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Trump Can't End Iran War, So He Changes Subject
This was the week the Iran war stopped being a foreign-policy story for Americans and became a domestic one: inflation hit a three-year high of 4.2%, petrol is up 39% since the fighting began, and a hundred days in the average household is $750 poorer. The economy is somehow still adding jobs. But unable to end the war that is driving the prices, the president spent the week fighting on every other front instead — his own last election, naturalised citizens, China, and the spy law that briefs him each morning.
Weekly briefBritain Runs Out of Money for Defence and Order
John Healey's resignation as defence secretary was not an ordinary reshuffle: he walked out accusing Keir Starmer and the Treasury of refusing to pay for Britain's defence at the most dangerous moment since the Cold War, the week the entire fleet of attack submarines sat in dock. And as the state struggled to fund the things that keep a country safe abroad, it was visibly losing its grip on order at home — the Henry Nowak murder, riots in Belfast, a stabbing in a Manchester school. A government is meant to be able to do both. This one, this week, could do neither.
Weekly briefFrance Arming Europe as Politics Shift Against EU
France spent the week as Europe’s indispensable power — hosting the G7 at Évian, extending its nuclear umbrella to eight allies, presiding over Eurosatory, the West’s biggest arms fair. Yet a new poll put the far right’s Jordan Bardella on 35 percent for 2027, fifteen points clear, on a platform of calling the EU “obsolete” and halving France’s payments to it — and a July 7 court ruling may leave his party with no eligible candidate at all.
Weekly briefMerz Bets Germany's Future on Autonomy as US Pulls 5,000 Troops
Friedrich Merz has made his choice: a Germany less dependent on an America it no longer trusts. This week he absorbed the loss of 5,000 US troops pulled out over his criticism of the Iran war, killed the €100bn FCAS fighter jet with France, and offered Ukraine a seat inside the EU. It is a coherent bet on strategic autonomy. The catch is that the costs are arriving at home — a suspected extremist arson that blacked out 40,000 homes, and a record 85,837 politically motivated crimes — before the autonomy does.
Weekly briefUkraine Offers to Freeze War by Escalating Strikes
Ukraine spent the week doing two things that only look contradictory: offering to freeze the war and fighting it harder than ever. Zelenskyy signalled he would accept halting the conflict along the current front line, and Europe lined up behind him. At the same time his long-range drones set Russia's fuel system alight, spreading petrol shortages to 25 regions. The escalation is not at odds with the peace offer — it is what gives the offer its weight. Whether Moscow ever picks it up depends less on the talks than on how dry Russia's pumps run.
Weekly briefErdoğan Declares Turkey a 'Playmaker' at Security Conference
Erdoğan spent the week looking indispensable to the world — mediating between Washington and Tehran, branding Turkey a regional 'playmaker', and savaging Netanyahu over Gaza. It is real influence, and it has a domestic use. The more the West needs Ankara, the freer his hand at home, where he has jailed his strongest rival and hundreds of opposition officials and will host NATO's leaders next month behind 40,000 security personnel. The same assertiveness that makes Turkey useful to Washington also had its jets harassing European defence ministers off Cyprus.
Weekly briefAll Events
Every other event tracked today, with a one-line preview. Click Show summary to read more.
us49FBI foils plot to attack White House UFC event with drones and snipers
The FBI arrested five men on June 16, 2026, for allegedly plotting to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House on June 14 using explosive-laden drones and sniper teams. The suspects, recruited via a TikTok group called 'Vanguard of the Old Republic', planned to detonate drones over the arena to spark panic and then shoot fleeing crowds, targeting high-value individuals including President Trump, Vice President Vance, Israeli PM Netanyahu, and Elon Musk. The plot was uncovered after one suspect's mother alerted authorities to his large firearms purchases and extremist online communications. The suspects face charges of conspiracy to commit murder and other offenses, highlighting ongoing domestic security threats at high-profile events.
