Situation Reports

U.S. President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro met for two hours Feb. 3 at the White House and discussed cooperation to fight drug trafficking, El Colombiano reported.

Deputy Chairman Hsiao Hsu-tsen of Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang (KMT) met with Director Song Tao of China's Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing on Feb. 3 to revive party-to-party talks that ended in 2016, the Taipei Times reported.

Russia launched a large overnight barrage of missiles and drones against Ukrainian energy infrastructure and cities during extreme cold, damaging power and heating systems across several regions just ahead of resumed U.S.-brokered talks, Dzerkalo Tyzhnia reported on Feb. 3.

The European Commission opened an in-depth investigation under the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation into Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Goldwind, according to a Feb. 3 commission press release.

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas announced that the Palestinian Liberation Organization, or PLO, would hold direct elections on Nov. 1 for its parliament, the Palestinian National Council (PNC), Times of Israel reported Feb. 3.

South African state-owned utility company Eskom called for an urgent meeting with creditors Feb. 2 to discuss recently proposed changes to its unbundling strategy, News24 reported Feb. 2.

An ad hoc committee of bondholders said that it would take legal action against the Ethiopian government before U.K. courts to "enforce payment of the outstanding principal and interest due," Reuters reported Feb. 2.

Clashes broke out inside Somalia's federal parliament when opposition lawmakers physically blocked a scheduled session to debate proposed constitutional amendments, leading to injuries and the cancellation of proceedings, Garowe Online reported Feb 2.

Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the country's FY 2026-27 budget to Parliament on Feb. 1, AFP reported Feb. 2.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu will face two more no-confidence votes Feb. 2 after invoking Article 49.3 of the French Constitution to pass the 2026 budget without a parliamentary vote, Le Figaro reported.