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Metropolitan Police Department officers secure 16th Street near the White House, ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meeting to discuss the war in Ukraine, in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 17, 2025.
What We’re Watching: Zelensky’s turn to meet with Trump, Israelis protest against Bibi again, Hong Kong media mogul faces trial
Zelensky heads (back) to the White House
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is back in Washington today, meeting with US President Donald Trump to discuss a potential end to the Russia-Ukraine war and hoping for a better outcome than his last visit to the Oval Office earlier this year. This time he’s bringing friends, European leaders including France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, and the UK’s Keir Starmer, who are offering their support as he attempts to keep his country intact.
The confab follows Trump’s Alaska meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, which produced very little by way of a ceasefire in Ukraine. While Zelensky will hope that this visit is more cordial than his last, he is likely still feeling the pressure: Trump reportedly told European leaders yesterday that he supports Putin’s offer to pause fighting if Ukraine relinquishes the Donbas region, even though Russian forces don’t currently hold this land. Zelensky has ruled out such a land swap. The US president also said on social media last night that his Ukrainian counterpart should forget about regaining Crimea or joining NATO.
Is there any timeline for peace here? With the White House now pushing for a peace deal rather than just a ceasefire, don’t expect an imminent pause in fighting, says US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Washington is nonetheless trying to strike a positive tone, with US special envoy Steve Witkoff declaring on Sunday that Russia had agreed to “robust” security guarantees, including a collective defense of Ukraine by American and European forces should Russia try to invade again.
Anti-Netanyahu protests growing in Israel
Is Israel’s anti-Bibi wing back to pre-October 7 levels? Hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv – and other parts of Israel – on Sunday to implore Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make a deal to return the remaining hostages. The crowds were roughly the same size as the rallies against Netanyahu’s judicial changes in early 2023. The protests came after the Security Cabinet approved a plan to conquer Gaza City two weeks ago, a possible signal that the Knesset is prioritizing rooting out Hamas over returning the hostages.
In latest setback for Hong Kong’s democracy, a media mogul faces trial
Closing arguments are underway in a landmark trial against Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai, one of the city’s most prominent pro-democracy figures. Lai ran the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, which China has criticized for spreading “fake news” and instigating “Hong Kong Independence”. After being held in solitary confinement for around 1,700 days, he is being charged under the controversial National Security Law for conspiring to collude with foreign forces and publishing so-called “seditious” articles. If convicted, the 77-year-old could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.An aerial view shows damaged buildings in Gaza, July 28, 2025.
What We’re Watching: Israel advances Gaza City takeover plan, US brokers Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal, Trump’s Russia deadline arrives
Netanyahu plans to conquer Gaza City
Rebuffing warnings from the country’s top military officials, Israel’s Security Cabinet early Friday approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to take over Gaza City, the capital of the Gaza strip. Netanyahu has given the city’s 800,000 residents until Oct. 7 to evacuate, a deadline chosen to mark the two-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel. Netanyahu’s original plan involved occupying all of Gaza, and this remains possible unless, Israel says, Hamas returns the remaining hostages. The move has angered several Israeli allies, with Germany announcing it will halt military exports to Israel.
Armenia and Azerbaijan to sign historic peace agreement
The two South Caucasus nations will sign a US-brokered agreement at the White House today. They have been in conflict for more than 30 years, mainly over the fate of Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian separatist enclave of Azerbaijan. In 2023, Azerbaijan retook full control of it after a decisive military advance. The peace deal reportedly grants the US exclusive rights to develop a transit corridor through the energy rich region, which sits at the crossroads of Russian, Turkish, and Iranian influence. For a brief history of the conflict, see here.
Trump’s Russia deadline arrives
Trump’s deadline for Russia to strike a ceasefire deal with Ukraine, or face sanctions, is today. With the US leader set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the “coming days,” it’s unclear whether he still intends to follow through with the threat – he was evasive when asked about it yesterday, although he has already been hitting at least one of Russia’s main trade partners hard with “secondary measures.” European leaders fear that Putin’s decision to meet with Trump is just another effort to prolong the war and stave off US pressure.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures during a joint press conference with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 13, 2025.
