1. Proposed ‘Free Economic Zone’ in Donbas Tied to Ukrainian Pullback

• A new U.S.-backed peace draft reportedly asks Ukraine to withdraw from parts of Donbas in exchange for turning the area into a joint free economic zone. President Zelensky warns that without hard security guarantees this could simply open the door to further Russian advances. European leaders in a new “coalition of the willing” are trying to coordinate a common stance before any deal is signed.

2. EU Freezes €210 Billion in Russian Assets Indefinitely to Back Ukraine Loans

• EU finance ministers agreed, using emergency Article 122 powers, to effectively lock up around €210 billion of Russian central-bank assets held in Europe. The frozen funds will serve as collateral for long-term loans to Ukraine, sidestepping veto threats from Hungary and others. The move is legally controversial and risks Russian retaliation against European assets on its soil.

3. U.S. Nuclear-Capable B-52s Fly With Japanese Jets Over Sea of Japan

• The U.S. and Japan carried out joint drills in which nuclear-capable B-52 bombers flew alongside Japanese fighter aircraft over the Sea of Japan. The flight is seen as a pointed show of deterrence after recent joint bomber patrols by China and Russia near Japanese and South Korean airspace. Tokyo frames the exercise as proof of the alliance’s resolve in an increasingly tense regional security environment.

4. U.S. Poised to Seize More ‘Dark Fleet’ Tankers After Giant Venezuela Oil Bust

• Following the capture of the supertanker Skipper carrying sanctioned Venezuelan and Iranian crude, Washington is preparing operations against additional shadow-fleet tankers off Venezuela. The Trump administration argues the seizures enforce oil sanctions and choke off illicit revenue streams. Caracas calls the actions “international piracy,” and Moscow has publicly backed Venezuela, raising fears of a broader standoff at sea.

5. UN Environment Report Puts Yearly Cost of Ecological Damage at $45 Trillion

• The latest Global Environment Outlook from the UN Environment Programme estimates environmental degradation now costs the world about $45 trillion a year—roughly $5 billion every hour. Industrial agriculture and fossil-fuel production are identified as the biggest drivers of this economic damage. Authors warn that without deep reforms to food and energy systems and an end to harmful subsidies, societies face a slow but serious systemic collapse.

1. Proposed ‘Free Economic Zone’ in Donbas Tied to Ukrainian Pullback

• A new U.S.-backed peace draft reportedly asks Ukraine to withdraw from parts of Donbas in exchange for turning the area into a joint free economic zone. President Zelensky warns that without hard security guarantees this could simply open the door to further Russian advances. European leaders in a new “coalition of the willing” are trying to coordinate a common stance before any deal is signed.

2. EU Freezes €210 Billion in Russian Assets Indefinitely to Back Ukraine Loans

• EU finance ministers agreed, using emergency Article 122 powers, to effectively lock up around €210 billion of Russian central-bank assets held in Europe. The frozen funds will serve as collateral for long-term loans to Ukraine, sidestepping veto threats from Hungary and others. The move is legally controversial and risks Russian retaliation against European assets on its soil.

3. U.S. Nuclear-Capable B-52s Fly With Japanese Jets Over Sea of Japan

• The U.S. and Japan carried out joint drills in which nuclear-capable B-52 bombers flew alongside Japanese fighter aircraft over the Sea of Japan. The flight is seen as a pointed show of deterrence after recent joint bomber patrols by China and Russia near Japanese and South Korean airspace. Tokyo frames the exercise as proof of the alliance’s resolve in an increasingly tense regional security environment.

4. U.S. Poised to Seize More ‘Dark Fleet’ Tankers After Giant Venezuela Oil Bust

• Following the capture of the supertanker Skipper carrying sanctioned Venezuelan and Iranian crude, Washington is preparing operations against additional shadow-fleet tankers off Venezuela. The Trump administration argues the seizures enforce oil sanctions and choke off illicit revenue streams. Caracas calls the actions “international piracy,” and Moscow has publicly backed Venezuela, raising fears of a broader standoff at sea.

5. UN Environment Report Puts Yearly Cost of Ecological Damage at $45 Trillion

• The latest Global Environment Outlook from the UN Environment Programme estimates environmental degradation now costs the world about $45 trillion a year—roughly $5 billion every hour. Industrial agriculture and fossil-fuel production are identified as the biggest drivers of this economic damage. Authors warn that without deep reforms to food and energy systems and an end to harmful subsidies, societies face a slow but serious systemic collapse.