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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a pause in sending a shipment of missiles and ammunition to Ukraine amid concern about the U.S. military’s stockpiles, according to two defense officials, two congressional officials and two sources with knowledge of the decision.

Hegseth ordered the delay weeks after he issued a memo ordering a review of the U.S. stockpile of munitions, which has been depleted after years of the United States’ sending weapons to Ukraine to defend against the Russia invasion, as well as nearly two years of military operations in the Middle East as the United States fought Houthi rebels in Yemen and defended Israel and allies against Iran, four of the officials said.

The munitions and other weapons could be held up until the assessment is complete, the two defense officials and two congressional officials said, and if the munitions are in short supply or needed in other parts of the world, they could be held back even longer.

The weapons being delayed include dozens of Patriot interceptors that can defend against incoming Russian missiles, thousands of 155 mm high explosive Howitzer munitions, more than 100 Hellfire missiles, more than 250 precision-guided missile systems known as GMLRS and dozens each of Stinger surface-to-air missiles, AIM air-to-air missiles and grenade launchers, the two defense officials, two congressional officials and two sources with knowledge of the decision said.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said: “This decision was made to put America’s interests first following a DOD review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe. The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned — just ask Iran." The Defense Department did not respond to a request for comment.

At a closing news conference after a NATO meeting at The Hague last week, President Donald Trump said the United States is trying to find Patriot air defense missiles to send to Ukraine.

“They do want to have the anti-missile missiles,” Trump said of Ukraine. “As they call them the Patriots, and we’re going to see if we can make some available.” He said that the United States is supplying weapons to Israel and that “you know, they’re very hard to get. We need them, too.”

A senior Ukrainian lawmaker on Wednesday called the Pentagon's decision “painful” for Kyiv’s effort to defend itself against Russian air strikes.

“This decision is certainly very unpleasant for us,” Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of the Ukrainian parliament’s defense committee, said in Kyiv, according to Reuters.

He added, “it’s painful, and against the background of the terrorist attacks which Russia commits against Ukraine ... it’s a very unpleasant situation.”

Ukraine’s foreign ministry also met with John Ginkel, a U.S. diplomat based in Kyiv, to discuss military assistance and defense cooperation between with two countries.

“It was stressed that any delays or hesitation in supporting Ukraine’s defense capacities would only encourage the aggressor to continue the war and terror, rather than seek peace,” the ministry said in a statement.

Ukraine has repeatedly appealed for additional U.S. and European air defense weaponry as Russia has stepped up its air raids in recent months. Over the weekend, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Russia had launched the largest aerial attack on the country since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022, firing 60 missiles and 477 drones.

Trump and his Republican allies in Congress are also working to secure a permanent ceasefire. Though it’s common for new administrations to pause weapons transfers to assess stockpiles, there are concerns about the moment in which this is happening, according to an official with knowledge of the situation. The official said Ukraine needs to appear strong to get Russia to the negotiating table.

During a visit to Washington on June 5, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s top adviser, Andriy Yermak, told reporters that his country was holding off Russian forces but needed more air defense systems to safeguard its cities from Russian attacks.

The Defense Department held up a shipment of U.S. weapons for Ukraine this week over what officials said were concerns about its low stockpiles. But an analysis by senior military officers found that the aid package would not jeopardize the American military’s own ammunition supplies, according to three U.S. officials.

The move to halt the weapons shipment blindsided the State Department, members of Congress, officials in Kyiv and European allies, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the matter.

Critics of the decision included Republicans and Democrats who support aiding Ukraine’s fight against Russia. A leading House Democrat, Adam Smith of Washington, said it was disingenuous of the Pentagon to use military readiness to justify halting aid when the real reason appears to be simply to pursue an agenda of cutting off American aid to Ukraine.

We are not at any lower point, stockpile-wise, than we’ve been in the 3½ years of the Ukraine conflict,” Smith, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, told NBC News.

Smith said that his staff has “seen the numbers” and, without going into detail, that there was no indication of a shortage that would justify suspending aid to Ukraine.

Suspending the shipment of military aid to Ukraine was a unilateral step by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to three congressional aides and a former U.S. official familiar with the matter. It was the third time Hegseth on his own has stopped shipments of aid to Ukraine, the sources said. In the two previous cases, in February and in May, his actions were reversed days later.

senior Pentagon official, Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary of defense for policy, has backed the moves, the sources said. Colby has long advocated scaling back the U.S. commitment in Ukraine and shifting weapons and resources to the Pacific region to counter China.

