Donald Trump, on Thursday, rejected a proposal from Russian President Vladimir Putin to extend the recently expired limits on strategic nuclear weapons deployments, according to Al Jazeera. Trump instead called for negotiators from both countries to convene and formulate a new agreement, deeming the previous treaty poorly negotiated.
The New START Treaty, which limited the deployment of strategic nuclear weapons, ended, leaving the U.S. and Russia free to expand their arsenals, Al Jazeera reported. This development comes amid other significant international events.
In a separate matter, Trump appeared to have endorsed the deal struck by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, Al Jazeera reported. This shift in stance occurred weeks after Trump had criticized the decision as "great stupidity." The archipelago includes a joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te insisted that the island's relationship with the United States is "rock solid," Sky News reported. This statement followed a phone call between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, during which Xi urged Trump to be "prudent" about providing weapons to Taiwan, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Elsewhere, Portugal faced severe flooding due to Storm Leonardo, Euronews reported. The storm, which hit on February 5th, caused one death, forced hundreds to evacuate their homes, and left Alcácer do Sal underwater. Emergency teams had handled over 3,300 incidents since Sunday, including floods, fallen trees, and landslides.
In Poland, authorities detained five men in connection with a smuggling operation that used weather balloons to transport cigarettes from Belarus, Euronews reported. The suspects, including Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Polish nationals, face charges related to organized crime, violations of air traffic regulations, and supporting aggression against Ukraine. They face between nine months and 12 years in prison if convicted. The smuggling operation caused millions in tax losses and disrupted air traffic.
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