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EU leaders visit Kyiv

Kyodo via Reuters

Is Europe ready for self-defense?

For decades, French governments have talked up the value of “Collective European Defense,” an alliance fully invested in Europe’s security outside of NATO. For decades, the point was academic, because Germany and Britain valued the transatlantic relationship too highly to take steps that might discourage US commitment.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, it again exposed Europe’s deep dependence on Washington’s commitment to its security. When Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025, the risks of outsourcing Europe’s defense became unavoidably obvious. France and Germany (along with Poland) have now announced new European defense plans.

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk walk to the podium at the Presidential Palace in Kyiv, Ukraine, for a press conference after their meeting on May 10, 2025.

Kyodo via Reuters Connect

What We’re Watching: EU vs Ukraine, South Korea-US side deals

EU vs Ukraine?

Ukraine now finds itself on shakier ground with EU members. At a time when its wartime economy badly needs a boost, the bloc will impose higher tariffs on Ukraine’s exports, particularly farm products, on June 6 in response to pressure from member-state farmers. It’s a politically sensitive moment, particularly in Poland, which holds first-round elections on Sunday.

It’s a reminder that, while Russia’s invasion and uncertainty over Donald Trump’s NATO intentions have focused European minds on security, they’ve also stoked anxiety within the EU about which countries will shoulder more of the burden of defending Ukraine and European borders.

Kyiv had another setback this week: Russian President Vladimir Putinwon’t attend peace talks with the Ukrainians in Istanbul Thursday, despite calls to do so from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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Climate change activists hang a sign on Tower Bridge during a demonstration against the climate crisis, in central London, Britain, April 8, 2022.

REUTERS/Tom Nicholson

Climate change, Trump tariffs, India rice rules

2.2: As the world gets hotter from climate change, we are using more energy to cool ourselves down, which is making climate change worse. According to the IEA, record-high temps in 2024 were responsible for half of the rise in emissions from energy – as severe heat waves caused air conditioning usage to surge, fueling electricity demand, and in turn raising emissions. This contributed to a 2.2% increase in global energy demand, up from 1.8% the year before. As a result, greenhouse gas emissions from energy consumption grew by 0.8% over the past year.

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Iranian and Russian flags are seen in this illustration.

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

How US adversaries are messing with the election

China, Iran, and Russia are attempting to influence Americans ahead of the US elections in November, according to intelligence officials, and they’re using artificial intelligence to accomplish their goals.

Officials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the FBI briefed reporters on their findings on Monday, and ODNI released a one-page report to the public. Russia has been the most active of the three countries, using AI tools to boost former President Donald Trump and denigrate Vice President Kamala Harris, ODNI said. The Washington Post reported that Russia has doctored Harris’ speeches and used AI to “create false text, photos, video, and audio.”

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Hacked displayed on a mobile with binary code with in the background Anonymous mask. On 9 August 2023 in Brussels, Belgium.

Jonathan Raa / Nurphoto via Reuters

Old MacDonald had a Russian bot farm

On July 9, the US Department of Justice announced it disrupted a Russian bot farm that was actively using generative AI to spread disinformation worldwide. The department seized two domain names and probed 1,000 social media accounts on X (formerly known as Twitter) in collaboration with the FBI as well as Canadian and Dutch authorities. X voluntarily suspended the accounts, the government said.

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A Russian victory would end the global order, says Yuval Noah Harari | GZERO World

A Russian victory would end the global order, says Yuval Noah Harari

The Ukraine war remains the most important geopolitical conflict in the world, says bestselling author and historian Yuval Noah Harari.

In a wide-ranging conversation with Ian Bremmer filmed live at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, Harari says that if Russia wins in Ukraine, the global order as we’ve known it for decades is over. "The most fundamental rule was that you cannot just invade and conquer another country just because you're stronger. This is exactly what Putin is trying to do in Ukraine."

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Ukraine on the path to joining NATO, says deputy Mircea Geoanǎ | GZERO World

Ukraine on the path to joining NATO, says deputy Mircea Geoanǎ

After two years of fighting and brutal warfare in Ukraine, NATO deputy Mircea Geoanǎ says the stakes of the war could not be higher for the West. Ian Bremmer spoke with Geoanǎ on GZERO World at the Munich Security Conference and asked him to give a sober assessment of the war so far, as political battles and mounting crisis fatigue in the US and EU put military and financial assistance for Kyiv in jeopardy. Geoanǎ says the West can't afford to desert Ukraine in its time of need.

“Ukraine will become a member of NATO, it will become a member of the EU,” the NATO deputy warns, “If they don’t prevail, there is no NATO, there’s no EU.”

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Can Ukraine win the war? | GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Can Ukraine win the war?

Are NATO allies as united in their support for Kyiv as they were when Russia began its invasion of Ukraine two years ago? That was the question at the top of everyone’s minds at the Munich Security Conference, where world leaders gathered to discuss the biggest challenges to global security. On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer sat down with Deputy Secretary General Mirceǎ Geoana on the sidelines of Munich to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and what the conflict means for the future of the NATO alliance.

“Ukraine is more than Ukraine, and Ukraine is more than European security,” Geoanǎ explains, “Ukraine is an indicator of the willingness and the capacity of the West to be able to cope with challenges coming from China or anywhere else.”

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