Ukraine ceasefire announcements. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced yesterday that Russia would observe a two-day ceasefire in Ukraine on Friday and Saturday, threatening a major attack if Kyiv disrupted its planned events to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media that Kyiv had not received a formal proposal about those dates and planned to observe a truce beginning at midnight tonight.
India’s state elections. India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a sweeping majority in the parliament of West Bengal—an opposition stronghold— following elections last month, results showed yesterday. It also grew its majority in Assam state and made small gains in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to focus on state elections after the BJP lost its national parliamentary majority in 2024. Opposition members accused election officials of unfairly purging voter rolls ahead of subsequent elections, while the BJP said the changes simply cleaned up data.
Carney’s trip to Europe. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney became the first non-European leader to attend a summit of the European Political Community yesterday, a group founded after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that includes EU countries and several others in the region. The international order “will be rebuilt out of Europe,” Carney said at the event. He also announced almost $200 million in new aid for Ukraine through a NATO-led program.
EU funding curbs for Chinese clean tech. The bloc announced a ban yesterday on public funding for Chinese inverters, a key part needed for solar energy installations. A European Commission spokesperson said foreign actors could use the technology to remotely access data and shut down energy systems across the EU. European, Japanese, and South Korean manufacturers also make the technology. China’s foreign ministry has said it does not aim to use its green technologies for political advantage.
Zambia’s stance on health funding. Zambia opposes a U.S. attempt to link potential agreements on healthcare and critical minerals access, the country’s foreign minister said yesterday. Washington’s proposed health aid deal included data-sharing terms that would have violated Zambians’ right to privacy and the critical minerals agreement required preferential treatment for U.S. companies, he said. The State Department has declined to comment on the terms of the deals.
Putin’s isolation. Putin has limited his movements and increased personal security measures since early March amid fears of an assassination attempt, per reports yesterday from the Financial Times and Russian investigative outlet Important Stories. The reports cited unnamed people close to Putin and a European intelligence briefing. Putin and his family have reportedly stopped visiting their Moscow residences, staffers are no longer permitted cell phones, and he is spending more time in bunkers.
Cambodia-Thailand tensions. Thailand exited a twenty-five-year-old joint offshore energy exploration agreement with Cambodia today, following the countries’ armed conflict last year. The deal allowed for exploration in areas where both countries have overlapping territorial claims. Cambodia said it would now seek to settle the maritime territorial dispute under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
U.S. visa bans for journalists. Costa Rica’s leading newspaper, La Nación, wrote yesterday that the Trump administration appeared to have revoked visas for its executives in retaliation for the paper’s “editorial stance,” calling the move “unprecedented.” The newspaper published reports in 2022 about sexual harassment allegations against now-President Rodrigo Chaves, who has aligned himself with Trump. Washington has also revoked visas for two opposition lawmakers critical of Chaves, a former Costa Rican president who partnered with China while in office, and several other officials and citizens. The State Department did not immediately comment.
