Belarus
(RFE/RL’s Belarus Service and Steve Gutterman – RFE/RL) Earlier this month, a prominent member of the Belarusian opposition in exile laid out an “ideal scenario” for online elections to the Coordination Council, a shadow parliament formed by foes of authoritarian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko: Imagine if 1 million people voted. That, Paval Latushka suggested, would force Lukashenko to reckon with the democratic opposition and prompt Western governments to champion its interests “in their relations with the regime that usurped power in our country.”. “Would this vote affect the internal political situation in Belarus? Of course it would,” he wrote in a blog post for RFE/RL’s Belarus Service. But the reality is far from ideal: Over seven days of voting that ended on May 19, a total of 2,113 Belarusian citizens cast ballots in the Coordination Council vote – down from about 6,700 in the last election in 2024. – Attacked By The State And Fractured Within, Belarus Opposition Struggles In Exile
Europe and AI
(Pieter Haeck – Politico) The well-lit meeting room where Christophe Fouquet receives visitors contains a small shrine of gifts, corporate relics left behind by government representatives and executives who make the pilgrimage to this small Dutch town to see the head of Europe’s most valuable tech firm. They come because his company, ASML, makes the machines behind the world’s most advanced chips. And Fouquet wants to send a message to Brussels: Europe is doing a bad job on artificial intelligence and risks losing companies to other regions. As a provider of the machines that print the chips powering smartphones, cars, data centers and the AI systems reshaping the global economy, ASML sits at the center of the tech world. It is Europe’s biggest tech company in terms of market capitalization, valued at €515 billion with more than 44,000 employees. – Europe’s top tech boss warns Brussels is driving AI companies away – POLITICO
Gaza – Israel
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Israel has ordered the UN’s World Food Programme to suspend its work in Gaza with a Turkish NGO it designated a terrorist organization, the UN agency told AFP on Friday. “WFP has been instructed by the Israeli authorities to immediately suspend fuel provision and all activities with its partner IHH, cutting off assistance to more than 166,000 people who rely on daily hot meals, bread, and nutrition support to survive,” an agency spokesperson told AFP in a statement. IHH, or the Humanitarian Relief Foundation, is a Turkish NGO that provides humanitarian assistance and search and rescue operations around the world. – Israel orders UN food agency to cut ties with Turkish NGO in Gaza
(UN News) As Gaza’s fragile ceasefire frays and humanitarian conditions deteriorate, a senior UN envoy warned the Security Council on Thursday that delays in implementing the Council-backed transition plan for the enclave will only increase suffering and undermine recovery. Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said the situation across the Occupied Palestinian Territory was becoming “increasingly precarious”, with mounting violence in both Gaza and the West Bank. “In Gaza, delays in the implementation of resolution 2803, alongside daily violence and a continuing humanitarian crisis, have replaced the early momentum following the ceasefire,” he said. The resolution adopted last November endorsed the US peace plan to end the conflict, authorising the Board of Peace transitional authority and backing an International Stabilization Force, paving the way for Israeli withdrawal. – Gaza risks ‘permanent’ state of limbo if transition plan stalls, Security Council hears | UN News
Haiti
(UN News) As gangs continue to “terrorise” communities in Haiti, children are the ones paying the highest price, the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict warned on Thursday. Children now constitute around half of the gang members who have taken de facto control of large swathes of the country, Vanessa Frazier told journalists at UN Headquarters, following her first fact-finding mission to the Caribbean island nation. Some 18,000 schools are reported destroyed, damaged or non-functional. “Today, children in Haiti are facing levels of violence that no child, anywhere, should ever endure,” she said. – Haitian children ‘paying the highest price’ amid surge in gang recruitment | UN News
Israel – West Bank – Europe
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Italy, France, Britain and Germany urged Israel Friday to stop expanding its settlements in the West Bank, saying the government was “undermining stability” and prospects for a two-state solution. “We call on the government of Israel to end its expansion of settlements and administrative powers, ensure accountability for settler violence and investigate allegations against Israeli forces,” said the countries in a joint statement. Noting that the situation in the West Bank had “deteriorated significantly” in the past few months, the countries said settler violence toward Palestinians was at “unprecedented levels.” – Italy, France, UK, Germany urge Israel to end settlement expansion
NATO, US, Europe
(Alex Raufoglu – RFE/RL) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in Sweden for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers as European allies seek reassurances over US troop drawdowns and Washington’s shifting rhetoric on the alliance. Rubio will attend the gathering in Helsingborg on May 22, one of the final senior-level ministerial meetings before alliance leaders convene for a summit in Ankara in July. According to the State Department, the top US diplomat is expected to press allies for higher defense spending and “greater burden sharing” while also focusing on Arctic security. But the meeting comes at a moment of deep unease. European officials are seeking clarity on how much Washington plans to scale back its military presence on the continent following a series of abrupt Pentagon moves that have rattled the alliance. – Rubio Arrives In Sweden For NATO Meeting Amid US Troop Cuts
