Hello,
Here are the five things you need to know today:
UKRAINE. RUSSIA. Trump floods the zone to hide his impotence.
YEMEN. SAUDI ARABIA. The Houthis seek to equalise the conflict.
ISRAEL. PALESTINE. Netanyahu returns to the dock as poll day looms.
PAKISTAN. Islamabad takes control of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
INDIA. Attempts to lock down Delhi only lock in the protests.
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UKRAINE. RUSSIA. Spray and pray
Trump floods the zone to hide his impotence.
Oil prices fell after Donald Trump declared an “energy ceasefire” between Ukraine and Russia “effective immediately”. Volodymyr Zelensky expressed surprise but said he would agree. Kyiv went into blackout after a power plant was struck.
INTELLIGENCE. This isn’t the first time Trump has unilaterally declared a truce subsequently ignored, but with concurrent threats to withhold arms and intel from Ukraine, he’ll hope at least one side of the war will pay lip service to his pronouncements. In the meantime, neither the hope of Russian diesel nor another 4-million-barrel strategic reserve release, ostensibly due to Hurricane Isaias, seems likely to keep prices lower. More claims will surely follow.
FOR BUSINESS. As with Iran, if Trump can’t stop the war, he can pretend to, but until oil prices come down, few will believe him, including in the GOP. This risks him taking more precipitous actions against Zelensky, who is now under US pressure to hold elections or resign. He’s offered to do so for a 60-day ceasefire, but Vladimir Putin – facing no such demands himself – is unlikely to comply, particularly if he can bring down what remains of NATO unity first.
YEMEN. SAUDI ARABIA. Lowest common detonator
The Houthis seek to equalise the conflict.
A second strike on Riyadh’s airport brought the death toll to 14 as the Houthis claimed other attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure. Trump said the US may join the Saudis in retaliation. A ship carrying Saudi crude hit a mine in Hormuz.
INTELLIGENCE. Whether the US belatedly joins in the strikes, US equipment and