Saturday Evening Links

[Reuters] Europe will not be part of Ukraine peace talks, US envoy says

[AP] Zelenskyy, Scholz take strong stands as new line from Washington under Trump jolts Europe

[AP] Hungary’s transformation into an ‘electoral autocracy’ has parallels to Trump’s second term

[Bloomberg] Trump Is Rushing Toward a Deal With Putin, Leaving Europe in the Dust

[Bloomberg] Canada’s Conservative Leader Pitches Major Natural-Resource Revamp to Counter Trump

[WSJ] U.S. Tells Ukraine It Has a Seat at Negotiating Table With Russia

Saturday's News Links

[AP] Trump’s reciprocal tariffs will overturn decades of trade policy

[Reuters] Wall St Week Ahead Walmart to shed light on consumer health as inflation bites, tariffs swirl

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Charting the Global Economy: US Inflation Picks Up Ahead of Tariffs

[Fortune] How does a VAT work? Here’s why Europe’s consumption tax has Trump vowing reciprocal tariffs

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Corporate America’s souring profit outlook clouds equity rally

[CNBC] Unemployment spikes in Washington, D.C. as Trump and Musk begin efforts to shrink the government

[Yahoo Finance] Why everything still feels so expensive

[Yahoo Finance] More Americans with government loans are falling behind on their mortgages, a warning sign for consumer health

[Axios] Trump strangles Europe

[AP] Zelenskyy, Scholz take strong stands as new line from Washington under Trump jolts Europe

[CNBC] Zelenskyy calls for creation of ‘European army’ as he warns Russia ‘is not preparing for dialogue’

[Reuters] Vance attack on Europe overshadows Ukraine talks at security conference

[Bloomberg] Failing to Act on Bird Flu Leaves Us All Exposed

[NYT] Does Uncertainty Harm the Economy? Business Leaders Are About to Find Out.

[NYT] What Is the Value-Added Tax That Trump So Despises?

[NYT] Trump’s Tariffs Could Worsen Europe’s Economic Slowdown

[WSJ] Why There Is No Relief Ahead for High Used-Car Prices

[WSJ] China’s Rehearsals for a Blockade of Taiwan

[FT] Wall Street’s Magnificent Seven lose their shine

[FT] Ukraine rejects Trump bid to take rights to half its mineral reserves