Takaichi’s White House visit. Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae exchanged praise during Takaichi’s first White House visit yesterday, though Trump criticized Japan earlier in the week for refusing to send military assets to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz. Takaichi told reporters she had explained to Trump the constitutional limits on Japan’s use of force overseas. Japanese firms will invest up to $73 billion in U.S. nuclear and natural gas facilities as part of a trade and investment deal reached last year, the White House said.
U.S. arms sales to Mideast. The State Department announced yesterday it had approved more than $16 billion in potential arms sales to Jordan, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. Citing emergency circumstances, it waived the normal requirement for Congress to review the sales. All three countries have been attacked by Iran this month in the ongoing war.
Military planning on Greenland. In response to Trump’s repeated threats to acquire Greenland, Danish troops were deployed in January to the territory with blood supplies and explosives to destroy airport runways in case of a U.S. invasion, Danish public broadcaster DR reported. It cited unnamed Danish, French, and German officials. U.S.-Denmark tensions have since abated and are being handled through negotiations.
Belarus prisoner release. Belarus agreed yesterday to free two hundred and fifty political prisoners as part of a deal with the United States that would lift sanctions on three Belarussian companies that export a key fertilizer ingredient. The near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused a global fertilizer supply crunch. The United States, which heavily sanctioned Belarus for supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine, has increased its diplomatic engagement with the country in the last two years.
UK foreign aid cuts. The UK government announced plans to cut the amount of direct foreign aid it provides to Middle Eastern and African countries by more than 50 percent over a four-year period. The budget cuts are meant to offset a boost in military spending. The Center for Global Development said that the UK’s overall foreign aid cuts are now proportionally deeper than those in the United States.
Hungary, Slovakia block Ukraine aid. At a European Council summit yesterday, Hungary and Slovakia blocked a more than $100 billion loan for Ukraine. They cited a dispute over a damaged Ukrainian pipeline that normally transports Russian oil to Central Europe—even though Ukraine said this week it would fix the pipeline. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called Hungary’s opposition “a gross act of disloyalty.”
Thailand’s PM reelected. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, a conservative loyal to Thailand’s monarchy, was overwhelmingly reelected yesterday. Anutin’s party gained parliamentary seats in last month’s snap election, which Anutin had ordered amid a border war with Cambodia and an upsurge in nationalist sentiment. He is the first prime minister to be reelected in twenty years.
Chad’s reinforcements in Haiti. Chad will send eight hundred members of its security forces to Haiti this year as part of an international force to combat violence in the country, an unnamed Chadian police official told Reuters. The UN Security Council approved the mission last year, though full details of its composition have yet to be publicly confirmed. Some Kenyan officers from the current, smaller Kenyan-led mission in Haiti returned to Nairobi earlier this week.
