UK and Europe Kiss and Make-up
EU and UK ink post-Brexit "reset" deal on security, fish and energy
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Britain and the European Union agreed a new defense and security pact Monday, as part of a wide-ranging “reset” of relations between London and Brussels after years of Brexit bad blood. In a sweeping deal on the day of a major summit in London, the two capitals also agreed to extend generous fishing rights for EU fleets in British waters for another 12 years, until 2038. That marked a major concession on the U.K. side after intense lobbying from France, and prompted immediate scrutiny back home for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. On defense, the deal opens the way to the United Kingdom participating in joint EU procurement programs. However, further negotiations will be required for the U.K. to access the EU’s prized €150 billion SAFE rearmament program — with budget contributions from London the price of entry. Speaking at an all-smiles press conference alongside European Council President António Costa and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Starmer said Monday lunchtime: "Ladies and gentlemen, Britain is back on the world stage — working with our partners, doing deals that will grow our economy and putting more money in the pockets of working people.” Costa and von der Leyen both heaped praise on “dear Keir” and talked up a cooperative new spirit between Brussels and London, with the European Commission president declaring: "What we have agreed today is historic. It will make a real difference to people in the U.K. and across our union. “But the message we are sending to the world today is equally, if not more important. It is a message that, at a time of global instability and when our continent faces the greatest threat it has for generations, we in Europe stick together.” The security and defense pact formalizes cooperation between the two sides on areas including as hybrid warfare, cybersecurity, infrastructure resilience and maritime safety - Politico
US President Donald Trump announced after a two-hour call with Russian President Vladimir Putin that “Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War.” “The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of,” Trump said on Truth Social, adding that the “tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent.” “Russia wants to do largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over, and I agree. There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth. Its potential is UNLIMITED,” Trump continued. He also said that Ukraine “can be a great beneficiary on Trade.” Trump said he immediately informed the following leaders about the contents of the call after it ended: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. “The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin!” Trump added. Monday’s call with Putin marks the third known time the two leaders have spoken by phone since Trump was inaugurated in January and comes as the US president has grown increasingly frustrated with the Russian president’s refusal to strike a peace deal with Ukraine - Reuters
After the call, Putin said efforts to end the war were "generally on the right track" and that Moscow was ready to work with Ukraine on a potential peace deal, Reuters reported. "We have agreed with the president of the United States that Russia will propose and is ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum on a possible future peace accord," Putin told reporters near the Black Sea resort of Sochi. The Kremlin said the call between the Russian and U.S. leaders was "important."
He repeated his assertion that the "root causes of the conflict" must be eliminated,
There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the statement that talks would begin immediately. A source familiar with the matter earlier said Zelensky spoke "for a few minutes" with Trump before the U.S. leader's call with Putin.
My comment: As I told CNN this evening, there was both good news and bad news to come out of the Putin-Trump call. The bad news: In his lengthy social media post, Trump made no mention of continuing U.S. military aid or intelligence sharing with Ukraine—though I expect both to persist in the immediate term. More troubling, however, was Putin’s repetition of his well-worn demand to address the so-called “root causes of the conflict.” This is Kremlin code for a series of maximalist goals: delegitimizing and replacing the current Ukrainian government, halting Ukraine’s NATO ambitions, downsizing its military, and allowing Russia full control over the four partially occupied Ukrainian oblasts. The bottom line is this: Putin aims to drag out negotiations to gain more territory, further devastate Ukrainian cities and villages, and extract maximum concessions from the West. The good news: At last, the incompetent and transactional Trump administration appears to have recognized its limitations. It is now signaling a retreat from direct involvement in the peace process, opening the door for other mediators—namely, the Vatican. I support continuing to give Turkey a leading role in mediation efforts. And if that proves ineffective, perhaps it’s time to seek divine intervention—through the Holy Father himself.
Polish customs seized 5 metric tons of tires for civilian Boeing aircraft which were due to transit through Belarus and Russia, the country's National Revenue Administration said on Monday, adding such goods are covered by European Union sanctions. Western sanctions against Russia have been toughened repeatedly since its full-scale invasion on Ukraine in 2022, without ending the war. "Officers... discovered during the inspection of a truck in Koroszczyn that the driver was transporting tires used in Boeing civil planes instead of the declared car and bus tires," the National Revenue Administration said. "The sender of the goods was a company from Spain, and the recipient was from Azerbaijan. Criminal fiscal proceedings were initiated in connection with customs fraud. The sanctioned goods were detained." - Reuters
The Israeli military has issued forced displacement order for Khan Younis, Gaza’s second-largest city, as its offensive escalates. Israel carried out at least 30 air strikes within an hour in the area, killing a total of at least 46 Palestinians across Gaza since dawn. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says it will allow a limited amount of aid into Gaza, but it’s not clear when the supplies will enter the enclave. Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 53,339 Palestinians and wounded 121,034, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Separately, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says it has been in talks with Israeli authorities over the aid issue after Israel announced it would allow a limited amount of food and other items into the besieged territory. “We have been approached by Israeli authorities to resume limited aid delivery, and we are in discussions with them now on how this would take place given the conditions on the ground,” OCHA said in a statement - Al Jazeera
Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, his personal office announced. Biden was screened after “experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,” according to a statement from his personal office, and was diagnosed on Friday. The cancer was “characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone,” meaning that the cancer is likelier than others to grow and spread. The statement goes on to say that the cancer appears to be “hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.” Biden and his family are meeting with doctors and considering “multiple treatment options,” including hormone treatment, a source said - NBC
Chinese pro-democracy activists in the U.S. have become increasingly wary about who may be watching them. Since Chinese President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, China's spies no longer seem to fear the U.S., according to former diplomat Jim Lewis, whose direct experience with China's intelligence agencies spans more than 30 years. China's Ministry of State Security, or MSS, is the largest and most active spy agency in the world, according to Lewis. Toward that end, China secretly opened an overseas police station in the middle of New York City. Chinese expats could renew government documents at the station, discovered in 2022, but federal prosecutors said the main purpose of the outpost was to target and harass Chinese dissidents. "They've done it in the Netherlands, they've done it in Canada. But the idea that you'd open a police station in another country, that's a signal disrespect of the sovereignty of that nation," Lewis said. "This is – in scale and in scope and in brazenness – the biggest espionage operation against the U.S. in its history," Lewis said. According to the latest assessment from America's intelligence agencies, China is the most active and persistent cyber threat to the U.S., but hacking has not replaced Beijing's pursuit of old-fashioned human intelligence. China's Communist Party leverages a worldwide network of covert agents to monitor and influence events outside its own borders. It's also surveilling and intimidating Chinese dissidents in the U.S. A Ministry of State Security propaganda video posted on China's largest social network, WeChat, last year boasts that the spy agency "senses things before they happen" and "fights against evil." The video serves as a public message to both foreign adversaries and China's own citizens about the ministry's growing power. The MSS might have as many as 600,000 employees, according to one estimate - CBS
The journals…
