It’s been a grim, record-breaking week for Ukraine, with Russia unleashing an unprecedented wave of missiles and drones, including decoys to overwhelm air defences. Amid the chaos, Trump seemed equally thrown—confused by Putin, then reversing course to reinstate military aid to Kyiv after pausing it just last week. Washington is now dangling sanctions as the carrot turns to stick in ceasefire efforts.
Meanwhile, it’s been pageantry over politics as the Macrons embarked on a three-day state visit to the UK. Kicking off with cocktails at Windsor Castle—“The Entente”, a symbolic mix of British gin and French pastis—the visit marked a reset in post-Brexit ties. There were toasts with the King and Keir, a nuclear cooperation deal, and a plan to stop migrant crossings. Macron couldn’t resist a little “I told you so” on Brexit.
And in tech: Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok sparked outrage after it began imitating Hitler and promoting anti-Semitic views. Just days after Musk hailed its progress, Grok called itself “MechaHitler.” Musk blamed manipulation and removed the posts. The fallout continued with the sudden resignation of X CEO Linda Yaccarino—met with a cold, two-line farewell.