source: France 24)

(Wednesday), February 19 2025  In Paris, France's President Macron was to host another meeting on Ukraine today. In comments yesterday to the French media after the U.S.-Russia talks, he suggested Trump could restart useful dialogue with Putin. In Brussels, EU diplomats said member states had today agreed a new round of sanctions against Russia, which will be formally adopted by EU foreign ministers on Monday, the third anniversary of Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine. (Hürriyet Daily News, - Headquarters Istambul, Turkey)

European Commission
19 February 2025  Eropean Union agrees new Russia sanctions targeting metals and 73 ’shadow-fleet’ vessels. The package unveiled today largely sticks to the European Commission’s proposal. The newly sanctioned ships will be added to the already listed 79 others, mainly tankers, used by Russia to sell oil outside the price cap or ships that help in Moscow’s war effort such as transporting ammunition from North Korea. In addition to the tankers, the envoys agreed to prohibit transactions with ports and airports in Russia used to circumvent the Group of Seven price cap on Russian oil. The package also expands the criteria the EU will be able to use to sanction owners and operators of the shadow fleet, including captains, as well as those providing support to the military. It also added 48 individuals and 35 entities to its sanctions list that included asset freezes and a travel ban. Sales of video game consoles, joysticks and flight simulators would also be restricted as they could be used by Russia’s military to control drones, an EU diplomat said today. Other bans included exports of chromium and certain chemicals as well as a service ban for oil and gas refineries. (Source: Brussels Signal - Brussels, Belgium / Reuters - United Kingdom)

Balcans
February 19, 2025 Geopolitically, the world has shifted on its axis since Trump’s return to power in the US. Trump’s call with Putin appeared to lay the groundwork for a prospective deal on Ukraine. Putin has already secured a diplomatic win by engaging directly with Trump. US Vice President Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) lambasted European leaders and signalled that Washington no longer aligns with ’their democratic’ values. Rather than meeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, he opted for discussions with Weidel, leader of the 'far-right' Alternative for Germany (AfD). Another aspect of Washington’s new foreign policy is that the US is backing away from its role, since WW2, of being a critical part of Europe’s security and defence. Trump has previously suggested that he may not support defending Nato members who fail to meet their defence spending obligations. During his visit to Brussels, US Defence Secretary Hegseth urged European countries to take greater responsibility for their own security. Trump and his adherents are closer politically to Putin than to ’democratic EU leaders’. The shift in the US’s position has clear implications for Southeast Europe. Upended world order’ enables Russia’s return there if a new Trump-Putin axis takes shape. The US president appears unopposed to Russia holding onto its territorial gains from the invasion - which would set a precedent, including for Southeast Europe, where there remain multiple disputed borders since the breakup of Yugoslavia.    ’Albania and Kosovo’ lack the cultural ties to Russia that Slavic nation Serbia maintain.     In Bosnia, Republika Srpska’s president, the secessionist-minded Dodik, has long been one of Putin’s most vocal European supporters. He has now penning a tribute to the new US president on X (formerly Twitter), titled “A leader who brings peace and stability to the world.” Dodik and his SNSD party are likely to continue obstructing Bosnia’s EU accession efforts, which have been repeatedly stymied by political infighting. In recent weeks, the state-level ruling coalition has fractured, with tensions again rising between the SNSD and its partners.    Bulgaria, once dubbed the “16th Soviet republic”, is now a Nato and EU member. The survival prospects of Bulgaria’s right-left-populist coalition government are uncertain. The ’far-right’, pro-Russian party Vazrazhdane is now a force in parliament and is waiting in the wings to enter government should an opportunity arise. Gerb, the dominant party in recent Bulgarian parliaments, has thus far resisted an alliance with Vazrazhdane. Its history of political opportunism suggests that stance could shift.     Croatia’s newly re-elected president, Milanovic, whose pro-Russian stance ’is firm enough to get him labelled an enemy of Ukraine’, is backed by the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SDP). The ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) has strong anti-Russia, pro-Ukraine stances.    In Kosovo’s recent general election, negative remarks about Prime Minister Albin Kurti by US special envoy Grenell just before the vote may have contributed to the loss of support for Kurti’s leftwing Vetevendosje party, which came in first place but lost its parliamentary majority.  Negotiations to form a new government remain ongoing.    Montenegro once known as Moscow on sea is an EU candidate country, and joined Nato.     North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, despite sharing ideological leanings with rightwing politicians like Orbán, used his speech at the Munich Security Conference to criticise the EU for failing to open accession talks. He derided the bloc’s merit-based approach to enlargement as a “fairy tale”, though his frustration appeared rooted in the slow progress of Skopje’s membership bid.    Romania’s links with Russia were weaker. Support for the far right is growing in Romania. With the rescheduled presidential election approaching in May, Georgescu tops the polls. He openly admires the Nazi-allied Iron Guard, which was in power in the interwar years. Figures like Georgescu and MEP Sosoaca openly espouse pro-Russian views.     Russia's remaining strongholds in the region were largely confined to Serbia where President Vucic carefully balances relations with Russia, China, the EU and the US. President Vucic says EU accession is the country’s foreign policy priority and Republika Srpska, the Serb entity within Bosnia & Herzegovina. Serbia’s Foreign Minister Duric spoke of Serbia’s commitment to its European path during his visit to Moscow this week while insisting that Belgrade would not neglect its “traditional friendships”, Russia. The visit coincided with the 17th anniversary of Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence - a move backed by Western powers but never recognised by Serbia or Russia. Duric referenced “tectonic changes in the international community” that he suggested could create new opportunities to revisit the Kosovo issue.    In Slovenia, the opposition Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) has strong anti-Russia, pro-Ukraine stances.    Of the 11 countries in Southeast Europe, all but four are Nato members. Four states are EU members, and all the rest are candidates or aspiring candidates. Beyond the EU, the six aspiring members of the bloc in the Western Balkans have long been a geopolitical battleground. Moscow’s grip has weakened in recent years with Russia competing with Western powers for influence, as successive countries have secured EU candidate status and joined Nato. The new Washington administration’s reaching out to ’far-right’ and ’pro-Russian’ politicians in Europe has already emboldened its new allies in Southeast Europe, both within and outside the EU. This paves the way for the return of Russia to a region from which it has long been in retreat. (Source: bne IntelliNews – Berlin, Germany)

Baltics
19/02/2025  Russia and the US debate the future of the conflict in Ukraine. The Nordic-Baltic 8 (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden) have been some of Ukraine’s ’staunchest supporters’ since the full-scale Russian invasion began in 2022. Biden travelled to Kyiv during the war and now Trump is ready to travel to Moscow - it’s quite a turn-around. Countries on the Baltic Sea are ramping up ’preparations for a military conflict amid fears that Russia is preparing for a future war with NATO’. The Baltic Sea, where eight EU and NATO countries share a maritime border with Russia, has already become a tension point, as several undersea telecom and power cables have been severed in recent months. Rumours swirled that the US under new President Trump „planned to pull its NATO troops from the Baltic States”. This week, these countries released a flurry of intelligence reports warning of Russian President Putin’s plans to expand military conflict further into Europe. „A weakening of the trans-Atlantic alliance now feels inevitable” - Danish intelligence have forecast that Russia would be ready to wage a ’large-scale war’ in Europe within five years, ’if it perceived NATO as weak’. Estonia’s Foreign Intelligence Service warned that Russia is expanding its armed forces in a way that ’prepares for a potential future war with NATO’. „Since the conflict escalated in 2022, Russia has paused planned military developments along its northern borders with NATO countries, such as more than doubling the 30,000 troops it has stationed along its border with Finland”. A Latvian intelligence report released this week assessed the threat of Russia engaging in a direct conflict with a NATO country in the next 12 months as “low” – as long as it’s military is still fighting in Ukraine. The concern is, especially if the war in Ukraine stops, Russia will focus very much on rebuilding its military organisation. According to Latvian intelligence, in this scenario Russia would be able to restore its military force enough to pose a significant threat to NATO ’within five years’. Russia is conducting espionage in the Baltic Sea, both in the technical space and also the virtual space, and it is conducting information operations in Latvia, Andžāns, director of the Center for Geopolitical Studies Riga, Latvia says. Russia wants to achieve the objectives which it has been pursuing systematically since the early 2000s expanding Russia’s sphere of influence and undermining the US as a dominant international force, especially in Europe, Zysk adds. ’They are very expansive ambitions, and they indicate that Russia is preparing for a large-scale confrontation,’he said. Hybrid war tactics aiming to destabilise societies and spread discord add to a sense that a form of conflict with Russia has already begun. Latvia’s installation of defence infrastructure is including anti-tank obstacles along its borders with Russia and Belarus, and similar measures were in Finland and Estonia – all EU and NATO members that share land borders with Russia. Experts, and politicians including Latvia’s president, have accused Russia of using non-military tactics to wage a "hybrid war. In the Latvian capital of Riga, a Molotov cocktail was thrown inside the Latvian Occupation Museum, which documents the Nationalist and Soviet occupations. Looking to the future, ’Russia is certainly going to use political, economic and informational means to influence politics, polarize debates and create chaos’, Zysk adds. ’And I don't see any reason why Russia would not use military means, under certain circumstances. It has proven time and time again that it is willing to do that.’ In Lithuania, the government has reintroduced military conscription, ’doubled the size of its armed forces and ramped up defence spending to 3.45% of GDP’. In a bid to prevent Russia weaponising the electricity grid against them, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania last week connected to the European power grid, severing Soviet-era links with Russia's network. (Source: France 24)

.5 2 24

.

Europe

Bulgaria
18.02.2025  The US Embassy in Sofia and Bulgaria’s delegation to NATO sent questions to the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry asking which countries could contribute to guarantees for Kyiv, whether they were ready to send soldiers to Ukraine as part of a peaceful solution to the conflict, and what the size of any European-led force should be. The ministry said that any decision to send soldiers to Ukraine is entirely within the jurisdiction of parliament. Bulgarian President Radev said today that he strongly opposes his nation sending troops to Ukraine in any form. "As the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, I am categorically against Bulgaria sending soldiers to Ukraine in any form. I expect the government and the National Assembly to state clearly and unequivocally that Bulgaria will not send troops." Radev said Bulgaria has been against participating in this war from the beginning. (Source: Anadolu Agency – Turkey)

France
(Tuesday), 18.02.2025  Too early to discuss sending troops to Ukraine, French foreign minister Barrot said after an emergency summit hosted by French President Macron in Paris. ‘We will continue to increase the cost of war for Putin,’ he added. It is too early to say what would be the guarantees, he told. Barrot announced that Europe would be imposing a new set of sanctions next Monday. (Source: Anadolu Agency – Turkey)

(18 February 2025)  Long shadows over the stability of this continent - Europe's leaders divided over their tactics with Trump. Europe was - it still is - smarting at being sidelined. The head of the West's defence alliance Nato, European Union chiefs and leaders of Europe's most influential military nations scrambled together at speed, held emergency talks in Paris to discuss the war in Ukraine. To impress Trump, to elbow themselves a seat at the negotiating table at the peace talks he plans with Russia's Putin to discuss the future of Ukraine. Yes, they say they'll spend more on their own defence, ’as Trump demands’. Despite domestic concerns about limited government budgets and a cost of living crisis. The Paris meeting even discussed the possibility of sending European troops to Ukraine to oversee an eventual ceasefire - unthinkable even a few weeks ago for Europe. That's what the US president wants. ’Those leaders in Paris failed to deliver a strong, united, sum-it-up-in-a-line-tweet response, that might have made the impatient businessman-cum-US president sit up and really take notice’. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz insisted that there must be equal division between the US and Europe on responsibilities in Ukraine. He is far from alone amongst European leaders, who suspect Trump is in a hurry to wash his hands of Ukraine and pivot his attention elsewhere. Perhaps China? They worry too that Europe may now need to defend itself against him and his policies. The UK prime minister is openly keen to use the 'special relationship' the UK hopes it still has with Washington ’as a bridge between Europe and the US’. Sir Keir hopes to grab a window of opportunity to press Europe's case when he heads to Washington for a meeting of his own with the US president next week. The US must stay by its allies' side, the prime minister has declared. If it doesn't, Europe's leaders will have to keep meeting untill they can agree a way forward for Ukraine and their common security. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

February 18, 2025  Three hours of emergency talks in Paris without a common view 'on possible peacekeeping troops' - an informal meeting of leaders from some European Union nations and the United Kingdom. They react on response to US criticism of its NATO allies after last week top U.S. officials from the Trump administration, on their first visit to Europe, left the impression that Washington was ready to embrace the Kremlin while it cold-shouldered many of its European allies. Vice President Vance and Defense Secretary Hegseth in a flurry of speeches questioned both Europe’s security commitments and its fundamental democratic principles. Moscow and Washington said there was no role for Europe in the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. “I don’t know what they have to do at the negotiations table,” Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said as he arrived in Saudi Arabia for talks with U.S. officials. Gen. Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, said yesterday he didn’t think it was “reasonable and feasible to have everybody sitting at the table.” “We know how that can turn out and that has been our point, is keeping it clean and fast as we can,” he told in Brussels, where he briefed the 31 U.S. allies in NATO, along with EU officials, before heading to Kyiv for talks tomorrow with Zelenskyy. Shortly before the meeting in Paris, Macron spoke by phone with Trump - a 20-minute discussion. Highlighting the inconsistencies among many nations about potential troop contributions, Scholz said talk of boots on the ground was “premature.” Starmer will travel to Washington next week to discuss with Trump. Macron - who has long championed a stronger European defense - said he spoke to Zelenskyy following the meeting.  (Source: AP – U.S.)

Germany
18/02/2025  A guide to Germany's 'colour-coded' party politics ahead of key election. Every German party is traditionally associated with a colour. Germany's main parties, their colours, leaders and what they stand for:    Red: Social Democratic Party (SPD), the centre-left party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, 66 is Germany's oldest with origins in the mid-1800s. The SPD prides itself on its principled opposition to the Nazis before it was banned and its members exiled. Prominent former SPD chancellors include Willy Brandt, Helmut Schmidt and Gerhard Schroeder. SPD’s key demands are fair wages, pensions and social benefits. Party lore says that dialogue with Moscow, rather than confrontation, helped end the Cold War.   Black: Christian Democratic Union (CDU, Germany's main conservative party, now led by former corporate lawyer Merz, 69, prioritises boosting the economy, law and order and traditional social values. Well-known former CDU chancellors include Konrad Adenauer and Helmut Kohl, dubbed the father of Germany's 1990 reunification. Merz has promised to steer the party back to its right-wing roots, away from the more centrist course charted by former chancellor Angela Merkel. He has vowed to strongly restrict irregular immigration and perhaps bring back nuclear energy, phased out under Merkel. CDU is in a permanent alliance with Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU) led by Soeder.   Yellow: Free Democratic Party (FDP) promotes liberal economic policies and small government. FDP ’s leader, former finance minister Lindner, 46, provoked government crisis and Scholz fired him on November 6. FDP has had a key role in building and bringing down governments as Germany's main third party. In 1982 the FDP switched sides, bringing down Schmidt, who was replaced by Kohl. It sees itself as a watchdog against government overreach, bureaucracy and red tape.The FDP is sometimes mocked as the party of the rich.    Green: Alliance 90/The Greens . The party emerged out of the environmental, anti-nuclear and peace protest movement of the 1970s. Vice Chancellor Habeck, 55, is the top election candidate of the Greens. The first Green MPs in Bundestag showed up in knitted pullovers and put their feet on the benches in the early 1980s. The current alliance was built in 1993 with activist groups from the formerly East Germany. The party of Foreign Minister Baerbock advocates strong military support for Ukraine against Russia.    Blue: Alternative for Germany (AfD). The ’far-right’ party started off a decade ago as Eurosceptic but has since embraced a virulent anti-immigration agenda. With its top candidate Weidel, 46, the AfD has been polling at 20 percent, with most of its support in the east. AfD railed against Merkel's 2015 green light to allow in more than a million migrants, many from war-torn Syria. AfD politicians tend to doubt climate change, hold ’pro-Moscow’ positions and support Trump whose ally Musk has strongly backed the party. Some AfD key figures have used Nazi-era phrases, and ’the domestic security service consider parts of the party as an extremist group, fuelling calls to ban it’. Other parties have committed to an anti-AfD ’firewall’, pledged not to cooperate with it. Merz breached this in late January to pass a motion calling for an immigration crackdown.   Violet: Linke and Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW).’Hard-left’ politician Wagenknecht, 55, left the Die Linke party to form a party a year ago named after herself. She labels the party left-wing conservative - pro-poor and sceptical of immigration. Wagenknecht, who grew up in East, promotes anti-capitalist views and opposes NATO and US bases in Germany. BSW, after strong regional election gains, is hovering around five percent again, while the Linke has gained support among young people.    Scholz's collapsed red-yellow-green coalition was dubbed the "traffic light" government. In 2017 Germany almost got a black-yellow-green "Jamaica" coalition, before the FDP pulled out of talks. Polling suggests Germany could next be headed for a CDU-led "black-red" grand coalition with the SPD. If the FDP were to join in, their colours would match the national standard, creating a "Germany" coalition. If instead the Greens joined, this would lead to a black-red-green "Kenya" coalition. Also seen at the state level before, but highly unlikely at the national level, is a black-red-violet alliance of the CDU, SPD and BSW, dubbed the "blackberry". (Source: France24 / AFP = France)

18 February 2025  US and Russian officials have today held the first of peace talks in Saudi Arabia, forcing European countries to determine their role as a matter of urgency. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said ‘European nations must step up’ which also means ’being ready to send British troops if necessary’. ’France suggested assembling a ‘reassurance’ force of up to 30,000 troops behind a future peace line in Ukraine to which it would contribute up to 10,000 men and women’. Scholz left the meeting visibly annoyed, telling reporters that such debates were „premature” and „highly inappropriate”. Three years ago, he promised a turning point for Germany. A special fund of €100 billion was made available to boost the country’s depleted military, and Berlin pledged to spend over 2 per cent of its GDP on defence annually. If he won unexpectedly the German elections this Sunday, Scholz’s strategy would be to borrow more money to give to Ukraine. Germany is indeed spending a lot of money on reviving its dilapidated Bundeswehr and has become Ukraine’s second-largest aid provider. But Scholz has never put credible conviction behind the idea that his country stands ready ’to defend Europe from Russian aggression’. The Zeitendwende has been largely about money, not a genuine change in attitude. He has previously ruled out sending German troops. When ’the Green Foreign Minister Baerbock suggested in December to commit German troops to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine’, his response was to criticise her as „irresponsible” because nobody was asking this question at the moment. There would certainly be vocal opposition to German boots standing ready against Russian soldiers on Ukrainian soil. Historical alarm bells would ring loud in German ears and trigger demonstrations. When one of Scholz’s SPD predecessors, Helmut Schmidt, ’allowed more American nuclear weapons to be stationed in Germany' in 1979, this triggered huge peace protests for years. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in 1983 when a young Olaf Scholz wrote essays about what he saw as an aggressive-imperialist Nato strategy. No German chancellor would have an easy time dragging the country out of its comforting conviction that it would never have to be war-ready again. ’Pandering’ to platonic ideals of pacifism are latent in German society due to the guilt and trauma of two world wars. Such moves are part of his cultivated image of ‘Besonnenheit’ – ‘prudence’, which in practice translates into drip-feeding aid (albeit significant amounts) into Ukraine while knowingly giving the impression that Germany would never go beyond that. Trump’s push for a peace deal will require a clear stance from Germany very soon. The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), which currently polls in second place prefers a lenient approach towards Russia with which it wants to restore ‘undisturbed trade’. Scholz recently blocked a €3 billion boost to military aid for Ukraine proposed by the Foreign Ministry. 'Merz is the man likely to succeed him'. It was his conservative CDU/CSU that rebuilt the (West) German military after the second world war as the front line of Nato’s deterrence against the Soviet Union. Merz has said he wants to ensure that Germany can spend 2 per cent of GDP on it long-term and then look at whether this can be boosted further. Whether the untested Merz will show more conviction and determination than his predecessor remains to be seen. At the Munich Security Conference this weekend, Merz also said: ‘I fully agree with all those who are demanding more leadership from Germany.’ For much of the Cold War, West Germany spent between 3 and 5 per cent of its GDP on defence, successfully contributing to keeping the peace for decades of high tension. Merz has avoided making Ukraine a major campaign topic. Merz will likely end up in a coalition with either the Greens or the SPD, possibly both. The Greens have been the most hawkish on defence. Their chancellor candidate Habeck has suggested boosting spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP. In the SPD, Scholz might well step down 'in favour of his current defence minister Pistorius, who didn’t rule out Bundeswehr troops in Ukraine when asked in December'. Polls suggest that might put his party in third place with as little as 15 per cent of the vote. So there is political headroom for Merz on this issue. ’Half of Germans said in a poll that they would be in favour of Bundeswehr contributions to a peace force in Ukraine. That’s almost the same as the proportion of people in the UK according to a recent survey’ Germany’s next chancellor has a real opportunity ’to do what Scholz promised and never delivered: to create a strong, fighting-fit Germany in the centre of Europe to help deter Russian aggression'. (Source: The Spectator, a weekly news magazine – United Kingdom)
by Hoyer, an Anglo-German historian. Her latest book is Beyond the Wall: East Germany, 1949-1990.