Lawmakers from both parties were frustrated that they were not notified in advance and were examining whether the delayed shipment violated legislation mandating security assistance for Ukraine, according to congressional aides. Those lawmakers and some European allies were trying to determine just why the Pentagon ordered the suspension and were scrambling to get it reversed.

The White House has defended the decision, saying it followed an ongoing review by the Defense Department of U.S. assistance to allies and partners abroad that began last month.

The review began after Hegseth issued a memo ordering the Pentagon’s Joint Staff to review stockpiles of all munitions. According to three officials familiar with the matter, the assessment found that some stockpiles of high-precision munitions were at lower levels but not yet beyond critical minimums.

The Joint Staff concluded that providing continued assistance to Ukraine would not drain U.S. supplies below a required threshold needed to ensure military readiness, the officials said.

The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called the assessment a “capability review" at a briefing Wednesday.

“We can’t give weapons to everybody all around the world,” Parnell said. “Part of our job is to give the president a framework that he can use to evaluate how many munitions we have where we’re sending them. And that review process is happening right now and is ongoing.”

Ukraine has issued urgent appeals to Washington for more air defense systems as Russia has stepped up its bombardment of Ukrainian cities. Over the weekend, Russia launched its biggest aerial attack of the three-year-old conflict, firing 60 missiles and 477 drones across the country.

The delayed shipment included dozens of Patriot interceptors, coveted weapons for Ukraine to knock out incoming missiles, as well as 155 mm artillery rounds, Hellfire missiles, precision-guided missile systems known as GMLRS, grenade launchers, Stinger surface-to-air missiles and AIM air-to-air missiles for Ukraine’s small fleet of F-16 fighter jets.

In Poland and other European countries, some of the U.S. weapons had already been loaded onto trucks, ready to be delivered to Kyiv to help its government fend off Russian missile attacks and hold the line against ground forces in the country’s east. Then, military officers and officials handling the shipment got word that the delivery had been called off, said two sources with knowledge of the matter.

The weapons shipment was approved during the Biden administration, three U.S. officials said. Some of the weapons were pulled from U.S. stockpiles, with the Pentagon receiving funds to replenish them. Other munitions fall under a program that provides money to buy new weapons for Ukraine from American defense companies, the officials said. Those weapons are not drawn from U.S. supplies.

‘Rookie mistake’
Since the United States began sending large shipments of weapons to Kyiv after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, U.S. officials and commanders have grown concerned about the state of American stockpiles of munitions and other equipment.

The aid effort has laid bare the inadequacy of the defense industrial base to replenish those weapons stocks. That has, in some cases, put the Pentagon at dangerously low levels of some munitions, including 155 mm artillery rounds, according to multiple U.S. officials and former military officers.

In a letter to President Donald Trump, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., requested an emergency briefing from the White House and the Defense Department to review the decision “to withhold urgent, lifesaving military assistance to Ukraine.”

He argued that it was possible to both maintain adequate weapons supplies for the U.S. military and send arms badly needed by Kyiv.

Dan Caldwell, a former senior Pentagon official, defended the pause by Hegseth and Colby.

"They are prioritizing the safety and readiness of our own military over pleasing the foreign policy establishment, who often seem in denial about the real constraints the United States military is facing," Caldwell said.

Hegseth has twice before suspended aid to Ukraine without apparent coordination with lawmakers on Capitol Hill or even within the administration. The first time, in February, drew a prickly response from the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who called the move “a rookie mistake.”

President Donald Trump’s decision to send more defensive weapons to Ukraine came after he privately expressed frustration with Pentagon officials for announcing a pause in some deliveries last week — a move that he felt wasn’t properly coordinated with the White House, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The Pentagon, which announced last week that it would hold back some air defense missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons pledged to Ukraine because of what U.S. officials said were concerns that American stockpiles were in short supply. Trump said Monday that the U.S. will have to send more weapons to Ukraine, effectively reversing the move.

Two of the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the sensitive internal discussions, said there was some internal opposition among Pentagon brass to the pause — coordinated by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby — before it was announced.

