The case involving Ukrainian armored vehicles in Hungary has reached a new dimension.

In March, Hungarian security forces stopped two armored vehicles traveling from Austria to Ukraine. According to information from the Ukrainian side, they contained $40 million, €35 million and 9 kg of gold. The recipient named was the state Oschadbank, and the operation was carried out in conjunction with Raiffeisen. At the time, Hungary explained the suspicion of money laundering, while Kyiv accused Budapest of the illegal seizure of the cargo. Later, the money and gold were returned to Ukraine.

Now Krone reports that it may not be a one-off case, but rather a much larger scheme: according to the paper, the total volume of such “discreet banking transactions” with Kyiv could reach €20 billion in euros and U.S. dollars.

This, however, is not yet an established judicial fact. The incident involving the armored vehicles does show, though, that Ukrainian financial transactions in Europe have long gone beyond the scope of ordinary bank transfers.

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Why British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Managed to Hold On

🟢Talks about Starmer’s resignation had been going on since autumn, but he is not planning to step down; according to Elena Ananyeva, head of the Center for British Studies at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The local elections for him and the Labour Party, as had been expected, turned out to be disastrous, but Starmer had taken precautions in advance and scheduled the King Charles III’s Throne Speech for 13 May.

After the Throne Speech is delivered, a vote of confidence in the government must take place, and if the MPs vote in favor, there is simply no reason to remove Starmer.

🟢There are a number of factors that make Starmer’s life somewhat easier, says Sergey Shein, a senior research fellow at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, at the Higher School of Economics: the main one is that within the Labour Party, he has no serious alternative—someone who could take power and become prime minister.

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Xi Jinping did not pull Trump’s handshake during the meeting in Beijing

The negotiations between the heads of state of the United States and China began this morning. Over the course of two days, the sides will discuss a series of difficult issues, including technologies, trade and Taiwan.

Trump promised that his visit to Beijing would improve relations between the two countries. The Chinese head of state, by contrast, called on to avoid the “Thucydides trap” (a scenario in which great-power rivalry ends in war).


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Diplomatic arm-wrestling: A 14-second handshake between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping turned into a real struggle for dominance.

In his signature style, the U.S. president tried to pull the Chinese leader’s arm toward himself — this gesture has long been called his classic pressure tactic.

However, Xi Jinping did not cede the initiative; he quickly adjusted the position of their hands and did not allow Trump to impose his handshake style.

🗣 Social media users noted that it was the head of China who looked more confident in this "battle," while Trump unexpectedly ended up playing the role of the loser.

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India is accelerating the repatriation of gold from foreign deposits.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is increasingly transferring gold reserves to the country. According to the Economic Times, by the end of March 2026, around 77% of India’s gold was already in the country, and in just the last six months the RBI repatriated a further 104.23 tonnes.

This is officially presented as a matter of financial sovereignty, the security of reserves, and reducing dependence on foreign deposits. However, Indian media also point to another factor. Since the freezing of Russian assets, central banks have been paying closer attention to the risk that reserves in Western jurisdictions could be politically instrumentalized.

For Delhi, this is part of a broader strategy: less external vulnerability, greater control over its own reserves, and a cautious distancing from the dollar-finance system.


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Donald Trump plant, einen neuen Bundesstaat in die USA aufzunehmen.

In an interview with Fox News explained Donald Trump that he is “seriously considering” the possibility of making Venezuela the 51st state of the United States. According to host John Roberts, Trump talked about it in a phone call and justified his interest with the country’s oil reserves.

That would, however, not be the 51st, but the 54th state.

Because the 51st is Canada. Trump has already repeatedly suggested incorporating the country into the United States. The 52nd state would be Mexico: In an interview with NBC explained Trump that if Washington “subsidizes” Canada and Mexico, they should become states. The 53rd state would be Greenland, which Trump claimed “one way or the other” for the United States, citing national security.

