Bart De Wever

Western powers and Japan pledge to secure the Strait of Hormuz after Iran shuts the world's most important oil chokepoint

Navigating coalition divisions over Hormuz participation

Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz on February 28, 2026, after US-Israeli strikes, cutting off roughly a fifth of global oil supply. The US-Iran ceasefire, extended by Trump on April 21, holds formally. But Iran's May 10 counter-proposal demanded Iranian sovereignty over the strait, an end to all US sanctions, and an immediate lifting of the naval blockade. Trump called the response "totally unacceptable," and roughly 1,500 commercial vessels remain trapped inside the Persian Gulf.

Updated May 30

Coordinated bombings target Jewish sites across Belgium and the Netherlands

Force in Play

Pledged solidarity with Jewish community after Liege attack

Four attacks in six days: synagogue explosion in Liege (March 9), a strike in Greece, an arson bombing at Rotterdam's synagogue (March 13), and an overnight blast at Amsterdam's only Orthodox Jewish school (March 14). No one has been killed, but the tempo is accelerating—the last two came less than 24 hours apart.

Updated May 30

EU commits to financing Ukraine's war

Money Moves

Secured guarantees on frozen Russian assets liability

The European Union approved a €90 billion loan package for Ukraine on February 4, 2026—the largest single financial commitment in the bloc's history to a non-member state. Two-thirds of the money, €60 billion, will purchase weapons and ammunition; the remaining €30 billion covers government operations. Ukraine will only repay the loan if Russia agrees to war reparations, meaning the EU expects to carry this debt indefinitely.

Updated May 27

Ukraine’s drone war reaches deeper into Russia as Moscow claims another Kharkiv gain

Force in Play

Blocked EU plan to use frozen Russian assets for Ukraine loan, citing risk to Euroclear

Since early December 2025, the war has featured intensified winter ground operations in Kharkiv and Donetsk alongside massive drone and missile campaigns targeting each side's war economies. Russia's February 16-17 barrage of 425 drones and 29 missiles coincided with Geneva talks that concluded February 18 with limited military progress but no political breakthroughs on territorial compromises or security guarantees. Zelenskyy deemed the outcomes 'not sufficient' and requested a follow-up meeting later in February.

Updated May 15

Russia’s central bank goes to court against Euroclear, opening a new front in the frozen-reserves war

Rule Changes

Successfully vetoed reparations-loan structure; forced EU to pivot to budget-backed lending while protecting Euroclear from immediate legal exposure

Russia's central bank sued Euroclear in Moscow on December 12, seeking €193.7 billion in damages. Six days later the plan that triggered the lawsuit—using frozen reserves to back Ukraine loans—collapsed at the European Council. Belgium refused the legal risk; the EU pivoted to a €90 billion conventional loan backed by its own budget instead.