Politics
Turkey is preparing for a possible visit by Donald Trump to the NATO summit
Preparations are underway in Turkey for the NATO summit, which is due to take place in July. Ankara is also preparing for a possible visit by US President Donald Trump.
Russia is losing the initiative: Zelenskyy has spoken of a ‘window of opportunity’ to end the war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Russia began to lose the initiative on the battlefield as early as December 2025, and that the coming months could present a crucial window of opportunity for negotiations to end the war.
NATO is bolstering its defences on the island of Gotland in response to threats from Russia
Sweden and its NATO allies are stepping up their military presence on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. The country believes that the island is of key importance to regional security, against a backdrop of concerns over Russia’s potential actions and the rise of hybrid threats.
A pro-Russian organiser of the local ‘Immortal Regiment’ has been detained in Georgia on suspicion of espionage
The Georgian National Security Service has arrested Gulbaat Rtskhiladze, a pro-Russian organiser of the local equivalent of the ‘Immortal Regiment’ and head of the civil society organisation ‘Eurasia Institute’. He is suspected of spying for a foreign intelligence service.
Foreign experts investigating Russian war crimes have stopped travelling to Ukraine — media outlets have cited the reason
In 2025, the administration of US President Donald Trump cut funding for programmes aimed at investigating Russia’s war crimes against Ukraine. As a result, the Russians may evade accountability.
The UN could run out of money as early as August: what is known about the debts of the US and China
The United Nations is facing a severe financial crisis due to delays in contributions from the US and China. These two countries account for around 42% of the UN’s core budget, and without further payments, the organisation could run out of funds as early as mid-August.
Zelenskyy is expecting a visit from Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that he expects US presidential representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to visit Kyiv in the coming weeks. According to him, it is important to the Ukrainian side that the American negotiating team sees the situation in Ukraine for themselves.
Ukraine has called on NATO to step up its response to Russian drones and increase the pressure on Moscow through sanctions
Russia is using drones not only to attack Ukraine, but also to test NATO countries’ readiness to respond to airborne threats. At the same time, Kyiv is calling on its allies to step up sanctions against Moscow and to expand cooperation in the production of modern weaponry.
Lukashenko has made a new statement regarding Belarus’s involvement in the war
Belarus’s self-proclaimed president, Alexander Lukashenko, has stated that Belarusian military personnel have not taken part in the war against Ukraine and do not intend to join the fighting. At the same time, he warned that Minsk’s position could change in the event of a military attack on Belarusian territory
Pashinyan maintains a comfortable lead ahead of the Armenian elections
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s party, “Civic Contract”, is set to win the parliamentary elections on 7 June. According to a poll, the Prime Minister’s party is polling at almost 65% of the vote
Hegset stated that the US is prepared to take action against Iran
The US is prepared to resort to military action against Iran once again if negotiations over its nuclear programme prove fruitless. At the same time, officials in Washington say that Donald Trump continues to hope for a diplomatic solution
Fire at the Saratov Oil Refinery following a drone attack
On the night of 31 May, the Saratov Oil Refinery in Russia came under attack from strike drones. Following the explosions, a major fire broke out on the refinery’s premises. There are also reports of an oil depot in the Rostov Region being hit
