Still in the pipeline
China, Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Israel, and AI.
Hello,
Here are the five things you need to know today:
CHINA. RUSSIA. Xi and Putin talk up their amity but fail to consummate.
UKRAINE. RUSSIA. Amid territorial impasse, other flashpoints loom.
IRAN. As stockpiles decline, Trump will hope he’s right about a deal.
ISRAEL. Ultra-Zionism may only help one election this year.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. The AI boom has little to do with machines.
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CHINA. RUSSIA. Gasbagging
Xi and Putin talk up their amity but fail to consummate.
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping announced 40 new agreements and a "Joint Declaration on the Emergence of a Multipolar World and International Relations of a New Type" Wednesday, but failed to advance a longstanding gas pipeline proposal.
INTELLIGENCE. The Power of Siberia 2 would more than double China’s purchases of piped Russian gas, but the two sides are yet to settle price or funding. It’s seen as a loss for Putin, particularly as Europe remains largely closed to Russian energy and prices remain high, thanks to Iran. But sending so much volume to one customer would create mutual vulnerabilities. For now, while heralding their ties, Beijing and Moscow only want to advance them by degrees.
FOR BUSINESS. Russia would prefer to finalise PS2 when it has its customers back in Europe. Likewise, China would prefer to first have its Hormuz dilemma resolved. Negotiating under duress would simply lead to an entanglement that, while fiscally beneficial, could be strategically limiting. And while both are aligned, they’re certainly not allied. This tension may come into focus next week should Xi visit Putin’s other best friend, Kim Jong Un, as is rumoured.
UKRAINE. RUSSIA. Front to back
Amid territorial impasse, other flashpoints loom.
Ukraine said it would reinforce its north to counter a potential assault from Belarus. Russia warned Lithuania after its foreign minister said it had the capability to “raze” Kaliningrad. A drone incursion caused air raid alerts across Vilnius.
INTELLIGENCE. The drone was likely Ukrainian, pushed off course by Russian