TOP NEWS

US-China Relations
Xi may pressure Trump to make subtle language change on Taiwan

Xi Jinping may pressure Donald Trump to make a subtle but symbolically important shift in position regarding Taiwan, writes the New York Times.

The two presidents are expected to meet on Thursday.

US presidents usually use the phrase that they “do not support Taiwanese independence”, but China now hopes that Donald Trump can be persuaded to say that he “opposes Taiwanese independence”. This is according to experts that the NYT spoke to.

– In that case, it could be used by China to claim that the US is taking Beijing’s side, and create increased diplomatic pressure on Taiwan, says parliamentarian Chen Kuan-ting from Taiwan’s ruling party.

The situation in North Korea
Russian ship exploded in the Mediterranean Sea – may have been transporting reactors to North Korea

A ship from the Russian shadow fleet that sank off the Spanish coast in December 2024 was probably transporting two reactors intended for North Korean nuclear submarines, CNN reports. Exactly why the ship exploded and sank is unclear, but according to the channel it may have been sunk by Western military personnel using an advanced torpedo.

After the accident, a designated Russian spy ship is said to have visited the site, and recently the American military has also made overflights with special planes that can detect radioactivity.

The Russian captain, after being pressed in interrogation, is said to have said that components for reactors were on board, but that they were not loaded with nuclear fuel.

The incident occurred two months after North Korea began sending soldiers to Ukraine to fight on the Russian side. Since then, the country has also released images of what is said to be the first North Korean nuclear submarine, but it is not clear from the images whether it has reactors.

The future of NATO
Rutte on the future of NATO: I am extremely optimistic

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte does not doubt NATO's future, reports Reuters.

During a press conference in Montenegro, he admitted that there are discussions within the alliance about how Europe should respond to the war in Iran.

Rutte only sees NATO's role in the longer term positively.

- When it comes to the more fundamental question of NATO's future, I am extremely optimistic, he says.

He refers, among other things, to the fact that the increased defense spending in the respective countries is important to even out the differences with the United States. 

Greenland crisis  US threat
Sources: US negotiates about bases in Greenland

The US is negotiating with Denmark to open new military bases in Greenland, reports the BBC.

According to the newspaper's sources, one of the proposals is for three new bases, all of which would formally be considered US territory.

Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to take over Greenland by force of arms and offered to buy the country. According to the BBC's sources, it may have been completely unnecessary.

- Why threaten an ally with a military operation or invasion when what you want is something that is quite easy to agree on? says one of them.

Both Denmark and the US confirm that diplomatic negotiations are underway, without giving any further details.