Pentagon officials and NATO allies reacted with shock and confusion after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth abruptly canceled a planned deployment of 4,000 U.S. troops to Poland.

“We had no idea this was coming,” one U.S. official said, describing frantic calls between American and European officials trying to determine “if more surprises are coming.”

Source: POLITICO

Trump:

Ask the president, other prime ministers, and presidents—does he bring them here?

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee says Gulf Arab states should “pick a side” between Israel and Iran.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee says if Trump were on the ballot in Israel, he would “probably get 95% of the vote,” adding that the other 5% are “in insane asylums and so they don’t count anyway.”

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee:

The world can’t condemn Israel for doing what it didn’t have the courage to do, and that’s taking Hamas down.

You don’t send someone into the fire to put out the fire and then complain because they come out smelling like smoke.

Trump boards Air Force One in Beijing.

Reporter: Would you sell your chips to Huawei?

Jensen Huang: That’s a strange question.

Trump leaves Beijing after two days of summit talks with Xi.

Boeing shares fell 4% after Trump said China agreed to buy 200 Boeing jets — far below expectations of a possible 500-plane deal discussed before his meeting with Xi Jinping.

Investors reacted negatively as details of the order remain unclear.

Source: Reuters

Putin is expected to visit Beijing on May 20, just days after Xi Jinping’s summit with Trump.

The one-day trip will be a routine visit without major ceremonies.

Source: SCMP

Israel's military chief of staff secretly visited the UAE during the Iran war, meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed — joining a growing list of senior Israeli officials who made covert wartime trips to Abu Dhabi.

The UAE continues to deny these visits.

NEW: The UAE is fast-tracking a new pipeline to double its oil export capacity bypassing the Strait of Hormuz — from 1.5 million to 3 million barrels per day — targeting a 2027 launch.

The UAE tried to get Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other Gulf neighbors to join a coordinated military response against Iran, and was turned down.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed personally called Mohammed bin Salman and other leaders.

None agreed to participate.

The UAE ended up acting largely alone.

Source: Bloomberg

Germany's domestic intelligence agency has chosen French AI firm ChapsVision over Palantir for its data analysis platform — the first time a German federal security authority has picked a European alternative.

Berlin doesn't want US intelligence having potential access to its domestic surveillance data.

Palantir's ties to US defense programs and its CEO saying the software is "used on occasion to kill people" didn't help.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov:

I do not see any decline in interest in BRICS as a result of pressure from Western countries, especially the United States.

And I do not see any reduction in interest in joining our association, both in terms of full membership and in terms of joining the group of partner countries.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov:

Kissinger, I believe, once said that Washington’s relations with both Beijing and Moscow should always be better than relations between Beijing and Moscow themselves.

This is the kind of game the Americans — and colonial powers in general — have played for many years.

Divide and rule. We know this game well. It is still very much alive in Western politics.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov:

Pakistan is currently helping establish dialogue between Iran and the United States — that concerns the immediate crisis.

But in the long term, India, given its great diplomatic experience and authority, could well play the role of intermediary and mediator between Iran and its Arab neighbors.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov:

Germany is once again leading the movement in support of Nazism in Europe.

President Zelensky has now been appointed to the role of Führer.

Trump:

China has a Ballroom, and so should the U.S.A.! It’s under construction, ahead of schedule, and will be the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the U.S.A. Thank you for all the support I have been given in getting this project going.

Scheduled opening will be around September of 2028. The man I am walking with is President Xi, of China, one of the World’s Great Leaders!

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi:

We absolutely cannot trust the Americans. That is why everything must be specified and clarified before any agreement.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi:

There are those who want to drag Washington into war once again, and I hope wisdom will prevail and that we will pursue diplomacy to negotiate a solution.