Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at Europe rebuffing the White House’s request for help, potential delays to a U.S.-China summit, and low voter turnout in the Republic of Congo.
‘This Is Not Our War’
U.S. President Donald Trump has spent much of his second term bashing the United States’ trans-Atlantic partnerships, threatening NATO members, and shifting away from multilateral institutions. Now, the White House is asking those same allies for help—and so far, no one has come to Washington’s rescue.
Trump told the Financial Times on Sunday that he has urged roughly half a dozen nations to send warships and minesweepers to the Middle East to help U.S. forces reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Since the Iran war began on Feb. 28, Iranian strikes have effectively shut down the strategic waterway, where roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil normally transits. This has upended global energy flows, concerned investors, and spiked oil costs worldwide; Brent crude prices tipped back over $100 a barrel on Monday.
U.S. efforts to safeguard the strait have so far failed, forcing Trump to seek assistance. “It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there,” Trump said on Sunday. The White House has reportedly asked China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom—as well as NATO, as a whole—to join a “team effort” to reopen the choke point. Europe, in particular, possesses more minesweepers than the United States, making the continent a vital ally.
But Trump’s request has been largely rebuffed. What does Trump “expect a handful or two handfuls of European frigates to do in the Strait of Hormuz that the powerful U.S. Navy cannot do?” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Monday. “This is not our war. We have not started it.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reiterated that stance later Monday, saying, “NATO is a defensive alliance, not an interventionist one. And that is precisely why NATO has no place here at all.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that London “will not be drawn into the wider war.” Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares warned that “we mustn’t do anything that would add even more tension or cause the situation to escalate further.” And Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stressed that European Union naval missions in the Red Sea will not be expanded to include the Strait of Hormuz.
Outside of Europe, the reaction has been similar. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian reaffirmed Beijing’s neutral stance on Monday, calling on “relevant parties to immediately stop military operations.” And Australian Transportation Minister Catherine King preemptively confirmed that Canberra will not be sending a ship to Hormuz.
Only Denmark appeared open to the possibility. “Even if we don’t like what’s going on, I think it’s wise to keep an open mind on whether Europe … in some way can contribute, but with a view towards de-escalation,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said.
Trump on Monday criticized the lackluster response from U.S. allies, though he claimed that the United States does not need their help. “We don’t need anybody. We’re the strongest nation in the world. We have the strongest military by far in the world,” Trump said. “We don’t need them, but it’s interesting. I’m almost doing it in some cases, not because we need them, but because I want to find out how they react.”
As for Tehran, Iran continued its strikes on critical infrastructure in the region on Monday, hitting a fuel tank at Dubai International Airport. “From our perspective, it is open,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said of Hormuz. “It is only closed to our enemies, to those who carried out unjust aggression against our country and to their allies.”
Today’s Most Read
The World This Week
Tuesday, March 17: Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong begins a three-day trip to Japan.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb concludes a two-day trip to London.
Wednesday, March 18: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hosts United Nations chief António Guterres.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu begins a two-day trip to the United Kingdom.
Thursday, March 19: The European Council holds a leaders’ summit in Brussels.
Trump hosts Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the White House.
Saturday, March 21: The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States holds a leaders’ summit in Colombia.
Sunday, March 22: Slovenia holds parliamentary elections.
France holds runoff municipal elections.
Italy holds a two-day referendum on judicial reforms.
What We’re Following
Potential delays. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested on Monday that Trump may delay his trip to China later this month due to the Iran war. “The postponement, if it happens, would be because the commander in chief of the United States military believes that he should stay in the United States while this war is being prosecuted,” Bessent said.
His comments come a day after Trump told the Financial Times that Washington is trying to pressure Beijing to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz. “I think China should help too because China gets 90 percent of its oil from the straits,” Trump said. However, Bessent stressed on Monday that the trip’s potential delay has nothing to do with oil concerns.
Trump was set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping from March 31 to April 2 to discuss economic competition and high tariffs. According to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, that includes the possible creation of a U.S.-China Board of Trade, which would identify “what kinds of things should we be importing from China, what kinds of things should we be exporting to China, to really make sure that we can focus on areas of mutual benefit.” Bessent and Greer concluded two days of talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Paris on Monday to prepare for the summit.
No significant challenge. The Republic of Congo’s presidential election on Sunday saw low voter turnout, with many Congolese seemingly unconvinced that Brazzaville would witness a leadership change. President Denis Sassou Nguesso, 82, is seeking a fifth consecutive term, and despite six other candidates challenging him for the job, analysts predict that none pose a significant threat. Results are expected later this month.
Nguesso has ruled the Republic of Congo for the past 42 years apart from a five-year hiatus in the 1990s; a constitutional referendum in 2015 removed presidential term and age limits, allowing him to run again. Nguesso’s administration has placed several restrictions on the opposition to all but ensure his success. They include barring travel for vote-canvassing to everyone except the incumbent, shutting down internet access on election day, and restricting traffic in Brazzaville. Two major opposition parties boycotted Sunday’s vote over accusations of unfair electoral practices.
“President Denis Sassou Nguesso has maintained nearly uninterrupted power for over 40 years by severely repressing the opposition,” according to Freedom House, which ranked the Republic of Congo as “not free” in its 2025 Freedom in the World index. Rights activists cite systemic corruption, political instability, and self-censorship as responsible for the country’s poor economic standing and high poverty rate.
Constitutional referendum. Voters in Kazakhstan on Sunday approved the most comprehensive overhaul of their country’s constitution since its adoption in 1995. The referendum revamps around 80 percent of the previous framework and strengthens President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s grip on power.
Under the new constitution, the country’s two parliamentary chambers will merge into one; a new president-appointed body, the People’s Council, will work alongside parliament to initiate legislation; and the office of the vice president, abolished in 1996, will be restored. Both the old and new constitutions limit presidents to one seven-year term—a limit Tokayev himself introduced—but some analysts suggested that he could try to use the new constitution to reset his term limit and extend his reign beyond the end of his term in 2029.
Tokayev said on Sunday that the next presidential election will take place in 2029, dismissing rumors of an early exit.
“Some experts suggest that competition for power in Kazakhstan is reportedly intensifying, and that various trends giving rise to concern are on the rise,” Tokayev said. “However, there are absolutely no grounds for worry that this will have a negative impact on society.” More than 87 percent of voters cast their ballot in favor of the referendum, with turnout exceeding 73 percent.
Odds and Ends
Foreign movies made a big splash at the Academy Awards on Sunday. After securing nine Oscar nominations, Norwegian drama Sentimental Value took home Best International Feature Film. South Korean musical KPop Demon Hunters clinched the awards for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song. And Russian documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin won Best Documentary Feature Film—a win made more poignant with U.S. actor Sean Penn skipping the ceremony (and his Best Supporting Actor win for One Battle After Another) to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
Meanwhile, Canadian stop-motion masterpiece The Girl Who Cried Pearls won Best Animated Short, and the French-language film Two People Exchanging Saliva tied for Best Live Action Short. Let the movie night marathon begin!