European Union
18.02.2025  Stating that the EU should take its policy in areas such as security and sanctions into its own hands in the era of US President Trump, EU commissioner for economic affairs Dombrovskis said before a meeting of EU member state finance ministers in Brussels: 'Work is underway to prepare the 16th sanctions package against Russia'. 'We are currently working on ways to provide more flexibility for defense spending under the EU's financial rules and options for providing additional funding for defense at the EU level,' he said. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Russia
Feb 18, 2025  Seven explosive-packed drones yesterday hit a pumping station of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which carries Kazakh oil across southern Russia for export via the Black Sea, including to western Europe. The Ukrainian drone attack on the major oil export pipeline could reduce export volumes by almost a third over the next two months, Transneft, Russia's state controlled pipeline operator said today. The 1,500-kilometre pipeline is owned by a consortium in which the Russian and Kazakh governments as well as Western energy majors Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell hold stakes. It carries around 80 percent of Kazakhstan's crude oil exports and about one percent of total global supply. Three-quarters of the 63 million tonnes that flowed through the pipeline last year were pumped by Western energy companies, Transneft said today. Heavily reliant on Russian infrastructure, the Central Asian Kazakh nation has stepped up efforts to diversify its energy export routes amid the Ukraine offensive. Kyiv has targeted Russia's energy infrastructure throughout the three-year conflict, seeking to hit sites it says supply fuel to Moscow's army or provides funds to support its offensive. (Source:Barron's - U.S. / Agence France-Presse)

18 February 2025  Putin 'ready to meet Zelenskyy', Moscow says as Russia-US peace talks underway - but Zelenskyy’s legitimacy can be questioned. Russia would not stand in the way of Kyiv joining the European Union, Peskov continued. /Photo/ (Source: LBC - United Kingdom)

Europe
18 Feb 2025  First a call, now a meeting. The EU is trying to find its way to a table. Trump’s call with President Putin last week came as an unwelcome shock to US allies in Europe. Top American and Russian diplomats met in Saudi Arabia today. It marks a significant turnaround in US policy. Ukrainian and other European officials were notably absent from the meeting. The US has signalled it may support Russia keeping territory it has captured and denying NATO membership to Ukraine. It would want European and other non-US troops to take responsibility for monitoring any deal, with the US weighing how much support it would offer. Zelenskyy, who was visiting his counterpart in Turkey at the time of Russian-US talks, said he did not know ahead of time that the Saudi meeting was scheduled. European leaders are starting to realise that they have a problem. Trump is doing geopolitics in a hyper-transactional way. Kellogg, Trump's Ukraine envoy who did not attend the Saudi gathering, has assured European and Ukrainian officials that no one will impose a deal on Ukraine. He urged European counterparts get involved by coming up with concrete proposals and ’investing more in defence'. The EU has to agree with 27, Europe cannot speak credibly with one voice. A day ahead of the US-Russian meeting, French President Macron convened an emergency summit in Paris with six EU member states, EU officials and the United Kingdom. It ended inconclusively, with no consensus on what European countries might substantively contribute. The idea of deploying European troops to Ukraine has proven divisive. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed some support, along with Sweden and Denmark. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejected boots on the ground. Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk did, too. There was more agreement on following Poland's lead on defence spending. European Commission President ’der Leyen suggested the EU could temporarily waive strict budget rules to allow for it’. "Macron and Tusk have disagreements over the EU's role in a post-war Ukraine". Adding to the European disunity was criticism of how few European countries Macron invited. The Baltics, despite their geographic proximity to Russia and robust Ukraine policy, were not present. EU members with a mixed record confronting Russia, such as Hungary, were also absent. (Source: The Parliament Magazine – a monthy magazine, based in Brussels, Belgium, owned by a British company, United Kingdom)
by Van Rensbergen

Africa

Egypt
February 18, 2025  An extraordinary Arab League meeting on Gaza, initially set for next week, has been postponed to March 4, host Egypt said today. The new date was agreed with Arab League members as part of substantive and logistical preparations for the summit. (Source: Business Recorder - Pakistan)

Asia

Saudi Arabia
Tue 18 Feb 2025  Zelensky said he had postponed his visit to Saudi Arabia planned for tomorrow and that talks on how to end the war with Russia could not be held behind Ukraine's back. (Source: Irish Independent - Ireland)

18 February 2025  A stern-faced US Secretary of State Rubio, in office for less than a month, sat across from Lavrov, who has been Russia's foreign minister for more than two decades. The superpowers met in Saudi Arabia without Kyiv or the EU. Isolated by the West for three years, Russia is hoping for a "restoration" of ties with the US and a comeback to the international arena. The continent's defences were raised as part of the talks in Riyadh, Russia told the United States today that settling the war in Ukraine required a reorganisation of Europe's defence agreements. Before invading Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has long called for the withdrawal of NATO forces from and eastern Europe, viewing the alliance as an existential threat on its flank. "A lasting and long-term viable resolution is impossible without a comprehensive consideration of security issues on the continent," Kremlin spokesman Peskov told today. Europe, alarmed by Trump's overhaul of US policy on Russia, fears Washington re-write the continent's security arrangement in a Cold War-style deal between superpowers. European leaders held an emergency meeting in Paris a day earlier, but struggled to put on a united front. "I don't think that people should view this as something that is about details or moving forward in some kind of a negotiation," US State Department spokesperson Bruce said. Russia's Ushakov told state media the talks would discuss "how to start negotiations on Ukraine". The sides will also discuss a possible Putin-Trump summit. Trump has said he wants to end the war in Ukraine, but has thus far presented no concrete plan. The US has urged both sides that concessions will have to be made if any peace talks materialise. Russia on the eve of the summit said there cannot be even a "thought" on it giving up territory seized from Ukraine. Speeches by Trump's officials were indicating Washington does not see Moscow as a threat. The EU said it still wants to "partner" with the US on any truce talks. Trump's administration has given no clear answer on whether the EU would take part and Moscow has said it sees no point in Europe having a seat at the table. ’Financially and militarily, Europe has brought more to the table than anyone else’, the president of the European Commission, der Leyen, said on social media. ’We want to partner with the US to deliver a just and lasting peace for Ukraine’. Key Russian ally China welcomed "efforts towards peace" today. "At the same time, we hope that all parties and stakeholders can participate," foreign ministry spokesman Guo said. Russia has presented cautious optimism on the talks. The Kremlin said today that Ukraine had the right to join the European Union, but not the NATO military alliance. It also said Putin was ready to negotiate with Zelensky "if necessary", questioning his "legitimacy". Zelensky is due in Saudi Arabia tomorrow, though said he does not plan to meet with US or Russian officials. Moscow negotiator Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund told Russian state TV from Riyadh today he expects progress in talks on the economic front -- seeking the removal of Western sanctions -- in the next two-three months. (Source: Times of Malta / AFP - France)

2025. febr. 18.  “The discussion was very positive,” the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Dmitriev, said in a brief interview at the Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh, where the talks are being held. /Video/ (Source: The Semafor, a news website, its organization is based in New York City / X = U.S.)

18 Feb 2025 Ready to be carved up? Ukraine on the surgeon's operating table. Top US and Russian diplomats were meeting in Saudi Arabia. Following the meeting, it was confirmed US and Russia have agreed to appoint high level teams to begin working on ending the war in Ukraine, according to the US State Department. They said both countries need to "establish a consultation mechanism to address irritants to our bilateral relationship with the objective of taking steps necessary to normalise the operation of our respective diplomatic missions." The countries look to strike a deal which benefits them economically. President Trump is after material gains for the US – especially Ukraine’s mineral resources. Currently, China dominates supply chains of rare earth metals - used in military technologies for example. China is the US’ ultimate target, the global context of the talks with Russia. Trump says he wants at least $500 billion worth of Ukraine’s rare earth deposits, around half of which actually lie in territories currently occupied by Russia. In return, Trump offers Ukraine security. Hence, the talks with Russia, to try and do a ‘deal, Head of Department of International Politics at City, University of London, Professor Parmar said. "Given what we know about the Trump administration’s material goals, hence desire to grab Greenland, Panama, Canada, etc – and Trump’s deal-maker personality – the war in Ukraine has little to do with defending democracy or sovereignty: it is a struggle for resources worth hundreds of billions of dollars, if not more. Trump also wants Ukraine to buy more US liquid natural gas". Mr Indeerjet added: "Ukraine increasingly resembles a body on the US, EU and Russian surgeon’s operating table”. This deal is likely to exclude or subordinate Europeans’ interests in the same minerals. As the EU foreign policy head, Kallas, noted recently, the EU has poured large amounts of aid into Ukraine and does not want to see Russia taking Ukrainian territories, the US securing natural resources, and Europe paying the bill. (Mirror – United Kingdom)

2/18/2025  The talks in Saudi Arabia saw the U.S. and Russian sides broadly agree on three key objectives, according to reports: the establishment of closer relations and economic cooperation, the formation of a high-level team to support Ukraine peace talks, and to restore staffing at their respective embassies in Washington and Moscow. In a statement, Rubio stressed that the talks marked the beginning of a conversation, and more work needs to be done. Lavrov seemed to echo Rubio’s sentiment as he said that “the conversation was very useful… We not only listened, but also heard each other.” United States military volunteers - former U.S. military servicemembers - fighting on Kyiv’s side for nearly three years, have branded President Trump over his private phone call with President Putin the previous week, Knewz.com has learned. (Source: MSN / Knewz = U.S.)

18/02/2025  US delegation addresses reporters following talks with Russian delegation. /18 min Video/ (Source: France 24)

(18 February 2025)  Three Americans and three Russians made up the two teams at the talks in Saudi Arabia that have underscored an end to Western isolation of Moscow. The men described the meeting as preparing the groundwork for broader "high-level" talks. They agreed to reset their countries' diplomatic relations.    US Secretary of State Rubio had already spoken to his veteran Russian counterpart Lavrov over the phone three days before the talks took place. He said after today's meeting he was convinced Russia was ready for a "serious process" to end the war and the two countries would resume diplomatic relations. Rubio has long sought an end to the war in Ukraine and voted against a $6bn US military aid package in 2024. He sees China as America's biggest adversary and believes Beijing is happy for the US to be ’bogged down in Europe’. Rubio has cautioned that "one meeting is not going to solve [the war]". He made clear that both Ukraine and Europe will have to be involved too: "No-one is being sidelined here."   National Security Adviser Waltz spoke after the talks of pushing for a permanent, not a temporary end to the war. He suggested at the weekend that US deserves "some type of payback" for the billions it has paid out to Ukraine since it began. He thinks Ukraine should share its mineral wealth in partnership with the US "in terms of their rare earths, their natural resources, and their oil and gas". Waltz believe that Europeans have to ’own this conflict’ in terms of future security guarantees.    Witkoff was the man Trump chose to send to Moscow only last week for talks with Putin. Ostensibly, he's Trump's Middle East envoy, but clearly the president's former golf partner is far more significant than that and he is being seen as the president's loyal and favoured dealmaker. He was part of talks on forging Israel's ceasefire with Hamas but was then sent to Russia to help with the exchange of US prisoner Fogel for a Russian, Vinnik, in jail in America.    Russia chose two top diplomats for this initial exchange of views. Both are veterans and know the US well: Putin foreign policy adviser Ushakov and Lavrov, foreign minister since 2004.    It has been up to Lavrov to convey Moscow's message. Explaining that the US delegation had proposed a halt to attacks on energy facilities, Lavrov said Russia had never targeted Ukraine's civilian supply. A cruel denial of the truth. When he took part in doomed ceasefire talks with Ukraine shortly after the full-scale war began, Lavrov even denied there had been an invasion.   As former ambassador to the US, 77-year-old Ushakov has a good idea of how to talk to Washington. Within days of Trump's return to the White House he made clear Russia was ready for talks if the US sent "relevant signals". Days before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he accused the Biden administration of peak ’hysteria’ in suggesting Russian troops were preparing to go to war.   A third Russian was not in the room at that point, but Dmitriev's presence in the delegation is a mark of just how important Putin sees the economic potential of the Saudi talks. Dmitriev, 49, is head of Russia's Direct Investment Fund and later joined his colleagues to discuss economic relations. "We also need to make joint projects, including, for example, in the Arctic Region, and in other areas," he told. Dmitriev played a key role in working with Witkoff in the prisoner exchange that preceded Trump's phone-call with Putin last week, along with Saudi Arabia's Salman. Dmitriev has close connections to Putin's family - his wife is close to one of Putin's daughters. Few Russians know America's finance and business sector better than Dmitriev, as a former investment banker at Goldman Sachs and a graduate of Harvard Business School. Although he is adamant Russia's economy is doing well, 43% of the budget is going on the war and internal security, inflation is just under 10% and interest rates have hit 21%.   The two Saudi hosts chaired the start of the meeting but did not stay in the room.   Foreign Minister Prince Farhan has played an active role as top Saudi diplomat this year, visiting Lebanon and Europe and hosting an international meeting aimed at lifting sanctions on Syria.   Saudi national security adviser Aiban has also played a prominent part in promoting Saudi ties with Syria's new leader Sharaa. Although Crown Prince Salman takes the lead on foreign policy, these two men are regularly by his side. (Source: BBC – United Kingdom)

18 February 2025 4:08 pm   Earlier this month, Trump disrupted U.S. policy on Ukraine and Russia by stating that he and Putin had reached an agreement to start talks on ending the conflict. Senior Russian and U.S. officials gathered in Saudi Arabia today negotiating a resolution to the conflict in Ukraine - another essential step by the Trump administration to reverse US policy on isolating Russia. It is meant to pave the way for a meeting between US President Trump and Russian President Putin. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and Putin's foreign affairs adviser Ushakov arrived in the Saudi capital yesterday night. Ushakov said the talks would be purely bilateral and would not include Ukrainian officials. “Only together can Russia and the US tackle numerous global challenges, resolve international conflicts, and provide solutions," Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, whom the Kremlin indicated might participate in the meeting, emphasized the significance of the gathering before the discussions. Dmitriev mentioned that he and his team would concentrate on economic matters during the talks. The Saudi-owned satellite channel Al Arabiya, citing the Russian delegation, described Moscow's priority as “real normalization with Washington”. US Secretary of State Rubio, National Security Adviser Waltz, and Special Envoy Witkoff will meet the Russian delegation. Writing in the London-based but Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al Awsat, journalist Dhaidi described the summit as a major step on the international political chess arena, revealing the status of Saudi Arabia and its positive influence. In the neighboring United Arab Emirates, the prince also has maintained close relations with Russia throughout its war on Ukraine, both through the OPEC+ oil cartel and diplomatically as well. The recent US diplomatic blitz on the war has sent Kyiv and key allies scrambling to ensure a seat at the table amid concerns that Washington and Moscow could press ahead with a deal that won't be favourable to them. Zelenskyy will likely travel to Saudi Arabia later this week. France convened an urgent meeting of some European Union nations and the UK yesterday to determine how to react. (Source: Outlook India, „with AP inputs”)

Turkey
18.02.2025  Turkish President Erdogan holds talks with Ukrainian counterpart in Ankara - meeting at the invitation of Erdogan. /Photo/ (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

North America

Canada
18 February 2025  The moment Delta plane crash lands and flips over on icy runway in near-disaster as all 80 passengers survive. /Video/ (Source: Daily Mail - United Kingdom)

United States
Feb 18, 2025  White House has recently said that Musk does not have “formal authority to make government decisions” and by no means a formal employee of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Yesterday, a filing by Fisher, Director of the Office of Administration, clarified that "Mr Musk is an employee of the White House... a non-career Special Government Employee" and retains the title of "Senior Advisor to the President." "Like any other senior advisor to the President, Mr. Musk has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself," Fisher said. "The U.S. DOGE Service is part of the Executive Office of the President. The U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization exists within the U.S. DOGE Service. Neither is part of the Office of the White House," Fisher continued. "Mr Musk is an employee of the White House Office. He is not an employee of the U.S. DOGE Service or the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization. Mr. Musk is not the Temporary Administrator," Fisher added. (Source: Hindustan Times - India; "With inputs from AFP" - France)

.5 2 18 23:34

.

China
February, (17) 2025  In December, Chinese state media announced that the government had approved a massive hydropower project in the lower reaches of the world’s highest river, “Yarlung Tsangpo” - the Tibetan name for the river also known as the Brahmaputra in India - at the remote “Great Bend” of the river. China’s push for mega dams is showcasing the country’s engineering capabilities and renewable energy ambitions. The continued protests in Tibet against China’s over-damming of rivers that originate in the Tibetan glaciers, as well as protests from downstream countries like India and Bangladesh, have put the spotlight on China’s true aims. The proposed Medog Hydropower Station in Tibet represents a monumental leap in China’s ambition to harness water resources. The project is expected to generate over 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. It is projected to cost upwards of $137 billion, which underscores China’s determination to assert itself as a leader in renewable energy infrastructure, to reduce China’s dependence on coal-fired thermal power plants. The dam is situated in the Indo-Tsangpo Suture Zone, a seismically active region of the Himalayas where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates converge. The project’s construction runs the risk of exacerbating geological instability, triggering landslides or earthquakes with potentially catastrophic consequences for local communities and downstream ecosystems. The Medog project, located in one of the rainiest parts of mainland, amplifies risks due to its reliance on unpredictable hydrological and geological conditions. The Yarlung Zangbo River, the lifeblood of many ecosystems in South Asia, could face unintended consequences of large-scale sediment disruption, reduced agricultural productivity, degradation, affecting not just local environments but also neighboring countries dependent on its waters. The loss of livelihoods, cultural heritage, and social cohesion of Medog County, with a population of around 14,000 can marginalize affected communities, creating long-term challenges. The Tibetan Plateau is warming at a rate nearly two times the global average, melting glaciers rapidly, destabilizing seasonal river flows, and increasing sedimentation risks in dam reservoirs. Water scarcity driven by glacial retreat could heighten cross-border tensions over resource access, particularly between India and China. China is challenging the “trans-Himalayan balance of power” via its infrastructure projects as well as financial and political clout in South Asia, primarily Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan. In response to China’s infrastructure (damming) activities in the vicinity of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, India submitted its concerns to Beijing, to ensure that the interests of downstream states of the Brahmaputra are not harmed by activities in upstream areas.” China claims that the latest project will allow it to achieve its stated objectives of reaching a carbon emissions peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. China - in the same month as the announcement of the Medog Dam - created two new counties, one of which is contested by India since it falls within India’s Union Territory of Ladakh. The 2020 Galwan clash and China’s ongoing strategy of claiming territories in the Himalayas (e.g., the new standard map in 2023 and the China-Nepal boundary row in Humla in 2020) have almost permanently heightened tensions along China’s borders. Water security is increasingly intertwined with broader geopolitical rivalries. The Medog Dam grants China significant upstream control over the Brahmaputra, raising fears of strategic weaponization of water during conflicts, to influence downstream water availability, particularly during the dry season, potentially crippling agriculture and hydroelectric output in India and Bangladesh. The good news is that the recently concluded special representatives meeting has provided momentum for further strategic dialogue between India and China, including the sharing of data on transboundary rivers. China’s evolving Medog Dam “hydro-hegemony,” - control over shared water resources - is reminiscent of China’s activities along the Mekong River, where damming has curtailed flow to downstream nations, amplifying droughts and increasing dependency on Beijing for water management solutions. The failure of past deals to share adequate water data exacerbate existing challenges. China’s hydro-hegemony requires targeted strategies that address both geopolitical tensions and environmental concerns. Steps rooted in collaboration and pragmatism offer a way forward. The absence of robust transboundary water-sharing agreements exacerbates mistrust among nations. A formal transboundary water-sharing framework remains essential. Joint hydrological monitoring and sediment data-sharing could build trust. A participatory approach to infrastructure planning is vital, including local and indigenous voices in development decisions. The hope remains that the stakeholder countries will place ecological and regional stability above their domestic agendas. (Source: Institute for Security & Devekopment Policy – Sweden)
by Panda, the Head of the Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs at the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP) in Sweden, a Professor at the University of Warsaw;
Sarkar, an Associated Research Fellow at the ISDP in Sweden, a SIS Dean’s Awardee at the School of International Studies (SIS), American University, Washington, DC.

Gaza
17 Feb 2025 Drone footage shows destruction of north Gaza after 500 days of war. /Video/ (Source: Al Jazeera - Qatar)

February 17, 2025  Middle East: Without a political solution, reconstruction will do little over the long term - Gaza, Syria, and the region’s next crisis (Source: Foreign Affairs - U.S.)
by Yahya

Kazakhstan
17 February 2025  Kazakhstan and Hungary are expanding the horizons - very good political, economic and cultural cooperation. Central Asia in the focus of the Hungarian companies to invest. (Source: Kazinform - International News Agency, based in Astana, Kazakhstan)

.5 2 20

.

Europe

Czechia
17.02.2025  Russia should not be expected to become “friendlier” and it will not be more predictable after the Ukraine war comes to an end, Czech Republic’s Chief of General Staff Rehka said in weekend remarks to Czech television. Rehka also pointed to the difficulty of achieving a resolution to the war in a way that prevents it from resurfacing in the future. He added that his country’s military hopes to boost its active and reserve members to 37,500 but admitted that this is “unrealistic” given demographic trends and past recruitment efforts. Under current plans, the Czech army is set to have 30,000 professional soldiers and 10,000 active reserve members by 2030. Currently, the army has some 23,600 soldiers, with around 1,000 added over the past five years. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

France
Mon, 17 FEB, 2025  Speaking last week, president Trump said he wanted to halve the US’s defence spending, especially on nuclear weapons. Hegseth, the US defence secretary, warned Nato defence ministers in Brussels that defending Europe was no longer a strategic priority. In a speech at the Munich security conference, he minimised the threat posed by Russia. Zelenskyy told the Munich conference it was time to create an army of Europe - ideas long promoted by Macron. Should Britain and France pool their nuclear weapons capabilities and create a Europe-wide defensive nuclear shield, extending French and UK nuclear guarantees to the whole of Europe ’to deter Putin’s Russia’, if the US reduces or withdraws its support? France’s president Macron called an emergency summit in Paris of European leaders. The meeting was expected to focus on Ukraine, its future defence, and Europe’s anticipated exclusion from US “peace talks” with Russia due later this week. An even bigger issue of the summit: how to better organise Europe’s collective defences in the context of reduced, unreliable or nonexistent US support. Germany’s defence minister Pistorius has predicted that Putin ’could attack at least one Nato country within the next five years’. ’Frontline Poland and the Baltic republics voice similar fears’. ’Nato’s chief, Rutte, has urged all 32 member states to expand defence spending’. ’Many, including Britain, appear poised to do so’. In a 2020 speech at the École de Guerre in Paris, Macron suggested a ’strategic dialogue with our European partners … on the role played by France’s nuclear deterrence in our collective security’. ’Macron repeated the offer in 2022 and again last year’. Its independent deterrent comprises about 290 warheads and operates separately from Nato. What Macron is saying, like Hollande and other French leaders before him, is that there exists a ’European dimension’ to France’s nuclear defence planning. If, for example, Berlin were threatened with nuclear destruction, that would be seen as a threat to Paris, too. French leaders have three main worries, an analysis published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) stated. Firstly, there is a ’high risk’ that Trump could withdraw from Nato, or at least significantly reduce US conventional forces in Europe. Secondly, „he may also reduce the number of US nuclear weapons currently deployed in Europe”, though not much evidence currently supports that prospect. Thirdly, a US president who ’loathes or dismisses’ many European countries is unlikely to risk American lives for Europe. This latter argument has circulated in France since the days of Gen de Gaulle: the US would go nuclear to save Boston but not Boulogne, Bratislava or Bognor Regis. Macron’s proposal raises complex questions. Who could order the actual use of ’Europeanised’ nuclear weapons? Who would pay for such a force, especially if necessarily modernised and enlarged? Would such a move accelerating US disengagement? The view from Germany is mixed. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and anti-nuclear parties such as the Greens strongly dislike the idea (as do French leftwing and far-right parties). But Merz, Scholz’s likely successor, is reportedly ’interested’. Weber, a leading German told last year that doubts about Trump meant ’it was time to take up Macron’s offer’. The ’conservative’ also urged the opening of a ’new chapter’ with London. The need for British involvement has also been raised by German politician Lindner. The question is: under what political and financial conditions would Paris and London ’be prepared to maintain or expand their own strategic capabilities for collective security?’ Lindner wrote last year: ’When it comes to peace and freedom in Europe, we must not shy away from these difficult questions'. The IISS study raised similar issues. As the only other nuclear power in Europe, Britain is a natural partner for France in any exploration of how to strengthen European deterrence. [They] regularly exchange data about nuclear safety and security. The British and French nuclear arsenals combined come to around 520 warheads, numerically equivalent to China’s current deterrent force. This alone could send ’a stronger message to Russia’. Putin, who ’has threatened to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine’, would view it as a provocation. Development of a joint UK-French nuclear umbrella, under the auspices of the European Nato allies and sidelining the US, is politically explosive for Starmer. It would raise questions about sovereign control, not least from the Eurosceptic right. It could be seen by many in Labour as fuelling nuclear weapons proliferation, bringing nuclear war closer. (Source: Irish Examiner - Ireland - / The Guardian - United Kingdom)

