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Geopolitics

Utsav Parekh

18 AUG 2025 | 05:04:36

HOOK NEWS BRIEF | 18.08.25

EU & UK Leaders to Join Zelenskyy at Trump Meeting at White House

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is headed to the White House for another meeting with his American counterpart, Donald Trump. This follows Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Trump is pushing for a full peace deal between Russia and Ukraine after his meeting with Putin. Zelenskyy has said that a peace deal is impossible without security guarantees for Ukraine, and that Ukraine will not cede territory to Russia. Zelenskyy’s last White House visit ended abruptly, after Trump accused him of being ungrateful. This time, Zelenskyy will be going to Washington DC with a host of European leaders backing him. British Prime Minister, Kier Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and other leaders will be with Zelenskyy in an unprecedented show of support.

Hundreds of Thousands Protests in Tel Aviv against Gaza War

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Sunday, to protest against the expansion of the Gaza war. They blocked roads and gathered at Tel Aviv’s “Hostage Square”, to demand an end to the war and the return of the remaining hostages in Hamas captivity. Hamas still holds 50 hostages, and about 20 of them are believed to be alive. The protesters say that the Netanyahu government’s plan to seize Gaza city puts the survivors’ lives at risk. Family members of the hostages addressed the crowd, with one saying, “The Israeli government has transformed a just war into a pointless war.”

At least 340 killed in Pakistan Flash Floods

And at least 340 people have died because of flash floods in Pakistan. The worst hit region is Buner is Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with over 150 dead. The floods were triggered by cloudbursts which led to torrential rains. Pakistani authorities have warned of more rain and landslides up to Tuesday. Higher-than-normal rains in Pakistan have led to over 600 deaths since June 26. Heavy rains have also ravaged India, with over 60 deaths reported in Kashmir after a cloudburst last week.