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Kim says North Korea could ‘get along’ with US, rebuffs closer ties with Seoul
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has suggested his country could “get along” with the United States but declared that South Korea - Washington’s security ally - remained its “most hostile” enemy, state media reported on Thursday. Kim made the remarks at the end of a landmark party congress, urging Washington to respect Pyongyang’s status as a nuclear power. His words came as speculation grows that US President Donald Trump may seek some kind of meeting with Kim on the sidelines of a visit to China in April. If Washington “respects our country’s current status as stipulated in the Constitution … and withdraws its hostile policy … there is no reason why we cannot get along well with the United States”, Kim said, according to the Korean Central News Agency. France 24, February 26

Iran enters critical nuclear talks with US insisting deal is within reach
Iran enters critical talks on its nuclear programme with the US on Thursday, insisting a deal is in reach as long as Washington sticks by its willingness to concede Iran’s symbolic right to enrich uranium, allow Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, and not to impose controls on Iran’s ballistic missile programme. The three preconditions for success are seen as critical by Iranian diplomats, but it remains unclear whether Trump accepts these parameters. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said on Wednesday that it would be a “big problem” if Iran did not negotiate over missiles. The US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who is heading to Geneva for the talks along with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, had already accepted these principles in the two previous rounds of indirect talks, Iranian officials claim. But it remains possible that Trump could overturn these terms, a step that will inevitably lead to a conflict between the two nations that could rapidly consume the whole of the Middle East. The Guardian, February 25

Russia’s new air defences could soon intercept UK nuclear missiles
Air defences around Moscow may soon be sufficient to intercept Trident missiles launched from the UK’s nuclear deterrent, according to a new report. The paper by the Royal United Services Institute, a defence and security think tank, warns that the UK can no longer be certain of the effect of launching nuclear weapons. Without any certainty that the US would back Europe up in a conflict, Europe will have to acquire or build hypersonic missiles to ensure Russia’s air defences can be defeated and maintain its nuclear deterrent, the report warns. Sidharth Kaushal, a research fellow for missile defence at Rusi, said enhancing Europe’s long-range precision-strike capabilities was becoming critical to safeguarding the credibility of Britain and France’s nuclear deterrents. He said: “It is not certain that they [Russia] will intercept every submarine-launched ballistic missile but potentially also not a certainty that the required number will get through.” The Times, February 26

UK government debt sales set to fall for first time in four years
UK government debt sales are expected to drop for the first time in four years, in a sign that chancellor Rachel Reeves’ effort to keep a lid on borrowing is easing pressure on the gilt market. Big investment banks expect £247bn of gilt sales for the year to March 2027, according to the average of seven estimates, down from the £304bn the UK is raising in the current fiscal year. The drop in issuance expected alongside next week’s spring forecast for the public finances - which would be the first since the 2023 fiscal year - is partly due to a lower bill for refinancing maturing debt in 2026-27. But it has also been bolstered by a reduction in the government’s borrowing needs after a broad rise in taxation. Though gilt sales remain high by historical standards, investors have grown more optimistic on the supply-demand outlook for gilts at a time when other big economies such as Germany and Japan are expanding their issuance. Financial Times, February 26

UK: asylum claims fall by 4%
More than 100,000 (100,625) people claimed asylum in the UK in 2025, down by 4 per cent on the year before, according to new Home Office figures. Slightly more than 40 per cent arrived by small boats (41,262). Nearly the same amount had entered the UK on another visa before claiming asylum (39,095). The data provided is up to the end of December 2025. BBC news, February 26

Russian firms have routed $8bn of trade through British island territories since invasion of Ukraine
Russian companies have used Britain’s secretive island territories to conduct $8bn (£5.9bn) of trade since the invasion of Ukraine, according to a report that highlights the flow of goods ranging from oil-drilling equipment to luxury yachts linked to Moscow’s political elite. The analysis, published a day after the fourth anniversary of Russia’s assault on its neighbour, raises questions over the role played by the British overseas territories in enforcing sanctions designed to turn the screw on the Kremlin. Written in exile by the Russian office of the anti-corruption group Transparency International, the report uncovers trade deals involving more than 150 luxury yachts, dozens of aircraft and equipment destined for Russia’s money-spinning oil sector. Researchers found that more than 95 per cent of the trade, uncovered by scouring official data, was routed through four territories: the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and Gibraltar. The Guardian, February 25

Come and see our pain with your own eyes, Zelensky urges Trump
President Zelensky has urged President Trump to visit Ukraine to see for himself the suffering caused by Russia’s armed forces. In a speech marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Zelensky also urged Kyiv’s allies not to forget or betray Ukraine. “Only by coming to Ukraine and seeing with one’s own eyes, our life and our struggle, and the enormity of our pain, only then can one understand what this war is about. And who the aggressor is here, and who must be punished,” Zelensky said in an address to the nation. While President Biden visited Ukraine in 2023, Trump has shown no interest in travelling to the war-torn country. Steve Witkoff, his special envoy, visited Russia six times last year, but has yet to travel to Kyiv. The Times, February 24

Donald Trump condemns Iran’s ‘sinister’ nuclear ambitions in State of the Union
Donald Trump lashed out at Tehran’s “sinister” nuclear ambitions in his State of the Union address as he laid out Washington’s justification for possible US military action against the Islamic republic. The US president accused Iran of seeking to rebuild its nuclear weapons programme as he spoke before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. Amid a massive build-up of US naval and air power in the Middle East, Trump said the US was negotiating with Iran but Tehran was not relinquishing its nuclear ambitions and continued to threaten America. “They’ve already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America,” Trump said. He did not offer any new evidence to support his claims against Iran. His remarks came during the second half of a nearly two-hour campaign-style speech to Congress - the longest in modern history - during which he mounted a staunch defence of his economic and immigration policies as he sought to re-energise his rightwing base ahead of November’s midterm elections. Financial Times, February 25

US Ambassador Kushner pledges not to 'interfere' in French affairs, diplomatic source says
The US ambassador to Paris, Charles Kushner, called France's foreign minister on Tuesday and pledged not to "interfere" in the host country's affairs, a French diplomatic source said, after a fallout over Washington's remarks following the killing of a far-right activist. A US embassy spokesperson said in a statement that Kushner and Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot "spoke today in a frank and amicable call, reaffirming their shared commitment to working together, along with all other ministers and French officials, on the many issues that impact the United States and France, particularly as the two countries celebrate 250 years of rich diplomatic relations”. The new diplomatic row between the two Nato allies broke out after Kushner flouted a summons over the US administration denouncing what it called "terrorism" and left-wing violence in France after the fatal beating of far-right activist Quentin Deranque, 23, earlier this month. France blocked the ambassador - whose son Jared Kushner is married to US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka - from having access to French government ministers until he explained himself. France 24, February 25

NHS secures bone cement rescue package so joint surgery can resume
The NHS says it has secured a rescue package of alternative medical cement to allow joint surgery to continue. Last week hospitals had been told to postpone treatments, including knee and hip replacements, after the health service's main supplier encountered a major production problem. The NHS was thought to have only two weeks' supply in stock and so was focussing on emergency patients and the most complex cases on the waiting list. But NHS England believes the shortfall will now be covered after a new supplier was found and an existing supplier agreed to up its deliveries. BBC news, February 25