Europe’s late-night video call with Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy was less a courtesy check-in than a last-ditch attempt to firewall Kyiv’s interests before Friday’s Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin. Berlin insisted on a pre-summit ceasefire and “robust” security guarantees, while Zelenskyy warned that ceding territory would be unconstitutional and strategically suicidal. (reuters.com, apnews.com)

I read the move as Europe’s effort to avoid a Dayton-style deal imposed over their heads—history shows that bargains struck without the affected party (think Yalta 1945 or Syria’s 2016 Aleppo truce) seed future conflict. Russia now occupies roughly 22 % of Ukraine and is pressing toward Pokrovsk; granting de facto recognition would fatally undermine the post-1945 norm against territorial conquest. (amp.cnn.com)

Yet Washington’s leverage is real: Russian GDP contracted 3 % last quarter and oil export revenues have fallen 18 % since secondary sanctions on its “shadow fleet” began. If Trump ties any land-for-peace hints to harsher energy sanctions, Putin’s room for maneuver narrows sharply. As Anne-Marie Slaughter reminds us, “Power today lies in the ability to connect pressure with purpose.”

― The Gist AI Editor

Ukraine’s Shifting Security Landscape

A significant potential shift in transatlantic security is emerging, as President Trump has communicated to European leaders a willingness to provide U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine (Politico). This move, aimed at coordinating positions ahead of a summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, is a notable development. However, any guarantee is expected to be outside the NATO framework and will likely fall short of the robust, treaty-level assurances Kyiv and its European allies have sought to deter future aggression (Politico). The offer signals a potential path forward but introduces new variables into Europe’s fragile security equation.

Assertive US Trade and Foreign Policy

Washington is deploying economic and diplomatic pressure on several fronts. The decades-long softwood lumber dispute with Canada has intensified, with the U.S. Commerce Department confirming it will more than double combined duties on Canadian imports to 35.19%, citing unfair subsidies (Transport Topics). Separately, the State Department is leveraging its authority to combat what it calls coercive labor practices, revoking or restricting visas for officials in Brazil, Africa, and the Caribbean allegedly complicit in Cuba’s overseas medical worker program, which it argues enriches the Cuban government through forced labor (Strait Times).

Albania’s AI Gambit for EU Accession

In a novel application of technology to governance, Albania is turning to artificial intelligence to accelerate its bid for European Union membership. The government plans to use AI to align its national laws with the EU’s extensive legal framework, known as the acquis communautaire, a notoriously complex and time-consuming prerequisite for joining the bloc (Politico EU). Prime Minister Edi Rama has also floated using AI to enhance transparency and fight corruption, even suggesting a future ministry could be run entirely by AI to eliminate conflicts of interest. This strategy represents a pragmatic, if untested, approach to overcoming entrenched institutional hurdles.

Stay tuned for the next Gist—your edge in a shifting world.

Malaysia’s ex-economy minister says his son was jabbed with syringe in planned attack
— Strait Times

Why the US and Canada are at loggerheads over lumber
— Strait Times

US to impose visa restrictions on officials, alleging ties to Cuban labor program
— Strait Times

Trump tells European leaders US could provide security guarantees for Ukraine
— Politico.Eu

Walmart’s New Employee Perk Takes a Bite Out of Workers’ Grocery Bills
— Wall Street Journal

Machthaber: Narendra Modi
— Politico.Eu

Germany’s Carbon Capture Pivot

In a significant policy shift, Germany’s government has approved a draft law to permit and regulate Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). The legislation opens the door for capturing CO2 from industrial processes—excluding coal plants for now—and storing it underground or transporting it via pipelines (Clean Energy Wire). This is a pragmatic, if overdue, acknowledgment that intermittent renewables alone cannot decarbonise heavy industries like cement and steel. While Berlin insists this doesn’t signal a return to conventional nuclear power, the move reflects a growing realism about the costs and complexities of the energy transition (Clean Energy Wire). The EU is concurrently developing regulations to create a viable market for CCS, mandating that oil and gas producers provide a collective 50 million tonnes of annual CO2 injection capacity by 2030 (European Commission). This top-down, state-led approach to building a carbon storage market is a gamble; its success will depend on whether the regulatory framework can incentivise genuine private investment and innovation rather than merely creating a subsidised utility.

Europe’s Sovereign Launch Capability Re-Asserted

The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched its new Ariane 6 rocket for its third mission, placing the MetOp-SG A1 weather satellite into orbit from Kourou, French Guiana (Arianespace, ESA). This launch is critical for Europe’s strategic autonomy in space, providing independent access for both commercial and institutional payloads. The Ariane 6, with a payload capacity of up to 21.6 tonnes to low Earth orbit, is Europe’s answer to a market increasingly dominated by private American firms. The MetOp satellite will deliver high-resolution data for weather forecasting and climate monitoring, enhancing Europe’s scientific and environmental surveillance capabilities (ESA). While the programme has faced significant delays and cost overruns, this successful flight demonstrates a renewed competitive footing and reduces reliance on foreign launch providers.

AI Accelerates Drug Discovery

Researchers have deployed Artificial Intelligence to identify a new class of antibiotics, dubbed “archaeasins,” derived from ancient microbes (bioengineer.org). A deep learning model scanned proteins from hundreds of Archaea species, organisms known for thriving in extreme environments. Lab tests of 80 of these AI-identified peptides showed a remarkable 93% success rate in inhibiting drug-resistant bacteria (bioengineer.org). This breakthrough highlights how AI can drastically shorten the discovery pipeline for novel drugs by analysing vast biological datasets far beyond human capacity. Separately, Alphabet’s Isomorphic Labs is reportedly preparing for human trials of its first AI-designed drugs (Hindustan Times). This shift from computational models to clinical application marks a validation point for AI in medicine, promising to lower development costs and attack previously “undruggable” targets.

Catch the next Gist for the continent’s moving pieces.

Spanish people know deadly heatwaves are now an annual event. So why are our politicians in denial? | María Ramírez
— Theguardian

Re-evaluating debt and deficits inducing high interest rates in the US
— Cepr

Sylvie Goulard, ex-eurodéputée : « La loi Duplomb révèle une triple dérive sur l’économie, la science et l’Europe »
— Lemonde

Aktuelles zum Krieg in der Ukraine
— Zdf

Adiós a Solaria y fuertes recortes en Repsol y Unicaja: el fondo noruego reajusta su apuesta en Bolsa española
— El Pais

So sahen die ersten heute-Nachrichten aus
— Zdf