Armenia – Eurasian Economic Union – European Union
(RFE/RL) Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan have issued an ultimatum to Armenia, threatening to suspend its membership in the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) amid tensions over Armenia’s push to join the European Union. A joint declaration published on the Kremlin website claims that Armenian preparations for EU membership would endanger the “economic security” of the remaining member states. It demands that Armenia agree to hold a referendum “as soon as possible” on its plans, with the option being to either join the EU or stay in the EAEU. The move, agreed on at the EAEU summit in Astana, effectively transformed an event intended to showcase regional integration into an economic and political showdown. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian skipped the meeting, sending a lower-level delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian. While widely interpreted by diplomats in Astana as a political boycott, Pashinian stated his absence was due to domestic campaign commitments ahead of Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections. Grigorian reportedly stated that Yerevan intends to maintain a constructive engagement with the EAEU but emphasized that future work must be rooted in the principles of “mutual respect, equal partnership,” and national sovereignty. – Russian-Led Bloc Threatens To Suspend Armenia Due To Its EU Ambitions
Japan – Ukraine
(Abbey Fenbert – The Kyiv Independent) Japan has joined NATO’s initiative to purchase U.S.-made military equipment for Ukraine, contributing around $14.7 million to the program, Tokyo’s Foreign Ministry announced on May 29. Signed by the U.S. and NATO in July, the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) agreement lays out a mechanism for NATO member states and partners to purchase high-priority equipment for Ukraine. Japan has contributed approximately $14.7 million to the PURL program, the country’s Foreign Ministry reported. Japan’s contributions to PURL are limited to non-lethal aid. – Japan buys over $14 million in military equipment for Ukraine under NATO weapons program
Middle East and the Gulf
(Alex Raufoglu – RFE/RL) As US President Donald Trump concluded a high-stakes Situation Room meeting on a possible Iran agreement, major questions remained open: Iran’s uranium enrichment, the fate of its nuclear stockpile, sanctions relief, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. To understand where negotiations stand and whether diplomacy can still prevent another escalation, RFE/RL spoke with Ethan A. Goldrich, a veteran US diplomat who served under multiple administrations, most recently as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State overseeing Near Eastern affairs between 2021 and 2024. – ‘Fundamentally Different Ideas’ Cloud US-Iran Talks, Former Senior US Diplomat Says
(Daud Khattak – RFE/RL) US President Donald Trump’s demand that a slew of Muslim-majority countries recognize Israel as part of a deal to end the war with Iran has been largely met with bemusement and silence across the Middle East, experts say. In a May 24 social media post, Trump said he was “mandatorily requesting” that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Jordan, and Egypt join the Abraham Accords, a diplomatic pact brokered by the United States to normalize relations between Israel and the Muslim world. Trump doubled down on May 27, saying Washington may not move forward with an agreement to end the 12-week war with Iran unless more countries join the accords. He went as far as saying that some countries “owe that to us.” – Fear Of Iran And Public Backlash Stall Trump’s Push For Abraham Accords
US – Extrajudicial Killings
(Amnesty International) The U.S. Congress and the international community must take immediate action to stop the U.S. military’s unconscionable campaign of extrajudicial killings at sea and push for accountability, as the death toll nears 200. Since September 2025, the U.S. Southern Command has carried out nearly 60 air strikes against boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, killing at least 196 people so far. These actions, committed against people who pose no imminent threat to life, are extrajudicial killings, a form of murder, and amount to crimes under international law. “With nearly 200 killings, these extrajudicial killings are becoming normalized,” said Amnesty International USA’s National Director for Government Relations, Amanda Klasing. “Not only are these killings illegal, they are immoral. People of good conscience cannot allow this to continue, yet Congress has so far failed to halt, or even slow down, this lethal and unlawful campaign.” – USA: Death Toll in Campaign of Extrajudicial Killings at Sea Nears 200
