Trump gives Ukraine another boost
US President Donald Trump said he would grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot air-defense missiles during the NATO meeting in Turkey on Wednesday, fulfilling a longstanding request from Kyiv. These interceptors can protect Ukraine from Russia’s ballistic missiles – Kyiv is struggling to block such attacks. There’s just one problem: it may take years for Ukraine to build these missiles, as they are highly advanced and the supply chains for the inputs are stressed. The NATO summit was nonetheless a successful one for President Volodymyr Zelensky: the alliance pledged €70 billion ($80 billion) in defense aid to Kyiv, while Trump’s announcement signaled that the White House was more willing to back Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion.
Is the Iran war back on, or?
Iran and the US on Thursday traded blows for a second day since Donald Trump declared the ceasefire between the two countries “over.” The latest exchange was touched off by Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week, to which the US has responded by striking nearly 200 targets in Iran. Tehran, for its part, unleashed airstrikes on US targets across the Gulf and in Jordan. Control over the strait has always been the haziest part of the ceasefire: the US insists the waterway should be fully open, while Tehran still exerts functional control over it. Still, neither side would seem to want a return to full-scale war. In the US, the war is already deeply unpopular among the public. The Iranian regime, meanwhile, has already demonstrated its resilience and secured at least a pathway to a negotiated solution – it would have little to gain from a return to open-ended hostilities. That, at least, is the cold analytical take: will both sides see things so rationally in reality?
Australia will power India’s nuclear energy ambitions
Australia and India finalized a uranium export agreement yesterday during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Melbourne. Australia, home to the world’s largest known uranium reserves, will supply the mineral for India’s civilian nuclear energy use. The deal supports India’s ambitious plan to expand its nuclear power capacity to 100 gigawatts by 2047 — enough to provide electricity for more than 60 million homes annually. For Australia, the deal also helps diversify its export markets and reduce its reliance on China, its largest trading partner. The agreement had faced years of delays over concerns that Australian uranium could support India’s nuclear weapons program. Under the deal, exports will be subject to IAEA supervision to ensure that India can use the uranium only for “peaceful purposes.”
