Wednesday briefing: The view from ​Russia as ​Trump upends the world order

In today’s newsletter: Pjotr Sauer explains Russia’s response to the new Trump administration following a fraught week in global relations

Good morning. In his address to Congress last night, Donald Trump recited a letter from Volodymyr Zelenskyy offering to return to the negotiating table – and warmly welcomed the tone of discussions his administration has held with Russia. “We’ve received strong signals that they are ready for peace,” he said. “Wouldn’t that be beautiful?”

That was not the first sign of Trump’s faith in Vladimir Putin’s promises – but it served to underline what is surely the most radical US foreign policy shift in a generation. Whether parroting Kremlin talking points on Zelenskyy’s democratic credentials, making false claims that Ukraine started the war or cutting off vital military aid to Kyiv, the US president has created a dynamic that would have scarcely been believable six months ago.

Killed women count | Nearly one in 10 of all women who died at the hands of men in the UK over the past 15 years were mothers killed by their sons, a report reveals. The statistics have led to calls for the government to take specific action to tackle matricide.

Tariffs | Justin Trudeau has claimed the aim of a “dumb” trade war launched by Donald Trump is to usher in the “complete collapse” of the Canadian economy and make it easier for the US to annex Canada. Leading stock market indices fell sharply, with the US benchmark S&P 500 losing all its post-election gains, as the US slapped 25% taxes on Canadian and Mexican goods and hiked tariffs on China.

Scams | An organised network operating from the former Soviet state of Georgia has scammed thousands of savers from the UK, Europe and Canada out of $35m (£27m) after they fell for fake celebrity adverts on Facebook and Google. The scheme was revealed in a leak of call centre data covering more than 1m recordings.

Gaza | Arab leaders have endorsed a $53bn (£42bn) plan to rebuild Gaza under the future administration of the Palestinian Authority (PA), in a rushed attempt to present an alternative to Donald Trump’s idea for a property development-style plan. The Arab League presented the plans at a summit in Cairo.

Media | Failings in the making of a documentary on Gaza are a “dagger to the heart” of the BBC’s claims of trustworthiness and impartiality, the corporation’s chair has said, as he indicated that figures inside the corporation had fallen short in their handling of the film.

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Trump softens tone on Zelenskyy but repeats threat to take over Greenland

President praises letter from Ukraine’s leader backing peace talks and says US will get Greenland ‘one way or another’

Donald Trump has said he appreciated Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s willingness to sign a minerals deal with the United States and come to the negotiating table to bring a lasting peace in Ukraine closer.

“Earlier today, I received an important letter from President Zelenskyy of Ukraine,” the US president said in a speech to Congress after last week’s disastrous meeting at the White House. Quoting from the letter, Trump said Zelenskyy told him that “Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians.”

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‘Two sessions’ 2025: Beijing to boost future tech, foreign investment, support Hong Kong – as it happened – South China Morning Post

  1. ‘Two sessions’ 2025: Beijing to boost future tech, foreign investment, support Hong Kong – as it happened  South China Morning Post
  2. China doubles down on AI and tech innovation as Trump ratchets up trade pressure  CNBC
  3. Beijing Ramps Up Efforts For Tech Independence - WSJ  The Wall Street Journal
  4. China says it will increase support for AI, science and tech innovation  Reuters
  5. In an innovation arms race, China blitzes as the US retreats  South China Morning Post
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Australia’s Steve Smith retires from one-day international cricket

  • Champions Trophy defeat sparks news for cricket great
  • ‘Test cricket remains a priority,’ says the 35-year-old

Australian great Steve Smith has quit one-day international cricket, but says prolonging his stellar Test career is a priority.

Smith told his teammates of his ODI retirement after captaining Australia to a Champions Trophy semi-final loss against India in Dubai. The 35-year-old signalled his intent to continue his Test career until at least the Ashes series against England in the next Australian summer. Smith will also continue to play Twenty20 internationals.

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Some British firms ‘stuck in neutral’ over AI, says Microsoft UK boss

Survey of bosses and staff finds that more than half of executives feel their organisation has no official AI plan

Some companies are “stuck in neutral” in their approach to artificial intelligence, according to Microsoft’s UK boss, who said a significant number of private and public sector organisations lack any formal AI strategy.

A Microsoft survey of nearly 1,500 UK senior leaders across public and private sectors, as well as 1,440 employees, found that more than half of executives feel their organisation has no official AI plan. Roughly the same proportion report a growing gap in productivity – a measure of economic efficiency – between employees who use AI and those who do not.

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London exhibition explores design based on needs of nature and animals

Curator of Design Museum show says ‘human-centric’ approach to design needs overhaul amid climate crisis

Designers need to “fundamentally rethink our relationship with the natural world”, according to the curator of a new exhibition which argues the needs of nature and animals should be considered when creating homes, buildings and products.

