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Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends the 80th United Nations General Assembly, at the U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 23, 2025.
What We’re Watching: Trump reverses position on Ukraine, Thailand gets a new government, the US to use AI to restrain bioweapons
Zelensky curries Trump’s favor at the UN
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Ukraine can “fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form,” a dramatic reversal from his past suggestions that Kyiv consider ceding territory to end the war—and a prediction that would require Ukraine to drive Russia from nearly 20% of its land. He later urged NATO to shoot down drones violating its airspace. After their meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters they he came away understanding that "[Trump] will give Ukraine security guarantees after this war will end," but that he didn't have specific details.
Thailand swears in a new government, again.
Perhaps this time’s the charm as Thailand on Wednesday swore in its third government in under two years. Prime Minister Anutin Charnivirakil, a pragmatic business tycoon and former health minister, takes charge of one of Southeast Asia’s major economies following the recent removal of his predecessor Paetongtarn Shinawatra over ethics violations. Anutin’s small party will need to govern with larger partners at a moment of political upheaval and economic uncertainty. What’s more, he must call national elections within four months, giving him precious little time to right a listing ship.
Can AI restrain bioweapons?
Amid all the hoopla around Trump’s UN remarks, this line flew largely under the radar: “I'm announcing today that my administration will lead an international effort to enforce biological weapons convention … by pioneering an AI verification system that everyone can trust.” Those two concepts — biological weapons and AI — have previously been combined in a very different sense: that AI might enable bad actors to more easily design novel bioweapons. This new aspiration begs myriad questions; answers might emerge before the UN’s biological weapons workshop in December.
Russia-Ukraine war escalation
In this Quick Take, Ian Bremmer analyzes how the Russia-Ukraine war grinds on with no sign of winding down any time soon.
Moscow has intensified strikes, hitting Ukraine’s most important government buildings. Ukraine, meanwhile, is expanding missile capabilities alongside growth in drone production.
Still, the front lines remain largely static.“Over time, the ability of the Ukrainians to continue to muster the fighting force…is deteriorating,” Ian warns. He add that it leaves Putin convinced “the longer they engage in this war, the less capable the Ukrainians will be… and that means that Russia's going to be in a better position to demand outcomes in terms that they want.”
The risk extends beyond Ukraine’s borders. With Trump’s Russia policy faltering and China offering Putin diplomatic support, Ian cautions the conflict is “increasingly not just a proxy war, but a direct hybrid war,” raising the danger of escalation in unpredictable ways.
Trump-Putin-Zelensky meeting unlikely
"From the European point of view, [it was] pretty disastrous,” Bildt says of Alaska, where Trump "was agreeing with Putin" and hopes for a ceasefire “collapsed.”
The Washington talks brought some relief. With Zelensky and seven European leaders present, Bildt notes “that prevented the worst from happening.” Still, Trump dismissed European calls for a ceasefire and pushed for direct talks between Zelensky and Putin. A plan that Bildt calls unrealistic.
Zelensky, Trump, and NATO: A united front on Ukraine?
In this episode of Ian Bremmer’s Quick Take, Ian breaks down Zelensky’s latest trip to Washington, this time joined by a united front of European leaders.
Ian explains why this visit is such a sharp contrast from February, when Zelensky came to the White House alone and left with little to show for it. Today, he arrives alongside key allies from the UK, Germany, France, Finland, Italy, EU and NATO leadership, a powerful symbol that Europe is stepping up.
Europe’s role in supporting Ukraine has shifted dramatically. As Ian notes, European military and financial aid to Kyiv now outpaces that of the United States, giving Europe greater leverage in shaping the war’s future. That includes discussions of “near Article 5” guarantees for Ukraine, signaling long-term security commitments even without NATO membership.
The meeting also highlights the growing importance of maintaining a unified transatlantic stance. While Putin continues to resist any ceasefire, the presence of Europe’s top leaders in Washington underscores that NATO is stronger and more coordinated than it was just months ago.
The key question now: Will Trump remain aligned with Europe’s position — or leave Putin more room to maneuver?
Trump and Putin to meet in Alaska to discuss Ukraine
In this episode of Ian Bremmer’s Quick Take, Ian discusses the upcoming meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska.
Ian notes that Trump and the White House are going into the meeting with “low exceptions” but emphasizes that Trump is “happy to be seen doing everything possible in the service of getting to a negotiated settlement.”
Putin's main objective? Ian explains that Putin “needs Trump to at least blame partially the continuing of the war on Zelensky.”
Regardless of the meeting’s outcome, Europe is now more united behind Ukraine than ever. Ian notes European military support for Kyiv is creating than that of the US, giving Ukraine the ability to continue fighting.
India Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer as they sign a free trade agreement at the Chequers Estate, United Kingdom, on July 24, 2025.
Hard Numbers: UK-India trade deal signed, Zelensky backs down on anti-corruption move, Columbia settles with Trump, Togo protests escalate, & Trump’s name reportedly makes an Epstein file cameo
£6 billion: India and the United Kingdom formally signed a trade deal worth £6 billion ($8.1 billion). Under the deal, first announced in May, India will drop its tariffs on UK cars and whisky imports, while the UK will reduce barriers to imports of Indian textiles and jewelry. The agreement also includes efforts to tackle illegal migration.
2: After two days of protests in Kyiv against a government decision to subsume independent anti-corruption bodies, President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to retreat on the move, approving new legislation that would preserve these agencies’ independence. Zelensky’s decision came after he received advice on the matter from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
5: At least five demonstrators have died in Togo in recent weeks amid protests against long-time leader Faure Gnassingbé’s successful effort to circumvent constitutional term limits and remain in power. The Togolese leader had occupied the role of president, but has now adopted a new role as the all-powerful prime minister. More protests are expected Friday.
$221 million: Columbia University will pay fines of $221 million in a settlement with the Trump administration over allegations that the school failed to prevent the harassment of Jewish students. The elite school also pledged to stop using race as a factor in admissions and hiring. In exchange, the government will restore hundreds of millions of dollars in suspended research funding.
300: President Donald Trump’s name reportedly appears somewhere in the Justice Department’s 300 gigabyte trove of Jeffery Epstein investigation documents and, according to the Wall Street Journal, Trump knows it, having heard directly from Attorney General Pam Bondi in May. Separately, DOJ officials are interviewing Epstein sidekick Ghislaine Maxwell in Florida today.
Trump pulls US out of UNESCO, again
In this episode of World in :60, Ian Bremmer breaks down Zelensky gutting anti-corruption agencies in Ukraine, the rise of Japan's 'Japanese First' Party, and Trump's UNESCO exit.
Is Zelensky putting EU support at risk by gutting Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies? Not really, says Ian Bremmer: “EU support is considered increasingly existential given what is at risk with the fight agains Russia.”
In Japan, a rising nationalist party wants nuclear weapons and fewer immigrants. “They’re not MAGA, but they are anti-establishment.”
And Trump exits UNESCO, again. “It’s not just about UNESCO. It’s about whether the US is seen as reliable anymore.”
