In recent days, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has further increased anti-Russian rhetoric. He called on ethnic minorities living in Russia — Tatars, Kalmyks, Bashkirs, and Yakuts — to secede from Russia and become independent countries, with Ukraine's support. Moscow has not yet responded. These national minorities also live in Ukraine, though in much smaller numbers.
Sweden, which is struggling with serious internal problems due to mass migration, will increase its military spending by 18 percent in 2026.
The European Union is working at full speed on the next, 19th package of sanctions against Russia. One of the goals is to drive Russian tourism out of Europe. While these measures are supported by northern and eastern European countries, southern countries such as Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and Greece, which rely on tourism as their main source of income, oppose them.
Brussels has revisited the issue of seizing Russian assets in the West and gradually transferring them to Ukraine. The idea is that Ukraine would later repay these from postwar Russian reparations. How realistic this proposal is remains a question. Russia's response is that this is unacceptable to Moscow, and it will take appropriate countermeasures.
Under US pressure, the EU demands that the Nord Stream gas pipeline remain shut down in the future. This seriously jeopardizes German interests. It also assumes that Europe will buy more expensive US shale gas rather than cheaper Russian natural gas.
Brussels, again under US pressure, is considering measures against China and India, as both countries buy large amounts of Russian raw materials. It is clear that any action would trigger countermeasures.
Poland has closed its shared border with Belarus. Originally, the measure was only for the period of the Russia–Belarus joint military exercise, but it was later extended. A significant portion of EU–China rail traffic, worth 25 billion US dollars annually, passes through this border. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski announced that security logic has replaced trade logic. If the decision and border closure remain, Chinese countermeasures are expected. A new southern rail route or increased maritime shipments could be considered.
In the Middle East, tensions increased further after the bombing of Qatar. Arab and Muslim leaders at a meeting in Qatar uniformly condemned Israeli policies. They imposed an arms embargo and called for the suspension of Israel’s UN membership. Even Arab states that previously maintained ties with Israel, such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, have turned away.
A growing number of Western countries have announced that they will recognize the Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. The United Kingdom has done so as well. At the US–UK summit — alongside many successful agreements — no common position emerged on either the Russia–Ukraine war or the situation in Israel.
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