Trump’s shadow looms over Ukraine security talks in Paris
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is meeting European leaders and US officials today in Paris for the latest round of peace talks on Ukraine, where they will discuss how a potential ceasefire with Russia would be monitored and upheld. The meeting comes just a few days after US President Donald Trump reiterated his desire for the US to take control of Greenland, a self-ruling Danish island, a move European leaders condemned and said would spell trouble for the NATO alliance. With the US preoccupied with its own hemisphere right now, Europe may decide to take matters related to Ukrainian security guarantees into its own hands.
Another African nation reelects older leader in controversial fashion
The Central African Republic’s 68-year-old President Faustin Archange Touadéra cruised to a third term in office, reportedly winning 76% of the vote. The opposition boycotted the election, citing concerns about electoral fairness and a recent referendum that removed term limits. Touadéra’s regime, which has repressed opponents, still faces threats, principally from mostly-Muslim militant groups: in 2013, one such group ousted then-President François Bozizé, prompting the government to broker peace deals with rebel factions – some of which have since withdrawn. CAR is also facing problems with the Russian government, a traditional ally: Moscow wants the gold-rich nation to use the government-run African Corps for its security services, rather than the private mercenary group Wagner.
Israel has strategic reasons for building Somaliland links
A week after Israel became the first country in the world to recognize Somaliland, a region of Somalia that declared independence in 1991, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar made the first diplomatic visit earlier today to Hargesia, the de facto capital. Sa’ar met with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi. There are strategic regions for Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, per experts, including the country’s position near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, through which nearly a third of the world’s shipping passes. The country could also provide Israel with a potential launchpad to strike the Iran-backed Houthi rebels across the Gulf of Aden, if necessary.