(Victor Jack and Jacopo Barigazzi – Politico) Mark Rutte has a new plan to keep Donald Trump from turning his back on NATO: Promise new defense deals that benefit the U.S. Defense production will be a priority topic as NATO foreign ministers meet in the southern Swedish city of Helsingborg on Friday. The NATO chief has in recent weeks spearheaded a campaign to dramatically scale up defense production and deals, as he scrambles to make the July Ankara summit of alliance leaders a success, three senior NATO diplomats said. That’s aimed at bridging a genuine European shortfall, they said, but also making an economic case that resonates with Trump. – Rutte’s new plan to keep Trump in NATO: Buy more from the US – POLITICO
Netherlands – Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) The Dutch government has agreed to impose a ban on imports of goods produced in Jewish settlements in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said on Friday. The ban is meant to prevent “any contribution through economic activities by the Netherlands to the unlawful occupation,” Jetten said. – Netherlands to ban imports from Israel’s Jewish settlements
Netherlands – US
(Tim Martin – Breaking Defense) The Netherlands has opened talks with the US government to acquire more AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range (JASSM-ER) weapons for its fleet of F-35 fifth-generation fighter jets, according to a national defense projects document. “The Ministry of Defense is procuring additional Deep Precision Strike munitions to replenish operational stocks,” the report said, released on Wednesday. “Discussions with the U.S. government regarding the procurement of these munitions have now begun.”. The program update noted that a Letter of Acceptance has also been signed, allowing “necessary software” to enable deployment of the Lockheed Martin-made missile. – Netherlands eyes more JASSM weapons for F-35, discloses ASW frigate delivery delay – Breaking Defense
Poland – US
(Tanya Noury – Defense News) The United States is deploying 5,000 troops to Poland, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday. Trump, in a Truth Social post, wrote that the decision was sparked by the “successful election” of Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki, whom he “was proud to endorse.” – In shift, Trump announces deployment of 5,000 US troops to Poland
(Eve Sampson – Defense News) Even as the Army abruptly cancelled a planned deployment to Poland earlier this year, the service is continuing to expand military cooperation with the country through the Pentagon’s counter-drone initiative, the Army announced on Wednesday. The service touts the program as a way to help Washington and its allies purchase defense technology faster, as the U.S.-managed marketplace connects partner nations with emerging technology in an attempt to speed up slow procurement systems that have often lagged behind ever-changing threats. – Poland joins Pentagon’s counter-drone marketplace amid unexpected US deployment cancellation
Russia, Baltic, Balkans, Europe
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers in a joint statement on Friday said they firmly rejected what they called “Russia’s blatant disinformation campaign and false allegations, supported by Belarus, regarding airspace violations in the Nordic and Baltic region”. Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations said on Tuesday Moscow had information that Ukraine planned to launch military drones from Latvia and other Baltic states, warning membership in NATO would not protect those countries from retaliation. – Nordic and Baltic ministers reject Russia and Belarus airspace claims
(Politico) There’s an ominous backdrop to this year’s GLOBSEC forum in Prague as the war in Ukraine strays into the skies over NATO’s Eastern flank. The last few weeks have seen an increasing number of drone incursions in the Baltics — Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia — across EU airspace. And there are questions over America’s commitment to European security ahead of an important NATO summit in Ankara in July, following changes in American troop deployments, and whether the tide is really changing in the war in Ukraine. Recording at POLITICO’s Speakeasy at the GLOBSEC Forum, Anne McElvoy sits down with two Europeans with skin in the game — Janne Kuusela, Permanent Secretary at Finland’s Ministry of Defense and Ana Brnabić, Speaker of the National Assembly in Serbia and former Prime Minister. Both countries have a stake in the ongoing war in Ukraine and the changing face of the EU. – From the Baltic to the Balkans: Putin is testing European leaders – POLITICO
Russia – Ukraine
(Tania Myronyshena – The Kyiv Independent) Russian school students who pass a drone operation test will be eligible for extra points on university entrance exams starting in 2027, Russia’s Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev announced on May 22, the Kremlin-controlled Russian Interfax news agency reported. The initiative comes as Russia expands a broader recruitment campaign targeting students for its newly created drone units amid mounting battlefield losses in Ukraine. The school-level drone testing system may serve as an early pipeline for future recruitment into these units, although Russian authorities have not linked the programs. – Russia offers university admission boost for students who pass drone piloting exam
Taiwan – US
(Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee – Defense News) Taiwan’s government said on Friday it had not received any information about U.S. arms sales delays, after a senior U.S. official suggested there was a pause due to the need to have enough arms for the war with Iran. Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has been waiting for the U.S. to approve a new arms sale package which Reuters has reported could be worth up to $14 billion. – Taiwan says it has not been told by US of arms sales delays
UK
