Flagship

Trump suggests Kyiv to blame for war

US President Donald Trump launched a stunning attack on Ukraine’s leader, suggesting Kyiv was to blame for Russia’s invasion and for failing to end the three-year war. The remarks worsened recently strained ties between the two countries and showed a marked contrast with the Biden administration’s support for Kyiv. That the comments followed talks between American and Russian officials which excluded Ukraine only served to increase Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s irritation: He said today the US president was living in a “disinformation space.” Trump also said he may meet with his Russian counterpart this month, in a sign of an accelerating rapprochement. “It looked like things couldn’t get any darker for Ukraine,” CNN wrote. “Then President Donald Trump spoke up.”

Europe races to strengthen Ukraine

European powers raced to strengthen Ukraine, as well as their own positions, amid fast-moving peace negotiations between the US and Russia. The European Union agreed new sanctions on Russia’s aluminum sector, while officials are reportedly preparing a €6 billion ($6.3 billion) arms package for Ukraine, and considering holding an emergency meeting of the bloc’s 27 nations. A growing number of EU members are also proposing either joint bonds to boost defense spending or putting boots on the ground in Ukraine. The veteran Singapore diplomat Kishore Mahbubani advocated the continent going further still and thinking “the unthinkable”: Considering strategic compacts with Moscow or Beijing, or even quitting NATO altogether.

Trump ups trade war threats

US President Donald Trump ramped up his threats of a trade war, telling reporters he was considering tariffs of 25% or more on cars, chips, and drugs. The warnings come after he floated penalties on imports of steel and aluminum as well as “reciprocal” tariffs on countries that impose levies on the US, along with potential restrictions on Washington’s biggest trading partners. Experts have debated the impact of Trump’s policies so far: One Natixis economist wrote that Southeast Asian countries stood to gain, Goldman Sachs’ chief economist said little had changed, while another prominent analyst warned that recent data suggested American consumers may bear the full brunt of tariffs.

Transatlantic ESG battles

Battles are brewing on both sides of the Atlantic over ESG-related corporate actions. In London, 48 institutional investors pushed for BP to give shareholders votes on any plans to dilute its climate goals, a challenge to efforts by a major activist hedge fund to force the oil and gas giant to divest itself of its green businesses, according to the Financial Times. And in the US, BlackRock called off scheduled meetings with companies following new regulatory guidance widely seen as eroding investors’ ability to pressure firms over their environmental, social, and governance issues — a bugbear of Republicans and increasingly a political landmine in the country — Semafor reported.

COVID pushed youth rightward

The COVID-19 pandemic reduced young people’s trust in authority and pushed them further to the right, a political writer argued. US youths have traditionally been progressive. But in 2024 they were nearly evenly split between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and Europe has seen a similar shift. One possible explanation is a global protest vote against inflation: Many incumbents were voted out in 2024 as prices soared. But Derek Thompson argued in The Atlantic that the pandemic reduced physical-world socialization, pushing young men in particular into online echo chambers: Thompson said that youths who experience pandemics “have less confidence in their scientific and political leadership,” which can persist for years because political ideology tends to solidify in one’s 20s.

Bolsonaro charged over alleged coup

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was charged with leading a plot to overthrow the government after his 2022 election loss, complicating his already slim chances of returning to power. Bolsonaro allegedly oversaw plans for a military coup that included assassinating current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the leader of the Supreme Court. Bolsonaro, who remains one of Brazil’s most popular political figures, lambasted the indictment as “the weaponization of the justice system” aimed at silencing his supporters, and compared himself to US President Donald Trump, from whom he has sought help. If convicted, Bolsonaro faces up to 40 years in prison.

China’s Pacific ‘salami slicing’

Chinese warships sailed within 150 miles (240 km) of Sydney as Beijing looks to project power further into the Pacific. A Chinese navy helicopter also flew within 10 feet (3 meters) of a Philippine patrol plane over the South China Sea on Tuesday, and last week a PLA fighter jet released flares in front of an Australian surveillance aircraft. Defense analysts told the Financial Times that “while US foreign policy is in flux,” China is trying to spread its influence further into the Pacific, where it has territorial disputes with several countries. China-watchers describe the strategy as “salami slicing” — expanding its sphere of influence bit by bit and testing international norms in small ways.

