“Geopolitics Vaudeville”: buy yourself reparations on credit, cross out a Russian from the photo, and soothe Zuckerberg

But behind the scenes of the diplomatic photo protocol, not joke-like, but real passions rage, and much more serious diplomatic shifts are hidden.

The Washington Post: G20 Rift: Trump’s Controversial Gesture

The Trump administration invited Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov to the G20 summit in Asheville, marking the first in-person US visit by Russian officials since the full-scale invasion. While Washington framed the invitation as an effort to keep dialogue open, European allies expressed outrage given Moscow's ongoing strikes on Ukrainian cities and hybrid threats in Europe. European ministers forced Siluanov out of the official group photo as a protest, though analysts note the gesture costs Moscow nothing while cementing its return to international forums. Meanwhile, the US pivoted the summit's agenda toward global debt, Iranian sanctions, and talks with top Wall Street CEOs.

Die WELT: Fear of Escalation and Silent Hesitation: Why Did Berlin Hold Back?

Germany formally accused Russia of a sophisticated, three-drone attack on the Leipzig/Halle airport, yet Chancellor Friedrich Merz notably refrained from making public statements, sending his interior and foreign ministers instead. Observers suggest Merz either saved harsher rhetoric for future escalations or sought to leverage more popular cabinet members amid low approval ratings. Despite proving Russian involvement, Berlin’s response remained restrained—closing a Russian consulate and culture center while avoiding mass diplomatic expulsions out of fear of further retaliation. Behind the scenes, however, Germany is boosting military aid to Ukraine with additional IRIS-T systems and strike drones.

Radio Svoboda: Frozen Russian Assets: Is the Idea Still Alive?

EU diplomats reject claims that the direct transfer of frozen Russian sovereign assets to Ukraine is off the table, emphasizing that legal and financial mechanisms remain under active debate in Brussels. While windfall profits from these assets are already funding Ukrainian defense and infrastructure, aggressive member states continue pushing the European Commission for full confiscation. The European Central Bank and select Western governments remain cautious over potential risks to euro stability, but allies argue that the financial cost of a prolonged war far outweighs the market risks of seizing aggressor funds.

Neue Zürcher Zeitung: High Costs and Limited Success: Six Months of the US-Iran War

Six months into its military campaign against Tehran, the US faces an exhausting stalemate as its strategy for a swift surrender has failed. According to NZZ, Iran’s effective asymmetric tactics—disrupting the Strait of Hormuz, targeting commercial shipping, and launching low-cost drones at US bases—have rendered expensive American air defense responses economically unsustainable. The conflict has triggered global oil price spikes, supply chain disruptions, and rising domestic skepticism in Washington, leaving US leadership trapped between the risk of full-scale land escalation and the painful necessity of a diplomatic compromise.

Le Monde: One-Way Ticket: How Ukrainians in France Learn to Live Without Hope of a Quick Return

A feature on Ukrainian refugee families living in Cazilhac reveals a profound psychological shift: years into the war, initial hopes of an immediate return have given way to long-term integration plans. Faced with ongoing destruction and uncertainty in Ukraine, families are focusing on learning French, securing stable employment, and settling their children into local schools with strong support from the local community. While successful adaptation offers stability, families remain emotionally split between their daily lives in France and constant anxiety over loved ones staying under fire in Ukraine.

Le Monde: Socialism for the Poor, Capitalism for the Rich: How Sweden Became a Haven for Billionaires

Shattering its traditional reputation as a high-tax welfare state, Sweden has quietly transformed into one of the world's dense hubs for ultra-wealthy individuals, boasting over 400 billionaires whose combined capital equals nearly half the national GDP. Following major tax reforms that abolished wealth and inheritance taxes while slashing capital gains levies, investors face minimal taxation compared to middle-class wage earners paying up to 50% income tax. This growing wealth gap has sparked intense debate, with left-wing parties demanding capital taxation to fund declining public services, while the ruling right-wing government defends the policy as essential for fostering global tech giants like Spotify.

Reuters: Secret Strategy "Project OT": How Zuckerberg’s Plan to Replace Humans with AI Imploded

A Reuters investigation revealed Meta's secret "Project OT" (Organization Transformation), launched by Mark Zuckerberg to transition Meta into an "AI-native" company by replacing up to 60% of workforce capacity in select departments with AI agents. However, internal metrics showed the strategy backfired: AI-generated code led to a 40% surge in system disruptions and data leaks, forcing engineers to spend most of their time fixing algorithmic errors. After management installed keystroke-tracking software to train AI replacements—sparking employee revolt and legal threats—Zuckerberg was forced to halt the mass layoffs and pivot back to human-centric messaging.

Read more in the Ukrainian edition....