(Sam Blewett – Politico) Chancellor Rachel Reeves must not be “torpedoed” if Keir Starmer is removed as Britain’s prime minister, her allies are warning — as they unleashed a barrage of criticism against a would-be successor as Britain’s top finance minister. Ed Miliband is now firmly in the sights of Chancellor Reeves’ supporters in parliament. The energy secretary is seen as positioning himself to lead the Treasury if Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham succeeds in his bid to replace the embattled Starmer in Downing Street. But allies of Reeves are coming out swinging, and the chancellor has in recent days put herself front-and-center of a drive to tackle the cost of living. – Reeves allies unleash on Miliband in battle for Britain’s Treasury – POLITICO
Ukraine – Hungary
(Martin Fornusek – The Kyiv Independent) Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha held his first in-person meeting with his new Hungarian counterpart, Anita Orban, on May 22, as the two countries seek to reset ties. The ministers reviewed expert-level consultations held this week on the Hungarian minority in Ukraine and agreed to hold a second round next week, Sybiha said after meeting Orban (no relation to former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban) on the sidelines of a NATO ministerial summit in Helsingborg, Sweden. “We both recognize the importance of progress on this track; we seek to find constructive solutions and achieve tangible results,” Sybiha said on X. – Ukraine’s foreign minister meets with new Hungarian counterpart to discuss minority rights
US and AI
(Sophia Cai, Cheyenne Haslett and Jacob Wendler – Politico) Thursday’s abrupt postponement of President Donald Trump’s much-awaited executive order on artificial intelligence came after former AI czar David Sacks voiced industry concerns about the measure to Trump, according to a senior White House official and two people familiar with the matter. Sacks’ 11th hour intervention — and his arguments that the order could prove too onerous for the rapidly evolving AI industry — came even though he had been briefed about the directive in recent days, one of the people told POLITICO. The people were granted anonymity to discuss internal conversations. – Trump yanked AI order after David Sacks raised industry concerns – POLITICO
(Sophia Cai, John Sakellariadis, Michael Stratford and Cheyenne Haslett – Politico) Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has privately expressed alarm about the slow pace of progress on AI policy, even before the White House again delayed an executive order on the subject Thursday. The drafting of the executive order has exposed tensions between Bessent, who has taken on an outsize role in the policy’s creation, and National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross, according to a senior White House official, another senior U.S. official and two other people familiar with the dynamics. They, like some others in this report, were granted anonymity to speak freely about a closely held policy. – Scott Bessent has been raising the alarm on AI policy. But the delays keep coming. – POLITICO
US – Cuba
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) The United States arrested Adys Lastres Morera, the sister of the executive president of GAESA, a sprawling conglomerate of military-run businesses, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday. Morera, who entered the United States as a lawful permanent resident in 2023, is now in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement pending removal proceedings, according to separate statement from ICE. Morera’s presence poses a threat to the United States and undermines American foreign policy interests, the statement said. Cuba’s leadership rarely talks publicly about GAESA, which stands for Grupo de Administración Empresarial – or ‘business administration group.’ – Marco Rubio says US arrested sister of Cuba’s GAESA chief
US – Poland
(Rebecca Falconer, Dave Lawler – Axios) The U.S. will send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, President Trump said Thursday. Trump’s surprise announcement came a week after the Pentagon abruptly canceled a planned deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland. The Trump administration had previously said 5,000 troops would be withdrawn from Germany and that further troop reductions in Europe were expected. Trump wrote on Truth Social that his decision was based on the election last year of Poland’s conservative President Karol Nawrocki, whom he endorsed. Poland has in recent months faced threats from Russia that included NATO and Polish forces having to shoot down Russian drones that had violated the EU country’s airspace. – Trump: US to send 5,000 more troops to Poland
War in the Middle East and the Gulf
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) The United States has seen some progress in talks with Iran and is in constant communication with the Pakistani mediators, but there is more work to be done, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday. “There’s been some progress. I wouldn’t exaggerate it. I wouldn’t diminish it,” Rubio told reporters after a NATO ministers meeting in Sweden. “There’s more work to be done,” he added. “We’re not there yet. I hope we get there.” – Rubio cites some progress on Iran talks but “we’re not there yet”
(Al Arabiya) As Pakistan continues its efforts to bring viewpoints closer and narrow the gaps between Iran and the United States, Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met again with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran. The meeting discussed ways to examine proposals aimed at resolving differences between the Iranian and American sides, two days after Naqvi delivered the latest US message to the Iranians, Iranian media reported on Friday. – Pakistan’s interior minister meets Iran FM again in push to resolve disputes
