“Strong men make peace, weak men make war,” Orbán said, according to today’s Financial Times First time I’ve heard the Hungarian PM criticise Putin as a weak man … Or am I misinterpreting?

Great piece by ⁦Alec Russell⁩ ⁦Financial Times⁩ on Ukrainians’ remarkable resilience, in face of the tragedies and deprivations they are facing from Putin’s war. An important counterpoint to the political onslaught from the Trump administration yesterday on.ft.com/3EVuCzO

As ever, Shashank Joshi calls it right. It leads to an unbelievable choice for Macron & Starmer. Maintain transatlantic alliance or stand up to Putin & secure European continent. Those aims have always seemed inseparable. Yet as each week passes, they feel more mutually exclusive. Grim,

I can’t emphasise enough how the administration is filling up with cranks and fruitcakes. Here is the Pentagon’s new deputy press secretary, for example.

The Trump meme coin is a reminder of the new levels of corruption he and his administration are bringing to America. Important to hear it laid out so clearly👇by Senator Chris Murphy 🟧

The “underlying cause” of the “crisis” is that Russia is led by a dictator who demands its neighbours be incorporated into his sphere of influence. Neither Ukraine nor its European allies can accept his ultimatum. Hard to square this circle. bbc.co.uk/news/live/cgj5…

When Trump’s Russia envoy Steve Witkoff is at best a naive Neville Chamberlain, we better hope that there are some Winston Churchills in Europe. Shocking comments👇by Witkoff to pro-Kremlin Tucker Carlson yesterday. Europe better be ready to go-it-alone bbc.com/news/articles/…

“President Trump is delivering on his promise to end the weaponization of government and protect the nation from partisan and bad faith actors who exploit their influence.” … sounds right out of George Orwell’s ‘1984’

This ‘live’ newsfeed by ⁦The Times and The Sunday Times⁩ of VE Day 80 years ago, captures the end of WW2 in all its triumph, tragedy and banality. It’s also a reminder of Europe’s remarkable post-war rebirth, and the ever-present risk of a return to its dark past. thetimes.com/article/ac4b04…

I am honoured to have been elected the next Warden of New College, Oxford - starting in September 2026. At a time of profound global change, the next generation carry a special responsibility to design the world we will inhabit in the future. new.ox.ac.uk/news/election-…

Putin should rewrite the Art of the Deal. Iran gave his ailing forces a lifeline: missiles, killer drones, tech transfer (whole factory for producing advanced drones in Russia), munitions, artillery shells. Putin promised them jet fighters, attack helicopters, S-400 air defences.

Just issuing a communiqué would count as a success for the upcoming NATO summit, says George Robertson to ⁦Bronwen Maddox⁩ in the opening session of the ⁦Chatham House⁩ London Conference. #CHLondon 2025

Taiwan is “the best possible ally in the worst possible place”, from US perspective, says Victoria Coates Chatham House London Conference. Fixing this will take time. Means Europeans must commit more to their own security so US can make a big shift to the Indo-Pacific #CHLondon

European governments are responding to the fear that Trump might use US tech dominance, and European dependence on it, against them. Treatment of ICC prosecutor Karim Kahn is the “smoking gun many Europeans had been looking for” says Casper Klynge nytimes.com/2025/06/20/tec… via The New York Times

Maybe 🇪🇺 will copy Keir Starmer’s oblique language (he knows how to parse international law) … “Iran’s nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat.”

Very much enjoyed discussing Donald Trump’s impact on international diplomacy and economic relations with Francine Lacqua on Bloomberg Bloomberg yesterday. My main point was that a US without allies cannot win its most important diplomatic or economic battles. bloomberg.com/news/videos/20…