Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met King Charles at Windsor Castle prior to discussions with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer regarding defence strategies against Russia.

The EU has been focused on NATO’s defence spending, with members agreeing to up spending to 5% of GDP (except Spain). European leaders are preparing to deal with Donald Trump again at the NATO summit, after several EU members called for retaliatory tariffs on the USA.

The war in the Middle East and Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine have also made up a lot of this week’s European headlines. Kyiv has suffered another heavy bombing, and there have been reports that the EU is considering suspending its partnership with Israel over its genocide in Gaza.

The EU and Canada have strengthened their ties with a new partnership and talks of digital trade and deeper cooperation on AI. The EU-Canada summit comes just before NATO.

Recent flight tracking data indicates a significant increase in US military aircraft movement towards the Middle East, with 52 planes detected over the eastern Mediterranean in just a few days.

The week so far has been dominated by the Middle East crisis as news of an Israel-Iran ceasefire broke early on Tuesday, only to come to an end a few hours later. It’s unclear if Iran ever agreed to the short-lived ceasefire, and now the world waits anxiously to see what happens next.

Away from the Middle East, there has been a handful of domestic news stories worth taking a glance at. GPs in England can start prescribing weight loss drugs on the NHS, Palestine Action is to be prescribed as a terrorist organisation after two members vandalised two RAF planes – a move dubbed extreme by many and has seen significant backlash for the Labour government. It has not been an easy week for the prime minister or his government so far, with a major rebellion on the way over Labour’s welfare bill cuts. It could end up doing permanent damage to the PM and his government. With the Nato summit around the corner, the prime minister will be focusing on international affairs, but what’s happening at home may cost him come election time.

The head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, emphasised that armed attacks on nuclear facilities pose severe risks of radioactive releases and must not occur.

Monday’s front pages report on the United entering Israel’s war in Iran. Donald Trump claims the US bomb strike on Iran has wiped out 3 nuclear facilities and suggests a regime change is coming in Iran. The Iranians have vowed revenge against the United States, and is seeking talks with Russia.