Sunday Summary - 18.05.2025

Welcome dear reader, to yet another Sunday summary. This week served up a whirlwind of headlines, from the high-stakes drama of global politics to the vibrant pulse of cultural moments. So grab your coffee and tea, settle in, and let’s unpack the stories that defined the week.

India and Pakistan

The ceasefire between India and Pakistan over Kashmir last week left the world looking at the two powers to know whether this accord would mark a turning point or simply a pause in a long-standing conflict. This week has shed some light on this, since the physical fighting has stopped. Tensions, however, remain high, with the Indian Vice President calling the conflict a stand against terrorism. 

India has now started a nationwide boycott of Pakistan and its allies. Stemming from a May 2 directive which prohibited all Pakistani imports, the government has now expanded this to another nation - Turkey. Throughout this week, traders have refused to sell both Turkish marbles and apples with the evolution of an awareness campaign on Friday to dissuade consumers from purchasing Turkish products. This ban is not unique to the trade sector, expanding into entertainment and travel. 

US - Middle East relations

Saturday saw the return of U.S. President Donald Trump to his home country following a Gulf tour which was fruitful, to say the least. He and his travel buddies - which of course included Elon Musk - were welcomed with a friendliness that spared no expense, even taking the form of a $400 million airplane from Qatar. 

During his trip, he made a point to rebuke past American interventionism in the area, swiping at those who oversaw US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. To the surprise of many, he even offered sanction relief to Syria, a move contrasting the bombing threats from late March. 

Overall, his four-day travel resulted in more than $2 trillion in economic investments between the United States and the three nations he visited: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, each longtime purchasers of American military equipment. From a Gulfian perspective, this trip has been a relief. After all, they now have a US president who disregards their human rights transgressions in exchange for cash. 

Russia - Ukraine

Thursday marked 1,176 days since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but also the first official peace talks since the beginning of the conflict. These, however, did not result in the immediate 30-day-long ceasefire demanded by Ukraine’s European allies. Instead, they showed Moscow's true intentions - or lack of - for peace. Putin, though previously rumoured to attend, was not part of the Kremlin list of officials present for the meeting in Turkay, leading to Zelensky’s absence despite his presence in the Turkish capital, Ankara. 

During the talks, it quickly became clear that Russia expected its maximalist demands - the yielding of four regions that the Kremlin now unilaterally claims as its own but does not fully control and two more, just for good measure - to be accepted in exchange for minimal concessions. They plainly told Ukrainian officials "We don't want war, but we're ready to fight for a year, two, three - however long it takes. We fought Sweden for 21 years. How long are you ready to fight?"

While the meeting did produce three tangible outcomes - a prisoner exchange, plans for future presidential talks, and competing ceasefire proposals - critics warn these fragile agreements risk unraveling amid longstanding tensions, with each side's divergent visions for peace potentially fueling further discord rather than resolution.