As the United States shows signs of waning interest in supporting Ukraine, Europe’s role in the ongoing conflict is becoming critically important. Ukraine is sounding the alarm, and Europe is gradually waking up.

Singapore and Singaporeans have bet on what they know best, but like all bets there is a chance of things going awry. How Singapore seeks to update its range of external policies for a more contested, protectionist, and less restrained world in practical terms is uncertain even as economic negotiations with the Trump administration have yet to produce visible results.

Trump has made it clear that Ukraine is not a priority in his vision of U.S. national interests. Nevertheless, it is vital for Ukraine and its European allies to persuade Trump to use all available levers of influence on Putin to bring the war to an end — as the United States remains the only power with the actual tools to do so.

President Lai has continued the foreign and defense policy trajectory of the Tsai administration, promoting peace and the defense of Taiwan through the appeal of democratic values. However, Lai has made more explicit and prominent statements and policy moves regarding China in response to the escalating threats from Beijing.

The brief, intense armed conflict between India and Pakistan from May 7-10, 2025, characterized by the deployment of drones, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and long-range air defense systems, offered a glimpse into the complexities of high-tech warfare. Its tactical employment, the intricate nature of its information warfare, and China’s indirect role in the conflict all provide valuable lessons for Taiwan’s defense strategy.

Lai administration has done to date is merely to take the necessary steps to defend the nation against external aggression in the face of an escalating threat. What Taiwan does to contribute to that effort, and to the maintenance of the “status quo,” should not be delegitimized as provocative or as a sign that Taiwan is engaging in something that it is not.

This translates into a nuanced situation for PRC. Subi Reef’s relative distance to Thitu Island means an extra outpost on Sandy Cay becomes a superfluous luxury that needs to be paid with no small amount of political premium for little strategic utility.

Xi’s participation in the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow was more than a gesture of support for Putin; it marked an affirmation of deepening ideological and geopolitical coordination between authoritarian regimes. Beijing’s formal “neutrality” is a mask that conceals its active role in supporting the emerging “axis of revisionism” and in reshaping the global balance of power to its advantage.

Despite Ukraine’s openness to dialogue (including an unconditional 30-day ceasefire), Moscow continued military operations and airstrikes against Ukrainian civilians, using rhetoric about the need to address the “root causes of the conflict.” However, the root cause is clear: the Russian invasion and occupation of Ukrainian territories that began in 2014.