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FBI foils plot to attack White House UFC event with drones and snipers
The FBI arrested five men on June 16, 2026, for allegedly plotting to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House on June 14 using explosive-laden drones and sniper teams. The suspects, recruited via a TikTok group called 'Vanguard of the Old Republic', planned to detonate drones over the arena to spark panic and then shoot fleeing crowds, targeting high-value individuals including President Trump, Vice President Vance, Israeli PM Netanyahu, and Elon Musk. The plot was uncovered after one suspect's mother alerted authorities to his large firearms purchases and extremist online communications. The suspects face charges of conspiracy to commit murder and other offenses, highlighting ongoing domestic security threats at high-profile events.
The FBI arrested five men on June 16, 2026, for allegedly plotting to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House on June 14 using explosive-laden drones and sniper teams. The suspects, recruited via a TikTok group called 'Vanguard of the Old Republic', planned to detonate drones over the arena to spark panic and then shoot fleeing crowds, targeting high-value individuals including President Trump, Vice President Vance, Israeli PM Netanyahu, and Elon Musk. The plot was uncovered after one suspect's mother alerted authorities to his large firearms purchases and extremist online communications. The suspects face charges of conspiracy to commit murder and other offenses, highlighting ongoing domestic security threats at high-profile events.
ua49Ukraine launches largest drone attack on Moscow, hitting oil refinery and disrupting air travel
On June 17-18, 2026, Ukraine conducted its largest drone attack on Moscow since the start of the full-scale invasion, launching hundreds of drones targeting the Moscow Oil Refinery in Kapotnya, which supplies up to 40% of the capital's fuel. The attack caused multiple fires at the refinery, damage to shopping centers and residential buildings, and injured at least 17 people. All four Moscow airports were temporarily closed, disrupting over 500 flights. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov threatened continued massive strikes on Ukraine in response. Ukrainian President Zelensky framed the attack as retaliation for a Russian strike on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and called for increased Western sanctions and diplomatic steps to end the war. The attack underscores Ukraine's growing long-range strike capability and the war's direct impact on the Russian capital.
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Ukraine launches largest drone attack on Moscow, hitting oil refinery and disrupting air travel
On June 17-18, 2026, Ukraine conducted its largest drone attack on Moscow since the start of the full-scale invasion, launching hundreds of drones targeting the Moscow Oil Refinery in Kapotnya, which supplies up to 40% of the capital's fuel. The attack caused multiple fires at the refinery, damage to shopping centers and residential buildings, and injured at least 17 people. All four Moscow airports were temporarily closed, disrupting over 500 flights. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov threatened continued massive strikes on Ukraine in response. Ukrainian President Zelensky framed the attack as retaliation for a Russian strike on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and called for increased Western sanctions and diplomatic steps to end the war. The attack underscores Ukraine's growing long-range strike capability and the war's direct impact on the Russian capital.
On June 17-18, 2026, Ukraine conducted its largest drone attack on Moscow since the start of the full-scale invasion, launching hundreds of drones targeting the Moscow Oil Refinery in Kapotnya, which supplies up to 40% of the capital's fuel. The attack caused multiple fires at the refinery, damage to shopping centers and residential buildings, and injured at least 17 people. All four Moscow airports were temporarily closed, disrupting over 500 flights. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov threatened continued massive strikes on Ukraine in response. Ukrainian President Zelensky framed the attack as retaliation for a Russian strike on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and called for increased Western sanctions and diplomatic steps to end the war. The attack underscores Ukraine's growing long-range strike capability and the war's direct impact on the Russian capital.
gb48Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich fires warning shots at British yacht in English Channel
On June 16, 2026, the Russian Black Sea Fleet frigate Admiral Grigorovich fired warning shots at a British-flagged yacht approximately 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel. The yacht, operated by a retired British couple, had drifted toward the warship in foggy conditions. The Russian Defence Ministry stated the yacht was on a 'dangerous approach' and that warning shots were fired after radio and flare attempts failed. The UK Ministry of Defence described it as an isolated incident, unrelated to the recent boarding of a Russian shadow fleet tanker by Royal Marines. No injuries or damage were reported, and the Royal Navy is investigating.
