Hi Global Recap readers,
Thanks to everyone who took part in the poll! I’ll take your suggestions to heart and keep improving this over time.
One of you suggested “folding” the weekly summary. Believe me, I’d love to do that, but it’s not consistently supported in email. I tried...
As for moving it to the bottom: I need to rename the section to “So Far This Week.” The idea is to give you a quick snapshot of what’s happened so far, so the stories feel connected rather than like random bits floating around.
That said, I’ll keep all of this in mind. OG readers know that I like to shake things up every now and then.
Also, make sure to catch SpaceX's 12th Starship flight test today. 👇🏼
Launch window opens at 5:30 p.m. CT.
Click to watch
👀 At a Glance
So Far This Week…
🇺🇸 NORTH AMERICA
US pauses Canada defense board.
🇮🇷 MIDDLE EAST
US pauses Tuesday’s Iran strike after Gulf officials ask for halt.
But officials from some of those Gulf countries say they didn’t know about the strike.
🇪🇺 EUROPE
NATO allies discuss Hormuz options but no mission mandate yet.
Romanian F-16s shoot down a Ukrainian drone over Estonia.
Russia runs three-day nuclear-force drills.
🇨🇳🇩🇪 CHINA & GERMANY
Arrested:
Chinese Spy Couple
Germany arrested a married couple in Munich suspected of working for Chinese intelligence and allegedly trying to extract military-use technology from German universities and research centers.
What We Know:
The suspects, German nationals Xuejun C. and Hua S., were arrested on May 20 under warrants issued May 13. Homes and workplaces were searched.
Prosecutors allege they targeted scientists in aerospace engineering, computer science, and AI.
They allegedly posed at times as interpreters or auto-company employees, then steered some academics to paid China lectures that were actually attended by state defense-company personnel.
🇵🇱🇷🇺 POLAND & RUSSIA
Russian Spy Case
Poland arrested 3 Polish men suspected of spying on NATO troop deployments on behalf of Russia, preparing sabotage, and spreading pro-Russian disinformation.
What We Know:
The suspects are Polish citizens aged 48 to 62.
ABW (Polish intel agency) says they were tasked by an identified Russian citizen linked to the FSB (Russian intel agency).
ABW says the group had firearms and battlefield-tactics training.
📌 Context. The case fits Warsaw’s warning that Russian activity is moving from disposable online recruits toward trained sabotage cells. ABW said Poland opened 69 espionage investigations in 2024 and 2025, matching the total from 1991 to 2023.
🇨🇳🇷🇺 CHINA & RUSSIA
Pipeline Still Stuck
Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin signed new cooperation deals in Beijing, but they still did not lock down Power of Siberia 2—the one project Moscow needs most to partially offset lost European gas demand.
What We Know:
China seems to be seeking more overland energy security as the Iran war squeezes Hormuz, but it still has stockpiles, domestic output and alternative suppliers.
The pipeline would send up to 50 bcm of Russian gas a year to China via Mongolia, but price and timing remain unresolved.
No major oil or gas deal was publicly announced.
📌 Context. China has long sought leverage in the talks, pushing for favorable pricing and limited volumes.
So basically, Beijing got the optics of partnership without paying Moscow's preferred price.
🇨🇺🇺🇸 CUBA & US
”Freeing Up Cuba”
President Donald Trump said the US is "freeing up Cuba" after the Justice Department unsealed charges against Raúl Castro over Cuba's 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue planes.
Raúl Castro
What We Know:
Castro, 94, and five co-defendants were charged with conspiracy, murder, and aircraft destruction tied to the deaths of 4 people (3 Americans).
The indictment alleges Cuban jets destroyed two unarmed civilian Cessnas outside Cuban territory. Castro was defense minister at the time.
Trump said he does not expect further escalation. The practical question is whether the US can ever put Castro in a US courtroom.
Cuba's president condemned the case as political, while Rubio paired the move with a $100 million aid offer routed through trusted groups, not Havana.
