• The Trump administration is reportedly weighing whether to approve a planned US refueling stopover by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te next week, for fear of jeopardizing ongoing trade talks with China and the potential summit between President Trump and President Xi Jinping. Taiwanese officials are holding out for the approval of their US counterparts to go through with the planned New York and Dallas stops.

• Concurrently, a central pillar of the recently concluded US-European Union trade deal – the EU’s pledge to purchase $750 billion in American energy imports over the course of three years – is confronted with a huge feasibility challenge. Though central to the agreement and staving off higher tariffs, prospects for the EU fulfilling such a colossal, legally non-binding promise are being challenged, particularly given Europe is itself obligated to its green energy transition.

• Independently, President Donald Trump announced that he would shorten the 50-day deadline he previously issued to Russian President Vladimir Putin to get a ceasefire with Ukraine. Trump was taking a stand against the continued aggression of Putin and expressing skepticism as to whether or not a ceasefire will be obtained and indicating the viability of previous economic sanctions including 100% tariffs on countries that continue to purchase Russian products like oil.