What We're Watching: Modi defies Trump on Russian oil, Bolsonaro put under house arrest, Israel proposes full occupation of Gaza
India digs in heels amid Trump’s tariff threat
US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his tariff threat against India, warning he will “substantially” raise the duty on Indian imports in order to stop Delhi from buying Russian oil. India is unmoved, though, calling the threat “unjustified.” This spat might not just be about oil, though – amid ongoing trade talks, Washington is pressing India to open up its massive agricultural markets, a bitter pill for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to swallow.
Brazil’s top court puts Bolsonaro under house arrest
Brazil has placed former President Jair Bolsonaro under house arrest, after he violated the terms of a previous court order by posting on social media. The right-wing leader and Trump ally is on trial for allegedly planning a coup after his 2022 election loss. The latest move is certain to heighten US-Brazil tensions – last month Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Brazil, blasting current leftwing president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for a “witch hunt” against Bolsonaro.
Netanyahu to propose full Gaza occupation
With Gaza ceasefire talks once again going nowhere, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will reportedly seek approval to fully occupy the strip at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday evening. Israel already controls 75% of the enclave, and the head of the Israeli military has warned that a full occupation could put soldiers and the remaining hostages, 20 of whom are still believed to be alive, at risk. Israel first took control of Gaza during the Six Day War in 1967, but formally withdrew its military and settlers in 2005 for security reasons. Netanyahu opposed that move at the time.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during ‘Christian Conference’ in Jerusalem July 27, 2025.
What We’re Watching: Pressure mounts on Bibi, Ivorian leader announces another run, China’s top property firm to delist
Netanyahu faces the squeeze
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is coming under criticism from both sides of the political spectrum amid the desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza. Far-right US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) declared on Monday that Israel was committing genocide in the enclave, while center-left UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Tuesday he’d recognize Palestinian statehood unless Israel met certain conditions by September. Given the importance of Israel’s relationship with the US, Netanyahu will be far more concerned about whether MAGA figures are distancing from Israel, as well as a Gallup poll that showed just 32% of Americans approve of Israel’s military action in Gaza (down from 50% at the start of the war).
Ivorian leader announces he’s running for fourth term
After winning a third term in 2020, Côte d'Ivoire’s President Alassane Ouattara hinted that he wouldn’t run again. Five years on, the 83-year-old has changed his mind, announcing another run and starting the race in pole position – the election is on October 25. Located on Africa’s West Coast, Côte d'Ivoire is home to over 30 million people and is the world’s top producer of cocoa. Its economy has been booming lately, but there has also been political unrest: Ouattara’s decision to run for a third term angered many, and he had to deny widespread – and false – rumors of a coup earlier this year.Embattled Chinese property developer to be delisted
The troubles continue for Evergrande, once one of China’s largest property developers. After being ordered into liquidation earlier this year, the firm will be delisted from Hong Kong’s stock exchange after failing to produce a viable plan to restructure $23 billion in offshore debt. Evergrande’s stunning collapse has become a symbol of China’s broader economic slowdown as consumer demand weakens, the workforce shrinks, and debt climbs.
US President Donald Trump receives a nomination letter after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told him he nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, during a bilateral dinner at the White House in Washington, D.C., USA, on July 7, 2025.
Is MAGA bailing on Bibi?
The past few days have brought an unusually firm trickle of criticism of Israel from the Trump administration and its allies.
Senior White House officials are reportedly unhappy about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct in Syria, where Israel has launched a wave of airstrikes on behalf of the Druze minority there. One source even told a reporter that the Israeli leader had “acted like a madman.” This came after Israel’s shelling of a church in Gaza last week drew criticism from the right as well. And US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, normally a staunch Israel supporter, called for “harsh consequences” after Israeli settlers launched a deadly attack on a Christian Palestinian village.
This isn’t the first time that Netanyahu has irked Trump. In January 2020, the Israeli leader caught his US counterpart off guard when he suggested at a White House event that he would annex the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, contravening the peace plan that Trump was proposing. Netanyahu also angered the former “Apprentice” star when he congratulated former President Joe Biden on his election win later that year.
Still, let’s keep things in perspective. Trump remains a staunch Israel ally – his decision to join Israel in bombing Iran last month is a testament to the proximity of US-Israeli relations. What’s more, the White House has clamped down on certain pro-Palestinian voices on college campuses that they see as anti-American and anti-Israel.
