Pentagon Weighs Big Europe Drawdown as War Grinds On

The Pentagon is weighing its biggest European drawdown since the Cold War: roughly 25,000 troops, a third of the US force there, could leave bases in Germany, Italy and Spain. The same day, UN investigators said they had found evidence pointing to possible US war crimes in Iran, adding fresh scrutiny of Washington's overseas conduct. On the ground in Ukraine, a Russian drone struck a commuter train in the Kharkiv region, killing a 40-year-old man and wounding seven people who failed to keep a safe distance during the evacuation. Russian forces are also probing Ukrainian lines with small infantry groups in Slobozhanshchyna, while Belarus has switched on drone retransmitters to help guide Russian strikes. Against that backdrop, the EU sent Kyiv 3.3 billion euros earmarked for drones and missiles. Diplomacy moved too: Volodymyr Zelensky launched the Carpathian Eight, a new regional cooperation format, though Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico skipped the summit despite earlier plans to attend. At home, Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation opened a case into the alleged use of force during mobilization in Lviv, and a parliament session was cancelled without notice, with MPs finding out from security guards. In Russia, authorities placed Nestle's local facilities under forced administration. And off Australia's coast, a swimmer died in a shark attack.