One of the people described Trump as being caught “flat footed” by the announcement. The White House did not respond to queries about whether Trump was surprised by the Pentagon pause.

Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson denied that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had acted without consulting the president.

The pause in critical weapons deliveries had come at a difficult moment for Ukraine, which has faced increasing — and more complex — air barrages from Russia during the more than three-year-old war. Trump acknowledged that in announcing the reversal on Monday night, saying, “They have to be able to defend themselves. They’re getting hit very hard now.”

Trump’s change in tone on Putin
The president also laid into Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggesting he was unnecessarily prolonging the war that Trump has said he’s determined to quickly conclude. Trump has struggled to find a resolution, with talks between the sides stalled.

The Republican leader has sounded increasingly exasperated with Putin in recent days. The two spoke by phone last week.

“We get a lot of bull---- thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said during Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting. “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”

He has threatened, but held off on, imposing new sanctions against Russia’s oil industry to try to prod Putin into peace talks.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said last week that Trump has given him the go-ahead to push forward with a bill he’s co-sponsoring that calls, in part, for a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that continue to buy Russian oil. The move would have huge ramifications for China and India, two economic behemoths that buy Russian oil.

Trump said Tuesday that he’s “looking at it very strongly.”

Pentagon says it’s going to resume shipments to Ukraine
The weapons pause announced last week impacted shipments of Patriot missiles, precision-guided GMLRS, Hellfire missiles and Howitzer rounds and more, taking not only Ukrainian officials and other allies by surprise but also U.S. lawmakers and other parts of the Trump administration, including the State Department.

The Pentagon said late Monday that at Trump’s direction, it would resume weapons shipments to Ukraine “to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops.” Still, spokesman Sean Parnell added that its review for Trump to evaluate military shipments worldwide continues as part of “America First” defense priorities.

It’s also unclear which weaponry would now be sent, though Trump said that the U.S. will primarily be assisting Ukraine with defensive weapons.

Counting the weapons
On Tuesday, each of the services and the combatant commands — the multiservice organizations that spearhead U.S. military operations around the world — were still sending up information on their stockpiles of specific munitions to Pentagon leadership, a U.S. official said.

“They are literally still doing the math,” the official said.

The information was being presented on a stoplight chart — where munitions were either in a red, yellow or green status, similar to slides that had been created the week before, the official said. That earlier study had concluded that some munitions were OK to keep sending to Ukraine — but others were reaching concerning levels.

Getting a full visibility on the numbers of actual munitions on hand takes time, the official said, because while Patriot missiles, for example, initially belong to the Army, once they are requested and sent to a combatant command, such as U.S. Central Command, the service loses visibility on those numbers in inventory.

The vast majority of the munitions and weapons the U.S. has shipped to Ukraine have been pulled from the Army, which has monitored levels closely in recent years, particularly for high-demand items like 155mm artillery shells and Patriot missiles for air defenses.

It’s been harder for the Army to ramp up production on those items than had been planned: It was trying to hit a goal of producing 100,000 155mm shells a month by the end of 2025 but won’t meet that goal now until 2026, Army spokesman Steve Warren said.

Ramping up Patriot missile production also has been challenging, Warren said.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a statement Tuesday that he was glad Trump was resuming deliveries to Ukraine.

“This time, the President will need to reject calls from the isolationists and restrainers within his Administration to limit these deliveries to defensive weapons,” McConnell said. “And he should disregard those at DoD who invoke munitions shortages to block aid while refusing to invest seriously in expanding munitions production.”

Hundreds of Russian drones flying from all directions attacked Kyiv overnight into Thursday in an apparent new Russian tactic, marking a second consecutive night of ferocious attacks on Ukraine.

At least two people were killed, including a 22-year-old police officer who was named by authorities as Maria Dziumaha, and more than a dozen were wounded in the attacks, according to authorities.

CNN staff on the ground in Kyiv witnessed massive, fiery explosions that illuminated the night sky. Smoke filled the air, creating a burning smell and obscuring the visibility in the city center.

Russia has been intensifying its aerial attacks against Ukraine in recent weeks, but the assault on Thursday appeared to mark a change in approach from Moscow.

