Ukraine – What Does Putin Want And Will Trump Give It To Him?

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – Putin said Thursday that he agrees in principle with a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, but the terms need to be worked out, and he emphasized that it should pave the way to lasting peace.

Here’s what Russia has demanded to end its war in Ukraine. More than three years into Russia’s invasion, Vladimir Putin has maintained inflexible, maximalist conditions for any potential agreement that would end the war.

U.S. arms flow to Ukraine again as the Kremlin mulls ceasefire proposal.

Ukraine needs U.S. weapons, but it needs intelligence more.

NATO secretary-general tells Trump that the president is motivating alliance members to spend more on defense.

STILL – While we may, or may not, be on the verge of peace in Ukraine, the US will need to continue providing Kyiv weapons, because, despite significant progress, Europe still lacks the military-industrial might to replace the US and meet Ukraine’s and NATO’s deterrent requirements.

MEANWHILE – Russia claims to have regained control of key Kursk town. Ukrainian officials have not confirmed a retreat from the town in Russia, parts of which were captured by Kyiv’s forces last summer.

AND – Poland’s president calls on US to place nuclear weapons in his country as a deterrent to Russia, the latest indication that the frontline NATO nation is increasingly considering nuclear protection.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense stories ending the week from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.

Not the President’s Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEFING – the PDB:    

NATIONAL SECURITY

Elon Musk paid an unannounced visit to the National Security Agency (NSA) on Wednesday and met with its chief, days after he called for revamping the country’s top cyberespionage hub.

US, allies rush to refit their big guns. The war in Ukraine has jump-started a scramble to fortify artillery systems against GPS jamming and spoofing, with a tech previously used primarily on airborne platforms playing a key role.

HOMELAND SECURITY

Trump new term begins in the shadow of a series of major Chinese cyber hacks targeting critical US infrastructure. But the professionals responsible for protecting those types of assets receive inadequate training in recognizing, defending against, and recovering from malicious state-sponsored cyber activity.

550 Army troops, including Stryker brigade, headed to Davis-Monthan in coming weeks to bolster border forces.

Trump administration flies all remaining Guantánamo migrants back to US. The 40 men were transported to Louisiana as the GITMO detention operation faces a number of logistical and legal hurdles.

Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guard member who leaked highly classified documents about the war in Ukraine, pleaded guilty to military charges of obstructing justice at his court-martial and called himself a “proud patriot”.

POLITICS

Pentagon leaders plan to roll out their recommended cuts to military spending alongside their budget request for fiscal 2026.

A federal judge Thursday ordered White House officials to reinstate thousands of probationary workers who were dismissed in mass firings across multiple agencies, including nearly 8,000 individuals working at DoD and VA.

PENTAGON WOKE WATCH

Sailors who identify as transgender will have until March 28 to request voluntary separation from the service, according to Navy policies released Thursday.

Arlington Cemetery website drops DEI related links for Black, Hispanic, and women veterans.

US POWER OVERSEAS

Lithuanian and British troops helped lead the fight at the US Army’s Bavarian training grounds this week, practicing countering drone and helicopter attacks in battle.

Navy supply ship completes first large-scale maintenance at South Korean shipyard amid the Navy’s efforts to find yards in the Indo-Pacific to repair ships in theater.

CHINA THREAT

China’s growing network of ports in Africa could serve as a precursor to the creation of more military bases, according to a new report.

Taiwan’s leader says tougher measures needed to counter stepped-up Chinese infiltration, spying and other efforts to weaken the island’s defenses and speed Beijing’s goal of taking control of the island republic.

IRAN THREAT/ISRAEL WARS

In January, President Trump signed an executive order starting a process for the redesignation of the Iran-backed Yemeni Shia Islamist group Ansar Allah, commonly referred to as the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

A tough letter Trump wrote to Iran’s supreme leader in an attempt to jump-start talks over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program has arrived in the Iranian capital.

Syria’s interim president on Thursday signed a temporary constitution that leaves the country under Islamist rule while promising to protect the rights of all Syrians for five years during a transitional phase.

The US has put forward a new proposal that would secure the release of a handful of living hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a month-long extension of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

The F-35 program — a global sales effort built around international cooperation and trust—could become a victim of Trump’s threats to forsake or even annex NATO allies.

UN says Sudan war is world’s worst humanitarian crisis: 30 million need aid, 16 million of them kids.

US MILITARY

‘Peace through strength’ starts with rebuilding the US Air Force, says service chief. “We have to sustain and maintain the ability to go anytime, anywhere in the densest threat environment and put ‘warheads on foreheads’ anywhere the President might want.”

The Marine Corps, gung-ho on technology that can shield its forces from enemy drones, is planning to acquire a slew of AI-enabled systems from Anduril to protect the service’s installations.

END of PDB

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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