France, Vietnam Sign Airbus, Satellite Deals as Macron Visits Hanoi

France's President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron arrive at Noi Bai International Airport, marking the first trip to Vietnam by a French president in nearly a decade, in Hanoi, Vietnam, May 25, 2025. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa
France's President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron arrive at Noi Bai International Airport, marking the first trip to Vietnam by a French president in nearly a decade, in Hanoi, Vietnam, May 25, 2025. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa
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France, Vietnam Sign Airbus, Satellite Deals as Macron Visits Hanoi

France's President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron arrive at Noi Bai International Airport, marking the first trip to Vietnam by a French president in nearly a decade, in Hanoi, Vietnam, May 25, 2025. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa
France's President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron arrive at Noi Bai International Airport, marking the first trip to Vietnam by a French president in nearly a decade, in Hanoi, Vietnam, May 25, 2025. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa

France and Vietnam signed a deal on Monday for 20 Airbus planes, among other pacts, as President Emmanuel Macron visited Hanoi seeking to boost France's influence in its former colony, grappling with threats of crippling US tariffs.

Macron's first formal visit to Vietnam, the first by a French president in nearly a decade, follows US President Donald Trump's threats on Friday of 50% duties on EU goods from June that sharply fueled tension with the 27-nation bloc.

Export-dependent Vietnam, under pressure from Washington to buy more American goods, has made pledges in trade talks to avert 46% tariffs that could impair its growth, fanning European concerns about deals at the region's expense, said AFP.

Deals signed during Macron's visit covered the plane purchase, cooperation on nuclear energy, railways, Airbus earth-observation satellites and Sanofi vaccines, a list of documents seen by Reuters showed, confirming an earlier report.

In statements to the press with no questions allowed, Macron reiterated France's support of freedom of navigation, an issue dear to Vietnam as it often clashes with Beijing over contested boundaries in the South China Sea.

Macron added the partnership with Vietnam "entails a reinforced defense cooperation", citing the signing of multiple projects on defense and space.

Vietnam's President Luong Cuong said the defense partnership involved "sharing of information on strategic matters" and stronger cooperation in the defense industry, cybersecurity and anti-terrorism.

France ruled the Southeast Asian country for about 70 years until it was forced out in 1954 after a major defeat at Dien Bien Phu in northern Vietnam. Ties have improved in recent decades, being upgraded last year to Vietnam's highest level.

On his trip, the first leg of a Southeast Asian tour that includes Indonesia and Singapore, Macron will visit a university in Hanoi on Tuesday, before flying to Jakarta, the Indonesian capital.

AIRBUS

The deal with European planemaker Airbus for Vietnam's low-cost airline VietJet to buy 20 A330neo wide-body aircraft follows last year's agreement for 20 of the jets.

The signing followed urging by European officials in recent weeks for Vietnam to be careful in concessions made to the White House, two officials based in Vietnam with knowledge of the discussions had told Reuters, referring to concerns on Airbus.

Airbus is the main supplier of jets to Vietnam, contributing 86% of its fleet, data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows.

A separate agreement with Airbus Defense was also signed during the visit for cooperation with Vietnam on earth-observations satellites.

Airbus has long been in talks with Hanoi for the replacement of Vietnam's earth-observation satellite, built by Airbus' predecessor EADS and launched in 2013.

With an economy heavily dependent on US exports, Vietnam has signaled the possible purchase of at least 250 Boeing planes by flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and rival VietJet.

Officials of both nations have said such deals would help cut its huge trade surplus with the United States and possibly appease Trump.

In talks with the United States, "Vietnam should make sure not to make decisions at the expense of European interests," one of the EU officials said.

Vietnamese leaders have been advised such steps could jeopardize close ties with the EU, which has a free trade deal with Vietnam and is a major buyer of its goods, they added.



Trump to Travel to China Next Month, with US Trade Policy in Focus

US President Donald Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, US, February 19, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, US, February 19, 2026. (Reuters)
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Trump to Travel to China Next Month, with US Trade Policy in Focus

US President Donald Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, US, February 19, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, US, February 19, 2026. (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump will travel to China from March 31 to April 2 for a highly anticipated meeting between the world's two biggest economies, following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Trump's sweeping tariffs against imported goods.

A White House official confirmed the trip on Friday, just before the highest US court struck down many of the tariffs Trump has used to manage sometimes-tense relations with China.

Trump is expected to visit Beijing and meet Chinese President Xi Jinping as part of a lavish, extended visit. Trump was last in China in 2017, ‌the most ‌recent trip by a US president.

A key topic had been whether ‌to ⁠extend a trade ⁠truce that kept both countries from further hiking tariffs. After Friday's ruling, however, it was not immediately clear whether - and under what legal authority - Trump would restore tariffs on imports from China.

TRUMP SEES TRADE IMBALANCE AS NATIONAL EMERGENCY

The administration has said the tariffs were necessary because of national emergencies related to trade imbalances and China's role in producing illicit fentanyl-related chemicals.

"That's going to be a wild one," Trump told foreign leaders visiting Washington on Thursday ⁠about the trip. "We have to put on the biggest display you've ‌ever had in the history of China."

The Chinese ‌embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Beijing has not ‌confirmed the trip.