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Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich fires warning shots at British yacht in English Channel
On June 16, 2026, the Russian Black Sea Fleet frigate Admiral Grigorovich fired warning shots at a British-flagged yacht approximately 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel. The yacht, operated by a retired British couple, had drifted toward the warship in foggy conditions. The Russian Defence Ministry stated the yacht was on a 'dangerous approach' and that warning shots were fired after radio and flare attempts failed. The UK Ministry of Defence described it as an isolated incident, unrelated to the recent boarding of a Russian shadow fleet tanker by Royal Marines. No injuries or damage were reported, and the Royal Navy is investigating.
On June 16, 2026, the Russian Black Sea Fleet frigate Admiral Grigorovich fired warning shots at a British-flagged yacht approximately 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel. The yacht, operated by a retired British couple, had drifted toward the warship in foggy conditions. The Russian Defence Ministry stated the yacht was on a 'dangerous approach' and that warning shots were fired after radio and flare attempts failed. The UK Ministry of Defence described it as an isolated incident, unrelated to the recent boarding of a Russian shadow fleet tanker by Royal Marines. No injuries or damage were reported, and the Royal Navy is investigating.
ua46Russia orders intensified FPV drone strikes on Zaporizhzhia civilians; separate strikes kill two in Dnipro and Nikopol
Ukraine's GUR reported that Russia's 58th Army has been ordered to intensify FPV drone strikes on civilian targets in Zaporizhzhia, with promises of increased kamikaze drone supplies, aiming to terrorize the population amid rising Russian casualties and lack of battlefield progress. Over the past 24 hours, Russian forces conducted 896 strikes on 45 settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region, wounding three people. On June 18, Russian ballistic missile strikes on Dnipro killed one and injured 11, damaging a private business, while FPV drone attacks in Nikopol killed one and wounded four. These attacks are part of a broader wave of Russian drone strikes across Ukraine, including in Kherson (killing one, injuring two medics), Balakliya (wounding eight, including two children), and Kirovohrad (killing over 20 cattle). Ukraine's Air Force reported Russia launched 132 drones and two ballistic missiles overnight, with 114 intercepted.
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Russia orders intensified FPV drone strikes on Zaporizhzhia civilians; separate strikes kill two in Dnipro and Nikopol
Ukraine's GUR reported that Russia's 58th Army has been ordered to intensify FPV drone strikes on civilian targets in Zaporizhzhia, with promises of increased kamikaze drone supplies, aiming to terrorize the population amid rising Russian casualties and lack of battlefield progress. Over the past 24 hours, Russian forces conducted 896 strikes on 45 settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region, wounding three people. On June 18, Russian ballistic missile strikes on Dnipro killed one and injured 11, damaging a private business, while FPV drone attacks in Nikopol killed one and wounded four. These attacks are part of a broader wave of Russian drone strikes across Ukraine, including in Kherson (killing one, injuring two medics), Balakliya (wounding eight, including two children), and Kirovohrad (killing over 20 cattle). Ukraine's Air Force reported Russia launched 132 drones and two ballistic missiles overnight, with 114 intercepted.
Ukraine's GUR reported that Russia's 58th Army has been ordered to intensify FPV drone strikes on civilian targets in Zaporizhzhia, with promises of increased kamikaze drone supplies, aiming to terrorize the population amid rising Russian casualties and lack of battlefield progress. Over the past 24 hours, Russian forces conducted 896 strikes on 45 settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region, wounding three people. On June 18, Russian ballistic missile strikes on Dnipro killed one and injured 11, damaging a private business, while FPV drone attacks in Nikopol killed one and wounded four. These attacks are part of a broader wave of Russian drone strikes across Ukraine, including in Kherson (killing one, injuring two medics), Balakliya (wounding eight, including two children), and Kirovohrad (killing over 20 cattle). Ukraine's Air Force reported Russia launched 132 drones and two ballistic missiles overnight, with 114 intercepted.
