Tinker, tailor, fixer, spy

Ukraine, Russia, India, Switzerland, Israel, Palestine, and Colombia.

Ivan the Terrible Showing Treasures to the English Ambassador, Alexander Litovchenko, 1875, oil on canvas, Russian Museum, Saint Petersburg.

Hello,

Here are the five things you need to know today:

• UKRAINE. RUSSIA. Trump sends Witkoff to the Kremlin.

• INDIA. RUSSIA. Delhi’s enthusiasm for Moscow won’t be curbed.

• SWITZERLAND. Cheesed-off voters get closer to the EU.

• ISRAEL. PALESTINE. Netanyahu unites the world against him.

• COLOMBIA. As politics gets muddier, so does the outlook.

And don’t forget to connect with me on LinkedIn.

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UKRAINE. RUSSIA. Better call Steve

Trump sends Witkoff to the Kremlin.

Donald Trump confirmed special envoy Steve Witkoff would visit Russia "Wednesday or Thursday" to "get a deal where people stop getting killed". Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities said they had uncovered a major drone kickback scheme.

INTELLIGENCE. Witkoff, who was earlier expected to arrive in Moscow Sunday or Monday, appears to have been delayed in Israel. He will visit days ahead of Trump's deadline for Vladimir Putin to take concrete steps to a ceasefire or have his customers hit with 100% secondary tariffs. With such latitude, a deal or extension is likely to happen. Oil prices, assisted by OPEC production hikes, fell below $70 Sunday. Drone and missile strikes continued on both sides.

FOR BUSINESS. Whatever is done to avoid the secondary tariffs, Witkoff will be thanked or blamed, depending on who’s watching. This won't necessarily mean a ceasefire on Russia's side – Putin's stated war aims haven't budged, and he would invite rare opposition if he quit now – but it could involve a change of leadership or posture in Ukraine. The escalating battle between anti-corruption agencies and elements of the military and presidency could play a part.

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INDIA. RUSSIA. Oil pressure

Delhi’s enthusiasm for Moscow won’t be curbed.

Delhi said it would maintain Russian oil imports, as a senior White House official said Indian purchases were financing Moscow's war machine. Indian negotiators would soon visit Washington to lower tariffs placed at 25%, Reuters said.

INTELLIGENCE. Washington wants to keep the pressure on both trade and Russian