The visit would be the leaders' first talks since February and their first ‌in-person visit since an October meeting in South Korea. At that October meeting, Trump agreed to trim tariffs on China in exchange for Beijing cracking down on the fentanyl trade, resuming US soybean purchases and keeping rare earth minerals flowing.

While the October meeting largely sidestepped the sensitive issue of ‌Taiwan, Xi raised US arms sales to the island in February.

Washington announced its largest-ever arms sales deal with Taiwan in December, ⁠including $11.1 billion in ⁠weapons that could ostensibly be used to defend against a Chinese attack. Taiwan expects more such sales.

China views Taiwan as its own territory, a position Taipei rejects. The United States has formal diplomatic ties with China, but it maintains unofficial ties with Taiwan and is the island's most important arms supplier. The United States is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.

Xi also said during the February call that he would consider further increasing soybean purchases, according to Trump.

Struggling US farmers are a major political constituency for Trump, and China is the top soybean consumer.

Although Trump has justified several hawkish policy steps from Canada to Greenland and Venezuela as necessary to thwart China, he has eased policy toward Beijing in the past several months in key areas, from tariffs to advanced computer chips and drones.


Diplomacy Is Still the Only Viable Path to Peace in Ukraine, UN Refugee Chief Barham Salih Says

UNCHR High Commissioner Barham Salih talks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP)
UNCHR High Commissioner Barham Salih talks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP)
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Diplomacy Is Still the Only Viable Path to Peace in Ukraine, UN Refugee Chief Barham Salih Says

UNCHR High Commissioner Barham Salih talks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP)
UNCHR High Commissioner Barham Salih talks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP)

There are many obstacles to a peace deal in Ukraine, but a diplomatic solution remains the only viable option, the newly appointed head of the UN refugee agency said Friday, warning that humanitarian operations are increasingly overstretched because of multiple global crises.

Barham Salih, Iraq’s former president who was elected UNHCR high commissioner in December, made his first visit to Ukraine since taking office.

After traveling to Ukraine’s front-line cities, including Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and discussed the latest in efforts to secure a peace deal. He also discussed the future of UNHCR operations as Ukraine endures Russian attacks on its energy grid during a harsh winter.

“You have to be hopeful, but I do understand the difficulties in the situation, and it’s clear, of course, there are many, many impediments along the way, but at the end of the day, there is no military solution. There needs to be peace, a durable and just peace so that people can go back to their lives,” he said, speaking to The Associated Press in an interview in Kyiv.

“Things are not necessarily easy, definitely not easy, but let’s redouble the effort to make sure that diplomacy has a chance and really bring about a durable and just peace to this war that has been going on for far too long,” he added.

Of the agency’s $470 million appeal for Ukraine, only $150 million has been pledged. The shortfall reflects deep cuts across the humanitarian sector, making it increasingly difficult to deliver aid across multiple crises.

There are 3.7 million Ukrainians displaced within the country and nearly 6 million Ukrainians outside the country who have become refugees in Europe and elsewhere, he said.

“This tells you the gap between what is needed and what is available,” he said. “My appeal to the international community is, really, this is not the moment to walk away, this is not a moment to look the other way round. These vulnerable populations need support. We should deliver this help to them.”

The UN agency in Ukraine predicts 10.8 million Ukrainians will require humanitarian assistance in 2026, according to a report from the agency. The most critical needs are concentrated along the war’s front lines in the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine, as well as in the northern border region. Intensified hostilities produce fresh waves of displacement.

The agency’s Ukraine appeal competes with large-scale conflicts in Sudan and Gaza. Since his appointment, Salih has spent only one week in his Geneva office, traveling to Kenya, Chad, Türkiye and Jordan before visiting Ukraine.

Drastic cuts to US humanitarian funding under President Donald Trump has accelerated the erosion of global humanitarian infrastructure and severely undermined the ability of organizations to deliver aid.

There are 117 million displaced people worldwide, including at least 42 million refugees, Salih said. Two-thirds face protracted displacement and remain dependent on humanitarian assistance.

Deciding where to prioritize given shrinking resources is “difficult” he said.

“It’s really very difficult to prioritize given the scale of the problem. I was in Kenya and I was in Chad recently and I was in Türkiye and in Jordan talking to refugees from Syria. And of course, now in Ukraine, these are all pressing issues, pressing requirements,” he said.

“We need to be there to help people, but also I have to say we really need to look at durable solutions too as well. It’s not a matter of sustaining dependency or humanitarian assistance,” he added.

In his meeting with Zelenskyy, Salih said they discussed the need to focus on the “recovery phase and sustainable solutions and self reliance as we go forward,” he said.


Israel Army Says on ‘Defensive Alert’ Regarding Iran but No Change to Public Guidelines

Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP)
Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP)
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Israel Army Says on ‘Defensive Alert’ Regarding Iran but No Change to Public Guidelines

Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP)
Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP)

The Israeli army said it was on "defensive alert" as the United States threatens potential military action against Iran, but insisted there were no changes in its guidelines for the public.

"We are closely monitoring regional developments and are aware of the public discourse concerning Iran. The (Israeli military) is on defensive alert," army spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a video statement published Friday.

"Our eyes are wide open in all directions, and our finger is more than ever on the trigger in response to any change in the operational reality," he added, but emphasized "there is no change in the instructions".