Europe Pushes Back as Trump Pressures Kyiv
🌍 Top Stories of the Week 19/11 - 26/11
19 November
🇫🇷 French General claims “there will be greater war in 3-4 years”. [BBC]
20 November
🇺🇸 🇷🇺 Trump trying to come together with Russia to discuss a new peace plan - as soon as this week. [CNN]
🇺🇸 🇺🇦 🇷🇺 Trump’s proposals to end the Russia-Ukraine war include Ukraine surrendering land and weapons. [Reuters]
🇺🇸 🇸🇩 Trump said Sudan was experiencing “tremendous atrocities” and characterised it as the most violent country in the world and the “greatest” humanitarian crisis in the global world. [Reuters]
“The Arab leaders, including the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, have asked me to use our presidential powers to help end the violence,” said President Donald Trump.
President Trump said America would help Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and other nations in Sudan to end the atrocities.
🇺🇦 Ukraine will give up land in exchange for money according to the Telegraph. [Telegraph]
21 November
🇪🇺 🇺🇦 🇷🇺 Europe intervene and push back on the supposed US peace plan that would force consessions from Ukraine. [Guardian]
Jean-Noël Barrot, the French foreign minister, said peace could not mean capitulation.
🇮🇳 🇦🇪 Tejas jet crashed at the Dubai Air Show. [ABC]
22 November
🇮🇳 India reaches a record $4, 047, 287 AUD in exports and defence production at an all time high. Stocks surge as 193 defence contracts were signed this year. [Financial Express]
🇺🇸🇪🇺 People have criticised Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine. Ukraine will have to give up territory. [ABC]
And Russia will get sanctions waived. Zelensky says we have two options: either lose dignity or lose a crucial partner (US).
🇺🇸 🇺🇦 Trump issues ultimatum to Zelensky to sign the peace deal by Thursday. [BBC News]
Whats there to consider?
1. Give up territory, cut military into half.. and accept peace.
2. Don’t give up territory..fight, and lose American support.
23 November
🇿🇦 G20 in South Africa . See below for where Elena discusses this. [G20]
24 November
🇻🇪 At least 7 international airlines have suspended flights to/from Venezuela in response to the FAA alert and escalating risks. [Aljazeera]
🇮🇳 🇨🇦 India and Canada will restart talks on their long-delayed free trade deal at the G20. [Reuters]
Aiming to raise bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030.
25 November
🇪🇺 🇺🇦 EU vows to keep supporting Ukraine with cash and weapons as peace talks continue. [Reuters]
🇺🇸 🇨🇳 Trump and Xi are set to meet in China in April. [BBC]
26 November
🇺🇦🇺🇸 Ukraine has agreed to some terms. Now, the deal will go to higher authorities in Moscow. Putin needs to approve it. [CBS News]
Zelensky might visit the US soon to sign the deal.
Putin expected to reject changes.
🇺🇸 🇺🇦 🇷🇺 US peace plan for Ukraine drew from Russian document. [Reuters]
Controversial Events
Tara Sabrina Mohammad
19th of November 2025
🇺🇸 November Timeline: What’s going on with Trump and the Epstein Files?
The Epstein files refer to thousands-page documents related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking criminal investigations. [Source]
Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. Months after his death, the Justice Department announced in a memo that there was no evidence he kept a “client list.” [Source]
The client list refers to a list of clients to whom underage girls were trafficked to. [Source]
On July 7, 2025, the Justice Department also released a memo informing the public that they were refusing to release any other collected evidence to the public. [Source] [Source]
In November 2025, three emails from Epstein estate indicated that US President Donald Trump had knowledge of Epstein’s sex-trafficking. [Source] [Source] [Source]
On November 18, 2025, the House of Representatives voted 427-1 to release the documents. A day after, the Senate sent the bill to US President Donald Trump for him to sign. Thus, the Epstein Files Transparency Act was signed into law. [Source]
As of November 20, 2025, the Justice Department was given 30 days to release all Epstein files, except for those containing the following: “Relate to an active criminal investigation, identify victims of Epstein's abuse or invade their privacy, or contain images of physical and child sex abuse, death, or injury.” [Source]
Thousands of pages of emails from Epstein estate were made public by House Democrats and Republicans. [Source]
Who is Bubba?