And it’s not just the executive branch, either. Only six House lawmakers voted for a bill last week that would block $500 million in annual missile-defense funding to Israel; 422 voted against it. Though some might not like Netanyahu’s tactics, Republican lawmakers – and Democratic ones, too – still view Israel as a close ally.
Underneath the surface, though, there are rumblings of discontent.
A Pew Research Center survey from April found that 37% of Republicans have an unfavorable view of Israel, up 10 points from three years ago. The trend is especially pronounced among Republicans under 50, half of whom now have an unfavorable view of Israel, up 15 points over the past three years.
“Those that are new to the [MAGA] movement probably are not deeply intertwined in foreign policy and probably don’t understand why there can’t be peace [in the Middle East],” said Matthew Bartlett, a Republican strategist who was appointed to the State Department during Trump’s first term.
This swing is reflected among some of the darlings of MAGA media, like former Fox News host Tucker Carlson or premier podcasters Joe Rogan and Theo Von, who have questioned US support for Israel in the light of the war in Gaza. Von called Israel’s actions in Gaza, “one of the sickest things that has ever happened.”
To be sure, Democrats in general have shifted against Israel more swiftly than Republicans, with 69% of Democrats holding an unfavorable view of Israel, up 16 points between 2022 and 2025. Younger Democrats are particularly critical: 71% of those under 50 hold an unfavorable view of Israel. Many have even protested the existence of a Jewish state altogether.
“For older Americans, Israel’s survival is the priority,” GOP pollster Frank Luntz told GZERO. “For younger Americans, it’s support for the Palestinian people.”
These generational shifts – in both parties – may pose a bigger challenge for Israel than any of the current tactical disagreements or personal frictions between Trump and Bibi.
Trump announces new plan to arm Ukraine
In this episode of World in :60 Ian Bremmer breaks down why Trump is now backing missile shipments to Ukraine after long opposing them.
"Trump has flipped on Ukraine more than any other issue in foreign policy over the last six months,” says Ian.
On Israel, Ian emphasizes a coalition shakeup could make a Gaza ceasefire more likely, but don’t expect quick progress.
As for Trump’s threat of 100% tariffs on Russia? “Not a serious point,” Ian says.
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou speaks during a news conference to present a major public finance recovery plan in Paris, France, July 15, 2025.
Hard Numbers: French prime minister on the ropes, Hong Kong dissidents appeal convictions, Lesotho MP accuses his king, & More
€40 billion: French Prime Minister François Bayrou is set to present a 2026 budget Tuesday that aims to cut the size of the country’s 2026 annual deficit by €40 billion ($46.7 billion). However, all opposition parties are expected to reject the proposal – and that could spell the end for Bayrou’s minority government.
12: Hong Kong’s pro-democracy dissidents aren’t going to go gentle into that good night. Twelve of them have appealed their recent subversion convictions in a move that shines a fresh light on Beijing’s anti-democracy crackdown in the city. The case, which challenges China’s draconian 2021 national security law, is drawing international attention: foreign diplomats from over six countries were present at the trial. The appeals are expected to take 10 days.
59: Lesotho won independence from the United Kingdom 59 years ago, but one member of the tiny southern African nation’s parliament has accused its king of signing parts of the country away again – to its neighbor South Africa. The accusation stems from a decades-old border dispute, but the MP who leveled the charge now faces criminal charges for doing so. Lesotho gained notoriety in March when US President Donald Trump said “nobody has ever heard of” the country.
6: Six members of United Torah Judaism – an ultra-Orthodox political party – have quit Israel’s ruling coalition again over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure to guarantee military exemptions for yeshiva students. While Netanyahu has survived this once before, their departure leaves him with yet another slim majority in parliament.
China and Japan under pressure from Trump's tariff threats
In this episode of Ian Bremmer’s World in :60, Ian breaks down the latest on US trade tensions, Iran’s nuclear program, and Trump’s meeting with Netanyahu.
On US tariffs, Ian says Japan and China face “radically different” situations.
As Iran cuts ties with nuclear inspectors, Ian says they’re “taking their program dark.”
On Trump’s recent meeting with Netanyahu, Ian says a Gaza ceasefire remains uncertain. Though Netanyahu nominated Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize, Ian points out, “That’s nice for Trump, but not a Gaza ceasefire.”