News Israel and Lebanon Move Toward Direct Negotiations. Hezbollah Is the Real Target. “The ceasefire is contingent on a complete cessation of Hizbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hizbollah operatives from the South Litani Sector.” Buried inside a lengthy U.S.-brokered statement between Israel and Lebanon is a sentence that reveals the real significance of the agreement. While presented as a By Olga Nesterova • 2 min read
A massive UFC ring has been erected outside of the White House ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday and Trump’s 80th. | Photo: AFP/Getty News Trump Suggests White House UFC Arena Could Become Permanent President Trump is now openly suggesting that the temporary UFC arena being built on White House grounds may not be temporary after all. In a video, Trump compared the structure to the Eiffel Tower, arguing that Paris originally planned to dismantle the landmark after the 1889 World’s Fair — but By Olga Nesterova • 2 min read
Photo: UN News / UN Photo News Bangladesh Wins UN General Assembly Presidency as UN Enters a Defining Year Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has been elected President of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly, defeating Cyprus’ Andreas Kakouris in a surprisingly competitive vote of 99 to 91. On paper, the role is largely procedural. In reality, Rahman will preside over one of the most consequential By Olga Nesterova • 2 min read
Photo: shared by Sen. Cornyn on X News Rubio’s Foreign Policy Has a Results Problem Marco Rubio’s testimony before Congress was built around a familiar Washington trick: present activity as achievement. Ceasefires were restored. Agreements were signed. Routes were announced. Compacts were launched. Countries were brought into new coalitions. Aid was made “faster,” “leaner,” and more “results-driven.” But not every result is positive By Olga Nesterova • 2 min read
Photo: President Zelenskyy Office News Ukraine Pushes to Accelerate Patriot Air Defense Deal as Russian Missile Threat Grows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says an agreement to purchase additional Patriot air defense systems has already been reached “at the highest political level,” but implementation remains stalled due to unresolved financial, legal, and technical issues. In a statement following a meeting with Ukraine’s defense, foreign affairs, and national security By Olga Nesterova • 1 min read
Donald Trump and Thomas Barrack | Photo: EA Worldview News Trump Turns Diplomacy Into Personal Leverage in the Middle East As Iran negotiations falter, fighting intensifies in Lebanon, and Tom Barrack assumes a larger regional role, the Trump administration appears to be shifting from diplomacy centered on agreements to diplomacy centered on leverage. By Olga Nesterova • 2 min read
News Rubio Called the Philippines. The Real Message Was China. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s call with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sounded routine. It wasn’t. Here’s what the South China Sea, the Luzon Economic Corridor, energy security, and U.S.-China competition reveal about Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy. By Olga Nesterova • 3 min read
News Trump on a $250 Bill Is Not Just Strange. It Runs Into the Law. Trump administration officials have reportedly pushed the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to prepare designs for a new $250 bill featuring Donald Trump’s portrait for America’s 250th anniversary. There is one immediate problem: current federal law prohibits living people from appearing on U.S. currency. Treasury Secretary Scott By Olga Nesterova • 1 min read
News Pentagon’s $9.7 Billion Microsoft-Dell Deal: Follow the Infrastructure, Then Follow the Money The Department of Defense awarded Dell Federal Systems a five-year agreement valued at about $9.7 billion to provide Microsoft software licenses, cloud subscriptions, secure communications, collaboration tools, and productivity technologies across the military, intelligence community, and Coast Guard. Officially, this is about modernization: Microsoft 365, cloud access, zero- By Olga Nesterova • 1 min read
News China Is No Longer an Abstraction — While the U.S. Leaves Diplomatic Chairs Empty China is no longer experienced only through headlines about tariffs, Taiwan, or military competition. It is increasingly experienced through logistics networks, payment systems, AI tools, scholarships, e-commerce platforms, industrial supply chains, cyber infrastructure, and digital ecosystems woven into daily life around the world. That is the core takeaway from By Olga Nesterova • 2 min read
Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Advisor – Commissioner of the President for Sanctions Policy held a meeting with ambassadors of European countries. Photo: Zelenskyy Office News Russian Missiles Still Run on Foreign Parts Ukraine showed European ambassadors components from Russian Zircon, Kalibr, and Kh-101 missiles, as well as Geran-2 drones used in Russia’s May 24 attack. The finding is blunt: Russia’s war machine is still getting access to foreign-made technology. According to Ukraine’s presidential office, some components By Olga Nesterova • 1 min read
Swedish Saab JAS 39 Gripen escort President Zelenskyy’s aircraft | Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy X News Ukraine’s Gripen Deal Changes the Air War — But Not Overnight Ukraine and Sweden have moved from political promise to defense architecture. In Uppsala, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson initiated a major agreement for Ukraine to acquire up to 20 new Gripen E/F fighter jets, financed with €2.5 billion from the EU-backed Ukraine Support By Olga Nesterova • 1 min read
