A day after the Anchorage summit, a sketch of Vladimir Putin’s “peace” plan has surfaced: Russia keeps Donetsk and Luhansk, freezes the Kherson-Zaporizhzhia line and demands NATO renunciation and Crimea recognition, dangling only limited withdrawals in the north.(reuters.com, ft.com) Kyiv reacted with grief and fury as images of a red-carpet welcome for the ICC-indicted Russian leader ricocheted across Ukraine.(apnews.com)

The offer is less a concession than a cartographer’s knife. Moscow would retain roughly 17 % of Ukraine—territory that, pre-war, generated 20 % of GDP and nearly all steel exports. In 1938 the Munich Agreement sacrificed Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland on similar “ethno-linguistic” grounds; Europe learned that appeased autocrats merely reload. Markets sensed the parallel: Ukrainian Eurobonds fell 4 cents overnight, and wheat futures jumped 2 % on fears the Black Sea grain corridor remains hostage.

Washington now confronts a fork: bolster Ukraine’s leverage with credible security guarantees—or normalise land grabs that reward military adventurism from Gaza to the Himalayas. As historian Timothy Snyder warns, “The future is decided when the powerful pretend that facts on the ground are inevitable.” (The Road to Unfreedom, 2018)

— The Gist AI Editor

Alaskan Summit Rattles Alliances

President Trump’s summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska is sending tremors through global alliances. The primary takeaway is a Russian proposal to end the Ukraine war: Moscow would reportedly relinquish small pockets of occupied territory in exchange for Kyiv ceding larger swathes of its eastern land—regions Russia has failed to capture militarily (Strait Times). European leaders, anxious about the warm reception for Putin, are now dispatching senior officials to Washington with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to bolster Kyiv’s position ahead of his visit (Politico.eu). This follows Trump receiving a “peace letter” for Putin from First Lady Melania Trump, an unconventional diplomatic gesture (Strait Times). The optics suggest a shift where personal rapport may be overriding long-standing treaty commitments, a worrying trend for proponents of stable, rules-based international order.

Trade Tensions Spike with India

Washington has abruptly cancelled trade negotiations with New Delhi scheduled for August 25-29, dimming hopes for a bilateral agreement (Strait Times). The move precedes an August 27 deadline for new US tariffs on some Indian exports, which could soar to as high as 50 percent. This escalation signals a preference for unilateral economic pressure over negotiated settlements. For free-trade advocates, this is a textbook example of protectionism that will likely harm consumers and producers in both nations, disrupting supply chains and inviting retaliatory measures. The collapse of talks after five rounds underscores a growing friction that undermines the potential for a strategic economic partnership.

Gaza Policy Shifts, Mercenaries Return

The White House has paused visitor visas for Gazans, a move that blocks a pathway for those seeking urgent medical care in the US (NYT-Global). This decision, reportedly influenced by social media posts, highlights the precarity of humanitarian channels that depend on political whims. The action contrasts with a deepening water crisis in Gaza, where most water facilities are now damaged or destroyed (WSJ). Separately, Erik Prince, founder of the private security firm Blackwater, is re-entering the mercenary business with a new venture to take on overseas security jobs (WSJ). This privatization of security functions raises critical questions about accountability and the state’s monopoly on force.

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

While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Aug 17, 2025
— Strait Times

US cancels India trade talks scheduled for August: Report
— Strait Times

U.S. Pauses Visitor Visas for Gazans After Laura Loomer Posts
— Nyt-Global

Trump gives Putin ‘peace letter’ from wife Melania
— Strait Times

The small east German bank that cannot drop its far-right customer
— Financial Times

Europe is sending heavy hitters to US with Zelenskyy to bolster Kyiv
— Politico.Eu

Moscow’s Ceasefire Gambit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asserts Russia’s refusal of multiple ceasefire calls “complicates the situation” for future peace efforts. Moscow’s rejection signals a commitment to military objectives over diplomatic off-ramps, suggesting that significant further “great efforts” will be needed to compel a move toward peaceful coexistence. For Europe, this intransigence solidifies the long-term reality of the conflict, necessitating sustained military-industrial output and a hardened security posture on its eastern flank. The Kremlin appears to be calculating that Western resolve will wane before its own military capacity does, a direct challenge to the continent’s strategic endurance. (ZDF, ANSA).

Labour’s Ideological Crossroads

In the UK, the debate over public finances is intensifying. The call from former Labour leader Neil Kinnock to scrap the two-child benefit cap and introduce a wealth tax places Prime Minister Keir Starmer at a difficult juncture. This push from within his party’s old guard challenges the new government’s carefully crafted image of fiscal moderation. While framed as a poverty-alleviation measure, the move would represent a significant expansion of the welfare state, testing investor confidence in UK economic policy. It’s an early signal of the internal ideological battle between centrist pragmatism and demands for greater wealth redistribution. (The Guardian).

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

Neil Kinnock calls for government to scrap two-child cap on benefits
— Theguardian

US trade talks with India paused, media reports say
— Dw

Aktuelles zum Krieg in der Ukraine
— Zdf

FC Bayern gewinnt zum elften Mal den Supercup
— Zdf

So sahen die ersten heute-Nachrichten aus
— Zdf

Tennis: Errani-Paolini eliminate in semifinale a Cincinnati
— Ansa