it's the first time this happened

Hi Global Recap readers,

I hope you all had a wonderful day.

Our first story today isn’t the usual one about power politics or state leaders, but it’s still relevant (touching on the much-politicized themes of globalism and climate change). I just thought it would be an interesting, lighter way to open an otherwise war-heavy news cycle.👇🏼

🇮🇸 ICELAND
No Longer
Mosquito-Free

Iceland just confirmed its first wild mosquitoes after a backyard wine roping experiment near Reykjavik.

• Discovery: Bug enthusiast Bjorn Hjaltason spotted an unusual insect on fabric soaked in sugary red wine and sent a photo to entomologist Matthias S. Alfredsson, who confirmed the presence of two females and one male mosquito.

• Species: Alfredsson identified the trio as Culiseta annulata, a cold-tolerant mosquito established in the Nordic region that can survive long periods of freezing temperatures.

• Drivers: Scientists link the sighting to rapid climate change and globalization, citing decades of insect increases, Okjokull glacier’s complete melt, and surging tourism that ferries species on planes, cruise ships, and cargo boats.

• Precedent: Before this, aquatic insect expert Gisli Mar Gislason was credited with capturing the only mosquito in Iceland, having trapped one inside a plane in the 1980s.

• Status: With only three found, experts see a recent arrival that could establish quickly if conditions hold. The specimens are currently stored in Alfredsson’s freezer while monitoring expands.

🇷🇺🇺🇸 RUSSIA & US
Fresh New
Oil Sanctions

The Trump administration just slapped fresh sanctions on Russia’s two biggest oil firms, Rosneft and Lukoil, after talks with Vladimir Putin stalled again. He framed it as leverage to force a ceasefire, saying conversations "don’t go anywhere."

• Targets: Rosneft and Lukoil, plus any subsidiaries where they hold at least a 50% stake, face broad prohibitions on transactions with US persons, according to Wednesday’s Treasury release. Rosneft accounts for nearly half of Russia’s output, roughly 6% of global supply.

• Trigger: The move followed an intense Russian bombardment on Wednesday that killed at least seven people in Ukraine, including children, and after Trump shelved a planned Budapest meeting with Putin.

• Rationale: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called it necessary due to "Putin’s refusal to end this senseless war,” labeling the companies engines of Moscow’s “war machine" funding Russia's war efforts.

• Allies: Last week, the UK imposed similar sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil.

🇺🇸🇺🇦 US & UKRAINE
Restrictions Lifted

On top of the sanctions, the Trump administration quietly lifted a key restriction on Ukraine’s use of British-supplied Storm Shadows inside Russia, shifting authorization from the Pentagon to the top US general in Europe. Kyiv already used a Storm Shadow on Tuesday to hit an explosives plant in Bryansk.

• Attack: Kyiv already used a Storm Shadow on Tuesday to hit an explosives plant in Bryansk, with the US expecting more cross-border strikes using the Storm Shadow in the near future.

• Strike: Ukraine’s General Staff called the Bryansk attack a "successful hit" that penetrated Russian air defenses, and officials said the missiles rely on US targeting data.

• Range: Although it should be noted that analysts don't believe this will significantly change the narrative, as Storm Shadow travels over 180 miles, far shorter than US Tomahawks at more than 1,000 miles, which Trump considered and then declined to send.

🇺🇦 UKRAINE
Ukraine Resists
EU Conditions

Speaking of weapons, Kyiv is pushing back hard on EU efforts to tie spending rules to a proposed $163 billion loan, arguing it needs freedom to buy non-European arms, rebuild energy infrastructure, and compensate victims.

🗓️ EU leaders will debate the package tomorrow (Thursday) in Brussels.

• Conditions: There’s division within the EU over how to allocate the funds. Some member states want most of the money directed toward European-made weapons to support domestic industries, while others argue for more flexibility. Ukraine emphasizes the need for US-made Patriot air defense systems and seeks leeway if European production capacity proves insufficient.

• Ask: Iryna Mudra, Zelenskyy’s legal adviser, says "any conditionality undermines the principle of justice," and insists Ukraine must allocate funds across defense, urgent reconstruction, and victim compensation without constraints.

• Amount: The plan channels €140 billion via frozen Russian sovereign assets, largely parked at Euroclear in Belgium, with Kyiv repaying once war reparations arrive under a future peace deal.

• Timing: Kyiv urges the loan be operational by end of 2025 to avoid entering 2026 without predictable financing, with a current $18 billion shortfall and US assistance unlikely under the Trump administration.

🇮🇱 ISRAEL
Knesset Votes to
Examine Annexation

Israel’s parliament just moved the goalposts by voting to examine West Bank annexation. Vice President JD Vance is in Jerusalem backing a Gaza ceasefire.

• Votes: Lawmakers advanced two bills in a preliminary reading.

  • One would annex Maale Adumim, a settlement east of Jerusalem with roughly 40,000 people, passing 32–9.

  • The other pushes annexation of the entire West Bank, narrowly passing 25–24.

• Party: Netanyahu's Likud party largely boycotted the vote after reported guidance from PM Netanyahu. The party called it "another provocation by the opposition aimed at damaging our relations with the United States."

• Positions: Trump stated in September, "I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank." Netanyahu vowed at a September signing ceremony in Maale Adumim that "there will be no Palestinian state."

• Region: The Ramallah-based Palestinian foreign ministry and Jordanian foreign ministry condemned the votes as violations of international law and threats to a two-state solution. Palestinian agency Wafa reiterated that the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza form a single geographic unit—all belonging to Palestine.

🌐 GLOBAL RECAP
Report

Thanks for your understanding yesterday.

For transparency: I was writing and editing on my phone while rushing to catch a flight home. The upside of being a solo writer is that you get my unfiltered takes and references to often-censored or omitted material—and at no cost. Rarely, that means a quick mental rewind to 2024 (I was the most startled).

Report:

• Web readers received a quick update on Rubio and his counterpart.

• Email subscribers received the initial version with an addendum.

Thanks to everyone who keeps reading and engaging with our community to help it improve. We’ve come a long way since our first email, thanks to you. 👇🏼

See you tomorrow.