Russia launched 400 drones and 18 missiles, including eight ballistic and six cruise missiles, according to a telegram post from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

They were flying at different altitudes, and attacking from all directions — with some of the drones initially bypassing the capital before abruptly changing direction and speeding back towards the city.

While Kyiv has previously experienced attacks from multiple directions, as Russian drones attempted to bypass the city’s air defenses, the assault on Thursday saw the drones launching towards the city simultaneously, effectively encircling Kyiv before attacking.

This made guarding the capital’s skies even more challenging for the strained Ukrainian air defences. Yet the Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down or disabled 382 of the 415 aerial weapons Russia launched at the country overnight, including all of the ballistic and cruise missiles. That is a stunning success given the scale of the attack, especially given Ukraine’s limited access to air defense systems.

As terrifying as the night was for Kyiv’s residents, these massive aerial attacks have become the new normal for Ukrainian civilians.

Just on Wednesday, Russia conducted its largest drone assault since the start of its full-scale invasion, launching 728 drones and 13 missiles in strikes that killed at least one person, according to Ukrainian officials.

The damage from the latest offensive attacks appeared to be substantial.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday that it was targetting “Ukrainian military-industrial complex enterprises in Kyiv and military airfield infrastructure.”

But houses and residential buildings, cars, warehouse facilities, offices and other buildings across the city were damaged and caught fire, according to city authorities.

A health care clinic was almost completely destroyed in the strikes, Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Ukraine's military intelligence has claimed responsibility for a major cyberattack targeting one of Russia's newest nuclear submarines, the Knyaz Pozharsky, potentially exposing vulnerabilities in the Kremlin's naval deterrent, the Sunday Times reported on Sunday.

According to a statement by Ukraine's Defense Intelligence (DIU), hackers gained access to a wide range of classified materials related to the submarine, including detailed technical documentation, combat instructions, engineering reports, and crew rosters. The files also reportedly include a full operational schedule, outlining both combat and routine activities.

“The information obtained by the intelligence officers allows us to identify the features and technical limitations of not only the Knyaz Pozharsky, but also other submarines of the 955A project, which are critical to maintaining the imperial myth of the aggressor state of Russia,” the DIU said.

The Knyaz Pozharsky, which entered service in late July, is a Project 955A Borei-A class submarine — considered one of the most advanced platforms in Russia’s nuclear triad. It is stationed in Gadzhiyevo, in the Murmansk region, and is part of the Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet.

Each Borei-A class submarine is capable of carrying up to 16 R-30 Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles, with each missile capable of delivering multiple nuclear warheads. The vessels are designed for high stealth, maneuverability, and significant strike capability.

Cyberattack is latest in series of Ukrainian intelligence operations
While the hacking claim could not be independently verified, it is the latest in a series of intelligence operations reportedly carried out by Ukraine against Russia’s strategic assets. In June, Ukraine launched “Operation Spider’s Web,” a large-scale drone strike targeting Russian airfields that destroyed several aircraft used in Russia’s nuclear force.
“Nuclear weapons are the main symbol of Russia’s global greatness,” Maxim Starchak, a nuclear policy analyst, wrote at the time. “Operation Spider’s Web was undoubtedly a blow to the Kremlin’s pride.”

The report on the submarine breach emerged on Sunday, as Russian and Chinese naval forces conducted joint anti-submarine drills in the Sea of Japan. The exercises are part of a scheduled cooperation initiative between the two countries.

The drill came shortly after US President Donald Trump ordered two American nuclear submarines to be deployed in “the appropriate regions” following remarks made by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.

No statement has been issued by the Russian government regarding the alleged breach, and no Western intelligence agencies or cybersecurity firms have confirmed Ukraine’s claims.

The cyber operation follows heightened rhetoric from Moscow over its nuclear capabilities throughout the war in Ukraine. While senior Russian officials have made repeated threats involving tactical nuclear weapons, no such arms have been used in the conflict.

Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated the central role of the nuclear triad in safeguarding Russian sovereignty. Speaking at the commissioning ceremony of the Knyaz Pozharsky, he announced plans to build six more nuclear submarines by 2030, which would carry the Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater drone.

Russia has also expanded its military footprint in the Arctic, viewing the region as a strategic priority. The Kremlin has invested heavily in military infrastructure and energy exploration across the Arctic, capitalizing on newly accessible shipping lanes created by melting ice. These efforts have at times placed it in competition with China, which announced plans for an “Arctic Silk Road” in 2018.

