Germany’s new defense strategy. Germany released its first national security strategy since World War II yesterday. In it, the country pledged to take more responsibility for Europe’s defense and called Russia the “greatest immediate threat for freedom and security” in Germany and the Euro-Atlantic region.
Hungary greenlights Ukraine aid. The EU gave preliminary approval for a $106 billion loan to Ukraine yesterday after Hungary lifted its veto. Hungary’s shift followed outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s recent election loss and the restoration of fuel deliveries to Hungary through the Druzhba pipeline, which crosses Ukraine and had been damaged in the war.
Russia blocks oil to Germany. Despite the repairs, Russia will block the flow of oil from Kazakhstan in a portion of the Druzhba pipeline that supplies a major German refinery serving Berlin and the surrounding area, the German government said yesterday. An unnamed Kazakh official told the Financial Times the move was meant to pressure Germany and the EU, though a Russian official and the Kazakh energy minister cited technical reasons.
Traffic surge at Panama canal. Prices for the most commonly used shipping lanes in the Panama canal have reached record highs as companies look for alternatives to Middle East shipping routes. While some slots to transit the canal are pre-booked, others are sold at auction, where prices have jumped almost tenfold since the start of the Iran war, according to data compiled by industrial news site Argus Media.
Peru-U.S. fighter jet deal. Peru made its first payments for U.S. F-16 fighter jets yesterday following the resignation of two cabinet members opposed to a delay in the deal. Interim President José Maria Balcázar had sought to hand the final decision on the deal to his successor, sparking pushback from Washington and some of his cabinet members. The U.S. embassy in Peru said Lima’s temporary delay was not the right way to “do serious, credible business.”
U.S.-Eritrea ties. A U.S. official told Eritrean officials the United States plans to lift sanctions on the country as part of a rapprochement in relations, unnamed current and former U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal. Eritrea’s Red Sea coastline offers strategic access to a different Middle East oil shipping route than the Strait of Hormuz.
Duterte’s ICC trial advances. The International Criminal Court (ICC) said today that former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will stand trial for alleged crimes against humanity committed between 2011 and 2019. Prosecutors say Duterte was responsible for Philippine security forces’ killings of civilians during that period. Today’s announcement followed a pre-trial hearing. Duterte’s lawyers have argued he is cognitively unfit to stand trial.
Deportations to Paraguay. Paraguay today became the latest country to receive third-country deportees from the United States as sixteen migrants were flown in. The Trump administration has struck similar deportation deals with multiple countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Eswatini, and South Sudan. The administration has spent at least $40 million on arrangements for third-country deportations, a report from Senate Foreign Relations committee Democrats estimated in February.