Russia
Feb 17, 2025  Russia launches 147 drones during overnight attack, Ukrainian military and officials says. The attacks damaged storage facilities and private residences. Ukraine's air force shot down 83 drones and 59 more did not reach their targets likely due to electronic countermeasures. It did not specify what happened to the remaining five drones. The drone attack on Kyiv region caused fire at an industrial facility and damaged four private residences. In Kharkiv region, the drones damaged three storage facilities of an enterprise, an administrative building and windows in 14 residential homes. Three women experienced acute stress reactions during the attack. (Source: The Straits Times - Singapore  / Reuters - United Kingdom)

United Kingdom
Monday 17 February 2025  Number 10 said today it has not ruled out a vote in Parliament about a future decision to put peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, which the PM said he was open to. Starmer has said repeatedly in recent days Ukraine's path to Nato membership is 'irreversible'. (Source: ITV News, news programmes on the British news television channel of ITV)

Europe
17/02/2025  „The White House has sent a questionnaire to European allies asking, among other things, if they would be willing to deploy peacekeeping soldiers to the war-torn nation”. 'The Trump administration has made it clear it expects Europe to assume the overwhelming share of future support for Ukraine, both military and financial. The fast pace of negotiations has put Europe on edge and prompted a flurry of diplomatic activity to showcase political unity and renewed determination. The continent has signalled its readiness to take on a bigger role while maintaining the Western front that was erected in the early hours of the invasion. An informal summit in Paris among European leaders concluded without any concrete announcement, as the idea of deploying peacekeeping troops to Ukraine remains highly divisive. 'European leaders vowed today to continue their joint support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's invasion. They failed to provide any new security guarantees that could make a difference amid Trump's push to launch negotiations with Russia. French President Macron had previously voiced his openness to that scenario. Today, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer made it clear he was ready to do the same as long as America would provide a "backstop. ’I'm prepared to consider committing British forces on the ground alongside others if there’s a lasting peace agreement. But there must be a US backstop because a US security guarantee is the only way to effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again,’ Starmer said at the end of an emergency summit in Paris. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen cautioned there were a lot of questions that needed answers. How are the Americans going to view these questions?. 'Are they going to back up Europeans in case of boots on the ground?' Asked about peace talks, Frederiksen said a "ceasefire is not automatically peace and it's not automatically long-lasting peace" and urged European nations ’to step up their aid to Ukraine to put the country in the best possible position for future negotiations’. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was saying any discussion on peacekeepers was completely premature and highly inappropriate at the present moment, given the war still rages on with all its brutality. I'm even a little irritated by these debates, Scholz said after leaving the meeting. Scholz welcomed the prospect of peace talks but warned against imposing a dictated peace on Ukraine. He also stressed the need to maintain a united Western front against the Kremlin. There must be no division of security and responsibilities between Europe and the US, which means that NATO is based on the fact that we always act together and are at risk together and guarantee our security through this. That must not be called into question, Scholz told reporters. When asked if Spain would commit to boots on the ground, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that "we still don't have the conditions for peace to start thinking about this model". Any security guarantees have to be a responsibility shared by all allies, he added. Prior to the meeting, Polish PM Donald Tusk had ruled out sending Polish soldiers to Ukraine as a part of a peacekeeping mission. 'Poland is NATO's leader in defence spending per GDP' and has received praise from the Trump administration. The meeting in Paris, hosted by Macron, was also attended by Italy's Giorgia Meloni, the Netherlands' Dick Schoof, der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, Costa, the president of the European Council, and Rutte, the secretary general of NATO. ’Today in Paris we reaffirmed that Ukraine deserves peace through strength'. 'Peace respectful of its independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, with strong security guarantees', der Leyen and Costa said in a coordinated message. ’Europe carries its full share of the military assistance to Ukraine'. 'At the same time, we need a surge in defence in Europe.’ The call between Trump and Putin last week, broke the West's three-year-long effort to isolate Putin - an exclusion from the diplomatic process. Kellogg, the US special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, later confirmed Europe would be consulted throughout the negotiations but would ultimately lack a seat at the table. Kellogg added he was working on "Trump time" and the American president expected to have a draft deal in a matter of "days and weeks." Lavrov, Russia's foreign affairs minister, who is under EU sanctions, is expected to meet with US Secretary of State Rubio tomorrow in Saudi Arabia. Rubio will be joined by Waltz, the national security adviser, and Witkoff, the Middle East envoy. Zelenskyy is scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Trump's latest actions, and the recent remarks by his Secretary of Defence, Hegseth, indicate America, with focus on China and the border with Mexico, no longer sees Europe as a priority. Last week, Hegseth said any peacekeeping mission deployed to Ukraine would be deprived of NATO's Article 5 of collective defence. /Photo/ (Source: Euronews - Headquartered Lyon, France)

17:21-17 February 2025 AD  European leaders were holding an emergency meeting in Paris today to discuss their role in Ukraine's future after the United States announced it would sit down with Russia to seek an end to the three-year war. Here is what some have said ahead of the meeting on the issue of sending peacekeeping troops into Ukraine:    Denmark: Ahead of the Paris meeting, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said: 'We need to increase military support to Ukraine, we need to produce more, and we need to do it faster. 'And then we must remove the restrictions on the Ukrainians' use of weapons, so that they can actually defend themselves against the Russians without having one arm twisted around their back'. A ceasefire must not lead to Russian rearmament, which is replaced by new Russian attacks.   Germany: Asked if German troops could be deployed in a future peace mission in Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed the importance of a strong Ukrainian army. This will be a great task for Europe, for the US and international alliance partners, Scholz said. On the issue of European ground troops, a defense ministry spokesperson said: 'If the framework is given, Germany will not shy away.'   'Poland will support Ukraine as it has done so far, organizationally, in accordance with our financial capabilities, in terms of humanitarian and military aid, Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters before boarding a plane to Paris. "We do not plan to send Polish soldiers to the territory of Ukraine. 'We will ... give logistical and political support to the countries that will possibly want to provide such guarantees in the future, such physical guarantees.   Spain: "It is too early at this time to speak about deploying troops to Ukraine as there is no peace at the moment," Spain's Foreign Minister Albares told. "Today I'm convinced Putin will keep attacking and bombing Ukraine. So I do not see peace on the horizon at the moment.'   Sweden: 'There needs to be a very clear mandate for those forces and I don't think we can see that until we have come further in those negotiations, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told. 'But Sweden, we are normally a part of strengthening security in our part of the world, so I foresee us to be a part of that this time as well.'   The Netherlands: 'We understand Europe needs to play a role. It is logical that the Netherlands is considered, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof told reporters at the Munich Security Conference. 'There needs to be a strong mandate, because the Netherlands won't join any initiative whatsoever if there is not a clear mandate. (..) There also needs to be an escalation mechanism, in which the US needs to be prepared to be stand-by to act.'   United Kingdom: 'British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he is ready to send British troops to Ukraine as part of any postwar peacekeeping force'. 'It's about our national security and I think that we need to do more'. (Source: Asharq Al-Awsat -Headquartered London, United Kingdom, supported by Saudi government).

(17 February 2025)  Some European leaders are meeting in France. Tomorrow Russia's foreign minister Lavrov and US Secretary of State Rubio are due to meet in the Saudi capital. Ukraine is not attending either set of talks. What key powers hope to gain from two days of intense diplomacy?    Since the summer, Putin has stated that his main conditions for starting negotiations to end the war are the recognition of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, the lifting of sanctions on Russia, and denial of Ukraine's request to join Nato. For many years Putin has sought dialogue specifically with the US – a country he both blames for starting the war in Ukraine and considers the only power equal to Russia. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov has said he would "first and foremost like to listen" to the American proposals on ending the conflict in Ukraine. As for Europe, Moscow sees no point in inviting it to the negotiating table. Moscow may take note of Starmer's statements about being ready to send peacekeepers to the Ukraine. Whether Russia is ready for any compromises remains an open question.    The US has been very cautious in discussing what concessions Russia might have to make. The White House and the Pentagon have said they expect compromises from "both sides". Secretary of State Rubio and Special Envoy to the Middle East Witkoff will be the public face of the US team negotiating in Riyadh - but the negotiations with Russia over the fate of Ukraine have been Trump’s focus behind the scenes. On Wednesday, 12 February Trump said he believes he is inclined to agree with Defence Secretary Hegseth's assessment that a return to pre-2014 borders is unrealistic for Ukraine, although he expects Ukraine might get "some" of that land back. Yesterday, Trump told he had been kept abreast of the latest developments and the talks are "moving along". His short-term goal is to stop the fighting in Ukraine. Longer term, he appears to want less American involvement. Trump has also pushed for access to rare minerals in Ukraine in return for aid, or even as compensation. But he has not yet said what a post-war Ukraine would look like. He said that he expects Zelensky to be a part of the "conversation", but not the talks in Riyadh. Rubio has said a longer process will "obviously" include Europe and Ukraine.    Today: European leaders in Paris.    The French nation always wary of American geopolitical manoeuvring. Former Prime Minister De Villepin at a recent news briefing was accusing an ’arrogant’ Trump of attempting to ’rule the world without principles or respect.’ French President Macron called today's informal meeting to help Europe coordinate a response both to Washington's posture towards the continent, and to whatever emerges from the White House's fast-paced negotiations with the Kremlin. The Europeans ’are not coordinated’ to work together ’to prepare a possible peacekeeping force for Ukraine’.   Denmark will be the only Nordic nation at today's meeting, representing the interests of its Baltic neighbours to the east – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – all of whom border Russia. Defence Minister Poulsen has been quoted by Danish media as saying he is not ruling out peacekeeping boots on the ground in Ukraine– but that it is too early to talk about.   Over the past three years the country has ’successfully pivoted away’ from Russian energy and massively upped defence spending. But this has hit the German economy hard. The subsequent budget rows sparked the collapse of the German government. So politicians are trying to avoid public discussions of difficult issues, like higher Nato spending targets or German peacekeeping troops in Ukraine - at least until after the election. German leaders are rattled by Trump's approach to Ukraine. Just days before a national election Chancellor Olaf Scholz is also in Paris. All mainstream parties have condemned American suggestions that a peace deal be brokered without Ukraine or the EU. 'Far-right' and populist-left politicians welcome talks with Putin and want to stop arming Kyiv. ’But they will not get into power’. Whatever the next German government looks like, ’Berlin's support for Ukraine will remain strong’.    Poland has been a key supporter of Ukraine since the start of Russia's invasion and it is the key logistics hub for military and humanitarian aid entering the country. It is also a loud voice arguing that Russia cannot be allowed to win the war it launched. Poland sees Russia as the aggressor and as dangerous - 'Russia is why Poland spends big on its own military'. There is consternation that the US looks like it is conceding to Moscow's key demands, even before talks begin. On the question of whether to send Polish troops to Ukraine – to help enforce any eventual ceasefire - government officials have been cautious, ruling it out for now.   Sir Keir Starmer’ government used to say the terms of any peace deal was up to Ukraine. That has shifted with the new US administration signalling that a return to 2014 borders was "unrealistic". The prime minister is hoping to be a bridge between European leaders and Trump's White House - to put UK troops on the ground in Ukraine is part of that role he wants to play. He will be hoping more European nations in Paris join him in offering their forces to secure a deal. In Westminster the debate goes on about how much the country should spend on defence. Labour has promised to increase defence spending from 2.3% of GDP now to 2.5%. But there is no date for when that would happen. Defence sources say that would be a significant rise.  Not at the talks: Ukraine. Russia occupies almost 25% of Ukraine's territory. Ukraine's defence has cost ’tens of thousands’ of lives of its citizens. The country has in the past insisted that any peace deal include the full withdrawal of Russian troops. That included also the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, where Russia has backed separatists in fighting, also in 2014. Ukrainians are scared of a peace agreement like the one in 2014 or 2015 - heavy fighting was stopped, but crossfire on the border continued to bring losses. Many see previous peace arrangements with Russia led to a new round of war as having simply paved the way for its full-scale invasion. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

North America

United States
17 February 2025  Trump’s demand for a $500bn “payback” from Ukraine goes far beyond US control over the country’s critical minerals. The terms of the pre-decisional contract marked “Privileged & Confidential’ and dated Feb 7 2025, that landed at Zelensky’s office a week ago has caused consternation and panic in Kyiv. It states that the US and Ukraine should form a joint investment fund to ensure that “hostile parties to the conflict do not benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine”. The agreement covers the “economic value associated with resources of Ukraine”, including “mineral resources, oil and gas resources, ports, other infrastructure (as agreed)”. ’This agreement shall be governed by New York law, without regard to conflict of laws principles,’ it states and “for all future licences, the US will have a right of first refusal for the purchase of exportable minerals”. The US will take 50pc of recurring revenues received by Ukraine from extraction of resources, and 50pc of the financial value of “all new licences issued to third parties” for the future monetisation of resources. Washington will have sovereign immunity and acquire near total control over most of Ukraine’s commodity and resource economy. The fund “shall have the exclusive right to establish the method, selection criteria, terms, and conditions” of all future licences and projects. ’It seems to have been written by private lawyers, not the US departments of state or commerce’. „President Zelensky himself proposed the idea of giving the US a direct stake in Ukraine’s rare earth elements and critical minerals when he met Trump on a visit to Trump Tower in September”. 'If we are talking about a deal, then let’s do a deal, we are only for it,' he said. Some mineral basins are near the front line in eastern Ukraine, or in Russian-occupied areas. He probably did not expect to be confronted with terms normally imposed on aggressor states defeated in war, willing to let Russia off the hook entirely. Trump told Fox News that Ukraine had “essentially agreed” to hand over $500bn. He warned that Ukraine would be handed to Putin on a plate if it rejected the terms. “They may make a deal. They may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday. But I want this money back,” he said. Trump said the US had spent $300bn on the war so far, adding that it would be “stupid” to hand over any more. ’In fact the five packages agreed by Congress total $175bn, of which $70bn was spent in the US on weapons production’. Some of it is in the form of humanitarian grants, but much of it is lend-lease money that must be repaid. Republican Senator Graham suggested at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend that Trump’s demand was a clever ploy to bolster declining popular support for the Ukrainian cause. Ukrainian officials had to tiptoe though this minefield at the Munich forum, trying to smile gamely. Talk of Ukraine’s resource wealth has become surreal. A figure of $26 trillion is being cast around for combined mineral reserves and hydrocarbons reserves. Ukraine probably has the largest lithium basin in Europe. But the McDermitt Caldera in Nevada is thought to be the biggest lithium deposit on the planet with 40m metric tonnes, alone enough to catapult the US ahead of China. The value of lithium is in the processing and the downstream industries. Unprocessed rock deposits sitting in Ukraine are all but useless to the US. Rare earths are not rare. Mining companies in the US abandoned the business in the 1990s because profit margins were then too low. That problem is being resolved. Ukraine has cobalt but most EV batteries now use lithium ferrous phosphate and no longer need cobalt. Sodium-ion and sulphur-based batteries will limit the future demand growth for lithium. So the mineral scarcity story is wildly exaggerated. Shale gas: Some of the Yuzivska field lies under Putin control, and the western Carpathian reserves are in complex geology with high drilling costs, causing Chevron to pull out, just as it did in Poland. Ukraine has more potential as an exporter of electricity to Europe from renewables and nuclear expansion, but that is not what is on Trump’s mind. Ukraine cannot possibly meet his $500bn demand in any meaningful timeframe. “My style of dealmaking is quite simple and straightforward,” says Trump in his book The Art of the Deal. “I aim very high, and then I just keep pushing and pushing and pushing to get what I’m after.” (Source: The Telegraph - online version of The Daily Telegraph newspaper - United Kingdom)
by Pritchard

2/17/2025  Rubio has constantly appeared one or two steps behind the actions of President Trump and tech mogul Musk. He has to defend the decisions other people are making. Rubio has tried to make his presence felt, whether through trips abroad or public comments. “South Africa is doing very bad things,” he declared on X. It channels Trump’s, and likely South Africa native Musk’s anger over that country’s land reform plans. The former senator from Florida has also done a 180 on some of his core policy positions. Rubio once spoke out against dictatorships from Havana to Tehran; now he’s standing by as groups that defy such regimes lose U.S. funding. He long insisted that the U.S. must remain the world’s dominant power, now he’s suggesting that a multipolar world is an inescapable reality. Rubio once touted the work of the U.S. Agency for International Development; now he’s backing its dismantling. He once sought to strengthen ties with America’s allies; now he’s promoting Trump’s threats. Rubio’s defenders argue that he has evolved since Trump began rising in the GOP, edging closer to the MAGA point of view on the need to spend more of America’s resources inside the United States, not beyond it. Of course, it’s Trump’s job to set U.S. foreign policy, not Rubio’s - and Rubio has said from the start he’s going to implement his boss’ vision. Most politicians who join a president’s Cabinet crave to influence the president’s policy. Rubio was competing with so many special envoys Trump has tasked with foreign policy portfolios. Musk, the world’s richest man has a social media megaphone on X, raising risks to any politician who defies him. Rubio appears hesitant to use the power he has - including his staff. He looks as if he’s merely a bystander as Musk and his acolytes, along with Trump appointees such as foreign assistance chief Marocco, engineer key decisions. They are drafting the critical missives, deciding which staff to oust, and making line-by-line suggestions on contract and grant terminations. Rubio hasn’t overseen a thoughtful, targeted reform process that one might expect from a former lawmaker who spent significant time learning about how U.S. foreign policy is made. The outcome is what matters. This period of transition is difficult. But the goal at the end of it is to have a foreign policy, a foreign assistance program that is aligned with U.S. interests and respects taxpayer dollars. Rubio is a fairly gifted speaker who can charm even skeptics. Privately, too, he’s tried to reassure U.S. diplomats and foreign counterparts, urging them to be patient. Rubio is preparing to allow upheaval at the State Department. A person familiar with internal discussions at State said Rubio is on board with at least a 20 percent staff cut and possibly closing a large number of embassies. Maybe Rubio’s head-down, go-along approach will help him hang on to the title of secretary of State for longer than many in Washington expect. But he still bears responsibility for what happens there. (Source: MSN / Politico = U.S.)

Global

February 17, 2025  „The USAID crisis” and funding the future of ’independent nonprofit media around the globe’. New existential threats:    The sudden hold on USAID foreign assistance funding by the US Trump administration has frozen an estimated $268 million in agreed grants in more than 30 countries, throwing much of the 'nonprofit' watchdog sector into crisis, and potentially leaving numerous reporters, contractors, and accountability projects without pay’ in the weeks’ ahead. Several media grantees and experts told they regard this important funding as dead.    Contact details of thousands of human rights defenders, media support actors, and journalists involved in US-funded projects in the past decades, as well as information on what they do and how they work, „has fallen into hostile' hands”.    US administration social media attacks on officials and beneficiaries „has fueled new threats and proposed criminal investigations” in repressive nations. It has also amplified public smears against 'courageous' networks. Some funders have slowly exited the sector.    Policy changes at major social media and tech companies "have suppressed distribution, promoted misinformation, and enabled harassment of independent media and its sources".    The risk of self-censorship to lure future funding is yet another allied threat in this bully landscape.    Some of the gravest immediate threats are being faced by exiled outlets and independent media in places such as Ukraine, Cameroon, and throughout Central America. Ukraine’s Slidstvo.info, an award-winning independent investigative agency, lost 80% of its funding in a single day in January. The outlet would nevertheless continue to produce current investigations in the weeks ahead - including a major war crimes exposé and a real estate corruption scoop. The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) was forced to lose the services of 43 valued reporters and staff, according to its co-founder, Sullivan, after losing 29% of its total funding due to the USAID freeze. Some outlets in Africa have been hard-hit, such as DataCameroon. Tromp, convenor of the African Investigative Journalism Conference (AIJC) revealed that in-process USAID grants totaling US$28 million for the promotion of investigative journalism in Southern, East, and West Africa, respectively, had been frozen. People with teams and families working in difficult environments like Ecuador - people, who are risking their lives to uncover money laundering, human trafficking; illegal exports - all of a sudden they have no funding, explains Ronderos, co-founder of the Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism (El CLIP). This has given a lot of force to the local enemies of media, whether government or organized crime in countries such as El Salvador and Guatemala because they say even the US government is saying they are propagandists or spies or terrorists. Some media grantee organizations have reported receiving letters from the US government that justify individual grant suspensions "because of their diversity, equity, and inclusion practices". Independent media in Ukraine and the Balkans have been among the hardest-hit. Bihus.info lost two-thirds of its funding in the freeze. Some members from the community worry about new data security and harassment threats. One development expert says: “We’ve seen data about support projects being shared on Twitter; we’ve seen hit pieces on GFMD members and others, and we can only expect this to continue. We’ve seen Azerbaijan, Hungary, Belarus, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and others welcoming USAID’s disbanding, and the narratives around enemies of the state; traitors; spies raking in this money already in circulation.” (Source: Global Investigative Journalism Network - registered in Maryland, headquarters U.S.)
by Philp , GIJN’s senior reporter, formerly chief reporter for South Africa’s Sunday Times.
See also: Impact on organizations /Survey/ (Source: Global Aid Freeze Tracker)
"665 respondents estimated approximately 15 147 local sub-grantees and sub-contractors would be impacted as a result of the stop work orders"; Projects terminated or suspended (map).

February 17, 2025  Artificial intelligence and other technologies. The coming Golden Age of crime. (Source: Foreign Policy - U.S.)
By Muggah, a principal at the SecDev Group and co-founder of the Igarapé Institute; Glenny, the author of McMafia: Seriously Organised Crime.

.5 2 18 23:24

.

Europe

France
(16 February 2025)  A group of European leaders - including the UK's Keir Starmer, Nato secretary-general Rutte, Germany's chancellor Olaf Scholz and the European Commission's der Leyen - will meet in Paris. French President Macron will hold an informal meeting in the afternoon on Ukraine and European security. Ahead of the summit, writing in the UK's Daily Telegraph newspaper, Sir Keir said the UK was prepared to contribute to security guarantees to Ukraine by ’putting our own troops on the ground if necessary’. (Source: BBC News – United Kingdom)

European Union
February 16, 2025  Trump's special enwoy for Ukraine and Russia, Kellogg says EU might not have place in Russia peace talks. "What we don't want to do is get into a large group discussion," he said in Munich. French President Macron convened some European leaders to an emergency meeting in Paris. (Source: Fox News - U.S.)