tr46Turkey's state trusteeship over private companies reaches record scale, raising investment concerns
Turkey's use of court-appointed trustees to oversee private companies has expanded to over 1,100 firms, with the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) controlling assets approaching 1 trillion lira and employing nearly 50,000 people. The system, initially built against Gülen movement assets, is now deployed against political opponents like jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, whose construction company was seized in March 2025 and 52 connected companies placed under trusteeship by June 2025. Critics warn the practice undermines property rights and judicial independence, potentially deterring foreign investment including BYD's planned manufacturing project.
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Turkey's state trusteeship over private companies reaches record scale, raising investment concerns
Turkey's use of court-appointed trustees to oversee private companies has expanded to over 1,100 firms, with the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) controlling assets approaching 1 trillion lira and employing nearly 50,000 people. The system, initially built against Gülen movement assets, is now deployed against political opponents like jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, whose construction company was seized in March 2025 and 52 connected companies placed under trusteeship by June 2025. Critics warn the practice undermines property rights and judicial independence, potentially deterring foreign investment including BYD's planned manufacturing project.
Turkey's use of court-appointed trustees to oversee private companies has expanded to over 1,100 firms, with the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) controlling assets approaching 1 trillion lira and employing nearly 50,000 people. The system, initially built against Gülen movement assets, is now deployed against political opponents like jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, whose construction company was seized in March 2025 and 52 connected companies placed under trusteeship by June 2025. Critics warn the practice undermines property rights and judicial independence, potentially deterring foreign investment including BYD's planned manufacturing project.
fr45Jordan Bardella shifts RN's international line ahead of Le Pen ineligibility ruling
As the Paris appeals court's July 7 decision on Marine Le Pen's eligibility approaches, Jordan Bardella is positioning himself as the RN candidate by expanding media engagement and diplomatic outreach. In a new development, Bardella is shifting the party's international line away from its pro-Russian tendencies, pursuing a more pragmatic foreign policy, including a trip to Poland this Wednesday. This distancing from the previous pro-Russian stance occurs while awaiting the July 7 ruling on Le Pen's ineligibility that will determine his political future.
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Jordan Bardella shifts RN's international line ahead of Le Pen ineligibility ruling
As the Paris appeals court's July 7 decision on Marine Le Pen's eligibility approaches, Jordan Bardella is positioning himself as the RN candidate by expanding media engagement and diplomatic outreach. In a new development, Bardella is shifting the party's international line away from its pro-Russian tendencies, pursuing a more pragmatic foreign policy, including a trip to Poland this Wednesday. This distancing from the previous pro-Russian stance occurs while awaiting the July 7 ruling on Le Pen's ineligibility that will determine his political future.
As the Paris appeals court's July 7 decision on Marine Le Pen's eligibility approaches, Jordan Bardella is positioning himself as the RN candidate by expanding media engagement and diplomatic outreach. In a new development, Bardella is shifting the party's international line away from its pro-Russian tendencies, pursuing a more pragmatic foreign policy, including a trip to Poland this Wednesday. This distancing from the previous pro-Russian stance occurs while awaiting the July 7 ruling on Le Pen's ineligibility that will determine his political future.
ua44Ukraine intensifies strikes on Crimea and Russian military targets, kills general in Moscow
Background: Ukraine has been conducting long-range drone and missile strikes on Russian military and logistics targets. New development: Ukraine's middle-strike campaign against Russian logistics in Crimea gained momentum, with drone attacks damaging the last major road link into the peninsula near Armiansk and Perekop. Long-range strikes hit a military electronics plant in Cheboksary using Flamingo missiles, and a shadow tanker in the Black Sea. A car bomb in Moscow killed a senior Russian general responsible for ammunition supply. Germany contracted Planet Labs to provide satellite imagery to Ukraine after US intelligence cuts. Diehl Defence offered to sell advanced missile seekers to Ukrainian manufacturer Fire Point.
