Hello and welcome back.

Diplomatic tensions and strategic rivalries dominate today's update: Trump's Greenland envoy appointment draws sharp rebukes from Denmark, NATO warns Russia could distract Europe during a potential Taiwan crisis, and ASEAN scrambles to halt renewed Thailand-Cambodia border fighting.

(Sorry we’re late!)

Read more below ⤵️

Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇷🇺 🇺🇸 Kremlin rejects U.S. intelligence assessment of Putin’s war aims: The Kremlin said a U.S. intelligence assessment claiming President Vladimir Putin seeks to seize all of Ukraine and potentially move beyond it is incorrect. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the characterisation but did not provide further detail on Russia’s objectives.

2️⃣ 🇷🇺 🇨🇳 🇪🇺 Russia could distract Europe if China attacks Taiwan, NATO chief warns: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned that Russia could attempt to keep Europe “busy” if China launched a military attack on Taiwan. He said Beijing and Moscow are closely aligned and that such a scenario would have direct consequences for European security.

3️⃣ 🇪🇸 Spain’s ruling Socialists suffer major regional election losses: Spain’s governing Socialist Party suffered heavy defeats in regional elections, losing control of several key administrations. The results strengthened conservative and right-wing parties and further weakened Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s political position.

4️⃣ 🇹🇭 🇰🇭 ASEAN moves to address renewed Thailand–Cambodia border fighting: Southeast Asian foreign ministers met in Malaysia to discuss steps to halt renewed clashes along the Thailand–Cambodia border after a ceasefire agreed earlier this year broke down. The talks aim to de-escalate fighting that has killed soldiers and civilians, though no immediate resolution was announced.

5️⃣ 🇮🇳 🇳🇿 India and New Zealand conclude free trade agreement: India and New Zealand have finalised a free trade agreement aimed at reducing tariffs and expanding bilateral trade. Officials said the deal is intended to boost economic cooperation and investment between the two countries.

Major Story

Donald Trump has appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, drawing sharp rebukes from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen. Trump has advocated for Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, to become part of the United States, citing its strategic importance and mineral resources.

In a joint statement, the two leaders said, "You cannot annex another country. Not even with an argument about international security," and "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and the US shall not take over Greenland."

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen called the appointment "completely unacceptable" and said he would summon the US ambassador. On Monday, the Trump administration suspended leases for five offshore wind projects, including two being developed by Denmark's state-controlled Orsted.

Other News

1️⃣ 🇧🇪 🇿🇦 🇮🇱 🇺🇳 Belgium joins South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at ICJ: Belgium announced it will formally intervene in South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of breaching the Genocide Convention in Gaza. The Belgian government said its participation is intended to support the court’s legal assessment of the case.

2️⃣ 🇭🇺 🇺🇦 Orban says Ukraine’s collapse would be a disaster for Hungary: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that the collapse of Ukraine would be a disaster for Hungary and that Budapest must work to prevent it. He made the comments during a speech to supporters, emphasising the importance of stability in neighbouring Ukraine for Hungary’s own interests. 

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