Ukraine
16/02/2025  Rejected deal with US over rare minerals - document 'too focused on US interests'. (Source: Euronews - Headquarters Lyon, France)

Sunday, 16 February 2025  The Trump administration has indicated it is interested in accessing critical minerals to reduce dependence on China. (Source: Independent - United Kingdom)

United Kingdom
(16 February 2025)  Responsibility comes with potentially putting British servicemen and women in harm's way. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

North America

United States
(16 February 2025)  The White House's Middle East envoy Witkoff confirmed he was travelling to Saudi Arabia today evening for the first face-to-face talks between the US and Russia towards ending the conflict. Witkoff, a billionaire real estate developer and friend of Trump, was in Moscow this week. US President Trump revealed today that Witkoff had met with Putin already, earlier in the week, "for a very extended period, like about three hours". Witkoff said US officials were speaking separately with Ukrainian officials and that Ukraine was "part of the talks". He indicated that previous negotiations had failed due to the involvement of too many parties. Trump told reporters in Palm Beach, Florida, today that he expected Zelensky to be involved in the talks, though he did not say how. He also said he would allow European nations ’to buy US weapons for Ukraine’. When he believed any peace negotiations could bear fruit and end the fighting? Trump said only that "we're working to get it done" and laid the blame for the war on the previous administration's Ukraine policies. The US special envoy to Ukraine Kellogg had said Kyiv would be involved in this week's talks in Saudi Arabia, but no delegation would be present. Rubio downplayed the Saudi Arabia talks, saying one meeting would not solve the war and that a formal negotiating process - that would mediate between Ukraine, Russia and third parties - had not yet been set up. (Source: BBC News – United Kingdom)

16.02.2025  Zelenskyy's rejection of US access to half of Ukraine's mineral resources "short-sighted," White House National Security Council spokesman Hughes said. The deal would allow American taxpayers to recover funds sent to Kyiv while also benefiting Ukraine’s economy. President Trump did not rule out that he would want to "return" all the money spent by the American government in this country, specifically, an equivalent in the form of Ukrainian rare earth metals worth $500 billion. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Feb 16, 2025  US federal agencies started mass layoffs - this week, over 9,500 employees have been laid off. (Source: NewsBytes - India)

Sunday 16 February 2025  The agency overseeing the US nuclear stockpile let some staff go - 325 essential nuclear security workers - but now they want them back. (Source: Sky News – United Kingdom)

.

.

Europe

Croatia
February 15, 2025, Saturday  A boycott of major retail chains in Croatia has led to an estimated loss of 80 million euros, according to protesters. The movement began after a call from the Croatian consumer initiative "Halo Inspector" on January 24, urging people to stop shopping at large supermarkets to protest against rising food prices. The appeal quickly gained traction through social media, with many Croatian citizens joining the protest. The prices of everyday items in Croatia have soared, with food inflation reaching 5.4% in January alone, a significant increase from 4.5% in December. This has led to widespread frustration, as inflation rates have been on the rise for months. Croatians have pointed out that prices are significantly cheaper abroad, with a recent study confirming that food spending in Croatia is disproportionately high when compared to the rest of Europe.    In Bulgaria, a political party in power has proposed a bill to limit the prices of basic food items, citing concerns over foreign companies profiting off citizens while sending revenue abroad.    Romania has also seen calls for a boycott, with the populist presidential candidate Georgescu urging citizens to reject foreign suppliers. This movement has led to some results, such as Carrefour reducing prices on 1,500 products by up to 25%.    Serbia,    Bosnia and Herzegovina,    North Macedonia, and     Montenegro have also heard calls for boycotts, with Prime Minister Spajic of Montenegro expressing personal support for the protests. (Source: Novinite – Bulgaria)

France
15.02.2025  Europe must be ready to face challenges, ’make sacrifices for its own security’, French foreign minister Barrot said reporters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.today. The minister recalled that Europe had lived for decades in a certain form of recklessness regarding its own security that was in a way, implicitly outsourced to its American partners, its dependence on technological matters, as well as the energy prices and climate change. It is time to act now that Europe is in the quest for ways to recover its strategic autonomy. He recalled that President of the EU Commission der Leyen presented 'the roadmap for competitiveness' two weeks ago. Barrot further said the new US administration, ’which entered office three, maybe three-and-a-half weeks ago, is still forming its opinion on the crisis in Ukraine'. (Source: Anadolu Agency – Turkey)

Germany
(Saturday), 15.02.2025 The three-day annual Munich Security Conference kicked off Friday in Munich, hosting more than 50 heads of state and government and 150 government ministers from around the world. High-level discussions about the war in Ukraine and statements on possible peace negotiations as well as the US vice president's remarks about Europe dominated day one. Today, the conference continued with an address by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz set to be followed by President Zelenskyy. European Council President Costa, Czech President Pavel, Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen, and Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson will take part in a discussion on European support for Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Rutte will also speak on a panel about NATO, the US, and transatlantic security. Another panel discussion will bring together the foreign ministers of Germany, Poland, France, and the UK. Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan will speak at a panel on Prospects for Syria's transition along with his Syrian counterpart Al-Shaibani and Saudi counterpart Saud. The heads of international organizations such as the World Food Program and the International Organization for Migration will also speak at the annual gathering. (Source: Anadolu Agency – Turkey)

Feb 15, 2025 During an interview with German Radio (Deutschlandfunk), Heusgen, the head of the Munich Security Conference, claimed he believes that “today the American Vice President will announce that a large part of the American troops will be withdrawn from Europe.” Heusgen’s comments follow recent media reports that US President Trump plans to cut his country’s troop presence in Europe by about 20%, or 20,000 troops, as part of a review of Washington's commitment to protecting Europe. (Source: MEHR News Agency - Iran)

European Commission
February 15 2025  Europe and the military-industrial complex. It is always the case that money can be found for defence spending, war and any other act of destruction for humankind. As the FT noted yesterday: The EU plans to temporarily ease its fiscal rules to allow countries to spend more on defence, as the bloc has come under pressure from the US to invest more in its own security. ’I can announce that I will propose to activate the escape clause for defence investments,’ European Commission president der Leyen said at the Munich Security Conference yesterday. ’This will allow member states to substantially increase their defence expenditure’, she added. Could the EU permit increased spending to relieve poverty? No. Apparently, that was impossible. But can we relax spending rules for defence? Apparently, that's no problem. Money creation is always a political choice, and as a matter of fact, modern monetary theory precisely describes the process involved. As US President Eisenhower said in 1961 when leaving the White House: "In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist". Wise words. We need to tread with care right now. (Source: Tax Research LLP. – Ely, United Kingdom)
by Murphy, a part-time Professor of Accounting Practice at Sheffield University Management School.

Russia
15 February 2025  Russia’s spy services have a shadowy new unit taking aim at the West with covert attacks across Europe and elsewhere, Western intelligence officials say. The Department of Special Tasks - its Russian acronym: SSD - is based in the headquarters of Russian military intelligence, a complex on the outskirts of Moscow known as the aquarium. Its operations, which haven’t been previously reported, ’have included attempted killings, sabotage and a plot to put incendiary devices on planes’. The new department is ’believed’ to be behind a host of recent attacks against the West, including the attempted killing of the chief executive of a German arms maker and a plot to put incendiary devices on planes used by shipping giant Deutsche Post AG (DHL). These are, as usual, completely unsubstantiated accusations, said Kremlin spokesman Peskov. The SSD has taken over some powers from the FSB, the country’s largest intelligence service, and absorbed Unit 29155, which Western intelligence and law-enforcement officials say was behind the 2018 poisoning of a Russian double agent, Skripal, in the U.K. The SSD has at least three broad tasks: carrying out killings and sabotage overseas, infiltrating Western companies and universities, and recruiting and training foreign agents. The department has been seeking to recruit agents from Ukraine, developing nations and countries seen as friendly to Russia, such as Serbia. The department also runs an elite special operations center, known as Senezh, where Russia trains some of its special forces. Col. Gen. Averyanov and his deputy, Lt. Gen. Kasianenko oversee the operations of the SSD. Averyanov, a veteran of Russia’s Chechen wars, is wanted by Czech police for his suspected role in an operation to blow up an ammunition depot in 2014. President Putin awarded him Russia’s highest honor, the Hero of Russia medal, following his involvement in the occupation and annexation of Crimea. Western intelligence officials said they ’believe’ his deputy, Kasianenko, coordinated the operation to poison Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in the U.K. Russia denied involvement in the poisoning. Kasianenko’s role includes overseeing covert operations in Europe and the takeover of the Wagner paramilitary operations in Africa after the killing of its founder, Prigozhin, in 2023. He was born in 1975 in Kazakhstan. Known internally by his initials KIS, Kasianenko joined Russia’s military intelligence, (GRU), after serving in Russia’s air force. A Persian speaker who once operated in Tehran under the guise of a diplomatic posting, Kasianenko was recently involved in facilitating a transfer of skills and technology from Russia to Iran, according to European intelligence officials. He was earlier identified by Grozev, an investigative journalist, in a report for the online news outlet the Insider. He said he originally identified GRU operatives from a scene in a recent documentary about the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan, “Hollywoodgate.” Grozev was then able to obtain phone records of one of the operatives, which showed that he had been interacting with Kasianenko. In May last year, operatives from the SSD set fire to a factory in Berlin owned by Diehl, a company that supplies weapons systems to Ukraine. Around the same time, U.S. intelligence told Germany that it had uncovered a plan to assassinate leaders of Europe’s armaments industry, including Papperger, the chief executive of Rheinmetall, the biggest supplier of artillery ammunition to Ukraine and which is also building a tank factory in the war-torn country. There have been attacks elsewhere in Europe as well. In June, French authorities arrested a dual Ukrainian-Russian national after a makeshift bomb exploded in his hotel room. French authorities indicted him on terrorism-related charges, saying he had planned to bomb a home improvement store. Hostile activities by the SSD peaked last summer, but have subsided recently, according to U.S. and European officials. ’The lull in activity could be aimed at creating diplomatic space for Moscow to negotiate with the new U.S. administration, according to the two European intelligence chiefs’. In May, Ukraine’s security service said 'it had foiled a plot by Russia to set several supermarkets and a cafe on fire'. Ukraine said the plan had been coordinated by Maj. Sizov. Western intelligence officials said Sizov, who is an officer in Senezh, 'coordinated another operation days later to set a mall in the Polish capital of Warsaw ablaze. He has since been sanctioned by the EU for his role in the plots. In July, 'similar incendiary devices that were sent via DHL, ignited in transit hubs in Leipzig, Germany, and Birmingham, England. A connecting flight was late, and the device went off while at the airport'. Security officials said the incendiary devices ’appeared to be part of a test run for putting similar devices on planes bound for North America’. Warnings were quietly sent in August to major shipping companies, airlines and airports. The details of the plot, were first reported by the WSJ. The then national security adviser Sullivan and Central Intelligence Agency chief Burns called Russian leaders in August and asked them to stop the attack. Sullivan called Ushakov, an aide to Putin and a former ambassador to the U.S. Burns called his counterpart, Naryshkin, as well as Russia’s most senior security official, Shoigu. The calls were first reported by the New York Times. Both Shoigu and Ushakov, who are among a handful of officials with regular access to Putin, denied any knowledge of the DHL plot. ’The SSD operates under broad orders from Putin, but the commanders might not seek approval for specific operations’, Western and Russian officials said. The department has been particularly focused on Germany because Russia sees the country as a weak link in NATO, due to its dependence on Russian energy, growing anxiety about nuclear escalation and sympathy for Russia among some politicians and voters. In December, the European Union sanctioned a unit of the department, without identifying the SSD by name, for orchestrating ’coups, assassinations, bombings, and cyberattacks’ in Europe and elsewhere. The U.S. indicted members of the SSD on similar charges in December. The State Department is offering a reward of up to $10 million for any information about five members accused of cyberattacks on Ukraine. Some lawmakers and security officials have called for the West to step up covert efforts in response to Russia’s operations. The U.S. should enhance and leverage its own clandestine activities, including in and around Russia, to deter further aggression from the Kremlin, said Thompson, a former CIA paramilitary officer. That was echoed by Sen. Cotton (R., Ark.), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who said in a recent hearing that the CIA needs to become bolder and more innovative in covert action. ’Appathurai, the NATO official, warned that the U.S. and its allies needed to adopt a wartime mindset across society in response’. (Source: The Wall Street Journal - U.S.)
by Pancevski

Ukraine
(15 February 2025)  Ukraine end game. Ukraine's future is the focus of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), just days after a phone call between US President Trump and Russian President Putin in which they agreed to begin negotiations to end the Ukraine war. Describing the call earlier this week as "great", Trump said there was a "good possibility of ending that horrible, very bloody war". Moscow currently controls around a fifth of Ukraine's territory, mainly in the south and east. Until recently, Ukraine's western allies stood by Zelensky's position that all of Ukraine, including Crimea, should be returned. But the new US Defence Secretary Hegseth poured cold water on those hopes, saying at a summit in February that achieving pre-2014 borders was an "unrealistic objective". "Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering," he said. For Kyiv, Russia's full-scale invasion is proof that only Nato membership can guarantee its security. Russia has consistently opposed the idea of Ukraine becoming a member, fearing it would bring Nato forces too close to its borders. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was telling Zelensky that the country is on 'an irreversible path' to membership. The US defence secretary downplayed the likelihood of Nato membership for Ukraine in any peace settlement. "The United States does not believe that Nato membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement," Hegseth said. Zelensky has said previous discussions with US President Trump are ’definitely not enough to form a plan’ for peace. Hegseth claimed Trump was the "one man in the world" capable of bringing both sides together and insisted US attempts to negotiate peace were certainly not a betrayal of the Ukrainian soldiers fighting invading Russian forces. Hesgeth has warned there would be no US troops on the ground Ukraine in any future security arrangement. The US vice-president said sending troops to Ukraine is 'still on the table' should Russia fail to negotiate a peace deal in good faith. "The president is not going into this with blinders on," Vance told the WSJ. UK defence sources quoted in the Times newspaper claim that the US could provide some form of air defence - possibly Patriot missiles - to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine in return for access to minerals. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

(Saturday), 15.02.2025  The Trump administration proposed that the US receive a 50% ownership stake in Ukraine’s rare earth minerals as compensation for the military and financial aid provided to Kyiv to fight off the Russian war. Under the proposal, Ukraine would transfer partial control of its valuable mineral resources to Washington rather than make financial repayments. The plan also includes the possibility of deploying American troops to safeguard these assets, contingent on a diplomatic resolution with Russia. Treasury Secretary Bessent reportedly handed Zelenskyy a draft contract outlining the proposed agreement during a meeting in Kyiv on Wednesday. Zelenskyy did not sign the agreement during the meeting, instead saying that he needed additional time to study it and consult with others. Ukraine is sitting on massive reserves of critical rare earth minerals. In addition to having one of the largest confirmed reserves of lithium, Ukraine boasts semiconductor-grade neon gas that is critical for chip production, beryllium, uranium, zirconium, apatite, iron ore and manganese. It holds about 5% of the world’s total of mineral resources, according to a 2024 World Economic Forum report. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Asia

Gaza
February 15, 2025  Hamas frees 3 more hostages. About 70 hostages remain in Hamas custody, about half are believed to be dead. (Source: Fox News - U.S.)

North America

United States
(February 15, 2025)  The campaign by President Trump and his adviser Musk to radically cut back the US bureaucracy has spread, firing more than 9,500 workers who handled everything from managing federal lands to caring for military veterans. About 1,200 to 2,000 workers at the Department of Energy were laid off, including 325 from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which oversees the nuclear stockpile, America’s nuclear weapons. NNSA is a semi-autonomous arm of the US Energy Department responsible for producing and dismantling nuclear weapons , providing the Navy with nuclear reactors for submarines and responding to radiological emergencies, among other duties. The agency also plays a role a key role in counter-terrorism, transporting nuclear weapons around the country and responding to nuclear incidents around the world. It began rescinding the terminations yesterday morning. Among those let go were NNSA personnel stationed at nuclear weapons manufacturing plants who inspect nuclear weapons and supervise the contractors who manufacture them. Employees at NNSA headquarters who draft specifications and directives for contractors producing nuclear weapons were also involved. Mass firings resulted in scenes of uncertainty and disarray at the civilian agency that manages the country's nuclear weapons arsenal over the past two days. The agency has begun to re-examine the terminations after realising the implications. (Source: TRT World – Turkey)

NATO

15.02.2025  At the Munich Security Conference in Germany, the NATO secretary general today called on European countries to make concrete proposals and ideas rather than complaining about being excluded from potential talks on Ukraine. (Source: Anadolu Agency – Turkey)

Oceania

Cook Islands
February 15, 2025  China and the Cook Islands yesterday signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement. The Cook Islands has a free association agreement with New Zealand. The Cook Islands and China would look to deepen cooperation in areas such as deep-sea mining. Kiribati? (Source: VoA News - U.S.)

.

Germany
14.02.2025  US Vice President Vance met with Weidel, the leader of Germany’s ’far-right’ Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, during his trip to Germany. Vance also held meetings with leaders of major German political parties as part of his visit. Earlier in the day, he met with German President Steinmeier. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

European Union
February 14, 2025  DeepSeek: A problem or an opportunity for Europe? On January 20, 2025, Chinese AI company DeepSeek released its R1 reasoning model. White House AI Czar Sacks said there is “substantial evidence” that DeepSeek distilled knowledge out of OpenAI’s models. European regulators have greeted DeepSeek’s rise with concern, even as leading European AI companies have expressed excitement. /Source: The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) - Headquarters in Washington D.C., U.S./
by Caroli,  a senior fellow of the Wadhwani AI Center at the CSIS in Washington, D.C.

Ukraine
(Friday), 14 February 2025  'Trump does not have a plan to end the war in Ukraine', Zelensky warned yesterday. The leader led a backlash against the White House alongside Sir Keir Starmer over concessions the US President made as part of a proposed Ukraine-Russia peace deal. His comments came after it emerged that on Wednesday Mr Trump had spoken to Russian president Putin for an hour and a half about the conflict. 'Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, warned the US against looking for a ‘dirty deal’ to end the conflict'. (Source: Daily Mail - United Kingdom)

Feb 14, 2025  Early this morning, Ukrainian sources released footage that according to them show a Russian attack drone targeting the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. /Photo, video/ (Source: BulgarianMilitary)
by Nikolov

North America

United States
(14 February 2025)  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first visit to Washington under Trump's second term was a working visit. India enjoys a trade surplus with the US, its top trading partner. India cut average tariffs from 13% to 11% in its federal budget in a bid to pre-empt Trump's tariff moves. 75% of the US exports to India attract import taxes of less than 5%. India has little reason to fear reciprocal tariffs. The new $500bn trade goal aims to more than double the $190bn trade between the two countries in 2023. Modi and Trump committed to negotiating the first phase of a trade agreement by autumn 2025. Talks will focus on market access, tariff reductions and supply chain integration across goods and services. What is this trade agreement? It doesn't necessarily mean a free trade deal - if that were the case, it would have been stated explicitly. It could simply involve tariff reductions on select products of mutual interest. "For instance the US sanctions on Russian shadow fleet are soon going to kick in, so India can easily pivot to the US for more oil", Kishore, principal economist at the Singapore-based consultancy firm, Asia Decoded, says. Trump said at the joint press conference that the US would hopefully become India's number one supplier of oil and gas. With delays and cost overruns affecting some of India's arms deals with Russia, Delhi's defence ties with the US look set to deepen. While Russia remains India's top source, its share has dropped from 62% to 34% (2017-2023) as India shifts toward US procurement. India's defence trade with the US has surged from near zero to $20 billion, making the US its third-largest arms supplier. Trump said the US would increase military equipment sales to India "by many billions of dollars starting this year". Modi met Tesla CEO Musk to discuss AI and emerging tech. It's unclear if they addressed Musk's stalled plans for Starlink's India launch or Tesla's market entry. India is courting Tesla to set up a car factory, cutting EV import taxes for automakers committing $500m and local production within three years. Tesla has yet to confirm its plans. In a rare move, Modi joined Trump at a press conference, answering two questions. Indian billionaire Adani, with close ties with Modi, was charged with fraud in the US last November over an alleged $250m bribery scheme. Modi said he hadn't discussed the issue with Trump. On immigration, he stated India was ready to take back verified illegal Indian migrants. (Source: BBC News - United Kingdom)

February 14, 2025  Kennedy Jr. was sworn yesterday as President Trump’s health secretary after a close Senate vote, putting the prominent vaccine skeptic in control of $1.7 trillion in federal spending, vaccine recommendations and food safety as well as health insurance programs for roughly half the country. (Source: AP News - U.S.)

Friday 14 February 2025  'Lasting peace' between Russia and Ukraine says US vice president Vance. The US wants to avoid seeing Eastern Europe "in conflict just a few years down the line" said the US vice president Vance during talks with Zelenskyy in Munich. /Video/ (Source: Sky News – United Kingdom)

Friday 14 February 2025  At the Munich Security Conference in Germany, today US vice president Vance has taken aim at United Kingdom and Europe over what he claimed was "backsliding" free speech and democracy. "When I look at Europe today, it's sometimes not so clear what happened to some of the Cold War's winners," he said, targeting perceived infringes on free speech. "Perhaps most concerningly, I look to our very dear friends, the United Kingdom, where the backslide away from conscience rights has placed the basic liberties of religious Britons, in particular, in the crosshairs," he added: Mr Vance criticised the country for the conviction of 51-year-old Smith-Connor, who was given a conditional discharge for breaching a safe zone around an abortion clinic in Bournemouth. "After British law enforcement spotted him and demanded to know what he was praying for, Adam replied simply, it was on behalf of the unborn son he and his former girlfriend had aborted years before," Mr Vance said. He then went on to talk about "safe access zones" in Scotland - a 200m wide area (150m in England) outside abortion clinics to stop anti-abortion campaigners leafleting, holding vigils, or showing graphic images to people near the sites. "In Britain, and across Europe, free speech I fear is in retreat," he said. In Washington, „there is a new sheriff in town” and „under Trump's leadership we may disagree with your views but we will fight to defend your right to offer it in the public square, agree or disagree," Mr Vance said to muted applause. As he listed values he believes Europe is diverging away from the US over, he raised immigration. He then switched his focus to the car attack in Munich yesterday, in which 36 people were injured. "I can't bring it up again without thinking about the terrible victims who had a beautiful winter day in Munich ruined," he said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with them and will remain with them. But why did this happen in the first place?" "No voter on this continent went to the ballot box to open the floodgates to millions of unvetted immigrants. "But you know what they did vote for in England? They voted for Brexit and, agree or disagree, they voted for it. "And more and more all over Europe, they're voting for political leaders who promised to put an end to out-of-control migration." Mr Vance also spoke about an annulled election in Romania, and issues in Sweden, Germany and Brussels. His speech was „the latest wake-up call for the UK and European nations in terms of security and the Trump administration's new foreign policy aims”. It highlighted the divergence between the new US administration and their ’allies’. /Photo, videos/ (Sky News – United Kingdom)

(14 February 2025)  US Vice-President Vance criticised European leaders over free speech and democracy at the Munich Security Conference: "I worry about the threat from within". /Video/ (Source: BBC -United Kingdom)

February 14, 2025 In adress to Munich Securita Conference, Vice president Vance, largely critical of Europe’s ’Soviet’-style censorship activities, insisted the gathered leaders should listen more to their voters and abandon censorship, after Germany accused Musk of trying to interfere in its national elections. "Trust me, I say this with all humor," he said. "If American democracy can survive ten years of Thunberg scolding, you guys can survive a few months of Musk", he quipped. Thunberg, the 22-year-old Swedish environmental crusader, stole the spotlight among liberals over her climate concerns before she even turned 18. ’How long do you think you can continue to ignore the climate crisis, the global aspect of equity and historic emissions without being held accountable?’ Thunberg asked U.S. lawmakers before the House Oversight Subcommittee on the Environment. "Don't invite us here to just tell us how inspiring we are without actually doing anything about it," she said at age 16.  Musk has gone toe-to-toe with Europe over censorship, and the European Commission recently ramped up its probe into whether Musk's X had breached EU rules on content moderation. Musk has called the commission "undemocractic" and called on the European Union to hold referendums to vote on policies that apply to all of its nations. Musk has also riled European officials with his support for the ’far-right’ Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Germany's elections, and for endorsing Britain's right-wing Reform party. /Photo, video/ (Source: Fox News – U.S.)

