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International affairs

Today

As Trump sides with Putin, Europe’s urgent race to rearm

If the US military ships out, the Europeans will need speed, cohesion and piles of money – not exactly attributes they’re famous for.

Yesterday

Chinese frigate Hengyang was spotted 150 nautical miles off the coast of Sydney on February 11.

Defence ignored airlines’ pleas over Chinese warship live-fire incident

The Department of Defence initially refused to provide airlines with the location of the Chinese flotilla so that they could avoid the area during live fire exercises.

This Month

After President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected that initial text last week, Donald Trump called him a “dictator” and appeared to blame Ukraine for starting the war.

Ukraine agrees to minerals deal after US drops toughest demands

Kyiv is now ready to sign the pact on jointly developing its resources after Washington abandoned its wish for a right to $US500 billion in potential revenue.

In this photo made from video released by the Taiwan Coast Guard, Taiwanese Coast Guard vessels prepare to board Togolese-flagged cargo ship Hongtai suspected of severing an undersea communications cable in waters between its main island’s west coast and the outlying Penghu islands.

Taiwan detains Chinese-crewed ship after undersea cable severed

Taiwan is preparing for the worst in an escalating subsea infrastructure battle after authorities detained a Chinese-crewed cargo vessel suspected of sabotage.

WA Senator Fatima Payman attended a pro-regime event hosted by Western Sydney University, where she praised Iran’s “democratic process” and the fact that in Iran, women were allowed to participate in the workforce.

Fatima Payman’s backflip on Iranian women’s rights is a betrayal

I spent 804 days imprisoned in Iran. The senator’s surname means “alliance”, but to those of us who care about human rights in the Islamic Republic, an ally she is not.

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Arriving in Rarotonga feels like stepping into a living postcard.

Emboldened China signs Pacific mining deal amid Tasman naval drills

A minerals exploration deal between the superpower and the Cook Islands is Beijing’s latest push for influence in a region historically aligned to the West.

President Donald Trump meets France’s President Emmanuel Macron in the Oval Office.

Trump, Macron bromance: ‘We’re gonna get this’ Ukraine deal done

The French president wants to heal the trans-Atlantic relationship. Meanwhile, Trump says a deal on Ukraine’s minerals is imminent.

Tony Abbott speaks at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference in London.

Guess what shocked 4000 right-wingers in London about Australia

The conference dubbed “Woodstock for conservatives” displayed the growing confidence of the right, showing the shift in the Western intellectual landscape.

Christian Democratic Union leader Friedrich Merz is set to become the next German chancellor.

Germany’s new leader may face Trump with one hand tied behind his back

Friedrich Merz faces urgent economic and geopolitical crises. But to form a coalition he needs to turn foes into friends – and that will make it hard to govern.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) and US special envoy Keith Kellogg during their meeting in Kyiv.

‘Disgusting graft machine’: Musk backs Trump’s attacks on Zelensky

The rant came as Trump’s team swings behind his strategy of courting Russia, while Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer prepare to visit Washington.

It’s hard to see how the US-Russia deal won’t hand Ukraine to Putin on a platter.

Trump has smashed the Western alliance. Here’s what could happen next

With his broadsides against Ukraine, Trump has turned the world order on its head, leaving Europe reeling. Why is he doing it, and how can US allies respond?

Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump.

Trump warns Zelensky time is running out for Ukraine

The US president said his Ukrainian counterpart must move quickly to secure peace, and suggested he was prolonging the war to “ride the gravy train”.

People’s Liberation Army-Navy Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang has been spotted 150 nautical miles off the coast of Sydney.

‘Unprecedented’: Chinese warships seen 150 nautical miles from Sydney

Australian defence ships are monitoring the ships, which have sailed down the east coast in a big move from China to project power in the Pacific.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he “will not accept … any bilateral negotiations about Ukraine without us”.

Trump demands Zelensky hold elections if he wants peace deal

The US and Russia agreed to lay the groundwork for ending the conflict, something unthinkable a month ago. The Ukrainian president was excluded from the talks.

Scott Morrison and his wife, Jenny, spent New Year’s Eve with then-president-elect Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, at their Florida resort Mar-a-Lago.

Dutton is not playing Trump card, Morrison says

The former prime minister says the opposition leader isn’t trying to mimic the US president, and the Australian political system wouldn’t let him.

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Ready for trans-Atlantic fisticuffs? French President Emmanuel Macron.

Europeans fail to agree on troops for Ukraine as peace talks loom

French President Emmanuel Macron gathered key leaders for crisis talks, as Trump’s top advisers gathered for a summit in Riyadh with their Kremlin counterparts.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a joint news conference with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Netanyahu signals he’s transferring Palestinians from Gaza

The Israeli prime minister discussed the plan in Jerusalem with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said Hamas “must be eradicated”.

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles attends a meeting with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, not pictured, at the Pentagon, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

What if there is no way of Australia placating Trump?

The only certain thing is that the US president challenges all the assumptions Canberra has ever made about American security guarantees.

Vance meets German far-right leader amid election interference claims

The pair met after the US vice president controversially endorsed the AfD as a political partner ahead of Germany’s poll later this month.

US Vice-President JD Vance gives a keynote speech at the AI Summit in Paris.

‘We have to cut red tape and we will’: Europe talks big on AI

At a summit in Paris, Donald Trump’s vice president lays bare growing global divisions over promoting and policing AI while Europe looks to back winners.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/international-affairs-jfc