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Ukraine intensifies strikes on Crimea and Russian military targets, kills general in Moscow
Background: Ukraine has been conducting long-range drone and missile strikes on Russian military and logistics targets. New development: Ukraine's middle-strike campaign against Russian logistics in Crimea gained momentum, with drone attacks damaging the last major road link into the peninsula near Armiansk and Perekop. Long-range strikes hit a military electronics plant in Cheboksary using Flamingo missiles, and a shadow tanker in the Black Sea. A car bomb in Moscow killed a senior Russian general responsible for ammunition supply. Germany contracted Planet Labs to provide satellite imagery to Ukraine after US intelligence cuts. Diehl Defence offered to sell advanced missile seekers to Ukrainian manufacturer Fire Point.
Background: Ukraine has been conducting long-range drone and missile strikes on Russian military and logistics targets. New development: Ukraine's middle-strike campaign against Russian logistics in Crimea gained momentum, with drone attacks damaging the last major road link into the peninsula near Armiansk and Perekop. Long-range strikes hit a military electronics plant in Cheboksary using Flamingo missiles, and a shadow tanker in the Black Sea. A car bomb in Moscow killed a senior Russian general responsible for ammunition supply. Germany contracted Planet Labs to provide satellite imagery to Ukraine after US intelligence cuts. Diehl Defence offered to sell advanced missile seekers to Ukrainian manufacturer Fire Point.
de44German municipal financial crisis threatens democratic trust, officials warn
A SWR investigation reveals that 95% of German municipalities with over 50,000 residents expect unbalanced budgets in 2026, up from 25% in 2022. Mayors and federal officials warn the deepening fiscal crisis—driven by rising social spending and tariff costs—is eroding public trust in democracy. Citizens report feeling the impact of cuts to services, and experts see a link between chronic municipal underfunding and the rise of political extremism.
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German municipal financial crisis threatens democratic trust, officials warn
A SWR investigation reveals that 95% of German municipalities with over 50,000 residents expect unbalanced budgets in 2026, up from 25% in 2022. Mayors and federal officials warn the deepening fiscal crisis—driven by rising social spending and tariff costs—is eroding public trust in democracy. Citizens report feeling the impact of cuts to services, and experts see a link between chronic municipal underfunding and the rise of political extremism.
A SWR investigation reveals that 95% of German municipalities with over 50,000 residents expect unbalanced budgets in 2026, up from 25% in 2022. Mayors and federal officials warn the deepening fiscal crisis—driven by rising social spending and tariff costs—is eroding public trust in democracy. Citizens report feeling the impact of cuts to services, and experts see a link between chronic municipal underfunding and the rise of political extremism.
ua43Ukraine's elite drone units lead 'middle strike' campaign against Russian logistics in occupied south
Background: Ukraine has organized its drone operations into three concentric zones in occupied southern Ukraine to disrupt Russian logistics. New development: Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) are conducting a sustained 'middle strike' campaign using about 10 elite drone units, including the 1st Separate Center, 414th Brigade 'Ptakhi Madyara' (with sub-units Kairos and Wormbusters), 20th Brigade 'K-2', 412th Brigade 'Nemesis', 413th Brigade 'Raid', 422nd Regiment 'Luftwaffe', 41st Regiment 'Pilum', and 475th Separate Assault Regiment 'Code 9.2', to attack Russian military logistics, air defenses, and infrastructure in occupied southern Ukraine and Crimea. The campaign has destroyed hundreds of fuel trucks and disrupted supply chains across an area the size of Belgium. The cluster provides detailed profiles of these units, their commanders, and their specific operational roles. It also notes that Ukraine's 2023 counteroffensive failed to break Russia's land bridge to Crimea, but the current drone campaign is achieving that goal by isolating Russian forces and creating conditions for a potential withdrawal similar to Kherson in 2022.