With a GOP trifecta now in power, calls for tax reform are swelling. Semafor’s Burgess Everett and Eleanor Mueller will explore the high-stakes debates shaping these proposals: How will Congress navigate tax cuts amid record deficits? Join Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D) Massachusetts, Ranking Member, Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Adam N. Michel, Director of Tax Policy Studies, Cato Institute; Natasha Sarin, Professor of Law and Finance, Yale University; and David Chavern, President and CEO, American Council of Life Insurers, for news-making discussions on the tax battles that could reshape Washington.

Mar. 6, 2025 | Washington, DC | RSVP

SAfrica due to present key budget

South Africa’s ruling coalition will today present a budget that could prove pivotal to its political future. The African National Congress was forced into a coalition for the first time last year, joining forces with the pro-business Democratic Alliance to govern. It followed decades of sole rule by the ANC during which the country’s borrowing more than doubled, while economic growth has stagnated recently. Now the DA is “requesting a serious effort” to reduce the debt burden if it is to remain in the coalition, The Economist wrote. Complicating matters further, Washington recently decided to suspend aid to South Africa in response to what it says are unfair land redistribution laws.

Pakistan readies for cricket tournament

Cricket’s ICC Champions Trophy begins today in Pakistan. It is the first time the South Asian nation has held a major international tournament since 1996, when it co-hosted the World Cup with India and Sri Lanka. The tournament begins with the hosts taking on New Zealand, but already eyes are on Sunday’s match with India, which — because India still refuses to play in Pakistan, partly because of security concerns — will take place in the UAE. The rivalry has a good claim to be the biggest in world sport, thanks to the bitter diplomatic relationship between the two countries, and their mutual obsession with cricket. Yet, as the sports editor of The Indian Express put it, “the end of them hosting each other is cricket’s greatest tragedy.”

Rats to help fight wildlife smuggling

Rats in Tanzania are being trained to prevent wildlife smuggling. The giant pouched rats will help detect pangolin scales, rhino horns, and elephant ivory, among other things. Despite their bad reputation, rats are highly intelligent and have an excellent sense of smell, making them extremely useful: They have previously helped to discover landmines, and more recently to detect tuberculosis, also in Tanzania. The giant pouched rat is a favorite for these projects since it lives for up to 10 years rather than the average two- to three-year life expectancy of most species. The rats are given a reward of avocado and banana each time they detect contraband, Mongabay reported.

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives in court to testify in his corruption trial.
• The head of IAEA visits Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
• Ferrari unveils its 2025 Formula 1 car.

The number of icebreakers owned by the US Coast Guard, limiting the agency’s ability to patrol increasingly contested passages in the Arctic. Once the world’s leading shipbuilder, US production of vessels has fallen sharply in recent decades, with the country not having produced a single icebreaker in at least a quarter-century. Although “the desperate need for ships” is a rare point of bipartisan agreement in Washington, the Financial Times’ Rana Foroohar wrote, “the most recent effort is five years behind schedule and wildly over budget.”

Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The Nigerian author’s first novel in more than a decade “is a magnificent achievement,” The Times of London’s chief literary critic gushed. The book — which follows four African women living on either side of the Atlantic — is “a big, noisy tale full of wit and compassion.” Pre-order Dream Count from your local bookstore.

Lori Chavez-DeRemer is going to need help from Rand Paul, Democrats, or both if she wants to become Donald Trump’s labor secretary, reports Semafor’s Burgess Everett.

Paul has called for Chavez-DeRemer to publicly renounce her past support for the pro-Union PRO Act, while Democrats, in response to Trump’s aggressive first weeks, are increasingly holding a harder line against any and all parts of his agenda: “I’m not supporting nominees as long as the lawlessness continues,” Sen. Andy Kim, told Semafor.