Today is a day of reminders of how everything is connected, one way or another.
A day after explosives were found near the Serbia-Hungary pipeline, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hinted that Kyiv was to blame, despite Belgrade already ruling that out. At the same time, leaked calls show Orban offering his services to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, calling him a lion and himself a mouse at the lion’s service – all while US Vice President JD Vance heads to Budapest to show solidarity with the self-proclaimed mouse ahead of the April 12 elections.
Despite the distance between Kyiv and Tehran, another reminder of these connections comes in the form of Russia’s Iran-designed drones striking Ukraine’s Chernihiv region, while the Kremlin is said to have provided Tehran with targeting data on 55 Israeli energy sites, according to Kyiv.
There is also little sign that the Strait of Hormuz – the chokepoint of global oil shipments – is set to reopen soon, with Iran saying it will only do so if sanctions are lifted ahead of US President Donald Trump’s deadline. As Tehran continues to negotiate on behalf of its people, there is also little evidence of any regime change, even as intelligence suggests the new Ayatollah (Khamenei Jr., who replaced Khamenei Sr.) has been incapacitated.
Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to hit Russia where it hurts by targeting oil infrastructure, ignoring Kremlin threats of retribution and amid Estonia’s request to avoid its airspace after multiple drones were led astray by Russian electronic warfare interference. Taken together, these attacks, coupled with President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call for an energy truce, suggest Kyiv is building its deck of cards to pressure Moscow into a ceasefire – however brief that may be.
Interested in more updates like this? Subscribe to our daily newsletter here.