China’s Top General Accused of Giving Nuclear Secrets to U.S. 

Lingling Wei and Chun Han Wong | The Wall Street Journal  

China’s senior-most general is accused of leaking information about the country’s nuclear-weapons program to the U.S. and accepting bribes for official acts, including the promotion of an officer to defense minister, said people familiar with a high-level briefing on the allegations. The briefing—attended on Saturday morning by some of the military’s highest-ranking officers—came just before China’s Ministry of National Defense made the bombshell announcement of an investigation into Gen. Zhang Youxia, once considered Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s most-trusted military ally. That statement gave few details beyond a probe of severe violations of party discipline and state laws. 

‘All Options Are on the Table’: Assessing the International Legality of Nuclear Threats 

Anna Hood and Monique Cormier | Carnegie Endowment  

Since the dawn of the nuclear age, states with nuclear weapons have threatened to use them.1 Some threats have been specific and tangible, such as the Soviet Union threatening to use nuclear weapons against Britain, France, and Israel during the 1956 Suez Crisis. Some have been less explicit, such as the bluster by the United States and North Korea in 2018 goading each other about the size of their respective ‘nuclear buttons’. Other threats are more general, such as the tacit threat that underpins the doctrine of nuclear deterrence, or the implicit threat that emerges when a state increases its nuclear weapon stockpile. The paper considers the extent to which the general international legal regimes that govern all threats apply to nuclear threats.

Denmark open to ‘Golden Dome’ talks after Trump touts framework Greenland deal 

Sam Meredith | CNBC  

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Thursday welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s Greenland pivot, saying the country is prepared to hold talks with Washington on its vaunted “Golden Dome” missile defense plan. In a statement, Frederiksen said it was “good and natural” that the issue of Arctic security had been discussed between Trump and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Trump said Wednesday that he had secured a “framework” deal on Greenland, including access to mineral rights for the U.S. and its European allies as well as collaboration on the Golden Dome.  

Sweden weighs Franco-British nuclear weapons cooperation 

Jonas Olsson | Breaking Defense 

Sweden has had very early discussions with France and the United Kingdom about possible nuclear weapons cooperation, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has revealed. No concrete proposals or timelines for any cooperation were outlined, and Kristersson emphasized that talks remain preliminary in early stages. But his remarks to Sweden’s public broadcaster SVT mark a notable shift in tone on the sensitive issue in Sweden of nuclear deterrence in Europe.  They come amid broader debates about strengthening European security independence within NATO, particularly in light of uncertainties surrounding long-term US commitments and ongoing geopolitical tensions. 

Exclusive: Trump says Iran wants a deal as U.S. "armada" arrives 

Barak Ravid | Axios 

President Trump told Axios in an interview on Monday that the situation with Iran is "in flux" because he sent a "big armada" to the region but thinks Tehran genuinely wants to cut a deal. Trump came close to ordering a strike on regime targets in Iran earlier this month over the killing of thousands of protesters. Instead he delayed the decision while also moving military assets to the region. White House officials say an attack is still on the table, though the protests have largely been suppressed. ... At the same time, he said diplomacy remained an option. "They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions. They want to talk." 

Press Release: It is 85 seconds to midnight 

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists  

The Doomsday Clock was set at 85 seconds to midnight, the closest the Clock has ever been to midnight in its history. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Science and Security Board (SASB), which sets the Clock, called for urgent action to limit nuclear arsenals, create international guidelines on the use of AI, and form multilateral agreements to address global biological threats. Alexandra Bell, president and CEO, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, said: “The Doomsday Clock’s message cannot be clearer. Catastrophic risks are on the rise, cooperation is on the decline, and we are running out of time. Change is both necessary and possible, but the global community must demand swift action from their leaders.”