World Briefing: March 15, 2025

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Friday insisted that Ukraine order some of its forces to surrender, a striking demand made hours after President Trump said he had “very good and productive” discussions with Mr. Putin about a potential cease-fire. Mr. Putin’s televised comments came shortly after Mr. Trump, on social media, said he had urged the Russian leader to spare the lives of Ukrainian soldiers struggling to hold on to a patch of land in the Kursk region of Russia. “I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared,” Mr. Trump wrote. Both presidents claimed on Friday that Ukrainian forces were surrounded in Kursk, the area where Kyiv’s troops stunned Russia with a cross-border incursion last summer. Independent analysts have challenged those claims, and Ukraine’s military on Friday again rejected them. Still, Russian forces have of late had the upper hand in the fighting in Kursk. And Mr. Putin said that for Mr. Trump’s call “to be effectively implemented,” the leaders of Ukraine needed to order their “military units to lay down their arms and surrender.” Neither man has raised the idea of Russian troops on Ukrainian land surrendering - NYT

As US President Donald Trump escalates a trade war with the European Union – most recently by threatening a 200% tariff on wine and champagne – Europeans are taking matters into their own hands by starting grassroots boycotts of American products that are mobilising tens of thousands of consumers. For example, the Boycott USA: Buy French and European! group was created on February 28 and has already amassed more than 20,000 followers sharing tips on how to replace popular US brands such as McDonalds, Levi’s and WhatsApp with local equivalents. Across northern Europe, similar grassroots movements are popping up. Two Swedish Facebook groups both have around 80,000 members as does a Danish group, with smaller groups up and running in the Netherlands and Belgium. “It's not just a question of blindly boycotting everything, but of consciously directing our wallets towards solutions that are most beneficial to the local, French and European economy,” wrote the French group’s founder, Édouard Roussez, in a post - AP

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating whether Columbia University concealed “illegal aliens” on its campus, one of its top officials said Friday, as the Trump administration intensified its campaign to deport foreigners who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the school last year. Agents with the Department of Homeland Security searched two university residences with a warrant Thursday evening. No one was arrested, and it was unclear whom the authorities were searching for, but by Friday afternoon U.S. officials had announced developments related to two people they had pursued in connection with the demonstrations. A Columbia doctoral student from India whose visa was revoked by the Trump administration fled the U.S. on an airliner. And a Palestinian woman who had been arrested during the protests at the university last April was arrested by federal immigration authorities in Newark, New Jersey, for overstaying her student visa - AP

U.S. Vice President JD Vance has thrown cold water on the idea of the U.S. deploying nuclear weapons to Poland, all but ruling out a suggestion from Polish President Andrzej Duda. Appearing on The Ingraham Angle on Fox News, Vance said he hadn’t discussed the issue with President Donald Trump but would be “shocked” if his boss supported extending America’s nuclear arsenal further east. “We have got to be careful, Laura, we are playing literally with the lives of the future of human civilization,” he warned. Framing Trump as a “peace president,” Vance slammed former President Joe Biden for “sleepily walking us into a nuclear conflict” and claimed Trump would take a “totally different approach.” He also bashed Biden’s Ukraine policy, saying the administration’s strategy amounted to simply dumping weapons into the war zone. Duda has sparked debate over whether Poland, a NATO member, should host U.S. nukes to deter future Russian aggression. But Vance seemed to be clear that would not happen under Trump - Daily Beast

Central banker and technocrat Mark Carney was sworn in as Canada's prime minister on Friday — but he could be the country's shortest-serving leader. Former prime minister Charles Tupper currently holds that distinction, serving in the role for just 69 days in 1896. Given that Carney is expected to call an election before March 24 — the day Parliament is set to return — it's possible that he could have a shorter time in office than Tupper if the Liberals lose the next federal vote. Recent polls have shown a resurgence in Liberal support in the past few weeks, but CBC's Poll Tracker still suggests that a Conservative victory is the most likely outcome. But even if the Liberals lose, Carney wouldn't stop being prime minister right away. There would be a transition period - CBC