Ali Vaez
“At every stop of Mr. Trump's trip, Arab leaders urged him to find a negotiated settlement with Iran. The alternative is terrible for them. Iran with a bomb or Iran bombed both have bad consequences for the region.”
15 hours ago
Mina al-Lami
“Jihadist and hard-line Islamists inside and outside of Syria worry that Sharaa [Ahmed al-Sharaa] will sell out foreign fighters and normalize ties with Israel, and even crack down on Islamic projects in Syria. Nevertheless, hardliners are struggling to rally broader support, as the lifting of sanctions is widely seen as a major win for Sharaa, and a clear boost to his image and credibility as a political leader.”
15 hours ago
Hossein Derakhshan
“Iran needs to understand that this opportunity will not repeat itself and the lifting of primary and secondary sanctions is worth suspending uranium enrichment for 25 years, or even more!”
15 hours ago
Nicole Grajewski
“Russia exploited the fact that Syria remained sanctioned and that the United States and Europe were dragging their feet on sanctions removal. While the decision to lift sanctions is significant, it is not transformative as Syria still needs investment and there are outstanding issues between minorities and the government as well as the status of the Kurds. Iran, however, is pretty much out of the picture for now. They lack the economic capital to help with reconstruction and are viewed [by Syrians] much more negatively than Russia.”
16 hours ago
Jon B. Alterman
“Governments and publics throughout the gulf like Trump a lot. They feel Western liberals want to shame them on their domestic issues, everything from L.G.B.T. rights to abuse of migrant workers. While there certainly are rising liberal voices in the gulf, most people there see Trump as a common-sense, like-minded leader.”
16 hours ago
Andrew Leber
“The trip was intended to deliver a series of economic, diplomatic and public relations wins for the countries involved. Saudi Arabia got the opportunity to highlight the changing nature of its society and economy, and present itself as a leader in global affairs, both in terms of business opportunities and diplomacy. Mr. Trump got a trip that essentially could not go wrong for him. This was the one place that's guaranteed to give him a very enthusiastic, warm and tightly controlled welcome. If he went anywhere in Latin America, there would be protests. If he went anywhere in Europe, there would be protests. This is a place that's going to speak with him and deal with him on very transactional terms, that's going to put on a big show and where there's not going to be any domestic protests whatsoever.”
16 hours ago
Zeina Khodr
“At the opening of the Arab Summit in Baghdad, speaker after speaker has been talking about the desperate conditions under which Palestinians are living. There is a real fear among the Arab leaders that Israel plans to ethnically cleanse Gaza, resettle the Palestinians, and depopulate this whole region. This is why the statements we have been hearing since this morning are rejecting this plan, saying that the Palestinian people should remain on their own land. But it's Israel that's calling the shots, not these Arab leaders. Israel's actions in recent days - by stepping up the military offensive and talking about permanently staying in Gaza - are sending a message that it is not interested in ending the war. Many will say that unless they have the US on board to help end this war, the Arab states have very little leverage on Israel. The normalisation of relations with Israel is not on the table until Israel commits to Palestinian statehood, and the Arab states are using this as some sort of leverage.”
17 hours ago
Gideon Levy
“The possibility of Iran and the US reaching a nuclear agreement is a very hopeful development. Those who believe only in bombing Iran as the only solution, what can they do? Israel cannot go for an attack over Iran without at least American approval. And if there will be a deal, there will be no approval. And I think many lives will be saved, but Israel can do nothing about it.”
17 hours ago
Ali Vaez
“At every stop of Mr. Trump's trip, Arab leaders urged him to find a negotiated settlement with Iran. The alternative is terrible for them. Iran with a bomb or Iran bombed both have bad consequences for the region.”
15 hours ago
Mina al-Lami
“Jihadist and hard-line Islamists inside and outside of Syria worry that Sharaa [Ahmed al-Sharaa] will sell out foreign fighters and normalize ties with Israel, and even crack down on Islamic projects in Syria. Nevertheless, hardliners are struggling to rally broader support, as the lifting of sanctions is widely seen as a major win for Sharaa, and a clear boost to his image and credibility as a political leader.”
15 hours ago
Hossein Derakhshan
“Iran needs to understand that this opportunity will not repeat itself and the lifting of primary and secondary sanctions is worth suspending uranium enrichment for 25 years, or even more!”
15 hours ago
Nicole Grajewski
“Russia exploited the fact that Syria remained sanctioned and that the United States and Europe were dragging their feet on sanctions removal. While the decision to lift sanctions is significant, it is not transformative as Syria still needs investment and there are outstanding issues between minorities and the government as well as the status of the Kurds. Iran, however, is pretty much out of the picture for now. They lack the economic capital to help with reconstruction and are viewed [by Syrians] much more negatively than Russia.”
16 hours ago
Jon B. Alterman
“Governments and publics throughout the gulf like Trump a lot. They feel Western liberals want to shame them on their domestic issues, everything from L.G.B.T. rights to abuse of migrant workers. While there certainly are rising liberal voices in the gulf, most people there see Trump as a common-sense, like-minded leader.”
