Advantage Putin

Hello from the FT newsroom. Since the last edition of this newsletter, European security has entered new and uncertain territory.

After years of US support for Ukraine, Donald Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” yesterday and said online that he had “better move fast or he is not going to have a country left”. Zelenskyy accused Trump of living in a “disinformation bubble”.

This rift between the leaders comes as US and Russian officials agreed at a negotiating table in Saudi Arabia to “lay the groundwork” for ending the war in Ukraine, and Trump’s rhetoric puts the advantage firmly in Vladimir Putin’s hands.

European countries, meanwhile, were excluded from those discussions. The Trump administration has made one thing clear: the continent can no longer rely on Washington to fund its defence. Our reporters explained the scale of the security gap that Europe would be left with if the US withdrew its support.

My choices this week

1. In an election debate last week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz defended his country’s rail system by saying privatisation would “end as badly as in England”. New FT data analysis showed that Germany’s train services are, in fact, even worse.
2. A Washington-Beijing trade war is bad news for Apple. The iPhone maker relies heavily on China for its parts and manufacturing, and needs to maintain good relations there. But this fascinating read shows how Apple is quietly pivoting to India. (Free to read)
3. Elon Musk is taking a wrecking ball to the American state. In doing so, he seems to believe he is saving America — but he has his own political and business goals in mind, writes US national editor Edward Luce.
4. Scientists have spent 20 years trying to harness an elusive new state of matter. Microsoft claims to have succeeded; it is a physics breakthrough with huge consequences for computing and technology.
5. A lockdown-fuelled surge in spirit sales sent tequila booming a few years ago. Diageo poured money into production, and agave growers borrowed huge sums to plant more on the promise of future riches. But today, the fiesta is well and truly over in the Mexican town of Tequila.
6. Diet Coke, in many ways, should be unpopular. Its ultra-processed ingredients are unfashionable and its historic “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” marketing feels out of touch. But Diet Coke is everywhere — including the White House — as a symbol of modern office culture. (Free to read)

Thanks for reading,

Patrick Jenkins, FT deputy editor

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