We have been listening to Donald Trump in the White House in the cabinet room with a number of his cabinet officials and the vice president uh meeting with President Vladimir Zalinski of Ukraine at the White House. Zalinski is pushing for the US to provide his country with long range weapons which he would then use against Russia. Earlier this week, Trump appeared to be considering it.That was until yesterday after Russian President Vladimir Putin called President Trump and the two leaders spoke for about 2 ...

Geopolitical Strategy & Risk Assessment - Brookings believes President Trump has the right framework for approaching the war, but the odds of a near-term ceasefire are long [1][3] - Threatening tomahawk missile transfers to Ukraine is a step in the right direction, but a more concerted economic strategy is needed to pressure Putin [2] - Public negotiation through press conferences aims to influence Vladimir Putin [4] - Escalation risks to NATO territory exist if tomahawk missiles are transferred to Ukraine, but the US is not willing to be cowed by implied Russian threats [5] Economic Pressure & Sanctions - Three categories of economic pressure include another US assistance package for Ukraine, coordinating listings of illicit ships evading the oil price cap, and a more concerted international sanctions campaign [6][7] - The industry should consider reducing economic interaction with Russia, with potential secondary sanctions if cooperation is lacking [7] - Coordinating international sanctions lists with European allies can prevent Russia from evading the oil price cap [11][12] - Targeting the "ghost fleet" of Russian ships by adding them to international sanctions lists can impact Russia economically by preventing them from obtaining insurance [9][11] - Europe lowered the Russia oil price cap recently to the mid $46 range trying to apply more pressure [9]

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is ready to bring to a vote legislation imposing sanctions on countries that trade with Russia, an aide to the Republican leader said https://t.co/2tzFwY4W5A ...

Blacklisted Russian LNG shipments are set to keep entering China as both countries are prepared to circumvent the UK’s latest sanctions https://t.co/NxNxFQVpbg ...

RT Emmett Gallic (@emmettgallic)BREAKING: The USG sanctions 16K $BTC related to Chen Zhi (Person they seized 127K $BTC from earlier)Chen Zhi is still on the run https://t.co/8UERGUeiuv ...

The UK slapped sanctions on Russia’s biggest oil producers and a Chinese terminal that receives liquefied gas from a major Russian project https://t.co/uKLb8TDLH0 ...

Ukrainian authorities are growing frustrated with a surge in foreign components being found in Russian drones, with a senior diplomat calling on allies to tighten sanctions controls as Moscow scales up military production https://t.co/GkollyY33J ...

Three supertankers that were headed for Rizhao port are now looking for alternative berths, following US sanctions on the terminal that handles around a 10th of China’s oil imports https://t.co/HsjmmxgniI ...

Geopolitical & Economic Strategy - China aims to convert its leading position as the world's top gold consumer and producer into greater financial influence [1] - China is implementing strategies inspired by London's gold trading center to build a system hedging against potential US sanctions [2] - China aims to challenge US financial dominance amidst growing instability in US politics [3] - By promoting gold, China could encourage more countries to use the RMB and boost its role in the international financial system [4] - China's ultimate goal is to build a world less dependent on US century markets [4] Gold as a Financial Tool - Russia's gold accumulation helped stabilize its finances after its foreign reserves were frozen following the invasion of Ukraine [3] - Countries are seeking alternatives to the US dollar, increasing the attractiveness of gold [4]

The U.S. Treasury Department has also sanctioned Chen’s Prince Group TCO and its network in Palau, freezing related assets and prohibiting U.S. persons from transacting with them. Meanwhile, FinCEN identified Cambodia-based Huione Group as a major money-laundering hub, finding it laundered about $4 billion between August 2021 and January 2025—including $37 million linked to DPRK cyber-heists. FinCEN has officially cut Huione Group off from the U.S. financial system.https://t.co/0DflC8IpsC ...