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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called his Oval Office talks with President Donald Trump "a good meeting," with licences for Patriot interceptor production on the table.

This comes as Finland closed part of its airspace over the risk of stray drones, and as Trump vented about Benjamin Netanyahu hours before hosting him at the White House.

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1️⃣ 🇫🇮🇷🇺 Finland closes airspace over drone risk: Finland's military closed a section of airspace and restricted maritime traffic off its southern coast near the Russian border, citing the risk of stray drones and the need to ensure safe countermeasures. Ukrainian long-range drones have wandered into Finnish, Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian airspace this year, with Kyiv and NATO blaming Russian signal jamming while Moscow accuses Ukraine of steering them across deliberately.

2️⃣ 🇺🇸🇮🇱 Trump vents about Netanyahu before meeting: President Donald Trump told Fox News he did not need "Bibi to tell me that" about intelligence on Iran's Pickaxe Mountain site, saying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised it because "he wants me to stay involved." Netanyahu entered the White House through a West Wing side door for their first meeting since they launched the war on February 28, with the session closed to press.

3️⃣ 🇺🇸🇨🇳 US ramps up anti-China spending worldwide: The Trump administration notified Congress it will spend $175.8 million replacing undersea telecommunications cables in the Caribbean and Central America to keep China out, according to the Associated Press. An internal State Department document proposes more than $340 million for over 50 further projects, reviving initiatives halted last year when DOGE dismantled USAID.

4️⃣ 🇮🇷 Iran publicly executes two Isfahan protesters: Iran publicly executed Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi and Abolfazl Sepahi Badjiani in Isfahan's Shahid Alikhani Square, the third and fourth of twelve men sentenced to death over January protests. UN experts had urged Tehran to halt the executions, saying convictions relied on confessions broadcast on state television and that sentencing twelve people in one closed hearing violated fair trial standards.

5️⃣ 🇮🇷🇸🇦 Iran talks Hormuz security with Gulf states: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi discussed the security of the Strait of Hormuz in separate calls with his Saudi and Omani counterparts, stressing "joint diplomatic efforts to establish stability in the region," according to a statement on his Telegram channel. The call with Faisal bin Farhan came after Saudi Arabia said it shot down drones launched at the kingdom by Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq.

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Major Story

🇺🇦🇺🇸 Zelenskyy reports positive Oval Office talks as Trump shifts

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with President Donald Trump at the White House and afterwards called it "a good meeting", thanking him for "everything we do together to protect the lives of Ukrainians and advance peace."

Zelenskyy said the two discussed licences for Patriot interceptor production and that their teams would arrange further communication, adding that he was grateful to the United States for its "firm support."

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have agreed to visit Kyiv for the first time, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Advisers said the meeting offered Zelenskyy his best chance since Trump's second term began to secure fresh military backing, with the Ukrainian leader having told the FT that Trump "wants to be where there's success."

The visit comes as Zelenskyy faces pressure at home over a sweeping reshuffle of his government and top military ranks, and as parts of Trump's base remain sceptical of long-term support for Kyiv.

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Other News

1️⃣ 🇹🇩 Chad withdraws from the ICC: Chad notified the UN Secretary-General it will leave the Rome Statute, calling the International Criminal Court's effectiveness "limited and uneven" and citing "egregious selectivity" in a court where nine of thirteen investigations concern African states. It is the fourth francophone African country to withdraw in under a year, and follows a US request that N'Djamena reconsider its membership.

2️⃣ 🇺🇸🇫🇷 US walks out on France at the UN: The US delegation walked out of a Security Council emergency meeting on Ukraine while France's ambassador Jerome Bonnafont was speaking, in protest at a French post saying "the US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore." The row began when Washington joined Russia and North Korea in voting against extending Volker Türk's term as UN human rights chief.

3️⃣ 🇱🇾 Tripoli erupts over 14-hour power cuts: Protesters blocked roads with burning tyres and shut state institutions across Tripoli as daily blackouts reached 14 hours in a heatwave touching 50C, demanding the removal of Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah's government. The demonstrations widened into calls to topple the rival administrations in both eastern and western Libya, which has not held a national election since 2014.

4️⃣ 🇵🇰 Kashmir officials allege election sabotage: Officials in Pakistan-administered Kashmir accused the outlawed Joint Awami Action Committee of trying to derail phased elections for the region's constitutional assembly, and alleged Pakistani Taliban militants had infiltrated a weeks-long protest camp. One paramilitary officer was killed and five security personnel wounded when masked protesters opened fire, with residents reporting low turnout in the first phase.

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