🌎 Geopolitics 101: Trump promises a foreign policy shake-up

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

🇮🇱 Israel killed Yayha Sinwar, the head of Hamas. Sinwar, who oversaw last year’s grisly attack, which left over 1,200 Israelis dead, was killed inadvertently by Israeli soldiers who were conducting a routine patrol in Rafah. The killing marks Israel’s latest success in the post-October 7 war, coming on the heels of the assassinations of Hezbollah’s previous three leaders.

🇩🇪 Germany pledged to continue arming Israel. Multiple major European states, including France and Italy, recently banned exports of weaponry to Israel. But Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged that exports would continue, though he asked Israel to respect international law. Germany is one of Israel's largest suppliers of weaponry after the US.

🇺🇦 Volodymyr Zelensky unveiled a new “victory plan.” In a speech to Ukraine’s parliament, Zelensky unveiled a new, five-step process that he said would lead to victory in its war with Russia. The plan includes NATO membership, more defensive weaponry, and permission to launch missiles into Russia. The White House was reportedly unimpressed, with one official saying there was “not much new” in it.

🇺🇸 The US is prepared to contribute $20 billion to a Ukrainian loan. Washington plans to provide its full $20 billion share of a $50 billion G7-nation loan to Ukraine, despite concerns about securing frozen Russian assets as collateral. The loan talks are accelerating ahead of the November election, as officials worry that US aid to Ukraine could be cut if Donald Trump wins.

🇪🇺 EUROPE

• Russia’s parliament passed a law banning the encouragement of child-free lifestyles in media.

• Italy banned its citizens from seeking surrogacy outside of the country.

• Volodymyr Zelensky told Donald Trump that Ukraine would seek nuclear weapons if they were not allowed into NATO.

• Poland finalized plans for a stricter immigration policy.

🌏 ASIA-PACIFIC

• President Bongbong Marcos of the Philippines and his vice president are no longer on speaking terms.

• Japan’s number of mid to long-term foreign residents has risen to an all-time high.

• Japanese police arrested a man for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at the ruling Liberal Democratic Party headquarters.

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