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Ukraine's elite drone units lead 'middle strike' campaign against Russian logistics in occupied south
Background: Ukraine has organized its drone operations into three concentric zones in occupied southern Ukraine to disrupt Russian logistics. New development: Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) are conducting a sustained 'middle strike' campaign using about 10 elite drone units, including the 1st Separate Center, 414th Brigade 'Ptakhi Madyara' (with sub-units Kairos and Wormbusters), 20th Brigade 'K-2', 412th Brigade 'Nemesis', 413th Brigade 'Raid', 422nd Regiment 'Luftwaffe', 41st Regiment 'Pilum', and 475th Separate Assault Regiment 'Code 9.2', to attack Russian military logistics, air defenses, and infrastructure in occupied southern Ukraine and Crimea. The campaign has destroyed hundreds of fuel trucks and disrupted supply chains across an area the size of Belgium. The cluster provides detailed profiles of these units, their commanders, and their specific operational roles. It also notes that Ukraine's 2023 counteroffensive failed to break Russia's land bridge to Crimea, but the current drone campaign is achieving that goal by isolating Russian forces and creating conditions for a potential withdrawal similar to Kherson in 2022.
Background: Ukraine has organized its drone operations into three concentric zones in occupied southern Ukraine to disrupt Russian logistics. New development: Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) are conducting a sustained 'middle strike' campaign using about 10 elite drone units, including the 1st Separate Center, 414th Brigade 'Ptakhi Madyara' (with sub-units Kairos and Wormbusters), 20th Brigade 'K-2', 412th Brigade 'Nemesis', 413th Brigade 'Raid', 422nd Regiment 'Luftwaffe', 41st Regiment 'Pilum', and 475th Separate Assault Regiment 'Code 9.2', to attack Russian military logistics, air defenses, and infrastructure in occupied southern Ukraine and Crimea. The campaign has destroyed hundreds of fuel trucks and disrupted supply chains across an area the size of Belgium. The cluster provides detailed profiles of these units, their commanders, and their specific operational roles. It also notes that Ukraine's 2023 counteroffensive failed to break Russia's land bridge to Crimea, but the current drone campaign is achieving that goal by isolating Russian forces and creating conditions for a potential withdrawal similar to Kherson in 2022.
de43Analysis: Merz's international alliances strained with Macron, pragmatic with Meloni, cautious with Trump, close with Starmer
An analysis of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's foreign relations reveals divergent dynamics. Relations with French President Macron have cooled significantly, leading to the collapse of the FCAS fighter jet project. Merz has built a pragmatic partnership with Italian PM Meloni on EU reform and trade disputes. His efforts to cultivate ties with US President Trump have been strained after Merz criticized the Iran war, prompting a furious response from Trump. He maintains close cooperation with UK PM Starmer on Ukraine support and EU-UK rapprochement. Both Merz and Starmer face political pressure from right-wing parties (AfD and Reform UK).
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Analysis: Merz's international alliances strained with Macron, pragmatic with Meloni, cautious with Trump, close with Starmer
An analysis of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's foreign relations reveals divergent dynamics. Relations with French President Macron have cooled significantly, leading to the collapse of the FCAS fighter jet project. Merz has built a pragmatic partnership with Italian PM Meloni on EU reform and trade disputes. His efforts to cultivate ties with US President Trump have been strained after Merz criticized the Iran war, prompting a furious response from Trump. He maintains close cooperation with UK PM Starmer on Ukraine support and EU-UK rapprochement. Both Merz and Starmer face political pressure from right-wing parties (AfD and Reform UK).
An analysis of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's foreign relations reveals divergent dynamics. Relations with French President Macron have cooled significantly, leading to the collapse of the FCAS fighter jet project. Merz has built a pragmatic partnership with Italian PM Meloni on EU reform and trade disputes. His efforts to cultivate ties with US President Trump have been strained after Merz criticized the Iran war, prompting a furious response from Trump. He maintains close cooperation with UK PM Starmer on Ukraine support and EU-UK rapprochement. Both Merz and Starmer face political pressure from right-wing parties (AfD and Reform UK).