The Northern Fleet, which operates the Borei-class submarines, regularly conducts under-ice patrols and Arctic combat exercises as part of its effort to maintain dominance in the region.

Ukrainian drone attacks overnight on several Russia's power and energy facilities forced capacity reduction at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant and set a fuel export terminal in Ust-Luga on fire, Russian officials said on Sunday.

A drone attack on the Kursk nuclear plant, not far from the border with Ukraine, damaged an auxiliary transformer and led to 50% reduction in the operating capacity at unit three of the plant, the plant's press service said.

There were no injuries and a fire sparked by the attack was promptly extinguished, the plant's press service said. Radiation levels at the site and in the surrounding area have not exceeded normal limits, it added.

About 10 Ukrainian drones were downed over the port of Ust-Luga in Russia's northern Leningrad region, with debris sparking fire at the Novatek-operated terminal - a huge Baltic Sea fuel export terminal and processing complex, regional governor said.

"Firefighters and emergency services are currently working to extinguish the blaze," Alexander Drozdenko, governor of Russia's Leningrad region where the Ust-Luga port is located, said on the Telegram messaging app. There were no injuries, he added.

According to Novatek, the Ust-Luga complex, which opened in 2013, processes gas condensate into light and heavy naphtha, jet fuel, fuel oil and gasoil, and enables the company to ship oil products as well as gas condensate to international markets.

Russian units destroyed a total of 95 Ukrainian drones overnight over 13 regions, including Leningrad and Samara, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, the defence ministry said.

Rosaviatsia, Russia's civil aviation authority, said flights were halted for hours on end at several Russian airports overnight, including at the Pulkovo airport in the Leningrad region.

Ukrainian drones also attacked an industrial enterprise in the southern Russian city of Syzran, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, governor of the Samara region where Syzran is located, posted on Telegram, adding there were no casualties.

He did not say what the targets were or whether there was any damage.

Earlier this month, the Ukrainian military said it had struck the Syzran oil refinery. The Rosneft-owned refinery was forced to suspend production and crude intake after the attack, sources told Reuters.

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Fire: What We Know So Far
https://www.newsweek.com/fire-zaporizhz ... he%20blaze.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday afternoon that he thinks Ukraine, with help from the European Union, could win back its territory from Russia and return the country to its original borders.

The president had suggested numerous times that giving up some land would be a key component of resolving Ukraine's war with Russia.

"After getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation and, after seeing the Economic trouble it is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form," Trump said in a lengthy post on Truth Social.

The president said that with the financial support of NATO, returning Ukraine to its original borders is "very much an option." He added that Russia has been "fighting aimlessly for three and a half years a War that should have taken a Real Military Power less than a week to win. This is not distinguishing Russia."

Trump suggested that once Russian citizens realize how much is being spent on fighting Ukraine, which he said has "Great Spirit, and only getting better, Ukraine would be able to take back their Country in its original form and, who knows, maybe even go further than that!"

The president said Russian President Vladimir Putin and his country are in "BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act." He said that the U.S. will continue to supply weapons to NATO "for NATO to do what they want with them."

It wasn’t immediately clear if Trump envisions the borders returning to what they were before Russia invaded in February 2022, or if it would also include Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

Asked about Trump's post, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters: "It’s a big shift. This post of Trump it’s a big shift. Very positive."

During a Fox News interview later on Tuesday, Zelenskyy added that he believes Trump "understands, for today, that we can't just swap territories, it's not fair."

Asked if he thinks Trump has changed his earlier position regarding Ukrainian territory, Zelenskyy told host Bret Baier, "Yes, I think so."

The goal of Trump's social media post and subsequent comments to reporters about it was to exert “maximum public pressure on Russia to get them to the table for a deal” to end the war, according to a senior administration official.

The official told NBC News that the administration’s next steps will depend on how the Russians respond. This official did not outline any specific policy shift happening now, or set to happen in reaction to whatever Russia says or does next.

The Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's post.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who met with Trump on the sidelines of the U.N. meeting on Tuesday afternoon, applauded Trump's statement, saying, "I think it’s a very, very right one"

"If we back completely Ukraine in this situation, given the Russian economy is suffering, I mean, there is this opportunity of a good future," Macron told Trump.

