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Ukraine, Russia, Yemen, Iran, the US, bird flu, and the DRC.
The five things you need to know today:
UKRAINE. RUSSIA. Putin and Trump schedule another call.
YEMEN. IRAN. As Washington threatens Tehran, a reply is promised.
UNITED STATES. Deportation controversy is normal, illegality isn’t.
BIRD FLU. Just as egg prices fall, H7N9 arrives.
CONGO. M23 withdraws from talks, Rwanda withdraws from diplomacy.
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UKRAINE. RUSSIA. See you next Tuesday
Putin and Trump schedule another call.
Donald Trump confirmed he would speak with Vladimir Putin Tuesday morning about "dividing up certain assets", including land and power plants. Keir Starmer said "a significant number" of nations were willing to send peacekeepers.
INTELLIGENCE. Strategic leaks ahead of the call – including that the US will recognise Russian sovereignty over Crimea – suggest an outcome weighted in the Kremlin's favour. Kyiv and Brussels will hate it – and a deal where the US wins a friendship with Russia at the expense of one with Europe will be a poor one for Washington – but a quid pro quo where non-NATO badged troops can protect what remains of Ukrainian sovereignty might still be salvaged.
FOR BUSINESS. As in the case of West Germany and South Korea, an armistice or peace deal that includes the loss of territory need not be a terrible outcome for those on the right side of the border. The main risk – as it was in the Cold War – is that it rewards aggression and the sphere of influence politics Washington had hitherto sought to avoid. A deal between Trump and Putin may thus be welcomed by the markets but not necessarily by the history books.
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YEMEN. IRAN. Warning message
As Washington threatens Tehran, a reply is promised.
Donald Trump said Monday any further attacks by the Houthis would be considered an attack by Iran, after the militia claimed two strikes on the USS Harry S Truman. Iran said it would respond to Trump’s letter via diplomatic channels.
INTELLIGENCE. Trump's approach to simultaneously threaten and cajole is standard fare if not for the fact that Iran's