A leaked exchange suggests Sergey Lavrov coordinated with Hungary’s foreign minister Szijjarto to block Ukraine’s EU accession talks, discussing minority rights wording as a key lever in negotiations. The interaction points to alignment between Moscow and Budapest on slowing Kyiv’s EU path.

🇮🇱🇱🇧🇺🇸 Axios: Just before the ceasefire was announced, Netanyahu raised the issue of Lebanon in a phone call with Trump.

During that conversation, the two agreed that Israel could continue its attacks in Lebanon even as the ceasefire with Iran took effect.

According to U.S. officials, the White House does not believe these ongoing strikes in Lebanon will cause the broader ceasefire with Iran to fall apart.

The Islamic Resistance Front in Syria declares the following to the world:
- First: The failure of the aggression: The cessation of military operations at this moment is a “death certificate for the U.S. intimidation project. The world’s largest military arsenal has failed to break the will of the Islamic Republic or undermine the cohesion of our axis.”
- Second: Imposition of Rules: The current truce is a direct result of the U.S. certainty that the continuation of the war means the disappearance of its illegitimate bases in the region and the reduction of its interests to ashes.
- Third: Preparation of the battlefields: We affirm that our fighters were and remain in Syria alongside their brothers in Iran, with the highest levels of readiness and preparedness for combat.
- Fourth: The new balance of power. Our waters, airspace, and territory are now more inaccessible to our enemies than ever before. The era of dictates has ended, and a new era has begun in which the peoples of the region are asserting their sovereign rights.
This victory is the fruit of the martyrs’ blood and the unity of the resistance fronts from Tehran to Damascus, Beirut, Sana’a, and Baghdad. We will continue to be the impregnable shield of this nation and the hand that will cut off any hand that attempts to wield our weapons.
God is the protector of steadfastness".

Statement by the Syrian Islamic Resistance Front regarding the ceasefire:
“Indeed, our soldiers will be the victors.”
To the masses of our resilient nation, and to the free and steadfast men in the trenches of dignity.
Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in the decline of American hegemony in the region. The withdrawal of U.S. occupation forces and their acceptance of the ceasefire do not constitute a “concession” on the part of the aggressor, but rather a bitter submission to the reality imposed by the missiles and drones of the resistance axis on the ground.

🇯🇵🇮🇷 Japan PM Speaks With Iran President Post-Ceasefire

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held phone talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday, according to a government source.

The two leaders are believed to have discussed the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran, as well as efforts to reduce tensions in the Middle East.

The call followed the conclusion of the US-Iran ceasefire deal, which Japan's top government spokesman had separately described as a positive move.

#Japan #Iran

@asianomics

Oh well. Back to brinkmanship.

Russian authorities are considering canceling the traditional May 9 Victory Day parades in Moscow and St. Petersburg due to the alleged threat posed by Ukraine’s new long-range missiles, The Moscow Timesreported on April 8.

Pro-war Russian military bloggers have raised alarms about the vulnerability of the high-profile events. Speaking on the Russian state propaganda “Solovyov LIVE” show, prominent pro-war blogger Ilya Tumanov highlighted the disastrous optics of an air raid siren interrupting the parade on Red Square.

The anxiety stems from Ukraine’s recently unveiled long-range strike capabilities, specifically the “Flamingo” cruise missile. Introduced last August, the Flamingo boasts a staggering range of 3,000 kilometers and carries a one-ton warhead—making Moscow, which sits just 450 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, an easy target, The Moscow Times wrote.