An email from March 2018 between brothers Jeffrey and Mark Epstein was released, in which the latter asked the former if he could ask Steve Bannon “if Putin has photos of Trump blowing Bubba.” [Source]
“Bubba” is not confirmed to be anyone in particular. Although social media, Tiktok in particular, has assumed “Bubba” to be former US President Bill Clinton, a minor, or a horse—Jeffrey Epstein’s brother, Mark Epstein, has denied that “Bubba” is Bill Clinton in a NewsNation interview. Bill Clinton’s representatives have not commented on this issue. [Source] [Source]
This is a developing story.
20th and 21st of November 2025
🇹🇭 Miss Universe 2025 is Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch Fernández. Prior to this, two judges allegedly resigned days before the final contest proper and one of those judges claimed the competition outcome was manipulated with a “secret vote,” which has sparked rigging allegations. Miss Universe Organisation President Raul Rocha denied these claims and stated that no judge resigned prior to the event. [Source] [Source] [Source]
22nd of November 2025
🇿🇦 🇺🇸 The G20 Summit boycotted by the United States ended in South Africa with a joint declaration tackling climate change mitigation and economic inequality. This marks the first time a G20 Summit was held in Africa. Formerly, US President Donald Trump did not attend the G20 because of a discredited claim that South Africa’s “white minority is the victim of large-scale killings and land grabs.” [Source] [Source]
23rd of November 2025
🇻🇦 Pope Leo XIV appealed for the immediate release of 300+ hostages kidnapped from Catholic schools in Nigeria. The abductions came as US President Donald Trump threatened military action on radical Islamists in Nigeria over the persecution of Christians. [Source] [Source]
24th of November 2025
🇧🇷 Former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro was taken into custody for preventive measures after breaking his anklet monitor. Prior to this, he was convicted of plotting a coup and sentenced to 27 years of prison. [Source] [Source]
25th of November 2025
🇹🇭 Miss Universe Organisation President Raul Rocha in an interview stated that Miss Cote d'Ivoire Olivia Yace did not win because of her “weak passport,” after asked why the latter did not win the Miss Universe crown despite her strong performance. [Source] [Source]
International Relations News and Diplomatic Meetings
Elena Bigarella
19th of November 2025
🇹🇷 🇦🇺 COP31: Compromise reached, Turkey will host the COP31 in Antalya and Australia's climate minister, Chris Bowen, will be its president. [Source]
22nd of November 2025
🇧🇷 : What the resolution of the COP30 held in Belem Brazil says [Source][Source]:
Finance at scale: Mobilise $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 for climate action. [Source]
Adaptation boost: Double adaptation finance by 2025 and triple by 2035.[Source]
Loss and damage fund: Operationalisation and replenishment cycles confirmed.[Source]
New initiatives: Launch of the Global Implementation Accelerator and Belém Mission to 1.5°C to drive ambition and implementation.[Source]
Climate disinformation: Commitment to promote information integrity and counter false narratives. [Source]
The “Global Mutirão” does not mention fossil fuels and a plan for deforestation. More than 80 countries backed Brazil’s proposal for a formal ‘roadmap.’ [Source]
The absence of the US is viewed by some observers as resulting in less pressure on major economies with high greenhouse gas emissions. China avoided a strong position on most points of the talks, choosing to not step into the leadership vacuum created by the absence of the United States. [Source]
23rd of November 2025
🇮🇱 🇱🇧 : Israel’s military confirmed to have killed Hezbollah chief of staff, Haytham Ali Tabatabai, in Beirut. [Source]
24th of November 2025
🇺🇸 🇻🇪 : The US is ready for a new phase of the Venezuela military operation: [Source]
The Trump administration labelled Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, as a member of a foreign terrorist organisation. [Source]
🇯🇵 🇨🇳 : Japan PM, Sanae Takaichi, did not hold a meeting with Chinese premier Li Qiang at the G20 in Johannesburg after her comments about Taiwan raised tensions. [Source]
