From Gaza to Kyiv: Trump’s “Peace Momentum” Meets the Limits of Power
As jubilation sweeps Tel Aviv & Gaza over the release of hostages & detainees, attention shifts to whether Trump can turn his Middle East breakthrough into a diplomatic victory - this time in Ukraine
In today’s World Briefing, I connect the dots between two seemingly distant conflicts — Gaza and Ukraine — and one man determined to make history again: Donald Trump.
Fresh off what many are calling a stunning diplomatic win in the Middle East, the U.S. president now faces an even tougher challenge — convincing Vladimir Putin to come to the negotiating table. Could the same blend of bravado, chutzpah, and back-channel diplomacy that worked in Gaza bring an end to Europe’s bloodiest war in decades?
We also examine reports that Trump may green-light the transfer of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine — a move that could dramatically shift the balance of power by allowing Kyiv to strike far deeper inside Russian territory. But would that accelerate peace talks or push Putin further into a corner? Former U.S. President Joe Biden rebuffed Kyiv’s requests for Tomahawk missiles.
Join me as I unpack these developments and explore whether we’re witnessing the birth of a new Trump Doctrine — or simply the latest act in a high-stakes geopolitical gamble.
🎥 Watch today’s video for my full analysis — and if you value this kind of global perspective and on-the-ground insight, consider upgrading to a paid subscription to access exclusive videos, field reporting, and in-depth essays available only to World Briefing Plus members.
President Trump is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday, two sources familiar with the planning told Axios. The two will discuss what weapons should be supplied to Ukraine, specifically if the U.S. should provide game-changing long-range Tomahawk missiles to the war-torn country. Zelensky confirmed in a Monday post on X that he will discuss “a series of steps that I intend to propose” with Trump. The main focus of the visit, Zelensky said, will be air defense and Ukraine’s long-range capabilities. Trump told reporters on Sunday that he and Zelensky had discussed the possibility of the U.S. giving Ukraine Tomahawks and additional Patriot air defense systems during a phone call this weekend. Zelensky has argued that additional firepower will force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. Trump said he “might have to speak to Russia” about the Tomahawks. “Do they want to have Tomahawks going in their direction? I don’t think so. I told that to President Zelensky, because Tomahawks are a new step of aggression,” Trump said. ”I might say, ‘Look, if this war is not gonna get settled, I may send them Tomahawks.’ Russia doesn’t need that. I think it is appropriate to bring that up.” The long-range missiles would give Ukraine the ability to target far into the Russian mainland, including Moscow. The Kremlin said on Sunday that it was concerned about the possibility of Ukraine getting the missiles, because some versions can carry nuclear warheads - Axios
Today, an inter-agency convoy of four humanitarian trucks, clearly marked as belonging to the UN, carrying aid, came under attack by Russia when delivering aid in the Kherson Region. Humanitarian workers, including from OCHA Ukraine and WHO Ukraine, were on a mission to provide aid to a heavily war-impacted community that had not received assistance for months, the UN said. When the aid workers were on site, intensive artillery fire started, and later, during offloading, two clearly marked trucks of the World Food Programme were targeted by first-person-view drones. Fortunately, the humanitarian workers were not injured, but two trucks were damaged and set on fire. “Such attacks are utterly unacceptable. Aid workers are protected by international humanitarian law and should never be attacked. Deliberately targeting humanitarians and humanitarian assets is a gross violation of international humanitarian law and might amount to a war crime,” the UN said - ReliefWeb
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has revoked the citizenship of the mayor of the southern port city of Odesa, Gennadiy Trukhanov. It was done on the basis that the beleaguered official holds Russian citizenship. The move is expected to force Trukhanov, who’s fighting a host of corruption charges, out of office. Zelensky is reported to have made the decision based on the findings of a presidential commission. Also stripped of citizenship were ballet dancer Serhii Polunin and former Ukrainian politician Oleg Tsaryov, both of whom live in Russia, The Kyiv Independent reported. Trukhanov says photos of his Russian passport are fake and that he intends to fight the move. Already, the move to strip the mayor of his citizenship has generated criticism from Odesa. The local MP, Oleksiy Goncharenko, who represents former President Petro Poroshenko’s European Solidarity party, said in a social media post that it was purely a political move, bringing Ukraine closer to the environment of a North Korea. Local city councillor and influencer Anastasia Bolshedvorova said Zelensky and his Servant of the People party has very low support in the region and that she fears that a Kyiv-favoured appointee will replace Trukhanov. (According to The Kyiv Independent, the mayor’s duties are expected to be transferred to the city council secretary — a position currently held by Ihor Koval, a representative of the Servant of the People). Trukhanov, 60, has served as mayor of Odesa since 2014. He has been reelected twice.
