French Finance Minister Eric Lombard slammed Trump’s trade war as “stupid” after his threat of 200% tariffs on EU alcohol.

“It's a stupid war, but if we want to be able to negotiate, we must be on equal footing—so we’ll raise tariffs too.”

NATO vs. Russia & Ukraine: Active Military Personnel (2024)

🇷🇺 Russia: 1.5M troops
🇺🇦 Ukraine: 880K troops
🇺🇸 U.S. (NATO’s largest force): 1.3M troops
🇹🇷 Türkiye (Largest European NATO force): 355K troops

Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to Zelensky:

Ukraine will not lift martial law or hold elections in the event of a 30-day ceasefire on the front lines.

European Union may double its military aid to Ukraine in 2025, potentially reaching €40 billion ($43 billion), according to an EU diplomatic discussion paper.

The plan includes an initial commitment to provide Ukraine with 2 million rounds of large-caliber artillery ammunition this year.

Source: Reuters

Kremlin:

Late last night, President Putin met with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, delivering key messages and signals for Donald Trump.

No date has been set for a direct call between Putin and Trump. It will be scheduled after Witkoff reports to Trump.

There are grounds for cautious optimism on Ukraine.

Lukashenko:

Belarus will not become part of Russia in the near future.

Why Ethiopia and Eritrea on the Brink of War?

Fresh conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region is reigniting tensions with Eritrea, which backed Ethiopia’s federal forces in the 2020-2022 war but was excluded from the 2022 Pretoria Agreement.

Tigrayan dissidents seized Adigrat, accusing the Ethiopian-backed government of betrayal, while the interim administration claims they are collaborating with Eritrea.

Eritrea mobilized its military in Feb 2025, as Ethiopia moved troops toward the border. Eritrea still has troops in Ethiopia despite the peace deal calling for withdrawal.

Abiy Ahmed’s push for Red Sea access has further alarmed Eritrea.

Eritrea signed a security pact with Egypt and Somalia, seen as a counter to Ethiopia’s ambitions.

Source: Reuters, ISW

Armenia and Azerbaijan Finalize Peace Treaty After Nearly 40 Years of War

Armenia and Azerbaijan have finalized a peace treaty to end decades of conflict, including wars over Karabakh.

Azerbaijan demands Armenia amend its constitution to remove implicit territorial claims before signing.

Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan has proposed a referendum, but no date is set.

The treaty bars third-party personnel from the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, impacting the EU’s monitoring mission and Russian border guards.

War Fuels Mpox Crisis in DRC

Ongoing violence in eastern DR Congo is severely hampering efforts to control the mpox outbreak by disrupting healthcare and aid delivery.

Hospitals and clinics have been damaged, forcing patients to flee and making treatment nearly impossible.

Supply chains are broken, limiting vaccine and medication availability.

Over 1 million displaced people now live in unsanitary conditions, increasing the spread of mpox and other diseases.

The outbreak worsens amid existing measles, cholera, and tuberculosis epidemics.

Hamas has agreed to release Idan Alexander, a US soldier, and the bodies of four dual nationals.

The very tiny red carpet rolled out for Marco Rubio by Canada.

Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff left Moscow last night and travelled to Baku, Azerbaijan.

Source: Axios

French President Emmanuel Macron greeted Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Uzbek Turkish:

🇺🇿🇹🇷 “Yaşasın Fransa-Özbekistan dostluğu!”

🇬🇧 “Long live the France-Uzbekistan friendship!”

For the first time since the annexation of the Golan in 1981, a delegation of Syrian Druze visits Israeli occupied Golan in Syria.

NEW: Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) detained five suspects for allegedly passing information about military bases and critical sites in Türkiye to Iranian intelligence.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen:

The EU increases pressure on Russia. We extend our sanctions on nearly 2400 individuals & entities over Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, including:

- Travel bans
- Asset freezes
- Ban on funding/resources

Germany's CDU, SPD and the Greens have reached a compromise on the debt deal.

Source: RND