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.”
16 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!”
16 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.”
16 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!”
16 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
“I think Putin made a mistake by sending a low-level delegation with this historian leading the delegation, who was also there in the talks in 2022. The ball is clearly in his part of the field now, in his court. He has to play ball. He has to be serious about wanting peace. So I think all the pressure is now on Putin.”
“Ukraine's people have endured so much - not least Russia's Palm Sunday attack on Sumy. NATO support is unwavering. We will continue to help Ukraine so it can defend today and deter future aggression, ensuring a just and lasting peace.”
“I know there has been some tough language. I know that there have been allies, for example, this side of the pond being worried about the long-term commitment of the U.S. to NATO. The Americans have stated again and again, 'We are committed to NATO. We are committed to Article 5'.”
“When it comes to the defence of Poland and the general defence of NATO territory, if anyone were to miscalculate and think they can get away with an attack on Poland or on any other Ally, they will be met with the full force of this fierce Alliance. Our reaction will be devastating. This should be very clear to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, and anyone else who wants to attack us.”
“I am absolutely convinced that we can deal with these issues, and there are always issues between allies. There are always issues, sometimes bigger, sometimes smaller. But I'm absolutely convinced that will not get in the way of our collective determination to keep our deterrence strong.”
“On average, European countries easily spend up to a quarter of their national income on pensions, health and social security systems, and we need only a small fraction of that money to make defense much stronger. The final NATO spending target might be around 3.6 or 3.7 percent of GDP unless they do a better job of joint buying of weapons and equipment, as well as innovation. Even if that happens, defense budgets will be impressively more than the 2 percent. We are safe now, but not in four or five years. If spending doesn't go up Europeans should get out their Russian language courses or go to New Zealand. I'm deeply concerned about the security situation in Europe. We are not at war, but we are not at peace either ... That means we need to invest more in defense and produce more capabilities. This cannot wait. We need to boost the resilience of our societies and critical infrastructure.”
“Today, I can announce that NATO is launching Baltic Sentry under the authority of NATO supreme allied commander. This military activity is part of our ongoing effort to enhance maritime presence and monitoring of key areas for our alliance. We have agreed today to launch an initiative to employ and deploy new technologies to this effort, including a small fleet of naval drones to provide enhanced surveillance and deterrence. Across the alliance, we have seen elements of a campaign to destabilize our societies through cyberattacks, assassination attempts, and sabotage, including possible sabotage of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea. We are also working with allies to integrate their national surveillance assets with NATO, ensuring comprehensive threat detection. Ship captains must understand that potential threats to our infrastructure will have consequences, including possible boarding, impounding, and arrest.”
“Russia is preparing for long-term confrontation, with Ukraine and with us. We are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years. It is time to shift to a wartime mindset, and turbocharge our defense production and defence spending. During the Cold War, Europeans spent far more than 3% of their GDP on defense. We are going to need a lot more than 2%.”
“There was a clear agreement around the table last night that to help Ukraine, particularly with its infrastructure, has to be a priority. I'm confident that allies will follow up in the coming days and weeks in making sure that whatever they can supply to Ukraine will be supplied.”
“North Korea is helping Russia in its military actions against Ukraine, while China and Iran are supplying Russia with technologies that strengthen its military potential. So we are connected in this. The Indo Pacific and the Euro Atlantic, we are connected. I had a good phone call with him [Donald Trump] last week. We have worked as friends when I was Prime Minister. We will do so again when he becomes the new president of the US.”
“What we see more and more is that North Korea, Iran, China, and of course Russia are working together, working together against Ukraine. At the same time, Russia has to pay for this, and one of the things they are doing is delivering technology to North Korea, which is now threatening in future the mainland of the U.S., continental Europe. I look forward to sit down with Donald Trump to discuss how we can face these threats collectively.”
“Today, I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, and North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region. The deployment of North Korean troops represents one - a significant escalation in the DPRK case ongoing involvement in Russia's illegal war. Two - yet another breach of a UN Security Council resolutions. And three - a dangerous expansion of Russia's war. NATO calls on Russia and the DPRK to cease these actions immediately. The deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea is a threat to both the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security.”
“We are in this, if necessary, for the long haul. Obviously, we want to be in a place where Ukraine, from a position of strength, is able to start talks with Russia, but till that moment comes, he can count on continuing support.”
“Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before. And will continue on this path until you become a member of our Alliance. I very much look forward to that day... NATO stands with Ukraine. For your security, and for ours.”
“Today we can announce that the Netherlands and Denmark commit to the transfer of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine and the Ukrainian Air Force, in cooperation with the U.S. and other allies.”
“We have to discuss our vulnerabilities in terms of our dependency on Russian oil and Russian gas. I would not plead for cutting off our supply of oil and gas from Russia today, it's not possible because we need the supply and that is the uncomfortable truth. But we can do more to get the green agenda going, to decarbonize our economies.”
“If they want loans and even grants then I think it's only logical that I can explain to people in the Netherlands ... that in return those reforms have taken place”