14.02.2025  US Vice President Vance has warned that the US could impose sanctions and possibly take military action if Russian President Putin refuses to negotiate a peace deal with Kyiv. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal yesterday, Vance said all options remain on the table, including the potential deployment of US troops to Ukraine, if Moscow fails to engage in talks in good faith. “There are economic tools of leverage, there are of course military tools of leverage” that Washington could use, Vance told the WSJ. The remarks follow President Trump’s announcement that he has begun negotiations with Putin to end the war in Ukraine. He’s going to say: "Everything is on the table, let’s make a deal", Vance said. Vance's remarks came a day after US Defense Secretary Hegseth said Ukraine would likely not recover its territory lost since 2014, would not join NATO through negotiations, and that US priorities were shifting away from European and Ukrainian security. /Photo/  (Source: Anadolu Agency)

February 14, 2025  It is still unclear what kind of peace deal in Ukraine the Trump administration intends to reach with Russia. 'The Europeans should have no doubt as to what will be expected of them afterwards. 'The Trump administration is signaling that European allies need to take the lead in securing Ukraine. National Security Advisor Waltz recently warned: our underlying principle is that ’the Europeans have to own this conflict going forward’. President Trump is going to end it, and 'then in terms of security guarantees, that is squarely going to be with the Europeans. Clearly, they have to step up and take more responsibility for their own defense and the maintenance of peace on the continent. If they don’t, "the partnership will fray irreparably, and their aspirations to be taken seriously in the emerging multipolar world order will be revealed as empty'. 'The Trump administration cannot afford to see the Europeans fail. It must ensure that any cease-fire in Ukraine stays intact and that Russia does not use it simply to pause before resuming its war of aggression. ’This requires that the United States continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine and signal that it will backstop European efforts to secure peace’. ’Only through such credible assurances will Russian President Putin accept and respect a cease-fire. The goal for Ukraine should be to keep the Russians out, the Europeans in, and the Americans on call'. How is this to be done? ’First, the Europeans must provide the Trump administration with a clear and realistically resourced plan for how they can, together, support Ukraine’s national defense forces in an equitable way for the foreseeable future’. ’Ukraine can provide the core of its own defense requirements with the manpower it has for approximately $20–40 billion a year.’ ’This requires, among other things, continued Western arms supplies, intelligence support, and training’. ’The Europeans need to help backstop Ukraine’s security with their own forces’. ’The Europeans need to put skin in the game something that only the presence of a sizable military deployment of about twenty thousand or more troops on Ukrainian soil can do’. ’One option would be to invoke the Berlin-plus formula designed to facilitate the European Union (EU) to draw on NATO assets to support its own Common Security and Defense Policy missions abroad’. ’Going this route would support the EU’s offer that Ukraine become a member of the Union and also signal its intent to be taken seriously as a geopolitical actor’. This has been used on at least two prior occasions for peacekeeping operations in the Balkans. ’Such an approach could also allow the United Kingdom, no longer part of the EU but one of Europe’s top three military powers, to participate and contribute’. If this option is too difficult because it will require the unanimous support of all EU members - something that cannot be assumed - then the Europeans can organize a coalition of the willing as 'the next best solution'. 'There’s precedent' for such a coalition; the British-led multinational Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) established in 2018 draws on NATO assets to respond to threats in northern Europe and the Baltic region. But, instead of the JEF’s relatively small rapid reaction force of around ten thousand troops, ’an EU-led coalition would require something more robust, involving contributions from Bulgaria, France, Germany, Poland, Romania, and the UK’. The key idea is this: ’whatever foreign troops are in Ukraine under a future armistice must be capable of fighting in place’ to defend themselves against a possible future Russian attack until reinforcements could arrive. If Ukraine does its part and builds a viable self-defense force, the European capability will function primarily as a backup and will not be in acute danger of being overrun ’in the opening days of a hypothetical war’. It should have time to consolidate its disparate elements 'within Ukraine and organize a serious defense in conjunction with Kyiv’. ’Doing so would not require the two hundred thousand European troops that President Zelenskyy has proposed—but would require perhaps twenty thousand’. 'For example', modern brigade combat teams - the key fighting units of Western militaries today - typically consist of 3,500 troops, plus two to three times as many uniformed individuals in support and several thousand more personnel to provide airpower capabilities. The Trump administration must convey to the Europeans that it stands behind their commitment to Ukraine’s defense - materially and politically - and thus provide the other key element of a serious deterrence strategy against Russia. ’The future U.S. military posture in Europe needs to move a bit further east than it was before 2022’, with response forces in Poland and perhaps the Baltic states as well. ’The right ballpark figure is perhaps another ten thousand U.S. troops' in Poland or points east, above and beyond the five thousand troops deployed there in 2021. 'Moreover, the United States should not a priori rule out deploying forces inside Ukraine', something that U.S. Vice President Vance has recently indicated is not off the table. Waltz’s démarche to NATO allies is right - up to a point. The Europeans do need to do more, but two immensely costly world wars in the last century should remind Waltz that this is not the time for the United States to risk a third by hastily disengaging from Ukraine once the guns fall silent. (Source: The Council on Foreign Relations - based in New York City, with an additional office in Washington, D.C. It publishes the bi-monthly journal Foreign Affairs. CFR meetings discuss international issues. It also runs the Rockefeller Studies Program, which publishes research on foreign policy issue, makes recommendations to the diplomatic community and presidential administration).
by Stares, the General John W. Vessey senior fellow for conflict prevention at the Council on Foreign Relations, where he directs the Center on Preventive Action; O’Hanlon, who holds the Phil H. Knight chair in defense and strategy at the Brookings Institution.

.

Asia

Gaza
13.02.2025  How does the Gaza redevelopment plan tie into maritime politics? What seems like a humanitarian policy for Gaza may be a stepping stone towards a battle for the control of a maritime trade route. Gaza’s reconstruction is a strategic cover leading to a contestation in maritime control. Critics assume that the “Riviera of Middle East” project is about the US vying for domination of the Suez Canal or potentially a covert policy that takes a step towards the Ben Gurion Canal project initiated by Israel to divert maritime trade in its favour. This route is also expected to pass through the Gaza Strip. This redevelopment and reconstruction project can be used to justify US and Israeli military assets being stationed in the Gaza Strip to secure the region and naturally give them direct access to the Ben Gurion Canal route. If Gaza is cleared, this plan removes the political and logistical obstacles; the initiators of this project may go as far as altering the demographics and infrastructure to pave the way for the canal. Propping up the Ben Gurion Canal as a competitor to the Suez Canal would prove to be a scintillating phenomenon in the geopolitics of the Middle East. This redevelopment plan for Gaza, leading to the creation of the Ben Gurion Canal, will alter trade and maritime patterns away from the Suez. The Suez Canal handles almost 12% of global trade, connecting Europe, Asia, and the Americas, being a critical choke point for Gulf oil exports to Europe and North America. China’s Belt and Road Initiative relies on this particular route. For Egypt, the Suez Canal is a strong national asset, which reliably generates 9-10 billion dollars annually. Hypothetically, if the US’s underlying strategic objectives are to control the canal for its geopolitical interests, it may need to draft some serious strategic manoeuvring and agreements with President Sisi. Already the US provides Egypt military aid worth around 1.3 billion dollars annually. A new deal could increase the aid in exchange for operational oversight of Suez, or even broker IMF-backed debt relief if Egypt grants that sort of influence over Suez. But let’s say diplomatic overtures fail to convince Egypt, then certainly, the US could potentially disrupt the Suez’s revenue model by backing the Israel-led Ben Gurion Canal project. If Gaza’s reconstruction leads to the successful build-up of the Ben Gurion Canal, it will shrink Egypt’s dominance in maritime logistics. China has noteworthy investments in Egypt’s Suez Economic Zone, with over 140 Chinese companies operating and contributing about 1.6 billion dollars in investments, along with the investments in Egypt’s Ain Sokhna Port. Today 60% of China’s exports to Europe pass through the Suez. Any shift in the control of Suez will impact China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) investments. If the US manages to exert dominion over the Suez or promotes the Ben Gurion Canal, China could face higher transit fees, more US-controlled inspections, and potential trade slowdowns during geopolitical conflicts. For China, the hyper-dominance of Washington on the Suez Canal will likely hamper its BRI projects in the region, even including those with Africa. US-backed Ben Gurion alternative would divert trade dynamics away from the usual routes. If the US gains influence over both Gaza and Suez, it dominates the global trade flows. We can expect the Chinese to respond by negotiating with Israel or deepening its strategic ties with Egypt and Iran. Several instances from Cold War era confrontations: In 1956 the UK, Israel, and France attacked Egypt to take back control of the Suez, leading to a US-Soviet intervention. Today China could come through as a counterbalance. In the 1970s and 1980s, the US sought control in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean to secure oil routes - in response the Soviets expanded their naval presence throughout Yemen and India to counterbalance. Today if the US aims to dominate Suez, China would potentially strike a deal with Israel. If the US tries to sway maritime controls through Ben Gurion, China, would expand its naval presence in the Red Sea and Egypt. Will Egypt’s decision-making determine the balance of power between the US and China? If the Ben Gurion dream is achieved, it will become a turning point in global trade patterns. (Source: Valdai Discussion Club - Russia / Reuters - United Kingdom)
by Aatif, a participant of the Valdai – New Generation project

North America

United States
Feb. 13, 2025  Trump says Saudi Arabia may host talks with Putin on Ukraine. “We expect that he’ll come here, and I’ll go there and we’re going to meet also probably in Saudi Arabia the first time,” Mr. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. (Source: The New York Times - U.S.)

February 13, 2025, Thursday  Trump confirmed that he and Putin discussed the war and agreed that their administrations would begin negotiations “immediately.” Meanwhile, the Kremlin stated that Putin emphasized the need to address what Russia sees as the fundamental causes of the conflict and expressed agreement with Trump that a long-term resolution could be reached through diplomacy. During his phone call with Zelensky, Trump reportedly shared details of his conversation with Putin. When asked at a press conference whether he considered Ukraine an equal participant in peace talks, Trump reiterated that Ukraine must seek peace. When pressed about whether he supported territorial concessions by Ukraine, he noted that Zelensky would "have to do what he has to do" and commented on the Ukrainian leader’s declining approval ratings. The Kremlin has firmly rejected any proposals for territorial exchanges. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Medvedev dismissed the idea as nonsense. Kremlin spokesman Peskov stated that Russia would never discuss the exchange of its territory. (Source: Novinite - Bulgaria; 'Ukrainska Pravda - Ukraine; ISW; WSJ' = U.S.)

Thu February 13, 2025  Scores of firings have begun at federal agencies, with terminations of probationary employees underway at the Department of Education and the Small Business Administration. Until now, federal employees across all government agencies had only been placed on paid administrative leave. The move came the same day as a federal judge allowed the administration’s deferred resignation program to proceed. About 77,000 employees have accepted the offer, which generally allows them to leave their jobs but be paid through the end of September. A form letter sent to Department of Education employees, informing them of their termination stated: “The Agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest.” On Friday and Monday, probationary employees across the Small Business Administration had received an unsigned draft notice of employment termination, according to internal agency emails. Notices of termination were then sent to probationary employees the next day, according to the union representing the employees. Probationary employee firings were also expected at the US Energy Department today evening. There are around 2,000 probationary employees at DOE. The Energy Department’s acting general counsel had a today meeting with heads of department offices and asked offices to compile lists of “mission-critical” probationary employees who could potentially be exempt from the layoffs. But those lists hadn’t been finalized as of today afternoon. Probationary employees are defined as federal employees who have been with the department for less than a year. A recent Office of Personnel Management memo also stated federal employees working for less than two years could also be considered probationary. On January 20, the acting head of OPM sent a memo to all agencies ordering them to compile a list of all their probationary workers and send it to the office. Agencies should focus on those who have been underperforming,  the advisory shows. The firings are part of the administration’s multipronged effort to slash the size of the federal workforce. Trump began the planning process for widespread layoffs on Tuesday, when he signed an executive order telling agency leaders to start preparations for reductions in force, or RIFs. The president is also hoping to push federal staffers who work fully remotely or telework on certain days by requiring them to return to the office full-time. Plus, he has targeted federal employees involved in diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility initiatives and at the Education Department, the US Agency for International Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (Source: CNN – U.S.)

February 13th, 2025   Musk, apparently disgruntled by a Reuters article arguing DOGE cuts were politically motivated, asked followers to find out how much federal money the organization had received. DOGE’s agency head  Musk boosted a post on X claiming the contract showed the “news agency received millions for social engineering.” Today Trump posted on Truth Social: DOGE: Looks like Radical Left Reuters was paid $9,000,000 by the Department of Defense to study “large scale social deception.” GIVE BACK THE MONEY, NOW! Issued by the Department of Defense through the Air Force Research Laboratory and DARPA, the contract is described on the government’s USA Spending website as being in relation to Active Social Engineering Defense (ASED), Large Scale Social Deception (LSD). ’The ASED program aims to create scalable systems capable of detecting, analyzing, and mitigating threats to bolster cybersecurity’. ’The contract in question, issued in 2018 during the first Trump administration, was actually awarded to Thomson Reuters Special Services for cybersecurity research’, ’ which operates separately from Reuters News and specializes in fraud detection and risk management’. Trump made it closer to the truth in saying that the contract was to study it. ’In a statement, Rubley, CEO of Thomson Reuters Special Services, said the following: Thomson Reuters Special Services (TRSS), LLC is a separate U.S. legal entity governed by an independent Board of Directors, that operates independently from Reuters News. Recent public discourse has conflated these entities and has inaccurately represented the nature of the business between TRSS and the Department of Defense’. ’Thomson Reuters commercial agreements, including Reuters News commercial agreements, have no influence over or impact on Reuters editorial coverage’. (Source: Mediaite – U.S.)

February 13, 2025  Hundreds of world leaders and delegates are set to attend the Munich Security Conference this weekend - with conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and simmering tensions in the Indo-Pacific, on the agenda. All eyes will be on the approach of the U.S. delegation under the new administration of President Trump. /Video/ (Source: VoA - U.S.)

NATO

13/02/2025, Thursday  In a joint news conference with NATO chief Rutte in Brussels, Hegseth recalled US President Trump's call, and said: 'The president has said 2% is not enough, and we are going to argue that up to 5% is the necessary investment from NATO countries to ensure we are able to meet the threats of the future.' Rutte, for his part, backed Hegseth's remarks, saying: 'We have to ramp up defense spending because we know we cannot protect ourselves four or five years from now if we do not.' He also said all allies agreed that there must be peace in Ukraine, that it must be durable, and that Ukraine must be in a position of strength. (Source: Yeni Safak - Turkey)

13/02/2025  Hegseth rules out Ukraine's NATO entry. Pantagon chief: Unrealistic to return to 2014 borders. Trump and Putin had essentially started bilateral peace talks. Pretty 'stunned', German and French foreign ministers said that Europeans 'cannot be ignored in this process'. It is the US that calls the shots. (Reports from NATO headquarters in Brussels). /Video/ (Source: France24)

13.02.2025  Ukraine 'must be closely involved' in everything happening about Ukraine, the NATO chief Rutte said at the doorstep of the defense ministers meeting in Brussels today. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

13.02.2025  While the US remains committed to NATO, Europe must take greater responsibility for its own defense as the US shifts focus to Indo-Pacific threats, US Defense Secretary Hegseth emphasized at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Brussels, yesterday.'There are no plans right now in the making to cut anything,' he said later, during a media availability in Stuttgart, while urging NATO allies 'to boost defense spending to 5% of GDP'. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Global

February 13, 2025 To avoid escalation, neutral countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America should play peacekeeper in Ukraine, providing troops - rather than the EU. An EU deployment lacks credibility. The consistent unwillingness, aside from rhetorical flourishes from Macron, to send troops to Ukraine during an ongoing conflict suggests that should fighting resume between Russia and Ukraine, the EU will lack the will to commit. A pan-European force would remain indistinguishable from a NATO one for the Russians. Combined with the bellicose rhetoric of some Western leaders, including supporting direct strikes inside of Russia, such a deployment would be seen as NATO expansion by stealth. On Feb. 12. U.S. Secretary of Defense Hegseth confirmed the Trump administration’s opposition to Ukraine’s membership in NATO and instead called for “capable European and non-European troops” to provide security guarantees - without U.S. troop involvement. The wide number of peace initiatives and proposals - coming from countries such as Indonesia, Mexico, and the African delegation that visited Kyiv and Moscow  -  suggests that there is a real willingness by these nonaligned states to play a significant role. The ever-expanding BRICS+ group, alongside members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, now have a genuine opportunity to help define a new era of international security. The African Union, meanwhile, has gained decades of experience by conducting its own peacekeeping missions. Even Persian Gulf countries could send military and political officers to help defuse tensions as they have been able to cultivate trust with both Russia and Ukraine by organizing several rounds of prisoner exchanges. An effective force does not have to be large since its goal should not be to be able to fight one of the parties but rather to simply keep the peace. A cease-fire has to be agreed to before peacekeepers arrive. Additionally, a clear demarcation of the front line needs to be made before their arrival. A withdrawal by both sides from the front will also reduce the risk of accidental clashes. There remains a wide scope for participation. Chile, for example, has offered to assist with demining. Some European countries may be able to play a role. Hungary and Slovakia, may even be welcomed given their stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. More likely, however, is that the EU can help finance a peacekeeping force. The EU should embrace this as an opportunity to create space between its troops and Russia’s. Rather than trying to monopolize the structures of international security, Europe would be better off embracing the global south as an integral part of the solution to stabilizing its own backyard. (Source: Foreign Policy - U.S.)
By Habtom, a former guest researcher at the Swedish Defense University and a doctoral candidate on contemporary European military and diplomatic history at the University of Cambridge.

.

Austria
13/02/2025  The leader of the ’far-right’ Freedom Party (FPÖ), Kickl, has called for "quick new elections" after coalition talks with his party and the centre-right People's Party (ÖVP) collapsed yesterday. Both parties are unable to agree which would have control of the country's interior ministry. Kickl came first in elections held in September with 28% of the vote. Austria's other parties banded together in order to keep him and his party out of power. When those talks failed, Kickl was invited to hold coalition talks with the ÖVP. Austria's President der Bellen is set to hold talks with the leaders of all parties over today and tomorrow, to explore options for what a new government could look like. In a statement yesterday, he said there would be four possible options for Austria: fresh elections, a minority government, a government of non-elected experts or a new coalition comprised of several parties. Political scientist Filzmaier called the breakdown of negotiations a "bizarre spectacle on the open stage." (Source: Euronews - headquarters Lyon, France)

France
February 13, 2025  Twelve people were injured after man throws grenade into a bar in Grenoble in the Olympic Village neighborhood, after 8 pm yesterday. At least two people were left in critical condition after the grenade exploded. Investigators are looking at a possible connection to drug trafficking and believed it was an act of extreme violence, possibly linked to 'a settling of scores.' (Source: Le Monde „with AFP” = France)

Germany
(13 February 2025)  A 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker drove a car into a rally during a strike by public sector workers in Munich today, injuring at least 30 people. The driver of the Mini Cooper accelerated before hitting the crowd. Something must change in Germany, Bavaria state premier Söder told. (Source: BBC News – United Kingdom)

Russia
2/13/2025  U.S. President Trump was offering unprecedented concessions to Russia in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine yesterday - seemingly without getting anything in return. Before the formal peace talks with Russian President Putin even started, Trump and members of his administration dismissed the idea that Ukraine could reclaim its territories that Russia currently occupies, slammed the door shut for Kyiv’s hope of NATO membership, and refused to acknowledge Ukraine as an equal member in the peace process. Kremlin’s talking heads are surprised and amazed that the leader of ’the mightiest nation in the world is treating war criminal Putin as his equal’. Russian state TV and radio stations were full of elated propagandists, who grinned ear to ear. During yesterday’s broadcast of the state TV program 60 Minutes, host Skabeeva described the events as unthinkable and unimaginable. She asked Antonov, the network’s correspondent in Europe, who said that the era of American dominance had ended and surmised that Europe wouldn’t be able to compete with the volume of military assistance America used to provide. Throughout his commentary, Skabeeva couldn’t hide her glee. Co-host of 60 Minutes  Popov marveled at the fact that Trump is destroying Western alliances and ’sawing” Europe into pieces’. „The president of the United States called the president of Russia. That alone is already a major success!,” Director General of Mosfilm Shakhnazarov said, during yesterday’s broadcast of The Evening With Solovyov,  Shakhnazarov explained. “It’s as if Julius Caesar himself telephoned a barbarian, a chieftain of some German tribe.” Solovyov rejoiced about an assertion by Defense Secretary Hegseth that the United States intended to disregard NATO’s Article 5 in the event Europe militarily engaged with Russia. Political scientist Mikheyev said: ’In this situation, we should make it clear for the Europeans: now we can really strike Brussels, London or Paris, because we can forget about Article 5. You can forget the notion that Americans would step in on your behalf.” Solovyov chimed in to add, ’I like the way you think.’ During today’s radio show, Full Contact, Solovyov approvingly read commentary by the network’s correspondent in the U.S., Bogdanov, who wrote, “During negotiations, the victors are the ones dictating conditions.” (Source: MSN / The Daily Beast = U.S.)

