Senior Trump officials held three White House meetings this week to consider possible military operations in Venezuela.

Source: Reuters

Marco Rubio is ramping up U.S. pressure over Sudan’s war, linking any ceasefire to cutting weapons flows to the RSF.

In a call with the UAE Foreign Minister, Rubio pushed for a humanitarian pause and action to curb arms shipments to the group.

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The U.S. has reopened the long-closed Roosevelt Roads naval base in Puerto Rico as part of a major military buildup near Venezuela.

Source: CBS News

The UN Security Council extended the Abyei peacekeeping mission until November 2026, saying future renewals depend on progress in the Sudan–South Sudan dispute.

Sudan: Reports say RSF detained three North Darfur ministers in El-Fasher and killed Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Abbas Adam and relatives as they tried to flee.

Trump on Sadiq Khan:

He’s a terrible mayor… your mayor is a disaster.

Today you have people being stabbed in the ass or worse.

Trump to GB News:

You have areas in London and in Paris where the police don’t even want to go.

You have Sharia law where they don’t want to obey the laws of your country or France.

Trump to GB News:

You’re putting up windmills all over. You’re killing all the birds.

They’re ugly as hell, they make noise, they’re very unsafe, and every time that thing goes around it loses money.

Sudan: The army and allied forces recaptured Umm Dam Haj Ahmed in North Kordofan from UAE-backed RSF militias this morning.

NEW: Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said providing more aid to Ukraine would not help end the war with Russia and might “fuel further corruption,” citing a recent $100 million energy-sector graft scandal in Kyiv that prompted Zelensky to call for the dismissal of two ministers.

NYT:

A major corruption investigation in Ukraine has exposed a scheme tied to Zelensky’s longtime business partner, leading to ministerial resignations and public backlash.

Zelensky isn’t implicated but faces growing pressure for trying to curb anticorruption investigators earlier in the year.

The scandal damages his reformist image at a time when Ukrainians are suffering wartime blackouts and Western allies are urging a tougher fight against corruption.

NEW: Colombia signed a $3.6B deal with Saab for 17 Gripen E/F fighter jets (15 E models, 2 F trainers), with deliveries from 2026–2032.

The purchase finalizes a decision made in April and beats a competing US-backed F-16 offer.

China told its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan after Japan’s PM said the country could use its self-defence forces if China attacked Taiwan.

Nigeria: ISWAP reportedly ambushed a convoy between Damboa and Biu, killing several soldiers and CJTF members and abducting a brigade commander.

NATO allies — led by the Netherlands — have cancelled their joint plan to buy six Boeing E-7A Wedgetail AWACS aircraft, saying the effort lost its “strategic and financial foundations.”

NATO now says the E-3A replacement process is still underway and needs to speed up.

Allies are looking at alternative AWACS options such as Saab GlobalEye, L3Harris/Global 6500 CAEW, and Northrop Grumman’s E-2D.

EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas:

Supporting Ukraine is a bargain compared to the cost of Russia's victory.

EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas:

Every time the world reaches out, Russia responds with missiles.

Mali: The government shut down two French TV channels, accusing them of spreading false information about the terrorist fuel blockade on Bamako.

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Polish PM Tusk:

I warned Zelensky early in his presidency that Russia and pro-Russian groups in Europe would push the narrative that Ukraine is deeply corrupt.

I urged him to watch carefully for any signs of corruption around him, because avoiding even the smallest scandal would be crucial for his reputation.

Polish PM Tusk:

Today, enthusiasm for supporting Ukraine has weakened in Poland and abroad.

People are tired of the war and its costs, so maintaining support is harder.

I often stress that it’s in Poland’s clear interest for Ukraine to remain an independent, well-governed state.

We will continue to support Ukraine in its defense against Russia, because by helping Ukraine, we also protect Poland.

Polish PM Tusk:

It will become harder to convince international partners to stand with Ukraine if such corruption cases continue to appear.

It now seems Ukraine’s leadership is serious about prosecuting those responsible.

Still, the damage is done and the cost will be high.

I sincerely urge everyone in Ukraine: guard against corruption and avoid the Russian model, because tolerating such actions could ultimately cost you the war.