16 hours ago
Andrew Leber
“The trip was intended to deliver a series of economic, diplomatic and public relations wins for the countries involved. Saudi Arabia got the opportunity to highlight the changing nature of its society and economy, and present itself as a leader in global affairs, both in terms of business opportunities and diplomacy. Mr. Trump got a trip that essentially could not go wrong for him. This was the one place that's guaranteed to give him a very enthusiastic, warm and tightly controlled welcome. If he went anywhere in Latin America, there would be protests. If he went anywhere in Europe, there would be protests. This is a place that's going to speak with him and deal with him on very transactional terms, that's going to put on a big show and where there's not going to be any domestic protests whatsoever.”
16 hours ago
Zeina Khodr
“At the opening of the Arab Summit in Baghdad, speaker after speaker has been talking about the desperate conditions under which Palestinians are living. There is a real fear among the Arab leaders that Israel plans to ethnically cleanse Gaza, resettle the Palestinians, and depopulate this whole region. This is why the statements we have been hearing since this morning are rejecting this plan, saying that the Palestinian people should remain on their own land. But it's Israel that's calling the shots, not these Arab leaders. Israel's actions in recent days - by stepping up the military offensive and talking about permanently staying in Gaza - are sending a message that it is not interested in ending the war. Many will say that unless they have the US on board to help end this war, the Arab states have very little leverage on Israel. The normalisation of relations with Israel is not on the table until Israel commits to Palestinian statehood, and the Arab states are using this as some sort of leverage.”
17 hours ago
Gideon Levy
“The possibility of Iran and the US reaching a nuclear agreement is a very hopeful development. Those who believe only in bombing Iran as the only solution, what can they do? Israel cannot go for an attack over Iran without at least American approval. And if there will be a deal, there will be no approval. And I think many lives will be saved, but Israel can do nothing about it.”
17 hours ago
“Nobody could imagine a few years ago that one of the great democracies of the world would eliminate research programs on the pretext that the word 'diversity' appeared in its program. It was unthinkable that a nation whose economy depends so heavily on free science would commit such an error.”
“Now is not the right time to discuss the status of Crimea. Trump describes the situation de facto. Does this mean we should give Russia free rein? No. This is not the time to discuss the status of the peninsula and it is not for us to decide.”
“Everyone knows it is Russia alone that wants this war. Today it is clear that Russia alone wants to continue with it, showing its scorn for human life, international law and diplomatic efforts made by President Trump.”
“Our target is clear. It is to achieve peace and to do this, we need to get Ukraine in the best possible place. There will be a reassurance force operating in Ukraine representing several countries. It is not Russia that can decide if a reassurance force can be stationed in Ukraine.”
“The challenge after the fighting ends will be to provide Ukraine with guarantees against any return to war on its territory and guarantees for our own security.”
“It is imperative that this cease-fire be respected, and that it be lasting, in order to restore the security of the Lebanese and Israeli people. We would spare no effort to support the implementation of this agreement, including by helping the Lebanese army increase its presence in southern Lebanon. The deal should open the path to a cease-fire in Gaza.”
“We are very clearly entering a world of tariff wars. Europe still needs to figure out how we will be caught in the trade war between the U.S. and China.”
“He [Donald Trump] was elected by the American people. He will defend the American interests. The question is whether we are willing to defend the European interest. It is the only question. It is our priority.”
“At this decisive moment for Moldova and, together with it, for our Europe, I want to convey to the Moldovan citizens a message of courage and hope. The European way is that of freedom and democracy, the foundation of a common future. United we are stronger.”
“France wants to achieve an immediate ceasefire and open up the prospect of a political solution to the conflict. [It's] the only one that can bring about a fair and lasting peace and meet the security concerns of both people, that is why we are supporting the comprehensive proposal of the United States of America. After nine months of conflict, the situation in Rafah and the human consequences are unacceptable. It is not acceptable that Israel should not open all checkpoints to humanitarian aid as requested by the international community for months.”
“Tomorrow we will launch a new cooperation and announce the transfer of Mirage 2000 [jets], which help Ukraine protect its skies. We've always had the same philosophy, we help the Ukrainians to fight.”
“Ukrainian soil is being attacked from bases in Russia. So how do we explain to the Ukrainians that we're going to have to protect these towns and basically everything we're seeing around Kharkiv at the moment, if we tell them you are not allowed to hit the point from which the missiles are fired? We think that we should allow them to neutralize the military sites from which the missiles are fired and, basically, the military sites from which Ukraine is attacked. We must not allow them to hit other targets in Russia.”
“If the Russians were to break through the front lines, if there were a Ukrainian request [of sending ground troops to Ukraine], which is not the case today, we would legitimately have to ask ourselves this question.”
“There is a risk our Europe could die. We are not equipped to face the risks. Russia must not be allowed to win in Ukraine. Europeans should give preference to buying European military equipment. We must produce more, we must produce faster, and we must produce as Europeans.”
“There is no consensus at this stage ... to send troops on the ground. Nothing should be excluded. We will do everything that we must so that Russia does not win. Many people who say 'Never, never' today were the same people who said 'never tanks, never planes, never long-range missiles' two years ago. Let us have the humility to note that we have often been six to twelve months late. This was the objective of this evening's discussion: everything is possible if it is useful to achieve our objective.”