Daily Briefing: The road ahead for Ukraine

On that note, let’s get to today’s edition.

Big Story

By now, most of us would have watched the Oval Office spat between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The former insisted that Russian President Vladimir couldn’t be trusted, but Veep J D Vance would have none of it. What followed was a rare showdown between Presidents—one, among the world’s most powerful, and the other, a symbol of resistance. There were questions over Zelenskyy’s attire and his (lack of) respect and gratitude towards the US.

All assemble: The public confrontation may have stymied US-Ukraine ties but it spurred Europe to put its weight behind the embattled country. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that a “coalition of the willing” would ramp up efforts to secure peace in Ukraine. Together with France, the United Kingdom would work to strengthen Kyiv and ensure it has a seat in the peace negotiations.

Way ahead: The biggest concern would be to prevent any future transgressions by Russia. For that, Europe might turn to the US to keep Putin in check post any deal. It also plans to turn Ukraine into “a steel porcupine that is indigestible for potential invaders”. Europe would also look to bolster its own security in the face of an expansionist Kremlin and Trump’s hands-off mindset.

Making amends: In a post this morning, Zelenskyy underlined that Europe was united on securing peace, and emphasised on security guarantees to end the war. He made it a point to express his gratitude towards the US. On Sunday, he told reporters he was ready to return to the White House, if invited, and sign the crucial mineral deal, which would have kept US aid flowing to Ukraine.

Also Read: ‘Zelenskyy and Trump meeting—When the bully wins’ by Aakash Joshi

For more on the Trump-Zelenskyy showdown, tune in to today’s episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast.

Only in Express

Under review: The government launched its flagship Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to spur domestic manufacturing in April 2020. Where does the scheme stand five years later? Well, sources familiar with inter-ministerial discussions state that while the PLI scheme has enabled a directional pivot in favour of manufacturing, there’s much ground to be covered. PLI 2.0 could see increased focus on component manufacturing and exports to compete with Chinese rivals and scale up ‘Make In India’ ambitions.

From the Front Page

Axed: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati has once again cast aside her nephew Akash Anand, once labelled as her political heir. Akash has been removed from his post of national coordinator for the second time in 10 months. The first time, it was over his fiery speech in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. This time, it’s his association with a former party worker, accused of “anti-party activities”.

Shut shop: As the Trump administration cuts down on federal spending, several agencies, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), have faced the axe. The reverberations were felt all the way in Hyderabad, where India’s first transgender health clinic was shut down after USAID funds were paused.

Must Read

Open sesame! The Bofors bribery scandal that rocked the Rajiv Gandhi government in the late 1980s is back in the limelight with journalist Chitra Subramaniam’s latest book, Bofors Gate. Subramaniam’s revelations could kick off another political storm all these years later. The author has written that “secret” Swiss documents sent to India in 1997 remain unopened in 2025. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has refuted Subramaniam’s claims.

Decoding data: Last week, the government released the latest estimates of the country’s economic growth, which is measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This came with a sharp revision to the previous financial year’s GDP. What do the latest estimates tell us about the economy, and what is the significance of the upward GDP revision? Udit Misra explains.

The champion: Varun Chakravarthy did not have an ODI cap to his name before his debut against New Zealand on Sunday. His selection to play in the ICC Champions Trophy was seen as a gamble. But Varun came through—and how! His impressive fifer helped India hand a crushing defeat to New Zealand. India are now set for a semi-final clash against the Aussies. Will India play Varun again? Dropping him looks out of the question.

And Finally…

Last month, JioStar emerged as a media behemoth, combining Reliance’s Viacom18 and Disney’s Star India. We caught up with the man leading its charge, Uday Shankar, in the latest edition of Idea Exchange. Shankar sheds light on his journey from a journalist to CEO, the merger, and securing rights to live-streaming cricket.

That’s all for today, folks! Until next time,
Sonal Gupta

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