Rym Momtaz | Strategic Europe, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Confronted with a U.S. disengagement and the Russian threat, Europeans are reconsidering their stance on nuclear deterrence. Given the capabilities of the French and British arsenals, can Europe develop an independent nuclear deterrent?
Barak Ravid | Axios
The White House is seriously considering an Iranian proposal for indirect nuclear talks, while at the same time significantly boosting U.S. forces in the Middle East in case President Trump opts for military strikes, two U.S. officials tell Axios… The U.S. official said the Trump administration thinks direct talks would have a higher chance of success, but isn't ruling out the format the Iranians proposed and doesn't object to the Omanis serving as mediators between the countries, as the Gulf state has in the past.
Reuters
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, the situation on the Korean Peninsula as well as Iran's nuclear program, the Russian foreign ministry said late on Tuesday…" (The ministers) touched on individual regional issues related to the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Iran's nuclear program, the state of affairs in Central Asia," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement, without providing further detail.
Tony Capaccio and Roxana Tiron | Bloomberg
Beijing’s ambitions in space pose “an incredible threat,” targeting satellites as first to be shot down in any conflict between the US and China, the head of the US Space Force warned Thursday. “Because of space’s global nature and its integration into almost every aspect of modern life, the consequences will be immediate and significant,” General Chance Saltzman said in prepared testimony for the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
Kwak Yeon-soo | The Korea Times
U.S. President Donald Trump signaled his interest Monday (local time) in restarting talks with North Korea, calling it a “nuclear nation” and revealing there is communication with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. His remarks came in response to a reporter’s question about whether the U.S. may reach out to North Korea. Calling North Korea a “big nuclear nation” and Kim a “smart guy,” Trump said, “We have a great relationship, and yeah, we have ... there is communication.”
Isabel van Brugen and Yevgeny Kuklychev | Newsweek
A Russian Tu-22M3 supersonic bomber aircraft crashed in Siberia, killing the pilot, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The aircraft was conducting a scheduled flight when it crashed in Siberia's Irkutsk region, the ministry was cited by state-run news agency Tass as saying. The crash is believed to have been caused by a technical malfunction.