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) Republican leaders of the US House of Representatives unexpectedly canceled a vote on Thursday on a resolution seeking to end the Iran war unless President Donald Trump obtains Congress’ authorization, two days after a similar measure advanced in the US Senate. The vote had been scheduled to take place late Thursday afternoon, just before lawmakers left Washington for their Memorial Day recess. The House had blocked three previous war powers resolutions in close votes earlier this year, with near-unanimous support from Republicans, underscoring the strong backing for the Iran war and the president within his party. – House Republicans delay Iran war powers vote in boost for Trump
(AFP/Al Arabiya) The Israeli military carried out an airstrike in south Lebanon, killing two people it said on Friday were armed and “moving in a suspicious manner” in an area where it is fighting Hezbollah. Israel and the Iran-backed group have been regularly trading fire in the country’s south despite a ceasefire, which was extended by Israeli and Lebanese authorities last week. “A short while ago, IDF surveillance identified two armed individuals moving in a suspicious manner hundreds of meters from Israeli territory, in southern Lebanon,” the Israeli military posted on Telegram. – Israeli strike kills two on south Lebanon: Military
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) Iran’s foreign minister met Pakistan’s interior minister on Friday to discuss proposals to end the US-Israeli war, Iranian media reported, with Tehran and Washington still at odds over Tehran’s uranium stockpile and controls on the Strait of Hormuz. Two days after presenting the Iranians with the latest US message in the negotiations, Syed Mohsin Naqvi held another round of talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran, the semi-official Tasnim and ISNA news agencies reported. – Iran-US talks show ‘good signs’ but Hormuz, uranium issues remain
(RFE/RL) The state of US-Iran negotiations was in flux early on May 22, with the sides still at odds over future control of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s right to enrich uranium — among other issues — and with the Pakistani mediator heading to Tehran in the latest peace push. US President Donald Trump insisted that Washington will eventually take control of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which can be used to develop a nuclear weapon, despite Tehran’s insistence that it would not allow the US to seize it. “We will get it. We don’t need it. We don’t want it,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We’ll probably destroy it after we get it, but we’re not going to let them have it.” – ‘Some Good Signs,’ But Big ‘Gaps’ As Fitful US-Iran Negotiations Struggle On
(Frud Bezhan – RFE/RL) Shortly after the outbreak of the war with the United States and Israel, Iran took control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global oil and gas supplies. By threatening and attacking international shipping, Iran brought maritime traffic to a virtual standstill, giving it significant leverage over its neighbors in the Persian Gulf and the global economy. Now, the Islamic republic is formalizing its dominance over the strategic chokepoint by imposing a new transit regime. That is despite repeated warnings from the United States, which has imposed its own blockade on the strait. – Defying The US, Iran Is Cementing Its Control Over The Strait Of Hormuz
(Amos Chapple – RFE/RL) When an armed quadcopter buzzed over Lebanon’s southern border into Israel on May 19, one Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier raced up a nearby hill and attempted to snag the drone’s fiber-optic control cable with a piece of scrap metal. The remarkable scene captured by photojournalists at the militarized border provided the clearest example yet seen of the fiber-optic drones — first pioneered by Russian soldiers and now ubiquitous in Ukraine — being used by Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants. It also highlights the vulnerability of even the world’s most advanced militaries to the cheap drone innovation. – ‘Unjammable’ Drones Pioneered In Ukraine Emerge In Middle East War
COP 31
(Zia Weise – Politico) The Iran energy shock is poised to turn this year’s United Nations climate conference into a staging ground for a global electrification push. Turkey and Australia, the countries organizing the COP31 summit in Antalya in November, told a preparatory meeting in Copenhagen this week that accelerating efforts to power cars, heat buildings and produce goods with clean electricity rather than fossil fuels will be at the heart of their conference. “We consider electrification to be a priority,” said Murat Kurum, Turkey’s environment minister, who will serve as COP31 president. – A mantra emerges for this year’s climate COP: Electrify the world – POLITICO
Smart Cities
(UN News) From AI-powered transit systems to digital twins and flood-proof parks, cities are embracing technology at an unprecedented scale. But as innovation accelerates, experts warn that inclusion, trust and security will determine who truly benefits. At a sprawling urban expo in Baku, visitors paused before giant digital screens flickering with flood simulations, subway control systems and virtual replicas of entire neighbourhoods. Across the space, cities offered a vision of urban life reshaped by artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and real-time data – a glimpse of what many governments now call the “city of the future.”. Few cities illustrate the scale of smart-city ambition quite like Shanghai. At the China Pavilion at the thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, officials showcased how the city is using big data and artificial intelligence to build what it calls a “Unified Management with One Network” platform – a vast system bringing together transportation, infrastructure, emergency response and public services. Shanghai has also sought to narrow the digital divide. Through its “One-stop Government Service” portal, residents can access more than 3,500 public services online. – Building the smart city: Promise, pitfalls and the people at its heart | UN News
