Is Washington Pushing Ukraine To Surrender? New Questions Swirl Around Strategy

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – “Capitulation.” U.S.-Russian peace plan would force Ukraine to cede land and significantly cut army. The 28-point proposal, drafted without Ukrainian input, comes as the Trump administration tries to restart settlement talks, includes demands long rejected by Kyiv as nonstarters amounting to capitulation.

Some see the proposal as a Russian bid to press Ukraine for concessions while the government of Volodymyr Zelensky is weakened by a high-level corruption scandal, which could dissuade allies from sending aid.

Kyiv is also under growing pressure on the battlefield, as Moscow’s forces make gains against a Ukrainian military that is stretched thin.

Peace through weakness. As Ukraine loses more ground, U.S. Army leaders are in Kyiv to spur peace talks. It is the highest-ranking Trump delegation so far to visit the war-torn nation.

Meanwhile, Europeans push back at the U.S. plan that would force concessions from Ukraine. The French Foreign Minister said, “peace cannot be a capitulation.”

EU leaders are adamant that any plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine will need support from both EU and Ukraine as the U.S. plan appears to heavily favor Moscow’s demands and narrative.

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

THE PDB – Not the President’s Daily Briefing, but almost as good – PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF:    

NATIONAL SECURITY

Trump said U.S. is getting involved in efforts to strike peace in Sudan amid ongoing civil war there, at request of “very good friend” Mohammad bin Salman, crown prince of Saudi Arabia.

HOMELAND SECURITY & DEFENSE

Kymeta working on conformal antenna that could be integrated into body of missiles being developed by iRocket, enabling multi-orbit connectivity vital for Golden Dome missile interceptor network.

DEFENSE POLITICS

As part of new acquisition reforms, Pentagon will be more willing to buy a system that provides “the 85% solution” now and full solution later.

SECWAR Pete Hegseth’s recent speech on acquisition reform emphasized commercial companies and technologies are foundation of strong defense industrial base and military innovation. He is right.

US POWER OVERSEAS

What 3 former SOUTHCOM commanders say troops should know about Venezuela. U.S. military could be poised to launch the largest combat operations in Latin America since invasion of Panama nearly 36 years ago.

Controversial Russian general in Venezuela leading rotational advisory mission. The Colonel General commands Russian Ministry of Defense’s Equator Task Force with over 120 troops training Venezuelan forces on wide range of military functions “unrelated” to current U.S. military buildup in region.

Coast Guard admiral, DEA administrator defend strikes on alleged drug boats: ‘We’re going to apply every single tool.’

In Pacific wargame, Utah Air National Guard demonstrated new capabilities that expand KC-135 aerial refueling tanker’s ability to also act as airborne communications and data-sharing node. Added datalinks and other systems were packed into heavily modified underwing Multipoint Refueling System (MPRS) refueling pods normally used to send fuel.

Army activated new unit aimed at “disrupting malign influence” in Indo-Pacific, bringing information operations into conventional battlespace.

U.S. Army paratrooper was forced to land in Tokyo suburb after chute malfunction forced him to drift off course during training.

U.S. Army exercise with NATO allies saw soldiers take out attacking drones by launching small interceptor drones from back of pickup truck.

CHINA THREAT

China’s newly commissioned aircraft carrier CNS Fujian (18) recently conducted its first at-sea training as a carrier strike group.

U.S. national security is imperiled by dependence on China for rare earth elements (REEs) essential to artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous systems, and precision-guided weapons.

Germany tries American accused of attempt to give China sensitive data obtained during work for private company that provided services to a U.S. base.

RUSSIA THREAT

Why? Britain rules out sending any MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft to Ukraine, even as RAF formally retires the platform after 18 years of operations.

With an eye on Russia, EU wants to make it easier to deploy tanks and troops at short notice more rapidly across the many borders of the 27-nation bloc in a war with Russia.

UK warned Russia that it was ready to deal with any incursions into its territory after spy ship Yantar was detected on edge of U.K. waters north of Scotland.

Poland accuses Russia’s GRU military intelligence as the perpetrator of rail track sabotage and blast.

Russia’s Sukhoi Su-57 Felon is benefiting from lessons in ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Upgrades to jet’s design visible at Dubai Airshow, especially with export “Su-57E” variant featuring two-dimensional thrust-vectoring exhaust nozzles. A pre-production prototype with new wide-area cockpit display was also flying at show. Russia claims first foreign delivery has already occurred.

U.S. approved Ukraine’s purchase of equipment to upgrade its Patriot air defense launchers to latest configuration.

MIDDLE EAST THREATS

President Trump says proposed sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia will sail through newly reformed Foreign Military Sales process. But the deal will face scrutiny from ally Israel over how it could affect balance of power in Middle East.

SPACE THREATS

As Space Force prepares for its sixth birthday, it released new document to sum up its current status and efforts to solidify Space Force’s identity as warfighting service.

Department of War should prioritize readiness against space stalkers, or spacecraft that can stealthily approach and attack satellites in orbit.

Redwire lands $44 million DARPA award to build air-breathing satellite to operate in very low Earth orbit. This expands on 2024 agreement for Otter Very Low Earth Orbit mission, another effort for air breathing spacecraft that can function in extremely thin atmosphere.

Pentagon issued new cybersecurity measures that commercial satellite operators must employ if their products or services are used by U.S. intelligence agencies or military services.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

U.S., Canada and Finland sign statement of intent on Icebreaker Collaboration Effort Pact, trilateral framework for production of Arctic and Polar icebreakers and other capabilities.

Diehl Defense and Lockheed Martin will explore integration of the German company’s IRIS-T missiles into the American company’s Mk41 VLS, the most widely used vertical launch system in Western navies.

As NATO allies throw out plan to acquire six Boeing E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft, Saab hopes that the Swedish firm’s GlobalEye will be selected as alternative.

European missile defense giant MBDA plans to open new wholly owned subsidiary in UAE develop loitering munitions and missiles, a first for the firm outside Europe.

Germany’s first-ever national security space strategy envisions plethora of new military capabilities to boost Berlin’s capacity to act independently to protect and defend its space assets.

US MILITARY

Major U.S. military aircraft accidents spiked in 2024, and series of high-profile aviation mishaps with deaths and loss of aircraft in 2025 suggest trend may be continuing.

Army leaders ordered to check in daily with soldiers over the holidays to combat suicide and self-harm.

A top Air Force officer has been tapped for a new role managing the service’s next-gen B-21 bomber, F-47 fighter, and Sentinel ICBM programs, as well as the new Air Force One aircraft.

Air Force awarded $50 million contract for small drones to Anduril Industries last month, move that could help transform MQ-9 Reapers into drone-launching motherships.

Building maritime drones in months—not years—could be key to creating the Navy’s hybrid crewed-uncrewed fleet.

Test squadrons prove Terrain Awareness and Warning System (ATAWS) could take over when pilot no longer has time to respond and is ready for legacy Hornet pilots.

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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