Global Hotspots: India-Pakistan Conflict Escalates; Putin and Xi Commemorate Victory Day

New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy

This week, the conflict between India and Pakistan escalated with India launching multiple military strikes against its neighbor. Meanwhile, the U.S. agreed to hold high-level trade talks with China for the first time this weekend in Geneva. In Russia, President Vladimir Putin hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping for Moscow’s Victory Day parade, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed establishing a demilitarized zone between Russia and Ukraine. In the Middle East, the U.S. agreed to a cease-fire with Yemen’s al-Houthi forces after a successful mediation by Oman as it plans to continue nuclear negotiations with Iran this weekend. Israel called up reservists to prepare for its incursion into Gaza. The U.K. was the first country to conclude a trade deal with the U.S., securing a reduction in tariffs on the hardest hit sectors of steel and cars. Read the full Weekly Forecast Monitor here: https://newlinesinstitute.org/forecast/week-20250509/ Marxist Arrow by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/