What you need to know

Putin to skip Ukraine peace talks in Türkiye

President Vladimir Putin of Russia has said he will not attend peace talks in Türkiye on Thursday aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

The summit, initially proposed by Putin with assurances that there would be “no preconditions,” will now proceed with a delegation of second-tier Russian technocrats, according to the Kremlin.

Trump, currently touring the Middle East, had floated the idea of joining Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Türkiye as a mediator. But Trump has now also announced he will not join. With both men absent, expectations for the negotiations have sharply diminished.

Zelensky, who is still expected to arrive in Türkiye, stated he would only attend the talks if Putin were present. He has consistently called for an immediate 30-day ceasefire, echoing proposals put forward by the Trump administration. Moscow has dismissed the demand, insisting that the underlying causes of the war have yet to be addressed.

The U.S. delegation in Türkiye includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg.

Russia is unlikely to halt its campaign as long as its forces continue to make territorial gains—progress that, while much slower than in earlier phases, remains ongoing.

Europe's center of gravity shifts east, politics moves right, & hostility to migrants from the south rises

Macron proposes European deployment of French nuclear weapons

President Emmanuel Macron of France said on Thursday that he would be open, under strict conditions, to the deployment of French nuclear weapons on European soil as a means of deterrence. France, the only European Union member with its own nuclear arsenal, maintains an estimated 280 warheads.

Macron emphasized that such a deployment would not compromise French defense capabilities, and that control of the weapons would remain with Paris. The idea, first floated in March, is intended to bolster European security amid doubts over the long-term reliability of the U.S. nuclear umbrella.

Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz has expressed cautious interest in the concept, while warning that it should not be viewed as a substitute for existing U.S. commitments. Macron acknowledged the geopolitical sensitivities involved, particularly with regard to Russia, stating that France does not seek to trigger a broader conflict.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the idea, saying that further nuclear deployments in Europe would diminish, not enhance, stability.

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The planet will be fine, it’s the humans who should be worried

Denmark considering lifting ban on nuclear power

Denmark is considering lifting a 40-year ban on nuclear power with Danish Energy and Climate Minister Lars Aagaard saying that the government would take a year to analyze the pros and cons of the proposal.

Currently, Denmark also has one of the highest shares of renewable energy in its electricity mix in Europe, with vast offshore win farms along its coast.

It also has interconnections to Sweden and Norway, which have nuclear and hydro resources. 

According to the International Energy Agency, more than 80 percent of Denmark’s electricity is generated from renewables. Aagaard said in a Danish newspaper on Tuesday that it would be important to see whether Denmark can enable nuclear technologies.

There has been a renewed interest in nuclear power in Europe due in part to the increase in demand for low-carbon electricity to decarbonise transport and industry.

The blackout in Spain and Portugal last month, which has been partially blamed on renewables, is also a reason for the discussion in Denmark. 

It's now the US vs China, everyone else needs to pick a side

Poland detects suspected election interference

Poland’s national cybersecurity agency has announced that it may have uncovered an attempt to meddle in the country’s presidential election, which begins on Sunday. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Disinformation Analysis Center of the NASK agency reported identifying Facebook advertisements that appeared to have been financed from abroad. These adverts, the agency said, had outspent all domestic political committees in the past week.

Last week, Poland’s Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski accused Russia of mounting what he described as an “unprecedented” campaign of disinformation and hybrid attacks on critical infrastructure, aimed at disrupting the election.

A member of NASK’s fact-checking team suggested the advertisements may have been designed to undermine the candidacies of Karol Nawrocki, head of the Institute of National Remembrance, and the far-right nationalist Slawomir Mentzen, while promoting the liberal mayor of Warsaw, Rafal Trzaskowski. However, the official cautioned that this could have been a deliberate provocation. Poland’s Internal Security Agency has been notified.

Instability from Sahel to Horn of Africa amid state fragility, Russian interference, & Islamist insurgencies

Ethiopia signs $1.7 billion resource deals with Chinese firms

Ethiopia has agreed investment deals worth more than $1.7 billion with several Chinese companies in its energy and mining sectors, according to Finance Minister Ahmed Shide. The agreements were concluded during a two-day investment conference in Addis Ababa.

Among the deals is a $250 million investment by CSI Solar Co, a Shanghai-listed firm, to build a solar module and energy storage plant. Sequoia Mining and Processing Plc will commit $600 million to coal exploration, while Hua Ye Mining Processing has pledged $500 million for minerals development.

The announcements come as Ethiopia continues to implement reforms tied to a $3.4 billion, four-year deal with the International Monetary Fund agreed in July last year.

Ethiopia has struggled with severe foreign currency shortages and high inflation, problems exacerbated by its two-year civil war in Tigray. The government hopes that the IMF-backed reforms will unlock a new wave of foreign investment.

Move fast and break things

Federal court upholds Trump use of Alien Enemies Act

A federal judge in Pennsylvania has ruled that President Donald Trump can invoke the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan nationals allegedly affiliated with the Tree de Agua gang. The decision, issued by U.S. District Judge Stephanie Haines, marks the first time a court has endorsed the administration’s designation of the gang as a foreign terrorist group.

The Alien Enemies Act, a law from the 18th century, permits wartime deportations of nationals from hostile countries. Although the ruling only applies to the court's Western Pennsylvania district, it may heighten pressure on the Supreme Court to clarify the statute’s scope.

Haines, who was appointed during Trump’s first term, also found that the administration had violated due process by failing to provide adequate notice before deportations. She ordered that affected individuals be given 21 days’ notice in their native language—typically Spanish. Some deportees had reportedly been given as little as 12 hours. Trump issued a proclamation in March accusing the Tren de Aragua gang of conducting an “invasion” of the U.S. At least three other federal judges—in Texas, Colorado, and New York—have ruled that the statute was being misapplied.

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