Trump then added, "I really do feel that way. Let them get their land back."

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a Republican on the Appropriations Committee, called Trump's shift "a gamechanger" in a social media post Tuesday.

Trump's post on social media came after he met earlier in the day with Zelenskyy for the fifth time in person during his second term on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Before their closed-door conversation, Trump told reporters that he supports NATO countries shooting down any Russian aircraft that violate their airspace. When asked if the U.S. would back up NATO allies, he said it would “depend” on the circumstances.

Trump also conveyed to the press that there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight for the conflict. “It looks like it’s not going to end for a long time,” he said.

During Trump's Tuesday morning speech before the U.N. General Assembly, he criticized European nations that have continued to purchase oil from Russia despite wanting to ramp up pressure on Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump has repeatedly said that exchanging territory between Ukraine and Russia would be a key element of any solution to end the war.

The Trump administration plans to provide additional intelligence to Ukraine to help Kyiv strike at oil and gas facilities inside Russia, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter.

It would be the first time the United States has expanded intelligence assistance to Ukraine since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the administration’s plans.

Trump’s rhetoric on Russia has shifted over the past month. He has criticized Moscow, calling it a “paper tiger” that has proved unable to defeat its smaller neighbor.

With increasingly sophisticated drones and missiles, Ukraine has stepped up sabotage attacks on pipelines, refineries and other energy infrastructure deep inside Russian territory. The attacks are beginning to inflict significant damage on Russia’s energy sector, analysts say.

U.S. intelligence could make those strikes even more effective, and Ukraine hopes the Trump administration will agree to its requests for longer-range U.S.-made missiles.

Vice President JD Vance told Fox News on Sunday that the administration is considering Ukraine’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles, which have a range of 1,500 miles.

In August, the administration announced the sale of Extended Range Attack Munitions for Ukraine, with NATO member countries buying the weapons on Kyiv’s behalf. Those missiles have ranges of 150 to 280 miles.

Russia played down the Trump administration’s plans to expand intelligence-sharing.

It seems that Ukraine is is being held to the standard that if you're attacked, you should "fight fair" when defending yourself, or else your attacker deserves sympathy. The exact same standard has been applied to Israel since they were attacked by their neighbors in Gaza.

I disagree with this standard. If attacked in this way, hit hard and use every advantage you can get, even help from the reviled USA, to make your attacker suffer. If ordinary citizens suffer as a consequence, blame your attacker, not yourself.

This would make sense if other factors were equal.

In the cases of both Ukraine and Israel, other factors are not equal, albeit for very different reasons.

In Ukraine's case, Russia is a nuclear-armed power. If the U.S.A. and other Western countries were to give maximal, no-strings-attached aid to Ukraine, to the point where Ukraine could make a credible effort to conquer Russia, then the likely result would be a nuclear war, rather than just a superpower proxy war.

As for Israel, let's discuss this in one of the many threads devoted to Israel vs. Palestine, rather than here.

President Donald Trump said Thursday on Truth Social that he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary, for a second round of in-person talks to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump's comments came after a phone call with Putin and a day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to visit the White House.

Trump said he and Putin "agreed that there will be a meeting of our High Level Advisors, next week," though the location has not been determined. The U.S. delegation will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after which Trump and Putin will meet, he said.

"President Putin and I will then meet in an agreed upon location, Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can bring this 'inglorious' War, between Russia and Ukraine, to an end," Trump wrote.

Trump said his call with Putin was "very productive" and that he believed "great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation."

Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, shared Trump’s post on X, calling the meeting “positive” and "important for the world.”

In a subsequent post, he accused “warmongers” from the United Kingdom and the European Union of trying “very very hard to derail peace prospects,” without elaborating on the claim. “But dialogue and peace and the US-Russia cooperation will prevail,” he wrote.

Zelenskyy is set to visit the White House on Friday as Trump weighs whether to approve Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine. The long-range missiles could be used strike deep inside Russia, and if the U.S. supplied the weapons, it would mark a new level of support from the administration for Ukraine.

Trump spoke with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine days after Israel and Hamas agreed to his peace proposal to end the war in Gaza, leading to a ceasefire and the release of all living hostages held in the territory and Palestinian prisoners from the Middle Eastern country.

