How US-India trade deal could impact Mideast energy, trade routes The United States and India struck a trade agreement on Monday that eases months of tension between the two countries and could influence Gulf oil flows and economic integration. Saudi Arabia
UAE President meets Putin in Russia to discuss nuclear energy, trade, Iran The visit of Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed comes a day after the Kremlin hosted President Ahmed al-Sharaa to discuss the future of Russian military bases in Syria. Russia
European Union adds IRGC to terror list, expands sanctions As the extent of the killing of protests is gradually revealed, the European Union has decided to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. Iran
Putin offers $1B in frozen assets for Gaza Board of Peace — will US unfreeze them? It remains unclear how such an arrangement could be implemented, since any contribution from frozen assets would require formal unblocking by the US government. Palestine
Analysis Russian leak signals Su-35s for Iran moving to production: What to know By Francesco Schiavi In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance
Turkey, Germany extend call to Russia for cease-fire During German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s first visit to Ankara, both leaders maintain that they want to help Ukraine defend itself while seeking a diplomatic solution. Turkey
Analysis Ukraine war stirs fears Russia could weaponize Syria aid As Russia wages war in Ukraine, concerns are mounting that Moscow will use its UN Security Council veto powers to dismantle what remains of cross-border aid operations into Syria. By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Israel vows country won’t become safe haven for sanctioned Russian oligarchs Speaking at a press conference in Slovakia, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid stated that Russia won’t be able to bypass Western sanctions through Israel. Israel
Putin says Moscow ready to use Mideast fighters in Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin has backed the idea of sending volunteer fighters to Ukraine, though there are good reasons for Moscow to refrain from bringing them in from Syria and elsewhere. Russia
Young Egyptian rescues Arab families trapped in Ukraine Social media outlets were abuzz over the past few days with news about Islam al-Ashiri, an Egyptian man who rescued a number of families stuck in Kyiv following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Egypt
Lebanon seeks alternative wheat sources, bans some food exports amid war in Ukraine Ukraine and Russia provide several Middle Eastern states with wheat, sunflower oil and more. Lebanon
Analysis Bennett, Erdogan seek to fill diplomatic vacuum over Ukraine Qatar’s role in Iran diplomacy even more vital with pause in Vienna nuclear talks. By Week in Review
Israel needs long-term plans to absorb Ukrainian immigration wave Israel’s government has made short-term housing plans for the thousands of Ukrainian and Russian Jews expected to immigrate to Israel, but absorption will be a long and difficult road. Israel
Germany’s Scholz behind Israel’s Bennett shuttle diplomacy on Ukraine Associates of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett emphasize that his traveling to Moscow and Berlin and his contacts with all the parties were conducted with the US administration in the picture and with its blessing. Israel
Libya turns on Russia over Ukraine war, but does it matter? Libya’s incoming prime minister initially avoided commenting on Russia’s war in Ukraine. But after Russia welcomed his new government, he turned against Moscow. North Africa
Ukraine, Russia make no progress in cease-fire talks in Turkey The discussions fail to achieve a cease-fire or a humanitarian corridor for the port city of Mariupol, but Cavusoglu says Turkey’s diplomatic efforts would continue as Erdogan braces for top level meetings with Azerbaijan, Greece and Germany. Turkey
Israel seeks to contain flood of Ukrainian refugees Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked announced yesterday a framework plan for welcoming 5,000 Ukrainian refugees and for temporarily regularizing some 20,000 Ukrainian nationals residing in Israel mostly illegally. Israel
