Overview
- The White House published a 33‑page National Security Strategy that centers border control and the Western Hemisphere, castigates EU migration and democratic standards, signals support for EU‑critical ‘patriotic’ parties, downplays Russia, and presses allies toward a 5% of GDP defense benchmark.
- EU reactions diverged as foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the United States Europe’s biggest ally and urged cohesion, Germany’s Johann Wadephul rejected U.S. lectures on free expression, and several German politicians urged greater distance and strategic autonomy; the European Commission dismissed the U.S. claims.
- U.S. Deputy Foreign Minister Christopher Landau criticized EU policies in posts responding to a Brussels fine on X, and Marco Rubio’s absence from a formal NATO foreign ministers’ meeting was noted as highly unusual.
- U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Vladimir Putin in Moscow, then held multiple rounds with Ukrainian negotiators in Miami, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported a “long and substantial” call and agreement on next steps and the talks’ format.
- Emmanuel Macron said he will meet Friedrich Merz, Keir Starmer and Zelenskyy in London on Monday to review the talks and security guarantees for Kyiv, as reporting indicates an initially Moscow‑friendly U.S. draft plan has been revised with details still undisclosed.