Trump said in his Truth Social post that he believed "that the Success in the Middle East will help in our negotiation in attaining an end to the War with Russia/Ukraine."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday, with long-range Tomahawk missiles and the trajectory of the war with Russia on the agenda as Kyiv intensifies its push for U.S. military aid.

"Hopefully they won’t need it, hopefully we’ll be able to get the war over without thinking about Tomahawks," Trump told reporters at the start of the meeting. "I think we’re fairly close to that."

The sit-down follows Trump’s phone call Thursday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which Moscow warned that a U.S. decision to provide long-range Tomahawks to Kyiv would sharply escalate tensions. The missiles, which could be used to strike deep into Russia, would signal a “qualitatively new stage of escalation,” the Kremlin said.

Adding to the speculation, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth promised that more “firepower” was coming for Ukraine ahead of a NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels this week. It is not clear whether the Tomahawks were part of that.

The president sounded optimistic that an end to the conflict is still achievable, even as he conceded that it is “not an easy situation.”

"I think President Zelenskyy wants it done, and I think President Putin wants it done," Trump said. "All they have to do is get along a little bit."

"In the meantime, we’ll have them keep a little bit of distance, and we’re going to see if we can get it done," he added.

Asked earlier by a reporter if he could persuade Putin to end the war, Trump, while greeting Zelenskyy, replied, “Yep, we can.”

Zelenskyy arrives in Washington after a night of punishing strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, underscoring the push for more air defenses and long-range capabilities to pressure Russia to end the war.

The White House meeting on Friday capped a week of back-and-forth signaling from both leaders. Trump has publicly floated the possibility of providing Tomahawks, while Zelenskyy has framed the discussion as part of a broader effort to secure the weapons needed to deter Russia and defend critical infrastructure.

Zelenskyy has also struck an optimistic tone, suggesting that diplomatic breakthroughs elsewhere, as Trump has secured a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, could help create momentum for ending the war with Russia.

Trump appeared to acknowledge as much in his address to the Israeli parliament on Monday, saying, “Let’s focus on Russia first.”

Touting his record of settling conflicts while in office, Trump on Friday agreed that the momentum from reaching a deal in Gaza could help smooth negotiations with Russia.

“To the best of my knowledge, we’ve never had a president that solved one war,” Trump said. “Bush started a war. A lot of them started wars, but they don’t solve the wars.”

“This is pretty much the last one,” he said.

Returning from the Middle East on Monday, Trump said he was considering approving the Tomahawk missiles, saying they would offer “a new step of aggression” in the war against Russia. He also said he might tell Russia, “If this war is not going to get settled, I’m going to send [Ukraine] Tomahawks.”

“We may not, but we may do it. I think it’s appropriate to bring up,” Trump said aboard Air Force One. “I want to see the war settled.”

When the two leaders met this summer, Trump raised his voice several times at Putin and at one point threatened to walk out of their summit in Alaska, according to a source familiar with the meeting, confirming details first reported by the Financial Times.

The walkout threat came after the much-hyped meeting quickly went south, with Putin rejecting Trump’s ceasefire offer, then launching into a lengthy historical lecture about Russian and Ukrainian history.

The two spoke again by phone on Thursday for more than two hours. Speaking about the call, Trump said he had asked Putin in a “lighthearted” way if he would mind if he sent Tomahawks and that Putin opposed the move. “What do you think he’s going to say, ‘Please sell Tomahawks?’” Trump joked to reporters.

How key players reacted to US plan to end war in Ukraine

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European leaders and UN officials voiced unease on Friday over a new US proposal to end the war in Ukraine, warning that Washington’s plan risked sidelining Kyiv and its allies. The 28-point plan calls for major concessions by Ukraine, including giving up a part of its eastern territory.

European leaders and the UN on Friday called for greater involvement from Kyiv and its allies as they guardedly pushed back against a proposed US plan to end the war in Ukraine largely on Russia's terms.

The US 28-point plan, backed by President Donald Trump, calls for major concessions by Kyiv, including giving up part of its eastern territory and slashing its military.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky largely rejected the proposals, saying "we did not betray Ukraine (at the start of the war in 2022), we will not do so now".

But he warned that "Ukraine may face a very difficult choice: either the loss of dignity or the risk of losing a key partner".

My comment: Is Trump actually insane?