Justin McGuirk, the curator of the upcoming More Than Human exhibition at the Design Museum in London, said our current “human-centric” approach to design needs to be radically overhauled as the world adapts to the climate crisis.

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Rescuers find Philippine fighter jet’s wreckage and the bodies of 2 pilots deployed to fight rebels – The Associated Press

  1. Rescuers find Philippine fighter jet's wreckage and the bodies of 2 pilots deployed to fight rebels  The Associated Press
  2. Philippine fighter jet carrying 2 pilots goes missing during mission against insurgents in southern province  Fox News
  3. Fighter pilots and their jet lose contact during mission against insurgents  ABC News
  4. Philippine fighter jet goes missing during mission against rebels  Hindustan Times
  5. Philippine fighter jet and two pilots missing after rebel mission  Euronews
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U.S. designates Houthis a terrorist organization, reversing Biden move – The Washington Post

  1. U.S. designates Houthis a terrorist organization, reversing Biden move  The Washington Post
  2. Designation of Ansarallah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization  Department of State
  3. US designates Yemen’s Houthis as ‘foreign terrorist’ organisation  Al Jazeera English
  4. US implements designation of Yemen's Houthis as 'terrorist organization'  Reuters
  5. The fate awaiting the Houthi group after being redesignated as terrorists by US - opinion  The Jerusalem Post
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Row erupts in New Zealand parliament over use of Māori name Aotearoa

Dispute emerges after deputy prime minister Winston Peters questioned why MPs used the name Aotearoa in debates

The speaker of New Zealand’s parliament has told lawmakers to stop complaining about the use of the Māori name for the country, after the deputy prime minister strongly objected to hearing it in the house.

In a ruling on Tuesday, Gerry Brownlee said that while “New Zealand” is the official name, the Māori name “Aotearoa” is used widely, including on currency and passports.

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Trump declares administration ‘just getting started’ in address to Congress

President boasts about efforts to slash federal workforce and reorient foreign policy as Democrats protest from chamber

Donald Trump on Tuesday declared that his administration was “just getting started”, boasting in a marathon address to Congress that his efforts to slash the size of the federal workforce, reorient US foreign policy and escalate a risky trade war marked the beginning of the “most thrilling days in the history of our country” as Democratic lawmakers protested with placards that read “lies” and “false”.

“America is back,” Trump declared, opening his primetime speech to a joint session of Congress, the first of his second term and the longest in American history. Republicans broke into a boisterous chant of “USA”.

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China sets GDP target of 5% for 2025 amid tariff war with Trump

Economists believe that meeting the target will be challenging as Beijing grapples with Donald Trump’s new trade war

China has set its GDP target for 2025 at “around 5%”, a figure which was unveiled by Premier Li Qiang at the opening session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing on Wednesday.

Li announced the growth target in the annual government work report, which also outlined plans to stabilise economic growth by boosting domestic demand and creating 12m new urban jobs.

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China will increase its defense budget 7.2% this year – The Associated Press

  1. China will increase its defense budget 7.2% this year  The Associated Press
  2. China maintains defence spending increase at 7.2% amid roiling geopolitical tensions  Reuters
  3. China Ramps Up Spending on Its Military as US Looks to Cut Costs  Bloomberg
  4. Top Asian News 5:05 a.m. GMT  Yahoo
  5. China to raise defense spending by 7.2% in 2025 to ‘firmly safeguard’ national security  CNBC
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China to raise defense spending by 7.2% in 2025 to ‘firmly safeguard’ national security – CNBC

  1. China to raise defense spending by 7.2% in 2025 to ‘firmly safeguard’ national security  CNBC
  2. China will increase its defense budget 7.2% this year  The Associated Press
  3. 3x higher than India: At $245 billion, China hikes defence budget by 7.2%  The Times of India
  4. China Raises Military Budget as Trump Nominee Warns of 'Catastrophic' War  Newsweek
  5. China Orders Major Boost to Defense Spending  Foreign Policy
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AP PHOTOS: In Rio and beyond, Carnival brings euphoria and release to Brazilians – The Associated Press

  1. AP PHOTOS: In Rio and beyond, Carnival brings euphoria and release to Brazilians  The Associated Press
  2. The Rio Carnival street party where dogs parade as superheroes and cartoon characters  The Associated Press
  3. Mud-covered Carnival revelers are a strange sight in sleepy Brazilian town  Yahoo Life
  4. Brazil Carnival  Citrus County Chronicle
  5. Carnival celebrations in Brazil set to generate over $2 billion USD in revenue  Brazil
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