ISRAEL II

Netanyahu Reported to Have Secretly Visited UAE in the Midst of War
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on May 13, 2026 acknowledged that the prime minister had secretly visited UAE and met with President Sheikh Mohmad bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the midst of the Israeli-U.S. war with Iran. The revelation by the PMO came a day after U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said that Israel had offered Iron Dome defense technology and personnel to UAE to defend against incoming Iranian missiles and drones. 

FORMER SOVIET STATES--PART II

 
UKRAINE

Trump Announces Three-day Truce Around Victory Day Weekend

President Donald Trump on May 8, 2026 bragged about how he had brought Ukraine and Russia to agree to a three-day [May 9-11, 2026] truce that would herald in "beginning of the end" of the war. The U.S. president added that in addition to a three-day ceasefire, there would be exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kremlin Foreign Affairs Adviser Yuri Ushakov confirmed the agreement. 

Meanwhile, in a derogatory manner, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on May 8, 2026 issued a decree, giving permission to the Kremlin to hold annual "Victory Day" parade at the Red Square and assuring that there won't be any attack on the Red Square during the most celebrated Russian secular holiday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov shrugged off Zelenskyy's proclamation, calling it a silly joke.

Russia Pummels 20 Regions of Ukraine with Hundreds of Drones

After a tenuous, three-day ceasefire [May 9-11, 2026] barely held with allegations and complaints of violations by both sides, Russia was alleged to have launched the largest barrage of daytime attacks on May 13, 2026, targeting 20 regions with more than 800 drones. At least six people were killed.

DRAFT

May 9, 2026