Situation Reports

At a press conference, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was more confident in achieving a settlement of the Russia-Ukraine war after the Feb. 18 talks between Russian and U.S. delegations in Saudi Arabia, adding that he would probably meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin around the end of February, Reuters reported on Feb. 19.

Following Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani's Feb. 17-18 visit to India, the two countries released a joint statement in which Qatar pledged to invest $10 billion across a range of Indian sectors, including infrastructure, technology and manufacturing, Reuters reported on Feb. 18.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a notice designating eight transnational criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations, Reuters reported on Feb. 19.

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Feb. 17 pledged to raise various limits on school tuition assistance in response to questions from Seiji Maehara, the co-head of the conservative opposition Japan Innovation Party, at a House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Feb. 19.

Australian mining magnate and billionaire Clive Palmer launched a new U.S. President Donald Trump-inspired right-wing populist party to compete in the 2025 election dubbed the Trumpet of Patriots Party, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported on Feb. 19.

Brazil's attorney general charged former President Jair Bolsonaro and 33 allies, including high-ranking military officials, with forming an armed criminal organization that plotted a coup following the 2022 presidential election, g1 reported on Feb. 18.

The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo requested military support from Chad in its fight against the Alliance for the Congo River, or AFC, a politico-military alliance led by the Rwandan-backed M23, Radio France Internationale reported on Feb. 19.

Ambassadors from the European Union's 27 member states unanimously approved the bloc's 16th sanctions package against Russia since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Politico reported on Feb. 19.

The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, agreed to integrate with the Syrian army under the Ministry of Defense, and the government will establish joint committees with representation from the Syrian Kurds to ensure all sides enforce the agreement, The New Arab reported on Feb. 18, citing a statement from the commander of the SDF’s northern brigade.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would likely place a tariff of around 25% on automobile, semiconductor and pharmaceutical drug imports, with an announcement potentially coming as soon as April 2, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 18.