1. Picking up the phone: Almost three years after Russia’s unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Trump decided it was time to re-establish direct contact between the president of the United States and Putin, a leader facing U.S. and EU sanctions, as well as an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for crimes against humanity…
Roth, a member of the center-left Social Democrats, who are running behind the conservative Christian Democrats in polls ahead of Sunday’s national election, also described the new U.S. government’s tone as a “worst-case scenario.” “The transatlantic relations are over,” Roth added, as he emphasized that Trump’s increasing alignment with Putin left Europe “home alone” and…
The new Trump administration, however, has appeared to give up much of its negotiating leverage over Russia unilaterally. Speaking at NATO headquarters on Feb. 12, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the U.S. would not accept NATO membership for Ukraine or provide peacekeeping troops, and warned the country would not return to its pre-2014…
Across Ukraine, local politicians were candid in their opinions of Trump’s attacks. “We may like Zelenskyy, or we may not, we may scold him, or we may praise him, we may condemn his actions, or we may applaud them … because he is OUR President,” Borys Filatov, mayor of the industrial city of Dnipro, wrote…
Markets are responding to the potential for the Russia-Ukraine conflict to soon end. Russian stocks and the ruble got a boost after Trump called Putin last week about the war. Betting markets and the US stock market also showed a rise in optimism that the war could soon end. Investors are positioning for the possibility…
Over the Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea — A Chinese navy helicopter flew within 10 feet of a Philippine patrol plane Tuesday in a disputed area of the South China Sea, prompting the Filipino pilot to warn by radio: “You are flying too close, you are very dangerous.” The Chinese helicopter was attempting to force a…
But they said the administration said they won’t “get ahead” of itself. POLITICO asked Starmer on a trip to Kyiv last month if he’d commit to a vote on any British peacekeepers. He declined to give such a commitment. ‘United front’ MPs from Westminster’s opposition parties are demanding parliament’s involvement, too. “We support the prime…
Beijing — China’s Foreign Ministry took issue Monday with a revised U.S. government fact sheet that removed a line on American opposition to independence for Taiwan. The United States “gravely backpedaled” on its position on Taiwan and sent the wrong message to “separatist forces” on the island, ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said. Taiwan and China split…
Rubio meets with Netanyahu in Israel – CBS News Watch CBS News Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Sunday to discuss Middle East policy. Rubio and Netanyahu appeared to signal they will move ahead with the controversial plan to try to move the entire population of…
During the administration of Joe Biden, the U.S. tried to secure public funds for infrastructure. The American Society of Civil Engineers released a study in 2021 that showed a $3-trillion ‘infrastructure investment gap’, which included basic infrastructure for drinking water and sewage ($1 trillion) and surface transportation ($1.2 trillion). This bill did not include investments…