Pierre Haski

The reopening of Notre-Dame in Paris, with the participation of Donald Trump, has turned into a diplomatic event where everyone will want to engage with the president-elect. Ukraine is at the top of the agenda.

We must first recognize the joy of the Syrian people at the fall of a brutal regime that ruled for more than half a century. Yet, there's also major geopolitical stakes in this highly sensitive region, with its losers — Russia and Iran — and its winners, foremost among them Erdogan's Turkey. And a ton of uncertainty.

Taking advantage of the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Turkey, the United States and Israel separately carried out airstrikes on targets in different areas of the country, each with its own agenda. The reclaiming Syria's sovereignty will be one of the most important and complex challenges facing the country's new rulers.

The debate over a possible ceasefire in Ukraine has shifted from territorial defense to securing guarantees for Kyiv. A new formula that involves NATO might be the most realistic hope now that Trump is arriving at the White House.

The Americans already have direct contact, and the French are arriving tomorrow. While remaining “vigilant” about the Islamist nature of Syria's new rulers, Western nations are reestablishing ties with Damascus to support a return to stability. Turkey, however, is already one step ahead.

While Russia had to negotiate with former Syrian rebels for the withdrawal of around 500 Russian soldiers trapped in Damascus, Vladimir Putin remained silent on the crushing defeat he suffered in Syria. Instead, he has threatened the West, as if to show he is not weakened by the fall of his ally Assad. On Tuesday, a top Russian general has been killed in Moscow in an apparent Ukrainian assassination.

The unprecedented assassination of the head of the Russian army's chemical weapons division is an act of war that is hard for Ukraine's allies to defend. Still, Ukrainians can't be faulted for fighting for the nation's very existence, especially as the West shows signs of slowing down its support.

Kinshasa is suing Apple in France and Belgium for "complicity" in the use of rare minerals pillaged by armed groups to build their products. Apple denies the accusations and guarantees traceability, but the case highlights the fragile balance of power in Silicon Valley's global supply chains.

Djibouti, where the French president is visiting, remains home to a French military base with 1,500 soldiers, making it the largest in Africa following a string of setbacks for France in the Sahel, Chad and Senegal. France's Africa policy is in need of reinvention.