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UK and France move to launch defensive Hormuz shipping mission
Britain and France say they will establish a strictly defensive multinational mission to protect merchant shipping and support mine-clearance operations in the Strait of Hormuz, signalling a European-led effort to restore confidence on one of the world’s most important trade…
Ukraine brings war to Russia’s energy network with co-ordinated overnight attacks
Ukraine’s latest overnight drone strikes reportedly hit refineries, oil depots and a key export terminal deep inside Russia and in occupied Crimea, signalling a continued effort to raise the cost of Moscow’s war by targeting the infrastructure that supports it.…
Estonia warns Europe is still not ready to stand alone
Estonia’s defence minister has argued that NATO will hold and the United States would still defend allies, while warning that Europe remains unable to face Russia without American backing. Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said on 17 April that NATO…
Europe’s US weapons orders at risk as Iran war drains American stockpiles
Washington has warned some European allies to expect delays in previously agreed US weapons deliveries as the war involving Iran consumes critical munitions and missile defence stocks, according to Reuters. The development sharpens European concerns over dependence on American supply…
Paris summit to examine European plan for reopening Strait of Hormuz
France and the United Kingdom are convening an international meeting in Paris on Friday aimed at preparing a future multinational effort to restore commercial navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, the maritime chokepoint through which about one fifth of global…
Silicon Valley pushes deeper into Pentagon spending as US defence budget surges
taThe scale of planned US military spending is opening a wider path for a new class of defence suppliers from Silicon Valley, even if the traditional prime contractors still dominate Pentagon business. President Donald Trump’s administration has proposed a defence…
Odesa strike sharpens pressure on Europe over Ukraine’s air-defence gap
Nine people were killed and 23 injured in a Russian missile-and-drone attack on Odesa on Wednesday, in a strike that again exposed the limits of Ukraine’s overstretched air defences and renewed pressure on European allies to accelerate promised deliveries of…
Wartime Economy: Washington’s uneasy pivot to industrial mobilisation
The spectacle of Washington courting Detroit is not new. It carries the unmistakable echo of another era, when American industry was marshalled with urgency and purpose, and assembly lines once devoted to civilian comforts were repurposed for national survival. However,…
Russia’s Easter ceasefire fails to hold as Ukraine reports repeated Russian violations
Russia’s Easter ceasefire in Ukraine ended without any credible move towards peace, with Kyiv reporting repeated Russian violations during the 32-hour holiday pause and combat continuing on Ukrainian territory. Announced by Moscow for the Orthodox Easter weekend, the truce expired…
US sets 13 April start for blockade of shipping to and from Iranian ports
Washington has ordered a naval blockade of shipping to and from Iranian ports from 13 April, in a move that sharpens military pressure on Tehran while raising immediate risks for Gulf maritime security and energy flows through the Strait of…