With much of the world’s attention focused on US President Donald Trump’s historic visit to the Middle East or the fluctuating progress of talks between Russia and Ukraine, a quiet but consequential event took place last week that largely escaped notice.

The single biggest foreign policy disaster of the Biden administration was the chaotic and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021, which fundamentally altered how the US was perceived globally.

Two Chinese cargo ships began their journey last month from Shanghai and Rizhao to the Baltic Sea, but not by the traditional route through the Suez Canal. Instead, with the assistance of a Chinese icebreaker, they are taking the Northern Sea Route through the Arctic Ocean.

After months of delays in the US Congress, an overwhelming bipartisan majority approved a new $61 billion aid package for Ukraine. Last week’s vote was a long time coming: the last time Congress authorized funding for Ukraine was December 2022.