Ukraine
February 13, 2025  With President Trump again in office, changes in the position of the United States in terms of its support for Ukraine are possible, and the pressure on the Ukrainian leadership to accede to demands that it surrender land to the Russians will be intensified. Russia currently controls around 17.3 percent of Ukrainian territory. Putin has made clear that he seeks vast areas in Ukraine beyond the current front lines. He now lays claim to all of four regions in southern and eastern Ukraine (Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts) in addition to Crimea. In recent extensive remarks on the possibility of resolving the conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov made it absolutely clear that Russia requires the Ukrainians to surrender “Crimea, Donbass, and Novorossiya,” which not coincidentally includes these four oblasts. The war has severely degraded Ukraine’s industrial capacity and supporting infrastructure. Restoring Ukraine’s economy is the most crucial element in ensuring the country’s very existence as a viable and secure state going forward. How Ukraine’s economic landscape has been and will be changed? Four of the most economically important regions at the outbreak of the 2022 war (Kyiv city and Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Kyiv oblasts) have been among the most heavily attacked by Russian ground, air, and naval forces. The latest estimates available from the World Bank’s Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA3) showed that as of December 2023 the total damage was $486 billion, a figure that has certainly grown significantly since. After suffering a 30 percent decline in 2022, ’the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development estimate that the Ukrainian economy will actually grow in the low single digits in 2024 and 2025’. Exports, reorienting away from Russia and towards the European Union, have suffered major declines since March 2022. Seizure of key industrial plants and resource extraction sites that are place-bound are especially problematic. The closure of the coking coal mine at Pokrovsk and threats against the large lithium mine at Shevchenko, both in the Donetsk region, have negative effects on industries elsewhere in the country that depend on those inputs and on exports of the products thereof. Significant shifts in the spatial distribution of the Ukrainian economy towards central and western regions of the country, which was already underway before 2022, is a key element in the sustainment and even, in some cases, growth of production and provision of services nationally. Foreign direct investment likewise has been directed towards regions further removed from the war zone in the western and central regions. Regions in the central and western parts of the country have increased their share of national exports, another indication that the economy is moving westward. Certainly other key issues will be involved in peace talks, ’such as NATO membership’ and other security guarantees, repatriation of civilians and prisoners of war, and reparations. In November 2022 the U.N. General Assembly voted to hold Russia responsible for paying reparations to Ukraine for war damage. Requiring Moscow to actually pay from its assets abroad for the reconstruction of Ukraine’s economy will be very difficult over the near term and is likely a non-starter. Planning and executing economic development projects in the most favorably situated areas with a view to maximizing and securing future growth will, over the longer term, be Ukraine’s ultimate weapon in achieving its rightful place as a free and democratic country. (Source: War on the Rocks – U.S.)
by Clem, emeritus professor of geography and senior fellow in the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs at Florida International University; Herron, the Eberly Family distinguished professor of political science at West Virginia University; Hoheneder, a doctoral student in earth sciences at the University of New Hampshire; Pelchar, a doctoral student in political science and history at West Virginia University.

.5 2 16

.

Europe

Hungary
12/2/2025  Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met Weidel, the co-leader of the ’far-right’ Alternative for Germany party in Budapest today. They discussed EU policy, Ukraine and hold a joint press conference. Orbán has hitherto been careful to keep his distance from the AfD, with officials saying he did not want to antagonise mainstream German parties for whom the AfD is anathema. /Photo/ (Source: MSN - U.S. / Reuters - United Kingdom)

Germany
12.02.2025  ’As climate change progresses, the number of people who are being forced to leave their homes and cross borders due to environmental change is increasing. ’At the same time, they lack safe, orderly and regular migration pathways. 'Regional free movement can expand the leeway for those who are particularly affected by climate change. The African regional organisations ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) have both concluded agreements that could guarantee such free movement of persons. ’In order to take advantage of these agreements in terms of climate mobility, German and European development and migration policy should do more to implement regional free movement’. "Both agreements allow member states to suspend free movement under certain conditions and to refuse entry to certain groups of people – for example in the event of a serious threat to internal security or if migrants are not financially self-sufficient".  'Countries could make use of these exemptions, in particular if the consequences of climate change lead to large-scale refugee and migration movements. 'Although both agreements prohibit mass expulsions, people moving across borders under the free movement of persons within ECOWAS and IGAD are not fundamentally protected from refoulement to areas that are becoming increasingly uninhabitable due to the effects of climate change. 'Free movement agreements can facilitate the mobility of some individuals and groups in the context of climate change, but in no way replace refugee policy instruments such as resettlement programmes or humanitarian visas". "African countries are becoming increasingly sceptical about opening borders and immigration. 'Although the protocols on the free movement of persons have been ratified, there are repeated expulsions of migrants from the region, refusals at internal borders and arbitrary border closures within ECOWAS". 'In a situation in which European policy in Africa is increasingly being contested, and at the same time the influence of Russia and China on the continent is growing, it is all the more important to keep an eye on the interests of regional organisations as part of a partnership policy and not to disrupt well-functioning regional cooperation". (Source: Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik; SWP - the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. Headquarters in Berlin, Germany)
by Dr Korte, who was an Associate in the Global Issues Research Division at SWP until December 2024; Landmesser, a Research Assistant in the Global Issues Research Division.
Written as part of the research project 'Strategic Refugee and Migration Policy, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development'.

Romania
(12.02.2025)  Iohannis stepped down as president today. It was an ignominious end to a failed presidency. He leaves office as the most unpopular Romanian president of the post-communist era. The hallmarks of his presidency were silence, absence from the public eye and - on those rare occasions when he did actually say something - statements that often seemed inappropriate and were sometimes hair-raising. Iohannis' resignation will not eliminate the causes of the country's current difficult political situation. In a result that shocked the nation, the first round of the presidential election last November was won by outsider Georgescu, a far-right, pro-Russian conspiracy theorist who has called for the dismantling and break-up of Ukraine and glorified the Christian Orthodox Romanian fascists of the interwar years. But Iohannis' most serious legacy will be the fact that during his presidency, right-wing, pro-Russian forces in Romania grew stronger than they have ever been in the past 35 years. ’The establishment’ in Romania is a high-handed political class that has set up a clientalistic system that reaches into even the smallest public structures at all levels and whose most prominent figures are often embroiled in corruption scandals. Johannis won his first term as president in late 2014. He quickly gave the impression that he was not the right man for the job. He turned out to be a passive president. Low points in his first term included the stripping of Tőkés of an order of merit - Tőkés is an ethnic Hungarian pastor whose anti-communist resistance triggered the uprising against Ceausescu in 1989 - and the dismissal of the former anti-corruption public prosecutor Kövesi, who is now European Chief Prosecutor. Although himself a member of one of Romania's German minorities, Johannis stirred up negative feelings towards Romania's Hungarian minority during an address to the nation in spring 2020, accused it of separatism, disparaged the Hungarian language and accused the Social Democrats, who were in the opposition at the time, of supporting the alleged Hungarian plan for the secession of Transylvania. It reminded many of the darkest period of Romanian nationalism. He was back in the headlines for the expensive renovation of the presidential palace and his official residences as well as for making expensive trips in a luxury jet - all things that did not go down well in a country that is one of the poorest in the EU. Extreme right-wing parties, who are calling for Romania to leave the EU and NATO, are now stronger than they have ever been in the post-communist era. Together, three 'far-right parties now account for over 35% of lawmakers in parliament after last year's general election. His slogan in the 2014 presidential election was "President of a job well done," which in Romanian was a nod to the image of the thorough, reliable German who does quality work. Romanian journalist and writer Popescu has since paraphrased this slogan, referring to Iohannis as the "President of a disaster well done." (Source: DW – Germany)
by Verseck, editor, writer and reporter

Ukraine
12.02.2025  Zelenskyy met the new US Treasury Secretary Bessent in Kyiv today. The hedge fund manager was pursuing access to Ukrainian resources like rare earths, as Trump tries to leverage US support for Ukraine into future financial gains for the wealthy. Bessent and Zelenskyy presented a draft agreement regarding the mining of the valuable materials by US investors. ’We will do everything to ensure that our teams can get down to work, agree on something very quickly and sign the document,’ Zelensky said after the meeting. ’We are talking about the joint development of deposits,’ he emphasized. (Source: DW – Germany)

United Kingdom
February 12, 2025,  „We know that when conflict escalates in the Middle East, the Jewish community always suffers”, the government’s Independent Adviser on Antisemitism, Lord Mann, said. The Community Security Trust has recorded the second-highest number of anti-Jewish hate incidents in the UK for the calendar year of 2024 - 3,528 incidents. In 2023, the worst year on record, 4,296 incidents occurred, caused by antisemitic responses to the 7 October 2023 mass terror attack in Israel and the subsequent Middle East war. Those who are complicit in this antisemitism range from social media giants to the Islamist and far Left extremists who celebrated the Hamas terror attacks, CST’s chief executive, Gardner said. These hatreds are compounded by the stony silence with which Jewish concerns are met in far too many places of work, education and culture. It leaves Jews feeling ever more isolated and worried for the future.” The 2024 incident report (Source: Jewish News, a free weekly newspaper, that serves the Jewish communities of Greater London, United Kingdom)

Asia

Syria
12.02.2025  Since the fall of Assad, there has been an increase in targeted attacks on Syria’s Alawite population. This violence is an expression of a deeply entrenched stigmatisation, fuelled for decades by a narrative based on an ‘Alawite regime’. The vulnerability of the Alawite population, both in Syria and the Middle East historically is rooted in the rejection of reforms and divergent faiths by orthodox Sunni Islam. (Source: International Political Sociology, a quarterly journal, published by Oxford University Press, United Kingdom)
by Walo, who studied social sciences in Berlin, Ankara and Riga, with a focus on Syria and Turkey.

North America

United States
Feb 12, 2025  President Trump has fired Martin, the inspector general for the US Agency for International Development (USAID). In his executive order, Trump said US foreign aid organizations "are not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values." (Source: NewsBytes – India)

Wednesday 12 February 2025 20:17 GMT Trump said he and Russian president Putin agreed by phone to begin negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine and will “work together, very closely”. The US president said today that the leaders are to meet in person and their respective teams will start talks “immediately”. “We each talked about the strengths of our respective nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together,” Mr Trump said in a social media post. “But first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine.” Mr Trump also spoke at length with Zelensky. White House officials today declined to clarify if Ukraine would be a party to the US talks with Russia. US vice-president Vance, secretary of state Rubio and Mr Trump’s special Russia-Ukraine envoy, retired general Kellogg, will all be in Germany later this week for the annual Munich Security Conference, which Mr Zelensky will also attend. US defence secretary Hegseth ruled out Nato membership for Ukraine and suggested Kyiv should abandon hope of a return to its pre-2014 borders. Kremlin spokesman Peskov said the conversation between Mr Trump and Mr Putin covered a good deal of ground, including the Middle East and Iran in addition to Ukraine, which was the main focus. Mr Peskov said that Mr Trump called for a quick cessation of hostilities and a peaceful settlement and that Mr Putin “emphasized the need to remove the root causes of the conflict and agreed with Trump that a long-term settlement could be achieved through peace talks”. He added: “The Russian president invited the US president to visit Moscow and expressed readiness to host US officials in Russia for issues of mutual interest, naturally including Ukraine, the Ukrainian settlement.” (Source: Independent - United Kingdom)

NATO

(12 February 2025  'Defence spending from Canada and European NATO allies jumped by 20% year-on-year in 2024, but considerably more money is needed before the end of the decade to deter a Russian attack', Rutte said today. Defence ministers from the 32-member organisation will gather in Brussels tomorrow for their first meeting since Trump's new administration was inaugurated, with support for Ukraine and defence spending topping the agenda. A White Paper on defence detailing the military capabilities the bloc needs and the various options to finance them is to be released on March 19, with decisions set for the June leader's summit, held a day after the NATO gathering. (Source: Euronews - a television news network, headquartered in Lyon, France)

'Global

(February 12, 2025)  'Corruption Perceptions Index' (Source: Transparency International - Headquarters Berlin, Germany)
Opinion: 'The index is meaningless nonsense, in which “corrupt” is just a synonym for poor'. (Bullough)

 5 2 12

.

Sajtótájékoztató Weidel-lel, az AfD elnökével

- video -

Source:

YouTube / ATV

26 419 views 

Forrás:

YouTube / Orbán Viktor

42 114 megtekintés

Kulcsszavak:  Egyesült Államok    Európa    Európai Bíróság    Európai Unió    Föld    Franciaország    Kína    kommunista    kommunizmus    Lengyelország    Magyarország    Német Demokratikus Köztársaság    Németország    Oroszország    Schengeni Egyezmény    Ukrajna    Vatikán

.

.

Europe

Romania
February 11th, 2025 In November, Georgescu emerged from obscurity to win the first round of (the now cancelled) Romanian presidential elections. His connections to the Romanian state, to the parties that have dominated the Romanian political scene since 1989, and to neo-fascist movements have captured much of the attention. Analyses of his ideological roots - interwar fascism, mystical Orthodoxy and the national communism of the 20th century - as well as the massive support he enjoyed on social media have also contributed to building a complex image of him. According to a recent poll, he remains in pole position ahead of the reorganised elections in May, though it is unclear whether he will be allowed to run again. His dramatic rise in support, the popularity of Georgescu - this skilled political entrepreneur - rests on his ability to project three distinct types of authority: traditional, rational-legal and charismatic authority. That, together, project a complex vision. The first two avatars speak to the disappointment and fear of his audience. The last avatar cultivates hope through a vision of national salvation that requires the leadership of men of great valour who are “born not made”. Largely incompatible with one another, the three types of authority he projects have helped him attract different types of voter. His style paradoxically invites people to distance themselves from the sordid circus of other far-right leaders, while simultaneously maintaining – if not amplifying – their most dangerous ideas. The challenge for his opponents will be 'to pierce the veneer of propriety' that serves to legitimise his anti-democratic political project. (Source: The London School of Economics - England)
by Mihai, a Professor and Personal Chair of Political Theory at the University of Edinburgh; Ungureanu, the Serra Húnter Associate Professor of Political Philosophy at Pompeu Fabra University.

European Commission
11.02.2025  European Commission President der Leyen today met with US Vice President Vance in Paris, discussing cooperation on shared challenges, following the AI Action Summit in which they participated early today. At the beginning of the meeting, Vance called EU foreign policy chief Kallas, who also attended the talks. Vance and der Leyen also discussed cooperation on shared challenges, expressing their intention to prioritize economic areas of mutual interest, including energy. For her part, Kallas said that they discussed key issues like Russia’s war on Ukraine, strengthening European defense, and China’s actions. The meeting came as trade tensions soared between the US and the EU after the White House slapped additional tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum. (Source: Anadolu Agency, Turkey)

European Parliament
11 February 2025  In a statement, 'to uphold' Ukraine’s right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter, the EP Conference of Presidents calls for 'continued and enhanced military support' to Ukraine, including the provision of defence equipment, training, and strategic assistance necessary. (Source: European Parliament - Meeting place: Strasbourg, France)

February 11, 2025  A 'former' Fidesz cadre, Magyar, 43, made a Facebook post a week after the clemency scandal erupted in early February. The scandal involved a presidential pardon granted to the former deputy director of a children’s home, who had covered up the sexual abuse of minors by his superior. As discontent grew, the first Hungarian female president and who had co-signed the pardon, Justice Minister Varga, ex-wife of Magyar, was sacrificed. Magyar quickly capitalised it, as an insider within the Fidesz ecosystem with 'his resignation from all state-affiliated positions in protest against the government’s corruption and moral shortcomings, particularly in relation to the clemency scandal,' announcing the creation of a new political movement, named Tisza Party. The party was rapidly gaining support, mobilised disillusioned voters, leading up to the June European Parliament elections, overtaking older opposition parties like DK, Momentum and Jobbik. The formation received more votes than all other opposition parties combined, securing seven mandates in the European Parliament and ten seats in the Budapest Assembly. The party leader faces the 'daunting task" of building a nationwide party infrastructure and fielding 106 strong candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections. Critics question whether he can sustain his momentum and whether his movement will remain a one-man show or evolve into a structured political party. (Source: bne IntelliNews - Berlin, Germany)

Russia
February 11, 2025  Russian tourists are increasingly booking trips to Europe, with a sharp rise in hotel reservations for Spain, France and Italy, according to leading online travel aggregators. Overall, outbound tourism from Russia was up by a fourth in 2024 as more than 29mn trips abroad were made last year, including 11.5mn for tourism – a 25% increase on trips made in 2023. (Source: bne IntelliNews - Berlin, Germany)

Serbia
11 February 2025  As daily protests of students and citizens against him continue, the President of Serbia, Vucic, today called his supporters for another anti-protest rally for the day of country’s statehood, Saturday (February 15). (Source: DTT-net, a Brussels-based news agency on Western Balkan affairs)

Asia

China
February 11, 2025  China has introduced new rules on publishing People's Liberation Army (PLA)-related content online as authorities seek to tighten control over sensitive military information. The guidelines were jointly announced over the weekend by 10 government departments, including China's internet regulator, top spy agency, and the President Xi chaired Central Military Commission. (Source: Miami Herald / Newsweek = U.S.)

Iran
February 11, 2025  Trump, on February 4, 2025, reiterated his position that Iran must not have nuclear weapons. In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi and Iranian Vice President for Strategic Affairs Zarif, the former foreign minister and leader of the nuclear talks with the Obama administration, banded together to again bring up the lie about Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei's nonexistent fatwa that allegedly guarantees that Iran cannot produce or obtain nuclear weapons. /Source: Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) *, an American press monitoring organization. Headquarters Washington D.C., U.S.)
* critics describe it as a strongly pro-Israel advocacy group

Jordan
Feb 11, 2025  Jordan’s King Abdullah II, said he would need to wait for other Arab leaders, including  Crown Prince Salman of Saudi Arabia and President Sisi of Egypt, before responding directly. President Sisi and other Arab leaders will meet in Cairo on February 27, ostensibly to propose an alternative to Trump’s plan to forcibly remove Palestinians from Gaza, which would be a war crime. Jordan is in a difficult position, given the country’s reliance on U.S. support, which makes up about 10 percent of its national budget. Egypt similarly relies on U.S. assistance. Trump’s cut to foreign assistance includes the $1.45 billion the U.S. sends to Jordan annually (the only countries to which he did not cut assistance were Israel and Egypt). Jordan simply does not have enough resources to take in additional refugees. It has remained a bastion of relative stability despite regional upheaval, due largely to the U.S. and Europe helping pay for Jordan to host refugees. Despite this support, Jordan’s debt is already 90 percent of its GDP. Twenty-two percent of Jordan’s population are unemployed. Jordan’s population is already approximately half Palestinian, due to previous Israeli expulsions of Palestinians in 1948 and 1967. If hundreds of thousands of new Palestinian refugees were forced into Jordan, the fragile status quo would likely collapse. Given the success of the Muslim Brotherhood in September’s parliamentary election, the government most likely to replace it would not be interested in signing another peace treaty with Israel, or be willing to host U.S. troops. When forced to accept political suicide in order to support Trump’s regional agenda, countries like Jordan will increasingly seek other partners. Jordan already does a lot for the U.S. At Washington’s urging, Jordan has maintained a peace treaty with Israel for the past 30 years, despite its deep unpopularity among the Jordanian population. Jordan hosts 15 different U.S. military installations and almost 4000 American troops. (Source: Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, an American think tank, located in Washington D.C., U.S.)
by Sheline, PhD, a Research Fellow in the Middle East program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. She previously served as a Foreign Affairs Officer at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor’s Office of Near Eastern Affairs, before resigning in March 2024 in protest over the Biden administration’s unconditional support for Israeli military operations in Gaza.

North America

United States
Feb 11, 2025  The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) unanimously elected Soloveichik as its Vice Chair following former Vice Chair Ueland’s departure from the Commission for a federal role.  (Source: USCIRF *, an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad).
* USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress.

(11 February 2025)  United States President Trump today signed an executive order directing the justice department to pause prosecutions of Americans accused of bribing foreign officials to secure business deals. The law made companies that operate in the US less competitive, the White House said. (Source: Scroll – India)

Tue, 11 Feb, 2025  US President Trump has removed the exceptions and exemptions from his 2018 tariffs on steel, meaning that all steel imports will be taxed at a minimum of 25%. Trump also hiked his 2018 aluminium tariffs to 25% from 10%. His orders go into effect on March 4. “It’s time for our great industries to come back to America,” he said. The tariffs would hit allies as the four biggest sources of steel imports are Canada, Brazil, Mexico and South Korea. (Source: Irish Examiner - Republic of Ireland / Associated Press - U.S.) 

Feb. 11, 2025  "One of the things we can do right away is take 2,000 children that are either cancer children or in very ill state to Jordan as quickly as possible," Abdullah, 63, told the president. President called offer "beautiful gesture". /Source: United Press International (UPI), an American international news agency. Headquarters Boca Raton, Florida, U.S./

11 February, 2025  Trump threatens to cut US-allied Arab country Jordan aid if it refuses to resettle Palestinians as King Abdullah visits Washington today. (Source: The New Arab - a London-based news outlet owned by a Qatari company)

February 11, 2025  US President Trump has left open the possibility that Ukraine "may be Russian someday," and called for trading US aid for Kiev's natural resources, such as rare minerals. "They may make a deal, they may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday," Trump said in an interview with Fox News yesterday. (Source: TRT World – Turkey)

Tuesday 11 February 2025  Secretary of State Rubio has appointed Beattie to be the acting undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, a senior role that represents American foreign policy to the world. (Source: Independent - United Kingdom)

(Tuesday, 11 February 2025)  US President Trump said yesterday that Hamas should release all hostages held by the militant group in Gaza by midday Saturday or he would propose cancelling the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and "let hell break out." (Source: Sunday World – Republic of Ireland)

February 11, 2025  Ethnic cleansing of Gaza and American genetics (Source: Middle East Monitor *, located in London, United Kingdom, financed by the State of Qatar)
* labelled by some commentators as pro-Islamist, pro-Muslim Brotherhood, and pro-Hamas

United Nations

11th February 2025  'Israel has become an institutional obsession of the UN, for both staff and members. During the past decade, the UN General Assembly has adopted 140 resolutions that were highly critical of the Jewish state – that’s double the number of resolutions critical of all the other countries in the world put together. There is little that is implicit or unconscious about the UN’s anti-Israel bias. It is endemic and all-consuming. This is an institution that is rotting from within". (Source: Spiked *, a British Internet magazine. Headquarters London, United Kingdom)
by O’Hallorann, an Irish author, journalist, and broadcaster
* roots in the left‐wing; the majority of sources identify it as right-libertarian

.5 2 11 20:29

.