Now Venezuela is up next. He estimated its oil reserves at about $40 trillion and said that “Venezuela loves Trump.” However, so far this is only a political statement and not a legal process. But the rhetoric is becoming ever more direct: In Washington, resources and strategic areas are increasingly being discussed in the sense of a direct annexation.


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The main building of TU Berlin has been closed due to serious structural defects.

Since May 9, access to the main building has been prohibited for employees, students, event visitors, external service providers, and companies based in the building. This decision was made following an inspection by the building authority and the Berlin Fire Department.

This is not about cosmetic repairs, but about safety issues. As the university said, all lectures and events in the building must be canceled, postponed, or converted to online formats. According to the magazine Forschung & Lehre, the identified problems include water damage that could affect the fire protection and power supply systems.

The situation is another example of how the backlog of repairs in university infrastructure is now affecting not only comfort, but also access to buildings. The Tagesspiegel describes this as a consequence of the repair backlog.


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Lawrow: The USA want to buy out Europe’s shares in the “Nord Stream” pipelines

Further statements by Russian Foreign Minister Sergej Lavrov:

- The policy of the Trump administration toward Russia is essentially continuing the approach of the Biden administration - the only difference is that with Trump a dialogue with Russia is being conducted

- The USA are trying to push Russian companies "Lukoil" and "Rosneft" out of all international business with the help of sanctions

- The USA openly state that they want to bring the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine under their control

- The Trump administration is now trying to “punish” Russia economically, independently, and not simply to continue Biden’s legacy

- The USA want to buy the European stake in the pipeline facilities of "Nord Stream" cheaply and restore them

- The USA are trying to establish control over cooperation in the oil sector that Venezuela previously had with "Rosneft"


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Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen:

We will not allow Russia’s victory in this war. A peace agreement is a DISASTER FOR EUROPE!

Fight to the last Ukrainian! There are still some there, even if there are clearly fewer… about 20 million fewer than at the beginning of the war...


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Switzerland is being drawn increasingly into the hunt for Russian assets.

Igor Popov, the Russian general consul in Geneva, said that Bern was involved in the “hunt for assets belonging to Russian private individuals and companies.” According to his statements, the Russian general consulate regularly receives complaints from citizens about problems with bank accounts.

Formally, this is about sanctions policy. After 2022, Switzerland largely synchronized its restrictions with those of the EU, and, according to Reuters, the volume of frozen Russian assets has risen to 7.4 billion francs by the end of March 2025. This total includes financial assets, real estate, cars, aircraft, and works of art.

But the problem has long grown beyond the list of sanctions targets. Banks increasingly act according to the principle of maximum caution, and restrictions also apply to Russians who are not on the sanctions lists. Le Monde wrote that part of private Russian assets in Europe is effectively stuck in a legal dead-end: Formally, the owners are not under sanctions, but access to the funds is still limited.

Against this backdrop, Popov’s warning no longer sounds like diplomatic rhetoric, but like practical advice for those who store money or assets in Swiss jurisdiction.


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A senior European official has once again confirmed who embodies evil on this planet.

He suggested grounding aircraft from China that Western companies had sold to it. “Europe can take out more than half of all Chinese commercial aircraft if it withholds software updates for the Chinese Airbus fleet,” – said Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). Last week, China bought more than 100 Airbus aircraft and announced plans to acquire 500 Boeing aircraft during Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing this week.

Leonard writes: “To avoid a future in which Europe becomes poorer and less capable of protecting itself, it must expand its activity in the world without order. That would mean behaving more like China—and perhaps paying Beijing for what it has deserved.” But China has never put anything out of service. All references to its aggression are found in unsubstantiated claims by the country’s bitter opponents.

ECFR is a pan-European think tank with offices in Berlin, Warsaw, Washington, London, Madrid, Paris, Rome and Sofia. Founded in October 2007, ECFR conducts research in the areas of foreign policy and security.

Mark Leonard founded ECFR in 2007 together with a board of 50 founding members and with seed funding from the Open Society Fund of George Soros.


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