The global economy is projected to slow this year and next as persistent uncertainty over trade policy and supply chain disruptions continue to weigh on world output, according to new forecasts published on Tuesday by the International Monetary Fund. In its latest World Economic Outlook report, the I.M.F. said global economic growth would slow to 3.2 percent in 2025 from 3.3 percent last year. Growth is projected to fall to 3.1 percent in 2026, as the protectionist measures being adopted in the United States and around the world take hold. The world economy is slightly stronger than economists at the I.M.F. expected it would be earlier this year. That is because the United States scaled back or delayed many of the tariffs President Trump threatened after taking office and because businesses raced to stock up on goods before tariffs took effect. Many firms have, for now, held off on passing additional costs to their customers. But significant uncertainty remains. New tariffs on imported furniture, kitchen cabinets and lumber went into effect on Tuesday. Trade tensions between the United States and China flared again last week, after Mr. Trump threatened to raise tariffs on Chinese imports by an additional 100 percent in response to new Chinese export controls. A protracted shutdown of the federal government in the United States could also weigh on the world’s largest economy this year - NYT
The US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused China of deliberately harming the global economy, as tensions between Beijing and Washington reignited again after an apparent reprieve. The superpowers imposed punishing tariffs on one another earlier this year, only to lower them, and had for months been discussing a trade deal. The mood has soured recently, though, with each side imposing additional curbs; new US tariffs come into effect today. US officials signaled openness to a trade deal yesterday, leading to a brief stock rally, but the diplomatic tone has toughened. Bessent told the Financial Times that Beijing wants to “pull everybody else down,” while China said: “If there’s a fight, we’ll fight… if there’s a talk, the door is open.” - Semafor
President Donald Trump complained in a late-night social media post that TIME magazine had published a photo of him that “may be the Worst of All Time” to accompany a fawning article about the Gaza ceasefire deal. The president acknowledged that the piece—which ran on the cover with the title “His Triumph”—was “a relatively good story about me,” but demanded to know why the magazine had run such a bad picture of his hair - The Daily Beast
Katy Perry broke her silence on her romance with Justin Trudeau as she made a cheeky onstage comment during her London concert at The O2 Arena on Monday. The pop star, who over the weekend was seen kissing and cuddling Justin on her 24-meter yacht, the Caravelle, off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, took to the stage on her Lifetimes world tour when she addressed the crowd. In a video obtained by The Sun, Katy, 40, said: ‘London, England, you’re like this on a Monday night after a whole day at work and a whole day at school? ‘No wonder I fall for Englishmen all the time… but not anymore.’ The singer also received a surprise marriage proposal from a fan during the show but had to turn it down. She laughed: ‘I wish you’d asked me 48 hours ago.’ Katy and hunky former Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, 53, kicked off speculation about a budding romance in July when they were spotted having an intimate dinner at Le Violon restaurant in Montreal, just weeks after she announced her split from fiancé Orlando Bloom, 48. All fell silent… at least until this weekend when exclusive pictures obtained by the Daily Mail showed the couple kissing and cuddling aboard Katy’s yacht. - Daily Mail
The journals….