Europe

Romania
10/02/2025 - 14:32  Outgoing president Iohannis resigned today. His mandate was extended in December after the Constitutional Court cancelled last year's presidential race, plunged the state into institutional chaos, accusing Russia of having interfered in the campaign when little-known ’far-right’ NATO critic Georgescu won the first round of a presidential election and Romania's top court voided the entire election. Accusations of Russian interference were denied by Moscow. With the two rounds of the election set to be re-run on May 4 and May 18, Romania's top court had said Iohannis, whose second and last term expired on December 21, would stay on until his successor was elected. In January, three far-right opposition parties, which control around 35% of parliament seats, filed a motion to impeach the deeply unpopular Iohannis. Senate speaker Bolojan, head of the Liberal Party, a member of the ruling coalition, will take over as interim president with limited powers until the election. The three ’hard-right’ groupings, whose support has risen since Georgescu's surprise win, had used their campaign against Iohannis as a reason to stage protests and seize the political agenda. (Source: France24 / Reuters - United Kingdom)

10.02.2025  President Iohannis announced his resignation today. The move came after opposition’s motion filed in parliament to impeach him. Iohannis’ second and last term expired on Dec. 21, but he was to stay until a successor is elected. The two-round election will now be held on May 4. In December, Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the presidential run-off scheduled for Dec. 8. 'Far-right' Georgescu had won the first round on Nov. 24. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

European Commission
(10 February 2025)  The European Union will conduct a review of its multi-billion euro external aid. The EU and its member states are collectively the biggest donor for international aid in the world, providing nearly €96 billion in 2023, while the US spent nearly $72 billion (€69,852 billion) in foreign support. The Commission will outline ideas in the coming weeks to improve its next seven-year budget from 2028 to 2034 and intends to present its next long-term budget proposal in July. The EU’s trillion-euro-long-term budget will become more difficult this time around as €30 billion in debt from the pandemic recovery fund needs to be paid back annually and a majority of member states also want massive funding for defence. (Source: Luxembourg Times)

European Union
Monday 10/02/2025  Leaders of 'far-right' parties in the European Parliament’s third-largest voting bloc, Patriots for Europe, praised Trump’s return to power at a gathering in Madrid on February 8 held under the slogan “Make Europe Great Again.” Patriots consists of 86 MEPs from 14 countries. Some of the EU’s most influential parties in the camp of nationalist conservatives, such as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, Alternative for Germany and Poland’s Law and Justice, have refused to join. The event featured Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Italian deputy premier Salvini, as well as the leaders of France’s National Rally (RN), Le Pen and the Netherlands’ PVV party Wilders. “The Trump tornado has changed the world in just a few weeks … yesterday we were heretics, today we’re mainstream,” Orbán told around 2,000 supporters, most of whom waved Spanish flags. All the speakers railed against immigration and most called for a new “Reconquista,” a reference to the Medieval re-conquest of Muslim-controlled parts of the Iberian Peninsula by Christian kingdoms. A video message by Venezuelan opposition leader Machado, excoriating what he called “leftists” was interrupted by a topless activist from feminist group Femen before she was ejected. Other themes included frequent right-wing targets such as “wokism,” migrant rescue NGOs, European Commission’s der Leyen and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, whose names were met with loud jeers. Madrid was chosen as venue for their first official summit so that Patriots’ president Abascal, who leads Spain’s Vox party, could host. Vox has steadily gained ground in several polls over the past months. According to the Centre for Sociological Studies (CIS), it garners the strongest support among young men, members of the military and law enforcement. (Source: The Arab Weekly, a publication by Al Arab Publishing House in London. It is printed in three editions: In the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and The United States.

Kaliningrad
February 10, 2025  The Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea has become an energy island after the Baltics States cut themselves off from the Soviet-era BRELL power grid on February 8 and has become vulnerable to sanctions thanks to its dependence on Lithuanian gas transit. It must generate all its electricity independently, Lithuania is no longer supplying or transferring power. Lithuania continues to transit natural gas to Kaliningrad. In 2023, Lithuania transited 2.3bn cubic metres (bcm) of gas to the exclave. Amongst the measures Russia took to improve Kaliningrad’s energy security were to double its gas-fired power capacity, constructing an €780mn gas storage facility with a capacity of approximately 800mn cubic metres, and acquiring the Marshal Vasilevsky tanker, a $300mn LNG terminal ship. The LNG terminal could supply Kaliningrad’s full gas demand of up to 3.7 bcm per year. LNG is about four and half-times more expensive than the piped gas the enclave currently receives via Lithuania. (Source: bne IntelliNews - Germany)

Russia
10.02.2025  Europe’s position in the modern world is now fundamentally changing. The most important factor in these changes is the relationship between Europeans and their senior partners in America. These relations have become the most important factor in the development of Europe and its position in international politics throughout the 20th century. Now they have become central and determine the nature of the processes and changes taking place there.   The central element of the unequal partnership between the US and Europe is security. The role of the US in relation to the states of Europe has always been limited to two issues. First, containing the restoration of European great power and militarism. Second, using Europe as a territorial base for its confrontation with Russia.    Discussions about the "American security umbrella" are nothing more than a myth - a simplified view for propaganda purposes. The concept of the "American security umbrella" over Europe means artificially limiting the scope of one's intellectual search. There is no “umbrella,” but rather a US protectorate over Europe, established without enthusiasm, but with the support of a segment of the European elite, and leading this region to further degradation. The largest European countries – Great Britain, Germany and France - have gone through a slow but inevitable erosion of their role in world politics in one way or another, to accomplish even the most ill-contrived goals of the USA. Their economic benefits from such a humiliated position are becoming increasingly insignificant. Europe could very well ensure its security and development, but it cannot do so, since it is constantly forced to pursue a suicidal foreign policy.   The very concept of a “security umbrella” is absurd. Since we are far from thinking that a threat to Europe could come from North African countries, China, or the Middle East, 'the only enemy is Russia'. However, it is linked to the United States by a relationship of strategic deterrence, based on the direct and immediate threat of causing unacceptable damage to each other’s territory and population. It is strange to think that the US could ever put its own survival at risk in order to protect Europeans from a massive attack by, say, Russia. Even those who voluntarily transferred a significant part of their sovereign rights to the Americans, as happened with Germany, Italy, Britain or Turkey in the case of the deployment of US nuclear weapons there, these countries sacrificed their sovereignty, but it cannot be said that they received anything convincing in exchange in terms of ensuring their own security, which shows us the degree to which the survival strategy of Berlin, Rome, Ankara or London is subordinated to the interests of the US. Europe, including Turkey, is important for the US as a territory from which they can develop their hostile policy towards Russian interests. But nothing more. Major powers are, in principle, relatively calm about changes in the balance of power between their weaker partners. For them, this is not a factor that directly influences the solution of the most important foreign policy tasks of the state. Such categories as the "security umbrella" can only operate in cases where there is a potential clash with a much weaker adversary that is not capable of seriously threatening the main territory of a great power. This is how Russia's allied relations with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) countries work. If the actions of the ally country are not absurd, then the major power will, of course, come to its aid, as happened at the time of the threat of the collapse of statehood in Kazakhstan in January 2022. Due to the fact that the existence of such a category as the "security umbrella" in the Russia-USA-Europe triangle is impossible even at a theoretical level, the only thing that Europeans get in return is an illusory confidence in the impunity of their own irresponsible behaviour. For now, even the largest European countries behave like the former Soviet Baltic republics. But it is completely unknown what will happen when the strategic interests of the United States no longer require such a serious territorial presence in the western part of Eurasia.    Considering that the rivalry between the United States and China has every chance of becoming a central element of international politics in the coming decades, we are far from thinking that Europe itself is capable of maintaining a state of cold war with Russia. For now, the key factors restraining the normalisation of Europe's behaviour are American pressure and the crisis state of its own elites. Reducing pressure from the United States, which consistently forces Europe to be hostile to Russia, may lead to a fairly rapid change not only in the rhetoric, but also in the practice of European foreign policy. The issue with the elites will be somewhat more complicated: we see what many politicians are like at the national level and, especially, by observing their nominees to the institutions of the European Union. Negative selection, based on incompetence and corrupt relationships with American companies, has produced a generation of politicians who have nothing to do with the interests of their countries. If Europe's only objective foreign policy function – the space for deploying American forces and resources in the event of a conflict with Russia – is reduced, new politicians with a new worldview and professional qualities will be in demand. (Source: The Valdai Discussion Club, a Moscow-based think tank and discussion forum - Russia / Reuters - United Kingdom)
by Bordachev

Europe
(10 February 2025)  European gas prices hit two-year high as supply fears intensify. Gas consumption in Europe is expected to rise by 17% this month from a year ago, driven by residential and commercial demand. Inventories are only 49% full compared with 67% at the same time last year. Northwest Europe is bracing for freezing temperatures in the coming days, which could further boost heating demand. Inventories will be 37% full by the end of winter, is forecasted. Benchmark futures rose as much as 5.4% today to €58.75 a megawatt-hour. That’s the highest since February 2023, after contracts posted four consecutive weeks of gains. Norway’s upcoming summer maintenance season may also cap supplies at a time when the market is already tight. Traders' rushing to snap up protection against surging European gas prices is signalling they expect further disruptions to supplies. (Source: Luxembourg Times / Bloomberg)

North America

United States
February 10, 2025, Monday  Trump adviser advocates for European responsibility in Ukraine’s post-war security. National security adviser Waltz pointed out that President Trump plans to address the Russo-Ukrainian conflict in Europe next week, with the US Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Vice President, and Special Envoy scheduled to discuss plans for peace. Waltz also highlighted that the US is seeking to recover the costs of its military aid to Ukraine, proposing partnerships with Ukraine on natural resources, including rare earths and energy, to offset those expenditures. This partnership would involve Ukraine leveraging its natural resources, oil, and gas, in return for support from the US. Waltz added that the priority was to get all sides to the negotiating table, stating that Russia's economy is struggling and that global leaders, including those from China, India, and the Middle East, are eager to help end the war.US Vice President Vance is scheduled to meet President Zelensky during the Munich Security Conference, which takes place from February 14 to 16. The Munich conference will serve as a platform for discussions on future US strategies for ending the war. Meanwhile, Kellogg, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, is expected to attend the conference and engage with US allies. Sources have indicated that the Trump administration may present a new plan to resolve the conflict, although Kellogg has denied that a definitive peace plan will be unveiled during the event. (Source: Novinite, a Bulgarian English-language news provider based in Sofia / ’NBC News - U.S.; Ukrainska Pravda - Ukraine; ISW - U.S.; CBS News - U.S.”)

Global

9 February 2025  Transnational repression is a set of physical and digital tactics used by governments to stifle dissent among political exiles or diaspora communities in other countries. Governments perpetrated 160 total incidents of physical transnational repression across 34 countries in 2024, including assassinations, abductions, assaults, detentions, and unlawful deportations. The governments of Uganda, Cambodia, Russia, Iran, and China were the top perpetrators of transnational repression in 2024. Seventy-three incidents from 2024 were mass events involving the simultaneous targeting of three or more people. The largest such incident occurred in Kenya, where 36 Ugandan activists were abducted and returned to Uganda, and charged with “receiving terrorist training” for participating in a civil society workshop. Two other mass incidents took place in Thailand. In February, three Cambodian activists were detained for planning protests in advance of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet’s first visit to Thailand. In a separate incident in November, six Cambodian activists were deported from Thailand and now face charges of treason in Cambodia for posting comments critical of the country’s authorities on Facebook. Authorities in Turkey and Russia also targeted groups of people with renditions and attempted unlawful deportations. The Chinese Communist Party remains the world’s leading perpetrator of transnational repression and is responsible for 272 recorded physical incidents since 2014. In March, individuals working for the Ministry of State Security tried to kidnap a Chinese dissident and force him onto an international flight at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport. The government of Tajikistan is now among the most aggressive in pursuing dissidents abroad and was responsible for 9 incidents in 2024, and 92 since 2014. In November 2024, German authorities deported Ergashev, an opposition activist who participated in several peaceful protests against the Tajikistani government and has sought asylum in Germany since 2011. He was taken into custody upon landing in Dushanbe and remains in prison. In similar cases, people have been sentenced to decades in prison after being returned to Tajikistan. /Source: International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) - a global network, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada/

.5 2 10 12:09

.

Europe

Vatican
Sunday 09 February 2025  Pope Francis reappeared in public for the first time since he was diagnosed with bronchitis on Thursday to celebrate an outdoor Jubilee Mass for the armed forces, police and security personnel from around the world. The Pontiff told that armed force can only be used for legitimate defense and must always respect international law. However, after a few words, he handed off his homily to an aide to read, saying he was having difficulty with his breath. “I would like to recall the teaching of the Church in this regard: The Second Vatican Council says that those who exercise their profession in the ranks of the army in the service of their homeland should consider themselves as servants of the security and freedom of their people,” Francis said in his final prayer. “This armed service must be exercised only for legitimate defense, never to impose dominion over other nations, and always observing international conventions regarding conflicts,” he added. The pontiff launched a new appeal for peace, citing conflicts around the world, including Ukraine, the Middle East, Myanmar and Sudan. “Let the weapons be silenced everywhere and let the cry of the people asking for peace be heard,” Francis said. /Photo/ (Source: Independent - United Kingdom)

Asia

China
9 Feb 2025  China has imposed retaliatory tariffs on the US, hitting about $14bn worth of goods. China’s embassy in Washington said the tariffs came into effect at 12.01am Beijing time on Monday (11.01am on Sunday in Washington DC). Beijing last week also announced an antitrust probe into Google, whose search engine is blocked in China, and Illumina, a US biotechnology company. And it blacklisted the holding company of US clothing brands Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger. China underlined its control of the rare earths supply chain by restricting exports to the US of five critical metals used in defence-related industries, solar panels, electric vehicle batteries and other green energy products. China produces about 60 per cent of the world’s rare earths and accounts for 90 per cent of processing in the industry. Trump has accused China, along with Mexico and Canada, of failing to curb the flow of the deadly opioid fentanyl into the US. Beijing has taken some measures to stem the flow of ingredients for fentanyl -  known as precursor chemicals - since a summit in San Francisco in late 2023 involving the then US president Biden and Xi. But the Trump administration accuses Beijing of subsidising Chinese companies that make the precursors. Trump has also instructed the US Trade Representative to investigate Chinese compliance with the first phase of the trade deal he sealed with China in 2020 during his first term in the White House, under which Beijing agreed to buy more American products. The USTR is due to report the findings from the probe on April 1. (Source: Financial Times - headquarters London, England)

North America

February 9, 2025   "If you think the big defense contractors have too much power and too much influence, wait until you dig into the USAID contractors and the subcontractors and the subcontractors and the local contractors," Trump security advisor Waltz said. "The president wants action and that's what he's getting." "Many of these senior aid officials have their own agenda, have gone their own direction, and these programs - many of which are no longer authorized by Congress -  just seemed to continue in perpetuity. So, we can talk the entire time about USAID." "I have a lot of experience about it on the ground, but in these first two weeks, we've had major foreign leaders. We have the Mexicans putting thousands of their troops on the border. The Canadians putting their assets on the border. Panama moving away from Belt and Road. Colombia first refusing to take deportation and then now taking it -  and we can go on and on, with the successes of the hostages that the previous administration couldn't get out. President Trump says, 'There's all hell to pay,' and now we have, not only hostages from Hamas reuniting from their family, from Venezuela and from the Taliban, too. So, we've had an amazing two weeks. We can get into the details of foreign assistance, but it badly needs reformed." /Video/ (Source: YouTube / NBC = U.S.)
283 views

(Sunday), Feb 9, 2025  US President Trump said he expects Musk to find billions of dollars of fraud and abuse at the Pentagon during an audit that the billionaire will lead. "I'm going to tell him very soon, like maybe in 24 hours, to go check the Department of Education. Then I'm going to go, go to the military. Let's check the military," Trump said in an interview with Fox News' aired today morning. "We're going to find billions, hundreds of millions of dollars of fraud and abuse," Trump said of the largest federal department. In December, then-President Biden signed a bill authorising USD 895 billion in defence spending for the fiscal year ending September 30. Leaders from across the political spectrum have long criticised waste and inefficiency at the Pentagon. Musk, who the White House says is a special government employee, has been tasked by Trump to lead an effort to slash the size of the US federal workforce. As part of that initiative, Musk aides have sought access to confidential information in computer systems at various government agencies. National Security Adviser Waltz suggested in a separate interview today that the Pentagon's shipbuilding processes could be an area of particular interest for the Department of Government Efficiency, and he characterised the Pentagon in general as full of unnecessary bloat. "Everything there seems to cost too much, take too long and deliver too little to the soldiers... We do need business leaders to go in there and absolutely reform the Pentagon's acquisition process," Waltz said. (Source: India Today)

Feb 09, 2025  Musk has alleged massive fraud in the United States Treasury's entitlement payments - over $100 billion per year is paid to people without a Social Security Number or temporary ID number. He further alleged Treasury insiders estimated half of these payments, or roughly $50 billion/year, could be "unequivocal and obvious fraud." "Nobody in treasury management cared enough before," Musk posted on X. The working-level people in treasury have wanted to do this for many years but have been stopped by prior management, he added. US District Judge Engelmayer temporarily barred the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing sensitive Treasury data. A lawsuit from 19 Democratic state attorneys general claim granting DOGE full access to the Treasury's payment systems violates federal laws protecting sensitive information. Musk emphasized an agreement between DOGE and the Treasury to enhance financial oversight by mandating payment categorization codes for audits. He said many transactions currently don't have such coding, making audits difficult. Musk also urged for mandatory documentation of payment rationales in Treasury records. On the security side, he pushed for stricter enforcement of the "Do-Not-Pay" list to prevent fraudulent payments and said it should be updated weekly/daily. (Source: NewsBytes – India)

United States
(February 9, 2025)  Trump says he has spoken to Putin by phone about ending  the war in Ukraine. (Source: RNZ - New Zealand / Reuters - United Kingdom)

Oceania

Cook Islands
(Sunday, February 9, 2025)  New Zealand's Foreign Minister's office says Cook Islands prime minister Mark Brown headed to Beijing today without "properly consulting" New Zealand about agreements he plans to sign with China. The Cook Islands operates in free association with New Zealand. It means the island nation conducts its own affairs, but Aotearoa needs to assist when it comes to foreign affairs, disasters, and defence. There had always been natural tensions between Aotearoa and the Cook Islands over free association independence. New Zealand is asking for more consultation over what is in the China deal. Foreign Minister Peters said neither New Zealand nor the Cook Island people knew what was in the agreement. Today, a spokesperson from the Foreign Minister's office said the lack of consultation in particular was a matter of significant concern to the New Zealand government. "Cook Islanders are treasured members of the New Zealand family. The Deputy Prime Minister will continue to defend and protect the interests of Cook Islanders, in the context of New Zealand protecting the security and prosperity of all New Zealand citizens and of the Realm of New Zealand." (Source: RNZ - New Zealand)

Samoa
09 February 2025  Miss Samoa Ieremia-Allan as the new Queen of the Pacific. Samoa triumphs with ninth Miss Pacific title at the 38th Miss Pacific Islands pageant, held in Honiara, Solomon Islands. /Photo/ (Source: Samoa Observer)

.5 2 9 21:48

.

Europe

Russia
February 08, 2025  Putin has dismissed the head of Roscosmos, after serving for two-and-half years. Borisov, who was put in charge of the space agency in July 2022, has been replaced by the former deputy transportation minister, Bakanov, who led the state-backed Gonets satellite communications system between 2011 and 2019. Russian space expert Yegorov told that Borisov had stopped the collapse of the country's space sector which had been hit hard by sanctions. Telegram channel Cheka OGPU, which is linked to Russian security agencies and often reports government insider sources, said that Putin had been angered at the problems. In August 2023, Borisov presided over the failure of Luna 25, the first moon mission in modern Russian history. In September (21), 2024, satellite imagery appeared to show a launch failure of an RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. The missile is central to Putin's plans to modernize Moscow's nuclear arsenal. Business news outlet RBC reported how the change in Roscosmos's leadership comes amid uncertainty over the construction of the National Space Center in Moscow - Bakanov will audit the agency and that his main priority will be developing Russia's Sphere satellite program. (Source: Miami Herald / Newsweek = U.S.)

United Kingdom
8 February 2025  China wants to turn 20,000 sq metres of land at the historic Royal Mint Court which it bought in 2018 into a ‘mega-embassy’ in the heart of the capital, right near the Tower of London. If China builds its embassy on the site, it would become the largest embassy in Europe - but it still hasn’t secured permission from the UK to go ahead. Protesters spilled across the pedestrian crossings on Tower Bridge Road holding signs that said "CCP is watching you, Stop the mega embassy" and "Space for free speech". The rally, organised by local residents and attended by groups of Uyghurs, Tibetans, Chinese dissidents and Hong Kongers, started today morning and quickly attracted thousands of protesters. (Source: LBC - United Kingdom)

8 February 2025  There are serious questions about how to handle a US president who is ’openly hostile to the postwar international order’, dismissive of international institutions, and openly says the EU is worse than China, and Nato is a scam. ’The US has been the guarantor of our security’, the protective shield concealing European frailties and inadequacies. The moment has now arrived where Europe must look after itself. ’The most controversial policy’ of Trump’s second term may turn out to be his proposed mass expulsion of 10.5 million undocumented migrants.    But the policies which will impact most on the UK and Europe are likely to be around tariffs, Ukraine, Nato and the Middle East.   Tariffs are Trump’s preferred instrument of coercion and were always bound to be deployed early on. Next, Trump will take action against the EU because “they treat us very unfairly”. This is already prompting retaliatory tariffs, threatening a trade war which damages everyone. The likelihood is that this will result in reduced global economic growth, job losses, higher inflation and disrupted supply chains. Can the UK avoid this tariff carnage? Trump has said “the UK is out of line” but “Starmer has been very nice” and something “can be worked out”. Unlike Germany, with its huge surplus, our trade is in rough balance with the US and we buy billions of dollars of US military equipment, from F-35s to Apache helicopters. So, damage the UK economy and there’ll be less money to spend on defence. Even if the UK manages to escape tariffs, trade wars with others will hurt our economy significantly. The threat of US tariffs will hang over us for the next four years. When Trump says “we can work something out”, he means there will be a price to pay; perhaps the UK opening its markets to US agricultural exports – a disaster-in-waiting for British farmers.   On Ukraine, Trump has unsurprisingly stepped back from his claims of an instant ceasefire. But it’s hard to see why Putin should do any deal that doesn’t amount to Ukrainian capitulation. He must think that Russia is now winning this war. ’It is hard to see Zelensky accepting a deal that gives territory over to Russia and stops them from joining Nato’. If a ceasefire is within grasp, ’Trump will expect Europe, not the US, to provide any security guarantees needed to get Ukraine over the line’. Regardless, all scenarios look exceptionally difficult for the Europeans.    As for Nato, Trump has criticised Nato allies for falling short of their commitments on defence spending. Trump can take a victory lap in the first Nato summit of his second term: 23 of Nato’s 32 members are now at two per cent of GDP. But to think that this is problem solved is to misread Trump. It’s not just about the money: Trump fundamentally disagrees with the Article 5 commitment to collective defence – something Moscow will have noticed.    Finally, the Middle East. It’s a mixed picture. Trump’s pre-inauguration urging of Benjamin Netanyahu to commit to an immediate Gaza ceasefire was pivotal – without it, the fighting might still be happening. But to now suggest that Gazans should be forced to leave the territory is seriously destabilising and risks more extremism and conflict.    The certainties of the postwar decades have gone. 'The United States is not the ally it was'. Europe must be able to do more for itself. (Source: Politics Home - based in London, United Kingdom. It is the sister outlet of The House magazine, published weekly when Parliament is sitting)
by Lord Darroch, crossbench peer and former UK ambassador to the US

Africa

South Africa
Saturday, February 8, 2025  Groups representing some of South Africa’s white minority responded today to a plan by President Trump to offer them refugee status and resettlement in the United States by saying: thanks, but no thanks. The Trump administration accused the South African government of allowing violent attacks on white Afrikaner farmers and introducing a land expropriation law that enables it to “seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation.” Together, whites make up around 7% of South Africa’s population of 62 million. “Our members work here, and want to stay here, and they are going to stay here,” said Hermann, chief executive of the Afrikaner trade union Solidarity, which says it represents around 2 million people. “We are committed to build a future here. We are not going anywhere.” Solidarity, AfriForum and others are strongly opposed to the new land expropriation law, saying it will target land owned by whites who have worked to develop that land for years. They also say an equally contentious language law that’s recently been passed seeks to remove or limit their Afrikaans language in schools, while they have often criticized South Africa’s affirmative action policies in business that promote the interests of Blacks as racist laws. “This government is allowing a certain section of the population to be targeted,' said AfriForum’s Kriel, who thanked Trump for raising the case of Afrikaners. (Source: The Washington Times / The Associated Press = U.S.)

