An official from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy explained to SpaceX, Stoke Space, K2 Space and Astra that their presence at the Grand Palais could be interpreted as tacit support for European positions, according to two industry representatives and a parliamentary aide familiar with the conversation. The decision was up to the companies, he said, but the message was taken as an invitation to stay at home.
Washington criticises Paris for failing to coordinate the organisation of the summit with the United States and accuses France of “anti-competitive practices”. The round-table discussions were reportedly not designed to give a voice to the American perspective. China’s participation was also cited as a cause for concern.
The office in question offers a different account: it insists it merely sought to inform everyone and answer questions about the US position, without issuing any instructions. “The Trump administration continues to collaborate with its allies and partners in space,” said an official, who added that he was looking forward to productive discussions on scientific missions, exploration programmes and space security.
Business leaders, for their part, are looking for a way out. “Europe is an important market for US space companies, but less important than America,” summarised an industry representative, who described how companies were busy trying to find a way to withdraw gracefully. Neither SpaceX, nor Stoke Space, nor K2 Space, nor Astra responded to Politico’s enquiries.
The Paris summit will bring together more than 120 countries, space agencies, industry representatives and military officials for a “strategic discussion on the future of space”. Ursula von der Leyen is due to deliver a major speech there. Europe is seeking to build its own capabilities and reduce its dependence on the United States: in November, Emmanuel Macron unveiled a space strategy accompanied by an additional €4.2 billion for military space programmes between 2026 and 2030, bringing the total investment to €10.2 billion. Politico
Europe
🇷🇺 Russia - 🇺🇦 Ukraine • A Russian drone struck the headquarters of the Ukrainian Security Service in the heart of Kyiv today – the first such attack since the start of the war. Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims that the drone was directly targeting the office of the head of the SBU, Oleksandr Poklad, who was absent at the time of the strike, and he has ordered a retaliatory strike, stating that “the targets have been identified”. The number of injured ranges from five to twelve, according to the capital’s authorities, on the tenth day of Russian bombardments of the city. The SBU had already been re-briefed by the president following a shootout between its agents and those of military intelligence in a residential neighbourhood. Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are expected in Moscow this weekend and then in Kyiv, where they have never before visited. According to a source close to the matter, the Russians are trying to dissuade them from making a detour via the Ukrainian capital.
🇪🇺 European Union • Ursula von der Leyen wants to put climate change back at the centre of her State of the Union address on 16 September in Strasbourg, following a summer of heatwaves and 540,000 hectares of land burnt across the EU. The Commission President is expected to emphasise “climate resilience”. Some 200 environmental organisations are calling for a plan to phase out fossil fuels and highlight the setbacks of the last two years.
🇺🇸 United States – 🇬🇧 United Kingdom • The US Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, laments in the Financial Times that London is choosing “Brussels over America”. He says that when he proposes opening the UK market to US standards, he is told that they must first see what the EU has to say. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, for his part, is calling for a strengthening of ties with the EU ahead of a summit expected before the end of the year.
🇳🇴 Norway - 🇷🇺 Russia • The Norwegian authorities have seized the “Professor Molchanov”, a Russian vessel carrying scientists, off the coast of Svalbard, to enforce a judgement of 4.22 billion dollars owed to the Ukrainian company Naftogaz since 2023, as compensation for assets expropriated in Crimea.
🇪🇸 Spain - 🇲🇦 Morocco • Speaking before Spanish MPs, Pedro Sánchez reiterated that he had “no evidence” that Morocco had planned the influx of tens of thousands of migrants into Ceuta at the end of July, in the wake of nationwide protests. He described as “unacceptable” the comments made by two Moroccan ministers claiming sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla, and called on King Felipe VI to visit the two cities. The right wing has called for his resignation.
🇩🇪 Germany • Police are investigating an attempted act of sabotage against an electrical transformer south of Düsseldorf, the third such incident in a week. A 48-year-old man, who signed a letter claiming responsibility, is wanted. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt attributes these incidents to radical climate activists. Sunday’s regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD is tipped to win, are no “coincidence” in his ministry’s view.
🇲🇹 Malta • The acquittal of businessman Yorgen Fenech, accused of ordering the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017, has sparked protests outside Parliament, which was holding an extraordinary session today. Reporters Without Borders says it is “beyond outraged” and one of the journalist’s sons has described the verdict as “obscene”. Five men have already been convicted of supplying the explosive and carrying out the attack.
Americas
🇺🇸 United States – 🇲🇽 Mexico • Three hurricanes – Marie, Lowell and Karina – are currently sweeping across the Pacific at the same time, a rare phenomenon that climatologists attribute to warming waters. The World Meteorological Organisation warns that the current El Niño event could be the strongest since records began 40 years ago, peaking towards the end of the year.
🇺🇸 United States • Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he would demand that Europeans reimburse the US for aid to Ukraine paid out under Joe Biden – “hundreds of billions of dollars” which, he claims, Europe should have paid. He did not specify which countries would be targeted.
🇧🇷 Brazil – 🇪🇺 European Union • Brasília has expressed “deep concern” following the EU’s suspension of imports of Brazilian poultry, beef, eggs and honey, due to a lack of guarantees regarding the use of antibiotics in livestock farming. The Brazilian government reserves the right to take reciprocal measures. Brussels responds that its approach is “proportionate and non-discriminatory” and that the rules have been in place for a long time.
🇨🇴 Colombia • A court in San José del Guaviare has ordered the government of Abelardo de la Espriella to suspend bombing raids on guerrilla camps where reports indicate the possible presence of minors. Two recent air strikes in this Amazonian department have left at least 33 people dead, including three teenagers aged between 15 and 16. The Ministry of Defence maintains that it has complied with all legal standards.
🇺🇸 United States • Diesel reached a record high of $5.85 per gallon on Friday, surpassing the 2022 peak, whilst regular petrol rose to $4.15. US refineries are operating at 98 per cent of capacity; those in the Gulf have been attacked on several occasions, and fewer ships are passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Asia-Pacific
🇳🇵 Nepal • Nine days after a glacier collapsed in the Himalayas, two workers were rescued alive from a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli 3A hydroelectric power station – the first survivors to be found at the site. The provisional death toll from the floods stands at over 1,300 in Nepal and Tibet, with thousands missing, including several hundred foreigners.
🇮🇩 Indonesia - 🇲🇾 Malaysia • Malaysia has declared a state of emergency in the Serian district, where air pollution levels have reached record highs, well above the danger threshold. Nearly 650 schools will close on Monday for at least a week. The smoke is coming from forest fires in Indonesian Kalimantan, where nearly 300,000 hectares have burnt this year.
🇯🇵 Japan • Japan’s monetary affairs chief, Atsushi Mimura, says he is prepared to intervene in the foreign exchange market to stem the yen’s fall, which has reached 156.43 to the dollar.
🇰🇷 South Korea • Seoul is preparing a military deployment to the Strait of Hormuz by the end of the year, according to several South Korean media outlets: a maritime patrol aircraft, a logistics support vessel or a mine-clearing unit. The presidency is discussing concrete contributions with Washington, London and Paris to secure the strait once the clashes have ended, but denies having already made a decision.
Middle East
🇺🇸 United States - 🇮🇷 Iran • Six Iranian military personnel, including three pilots, were killed on Thursday in the heaviest US strikes in weeks, bringing the week’s death toll to 13, according to the Tasnim news agency. Vice-President JD Vance, however, refuses to use the term “war”, as there is currently no exchange of fire.
🇸🇾 Syria • Damascus has begun destroying the remnants of the Assad-era clandestine chemical weapons programme, discovered in May – the first such action since 2014. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has verified the irreversible destruction of 42 aerial bombs. The Syrian envoy to the UN has accused repeated Israeli strikes of hampering the investigations. 18 suspects, including military and political officials, have been arrested this year.
🇺🇸 United States – 🇮🇷 Iran – 🇹🇷 Turkey • The US Treasury has imposed sanctions on the Istanbul-based investment bank Golden Global and two of its subsidiaries, accused of acting as a conduit for Iranian oil revenues from China.