Central America

Panama
08.02.2025  China protests: the Central American nation announced its formal withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative. Panama's withdrawal from the BRI was officially confirmed by President Mulino. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

North America

Canada
Feb 08, 2025  A meeting was convened as Canada braces for the potential impact of Trump’s proposed 25% tariff on all Canadian imports. “I suggest that not only does the Trump administration know how many critical minerals we have but that may be even why they keep talking about absorbing us and making us the 51st state,” outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reportedly told attendees. “They’re very aware of our resources, of what we have and they very much want to be able to benefit from those,” he added. Canada holds significant reserves of essential minerals crucial for the green energy sector, including lithium, graphite, nickel, copper, and cobalt. Trump first proposed the idea of absorbing Canada at a dinner with Trudeau in December. A January Ipsos poll shows that the majority of Canadians (80%) oppose their country becoming part of the US and would never vote ‘yes’. (Source: Hindustan Times - India)

United States
8 February 2025  Defense Secretary Hegseth yesterday criticized past celebrations of diversity within the U.S. military and pledged a more stringent approach to NATO burden-sharing and accountability for the war in Afghanistan. “I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is ‘our diversity is our strength,’” Hegseth said during a speech to Pentagon staff, addressing an audience of several hundred in the Pentagon auditorium. “Under my watch, we will treat everyone with fairness.” Hegseth has moved swiftly to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at the Defense Department, arguing that such programs are divisive. He cited the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel as events that, in his view, have eroded perceptions of American strength. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen events that created the perception - reality or perception, but I would argue more perception - of American weakness,” Hegseth said. “Chaos happens when the perception of American strength is not complete. ’And so we aim to reestablish that deterrence.’ Hegseth said he would travel next week to a NATO meeting in Brussels, where he planned to urge allied nations to increase military spending and expand their industrial bases. He also pledged an inquiry into the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. “We are going to look back at what happened in Afghanistan and hold people accountable - not to be retrospective, not for retribution, but to understand what went wrong and why there was no accountability for it,” he said. Hegseth suggested that the Trump administration would seek to restore deterrence by focusing on securing the U.S.-Mexico border. He also pledged that “at a bare minimum,” the Pentagon would pass a full financial audit by the end of a second Trump term in early 2029. Since taking office, Hegseth has also eliminated commemorations of heritage months, including Black History Month and Women’s History Month, issuing guidance that such observances “erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution.” DEI programs were intended to promote opportunities for women, racial minorities, and other historically underrepresented groups. Conservatives have criticized such initiatives, contending they prioritize identity over merit. (Source: Amu TV, a satellite television channel with the primary mission to inform Afghan society. Headquarters: Virginia, U.S.)

08.02.2025 US  President Trump cuts US aid to South Africa citing land seizures, International Court of Justice case against Israel. The order also includes a provision for assisting "Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination." The US allocated nearly $440 million in aid to South Africa in 2023, according to government data. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

February 08, 2025  The United States yesterday announced the approval of the sale of more than $7.4 billion in bombs, missiles and related equipment to Israel, which has used American-made weapons to devastating effect during the war in Gaza. (Source: Voice of America - U.S.)

Feb 8, 2025  United States President Trump has announced that he is revoking former President Biden’s access to intelligence briefings. “He set this precedent in 2021, when he instructed the Intelligence Community (IC) to stop the 45th President of the United States (ME!) from accessing details on National Security, a courtesy provided to former Presidents,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Trump also suggested that Biden could not be trusted with sensitive information after special counsel Hur’s report on his predecessor’s handling of classified information described the Democrat’s memory as 'fuzzy' and having “significant limitations”. (Source: MEHR News Agency - Iran)

.5 2 9 17:23

.

Europe

Poland
7 February 2025  On February 5, during an interview with internet channel Kanał Zero, Poland’s President Duda, an ally of the opposition Conservatives (PiS), has said he was concerned that European Union institutions may interfere in the country’s May presidential election based on the experience of events in Romania. Brussels “does not like Conservatives ruling in Poland”, he said, adding that the current centre-left government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk might overrule the result of the election should the PiS win. Events in Romania “have worried me a lot and I have many doubts” about them, the President said. In December 2024, Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the first round of the election the previous month that had been unexpectedly won by a ’right-wing’ candidate Georgescu. The court claimed it did so based on 'evidence' of Russian interference. Duda claimed Brussels interfered in Romania’s recent presidential election. ’Prominent members of the European Commission have admitted they interfered in the Romanian case’. The President may have been referring to the remarks made by ex-commissioner Breton who had said in a media interview that the cancellation of the Romania ballot was done with involvement of Brussels. Duda asked whether “today’s elections in individual countries can only be won by those accepted in Brussels?' adding: “I have this impression and I don’t like it very much.” The President argued that the European Commission had form in interfering in Polish elections, too. He cited the fact that the body blocked EU pandemic funding for the former PiS government and unblocked them immediately on the election of the centre-left government led by Tusk in 2023. Duda called the actions of the commission with regard to Poland political manipulation, involving “blocking funds because the government was not liked by the EC”. He said that was because of its different approach to many issues such as environmental protection, migration and the rule of law. Poland’s head of state also said he feared interference of the Romanian variety should the Polish result go against the present government’s main candidate, Warsaw mayor Trzaskowski. He claimed he feared the way the government was refusing to recognise the Supervisory Chamber of the Supreme Court, charged with certifying the election result, could be the precursor of a decision by parliament to refuse to recognise the outcome on the grounds that no “appropriate” judicial body had certified the poll. The first round of the Polish presidential election is due to take place on May 18, with the second round set for June 1. Duda’s second and final term as president expires in early August. (Source: Brussels Signal, published by Remedia Europe SRL, Brussels)

Russia
7 February 2025  The General Prosecutor's office today morning announced that the journalist-owned Barents Observer newspaper, media based in northern Norway is added to Russia's list of so-called 'undesirable organisations.' ’A significant part of the newspaper's materials have a clearly expressed anti-Russian character.’ ’The articles are aimed at stimulating protest motions among the population in north Russian regions, tighten anti-Russian sanctions [and] boosting NATO's military presence by our borders,’ the Russian state authority writes. The Barents Observer are ’discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,’ the notice reads. The newspaper's journalists are propagating ’untraditional values,’ the General Prosecutor argues. It also underlines that the editorial staff of the Barents Observer includes Russian journalists in exile, among them people who are on Russia's so-called 'foreign agent' list and the list of ’extremists and terrorists.’ Yesterday the small Norwegian newspaper won a court case in the European Court of Human Rights against Russia's censorship agency Roskomnadzor. (Source: The Barents Observer, based in Kirkenes, Norway)

United Kingdom
2/7/2025  Security officials in the United Kingdom have demanded that Apple create a back door allowing them to retrieve all the content any Apple user worldwide has uploaded to the cloud. The British government’s undisclosed order, issued last month, requires blanket capability to view fully encrypted material, not merely assistance in cracking a specific account, and has no known precedent in major democracies. Its application would mark a significant defeat for tech companies in their decades-long battle to avoid being wielded as government tools against their users. The office of the Home Secretary has served Apple with a document called a technical capability notice, ordering it to provide access under the sweeping U.K. Investigatory Powers Act of 2016, which authorizes law enforcement to compel assistance from companies when needed to collect evidence. The law, known by critics as the Snoopers’ Charter, makes it a criminal offense to reveal that the government has even made such a demand. A consultant advising the United States on encryption matters deemed it shocking that the U.K. government was demanding Apple’s help to spy on non-British users without their governments’ knowledge. A former White House security adviser confirmed the existence of the British order. At issue is cloud storage that only the user, not Apple, can unlock. Apple started rolling out the option, which it calls Advanced Data Protection, in 2022. The service is an available security option for Apple users in the United States and elsewhere. (Source: MSN / The Washington Post = U.S.)

North America

United States
February 7, 2025  The decision by U.S. President Trump to freeze for 90 days the aid provided by Washington poses new challenges to rights groups in Russia and Belarus. The aid came directly from or via the partners of the U.S. Agency for International Development, ’as well as from other entities funded by the U.S. government’. 'Organizations could have done much more significant things if it weren’t for this situation', an activist with Center-T, a prominent Russian trans group, told. Center-T’s core staff moved abroad after the Russian Supreme Court designated what it called the LGBTQ+ movement as extremist, outlawing all LGBTQ+ activism. Center-T lost ’only a fraction’ of funding, because they ’almost didn’t have U.S. funding,’ its staffer said. Members of Russian and Belarusian rights groups and independent media organizations described varying effects of the action. Some said they don't know which of their partners are linked to U.S. aid and whether more will withdraw support. Many get funding elsewhere, like private donations. Some Russian organizations said they'll still operate but knew of others in bigger jeopardy. OVD-Info, a Russian rights group that tracks political arrests and offers legal aid, is largely funded by “private donations from a large number of people,” so the freeze “has little direct and immediate impact,” said OVD-Info spokesman Anisimov, but 'other groups that help it with certain activities' are affected. An editor of an independent Russian news outlet operating in exile cited ’crowdfunding’ as one reliable revenue sources. The outlet lost less than 10% of the budget in frozen grants. Kovcheg - Russian for “arc” - a group helping Russians fleeing abroad with shelter, legal and psychological support, training and other support, lost 30% of its budget, said its founder, Burakova. Kovcheg is more or less stable, thanks to crowdfunding and advertising, Burakova added. She formerly headed a legal aid group in St. Petersburg backed by exiled tycoon-turned-opposition-figure Khodorkovsky. Most Russian rights groups and independent news outlets have been designated as foreign agents by the Russian authorities - a label that turns potential donors away with its negative connotation. Russia has banned advertising with them. Others have also been labeled undesirable, a category that outlaws any dealings with groups so designated, exposing donors to prosecution. In light of the aid freeze, Khodorkovsky and Russian philanthropist Zimin this week offered $600,000 'to affected Russian and Ukrainian' projects. It's not clear how much U.S. aid Russian organizations were receiving. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said it was unable to comment. Pro-democracy forces from Belarus were receiving about $30 million U.S. aid, for over half of all of their Western funding, they told. It comes from both USAID, either directly or through 'partners, entities like the U.S.-government funded National Endowment for Democracy'. Dozens of nongovernmental organizations and several independent media groups are on the brink of closure, they said. ’Opposition leaders recently prepared a report for Western governments’, outlining the effects of the freeze - Belarus and Russia will likely fill the void by strengthening state propaganda and authoritarian control in Belarus. Out of 30 Belarusian media groups working abroad, six said they lost funding completely and are on the brink of closing. ’According to the opposition's report, $1.7 million in U.S. aid is frozen' – more than half of all foreign aid to independent media forced to flee Belarus’ after President Lukashenko unleashed a widespread crackdown on dissent in 2020. Now, small independent newsrooms are laying off employees. Dozens of media projects will inevitably cease. Resuming later is almost impossible. A YouTube show, A Regular Morning, with videos regularly drawing over 100,000 views, said it was shutting down but asked for donations and said it would keep going through March. Rights groups also are affected. 60-80 groups face possible mass layoffs, ending programs or closing for good. Programs to support political prisoners will be drastically cut, Belarusian youth will lose access to alternative educational programs, and activists will lose their platforms. There are over 1,200 political prisoners in Belarus. Viasna is the country’s leading human rights group, whose imprisoned founder Bialiatski won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. Thousands of activists, including some freed from prison, have moved abroad. ’Groups that received U.S. funding were helping them and their families”. Tsikhanouskaya, the exiled activist is urgently looking for ways to keep afloat the ’independent media and the civil society’ of Belarus, Viačorka, a senior aide to opposition leader told. There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the State Department’s European and Eurasian Bureau. (Source: ABC News – Australia /Associated Press – U.S.)

February 7, 2025  President Trump hosted Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba at the White House today and said the U.S. will have relations with North Korea, with Kim. (Source: Fox News – United States)

07 February, 2025  Trump sanctions the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to its issuing of arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 'Illegitimate Israel, US investigations' - referring to ICC probes into alleged war crimes by US service members in Afghanistan and Israeli troops in Gaza. He ordered asset freezes and travel bans against ICC officials, employees and their family members, along with anyone deemed to have helped the court's investigations. Neither the United States nor Israel are members of the court. (Source: The New Arab - Headquartered London, United Kingdom, owned by a Qatari company)

.

.

Europe

Russia
February 6, 2025  Russian musician Stroykin, 58, was accused of donating money to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He potentially faced 20 years in prison if convicted of supporting the Ukrainian army, which is considered a terrorist organisation in Russia. Stroykin reportedly threw himself out of a 10th story window in St.Petersburg moments after police raided his home. Russian Telegram channels with links to the Kremlin reported his death, and said that, during the police raid on his house, Stroykin ‘went into a spare room, hastily opened a window and committed an irreversible act’. (Source: Metro - United Kingdom)

Asia

China
Feb 06, 2025  Today China has named combative diplomat and ex-ambassador to France, Mr Lu, 60, as Special Representative for European Affairs. He was making frequent combative statements during his five-year tenure as Beijing's envoy to Paris, which ended in December. Mr Lu will promote dialogue and cooperation with Europe and "contribute to the stable and healthy development of China-EU relations", ministry spokesperson Guo told. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he publicly called French analyst Bondaz a "crazed hyena" and "little rascal", while his embassy published an article falsely claiming that French nursing home staff abandoned patients to die of the coronavirus. In 2022, Mr Lu suggested during a television interview that Taiwanese people would undergo re-education after China takes over the democratic self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its own. His 2023 claim that ex-Soviet states had no effective status in international law, angered numerous European Union member states. So far, there has been no sign of Mr Lu being publicly disciplined by Beijing for his remarks. Mr Lu’s appointment comes when China-Europe relations are at an inflection point, after US President Trump slapped 10 per cent tariffs on China and threatened tariffs on Europe last week as part of his 'isolationist' agenda. China hawks such as European Commission President Der Leyen are showing signs of willingness to rethink the relationship between Beijing and Brussels, a bond that had badly deteriorated over trade tensions and China's ties with Russia. In response, China's foreign ministry yesterday said it is willing to work with Brussels to respond to global challenges after Dr Der Leyen said on Feb 4 at Davos that both sides should find solutions of mutual interest - a marked shift in tone on China. Previously China's embassy in Paris said that Mr Lu’s comments on ex-Soviet states were "an expression of personal views", while the foreign ministry later distanced itself by saying that China respects the sovereign status of all ex-Soviet countries. (Source: The Straits Times - Singapore)

Israel
February 6, 2025  Israel’s defence minister ordered the army today to prepare a plan to allow the “voluntary departure” of residents from Gaza, Israeli media said. The instruction followed Trump’s announcement that the United States plans to take over Gaza, resettle the Palestinians living there and transform the territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East”. “Gaza residents should be allowed the freedom to leave and emigrate, as is the norm around the world,” Israel’s Channel 12 quoted Katz as saying. When asked who will take in the Palestinians, Israeli Defence Minister Katz said it should be countries who have opposed Israel’s military operations in Gaza. “Countries like Spain, Ireland, Norway, and others, which have levelled accusations and false claims against Israel over its actions in Gaza, are legally obligated to allow any Gaza resident to enter their territories,” he said. “Their hypocrisy will be exposed if they refuse to do so. There are countries like Canada, which has a structured immigration program, that have previously expressed a willingness to accept Gaza residents.” Since Jan. 25, Trump has repeatedly suggested that Palestinians in Gaza should be taken in by regional Arab nations such as Egypt and Jordan, an idea rejected by both the Arab states and Palestinian leaders. He has given no specifics of his proposal to take over Gaza. (Source: Business Recorder – Headquarters Karachi, Pakistan / Reuters - United ingdom)

February 06, 2025  Israel’s defence minister Katz says he has instructed the army to prepare plans for large numbers of Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip in line with President Donald Trump’s proposal. The plan “will include options for exit at land crossings as well as special arrangements for exit by sea and air”. Mr Gatz did not say whether Palestinians would be able to one day return to Gaza. US officials later said the relocation would only be temporary. Palestinians fear Israel would never allow them to return. US Secretary of State Rubio, on his first foreign trip as secretary of state, described Mr Trump’s proposal as a “very generous” offer to help with debris removal and reconstruction of the enclave following 15 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas. “In the interim, obviously people are going to have to live somewhere while you’re rebuilding it,” Mr Rubio said. “The president has made it clear that they need to be temporarily relocated out of Gaza,” White House press secretary Leavitt said, calling it currently “an uninhabitable place for human beings” and saying it would be “evil to suggest that people should live in such dire conditions”. Their comments contradicted Mr Trump, who earlier in the week had said: “If we can get a beautiful area to resettle people, permanently, in nice homes where they can be happy and not be shot and not be killed and not be knifed to death like what’s happening in Gaza.” He added that he envisioned “long-term” US ownership of a redevelopment of the territory, which sits along the Mediterranean Sea. In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Pentagon yesterday, Defence Secretary Hegseth said the military is “prepared to look at all options” for rebuilding Gaza. “We look forward to working with our allies, our counterparts, both diplomatically and militarily, to look at all options,” Mr Hegseth said. Mr Netanyahu also reiterated his praise for Trump: “It’s a remarkable idea and I think it should be really pursued. Examined, pursued and done, because I think it will create a different future for everyone.” (Source: Irish News / Associated Press - Ireland)

Kashmir
Feb 6, 2025  Hamas representatives get VIP welcome in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir /Video/ (Source: India Today)

West Bank
February 6, 2025  The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that at least 70 people have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since the beginning of the year, including 10 children. The Israeli army’s ongoing assault on the occupied West Bank has displaced at least 26,000 Palestinians from their homes in the Jenin and Tulkarm refugee camps since last month. (Source: Days of Palestine - ?)

North America

United States
February 5, 2025 The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) lays off staff, bracing for massive cuts programs - as much as 50% this year - after reductions in U.S. foreign assistance ordered by the Trump administration. CRS is the top recipient of funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development, known as USAID, which supplies about half of the Catholic organization's $1.5 billion budget. CRS received $4.6 billion in funding from USAID over a nine-year period (2013-2022 fiscal years), primarily for disaster assistance. In fiscal year 2023, per a 2024 audit, $521 million - came from U.S. government grants and agreements. CRS reaches more than 200 million people in 121 countries on five continents, according to its website. "We anticipate that we will be a much smaller overall organization by the end of this fiscal year," Callahan, president and CEO of CRS wrote. CRS received $493 million in donated non-financial assets (e.g., agricultural commodities, bed nets, pharmaceuticals, non-food items) at no cost from the U.S. government along with other partners like United Nations World Food Program and The Global Fund. CRS received $284 million in private support through donations, foundations and other means. It has already received notifications that some projects for which it is subrecipient have already been terminated and that more are coming. "It is not a thoughtful or humane way to go about treating programs that help the poorest of the poor all over the world," said Colecchi, director of the Office of International Justice and Peace for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2004 to 2018. In fiscal year 2024, USAID received more than $44 billion, which accounted for 0.4% of the entire federal budget, according to USAspending.gov. Church and faith-based organizations received less than 6% of USAID funding for nonprofit organizations, with more than half of those funds going to Catholic Relief Services, according to the Congressional Research Service. "A blanket freeze, even for a short period of time, means staff will have to be let go, programs will get interrupted and supply chains will be disrupted," Colecchi added. Among the programs and services provided by CRS: water and sanitation, education, agriculture, health, microfinancing, climate change resilience, as well as justice and peace-building programs in addition to emergency and disaster assistance. CRS had 7,000 employees worldwide as of 2018 when it marked its 75th anniversary. (Source: National Catholic Reporter, a progressive national newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.. NCR 'operates outside the authority of the Catholic Church')

February 6, 2025  The government had been paying news media outlets to generate positive coverage of Democrats, President Trump said on his Truth Social site. White House press secretary, Leavitt, yesterday was saying that more than $8 million had gone to buying Politico subscriptions. “The DOGE team is working on canceling those payments now,” she said. “We are going line by line when it comes to the federal government’s books.” Musk, the head of the team seeking to cut government spending, said yesterday that the payments were “not an efficient use of taxpayer funds.” Mr. Musk was responding to a user who noted a $517,855 payment in 2020 from the Food and Drug Administration for Politico Pro subscriptions. “This wasteful expenditure will be deleted,” he added. Mr Trump questioned if The New York Times and other outlets had also received payments as Politico, a “left wing rag”.“ „Billions of dollars” from U.S.A.I.D. and other agencies had improperly gone to the “fake news media.” In his all-caps post today, Mr. Trump wrote that this could be the biggest scandal of them all. (Source: Dnyuz – Armenia (?) / New York Times – U.S.)

06 February, 2025  US Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate have introduced bills to prohibit using the term "West Bank" in official US government documents, replacing it with "Judea and Samaria," to legitimise Israeli terminology in US politics. (Source: The New Arab - Headquarters London, United Kingdom. Owned by a Qatari company)

Feb 06, 2025  Yesterday United States Secretary of State Rubio has decided to skip the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) summit in South Africa. Rubio has publicly criticized South Africa for "expropriating private property" and promoting "solidarity, equality, & sustainability." He equated these concepts with diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and climate change initiatives. In a post on X , Rubio stated that his role is to "advance America's national interests," not waste taxpayer money or "coddle anti-Americanism." (Source: Newsbytes News Network - U.S.)

(Thursday), Feb. 6, 2025  'Last Thursday', Trump gathered his “whole confirmed team” of advisers and cabinet members focused on national security - from Vice President Vance to Treasury Secretary Bessent - in the Oval Office, where US envoy to Ukraine Kellogg said they discussed how to use all elements of national power to end the war. “We got the national security team talking about it - the president, vice president, national security adviser, secretaries of State [and] Treasury, National Security Council, working all together.” Sanctions enforcement on Russia are “only about a three” on a scale of one to 10 on how painful the economic pressure can be, Kellogg said. The US sanctions themselves - such as those targeting Russia’s lucrative energy sector - are nominally twice as high, but there is still room to ratchet them up. He lambasted former President Biden’s strategy of promising to provide Ukraine aid 'as long as it takes, as much as it takes' without cranking up the pressure on other elements of national power. “If you look at history, you’d never want to get into an attrition fight with the Russians, because that’s how they fight. They’re used to it. I mean, this is a country that was willing to lose - and did - 700,000 in the Battle of Stalingrad in six months, and they didn’t blink an eye.” “And so the pressure just can’t be military. You have to put economic pressure, you have to put diplomatic pressure, some type of military pressures and levers that you’re going to use underneath those to make sure [this goes] where we want it to go,” he explained. (Source: The New York Post - U.S.)

Oceania

Papua New Guinea
2025.02.06 Papua New Guinea farewells one of its founding fathers, former PM Sir Julius Chan (29 August 1939 – 30 January 2025)
/Photo/ (Source: BenarNews, an online news service affiliated with Radio Free Asia, which headquarters in Washington D.C., U.S.)

.5 2 6 18:50