Russia Responds To Trump’s Peace Pledge – Can He Still End The War?

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – Russia warns against threats after Trump repositions nuclear submarines. The first official statement from the Kremlin about Trump’s move seemed to distance Vladimir Putin from ex-president Dmitry Medvedev’s inflammatory comments.

Putin and Trump’s relationship has soured – but behind the posturing, a Ukraine deal is still possible. When you are moving nuclear subs, you know things are serious. But does that mean the White House is really on a “collision course” with the Kremlin over Ukraine?

How to shut down Putin’s war machine. Trump’s warnings to Russia are welcome. But pressure must follow for peace to be possible.

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

Technology, not geography, will grant global power in the 21st century.

DOD is just now trying to play catchup to Ukraine and Israel in using small drones on the battlefield, but it has its work cut out for it.

DOD awarded $7.8 billion in contracts to Lockheed Martin and RTX Corporation to produce thousands of new missiles for the Air Force and Navy, as well as a host of international allies.

DOD slashes staff of R&D repository by nearly 80%. Just 40 people will be retained at the Defense Technical Information Center, which Trump-administration officials say has become unfocused.

The Commission on Cyber Force Generation said it will not have a hand in evaluating if the DoD needs a Cyber Force, but rather how to implement one if that decision is ever made.

In a major shift, Google, OpenAI, Meta and venture capitalists — many of whom had once forsworn involvement in war — have embraced the military industrial complex.

HOMELAND SECURITY

Chinese, Russian, and North Korean-affiliated hackers are working to weaponize and insert vulnerabilities into widely used open-source software, Strider Technologies says.

Hundreds of Marines slated to work with ICE were called off the mission after DOD officials determined the work required close contact with detained illegal migrants.

Democrat Senators seek answers from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, condemning her agency’s treatment of a Hawaii veteran and Purple Heart recipient who was ordered to “self-deport” to South Korea after more than five decades living in the U.S.

Ex-soldier suspected of killing four people at a Montana bar was still at large early Sunday and may be armed after escaping in a stolen vehicle containing camping gear.

WOKE WATCH

VA moves to end all abortions at department medical sites, calling policies that provided the services at federal hospitals them “legally questionable” and unnecessary.

Trump administration will reinstall Confederate statue in Washington, DC. Albert Pike was a Confederate general and diplomat who negotiated alliances with slave-owning Native American tribes during the Civil War.

DEFENSE POLITICS

Senate appropriators passed their $852.5 billion defense spending bill for fiscal 2026, adding $21.7 billion to DOD’s topline to boost munitions, shipbuilding accounts and to correct billions in accounting errors in the department’s budget.

Top aide to SECDEF Hegseth tried to oust senior White House liaison from DOD. The unusual dispute received White House intervention and appears rooted in deeper frustrations over failed attempts to fill jobs on the defense secretary’s staff.

DOD is asking Congress for a new legislative proposal that would allow the Navy to contract for up to five Columbia-class submarines beginning in fiscal year 2026.

US POWER OVERSEAS

In May U.S. left Syrian “Conoco Fields” base where U.S. troops previously fought Russian Wagner mercenaries, after holding it for years amid repeated attacks.

INDOPACOM’s ‘expeditionary foundry’ is another step toward the 3D-printed future. From FPV drones to irreplaceable howitzer parts, The Forge is expanding the realm of DIY military gear.

IRAN THREAT/MIDDLE EAST

U.N. Security Council to discuss Gaza war and hostages after Israel called for the meeting. The discussion will take place as the humanitarian crisis in the territory continues and as truce talks have stalled.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided that his forces should occupy the entire Gaza Strip, amid mounting criticism of the humanitarian situation in the coastal territory.

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has lost much of its power since the recent war with Israel. But it is balking at demands to surrender whatever is left of its once formidable arsenal.

CHINA THREAT

Recent imagery largely confirms that China is now test-flying another tailless stealthy combat jet, although it isn’t clear if this is a crewed design or one of its new advanced drones.

Four reasons to accelerate F-35 acquisition now. The Air Force fleet is falling behind China’s in both age and readiness, which is why procuring more F-35s is imperative.

RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR

Russia says it will stop abiding by missile treaty. The U.S. has accused Russia of violating the pact, which expired in 2019, for more than a decade.

Satellite images show that the Rybachiy base, which hosts nuclear-powered submarines from Russia’s Pacific Fleet, and lies in a cove about 80 miles from the powerful earthquake that struck near the Kamchatka peninsula last week, was damaged.

Russian volcano near earthquake location also erupts for first time in more than 500 years.

Locals beg for Putin’s help as Russian-occupied Ukraine runs out of water, contradicting propaganda suggesting life is pleasant under Russian control.

Putin’s ‘secret daughter’ laments father who killed ‘millions’ and ‘destroyed’ her life as she pivots to support Ukraine. She spoke out against her father in a cryptic post.

Ukraine bets big on interceptor drones as low-cost air shield. Having already reshaped the battlefield by doing work once reserved for long-range missiles, field artillery and human intelligence, drones are now fighting Russian drones – a boon for Ukraine’s dwindling stock of air defense missile systems.

NORTH KOREA THREAT

South Korea began removing propaganda loudspeakers along the Demilitarized Zone in a bid to ease tensions with the North.

SPACE THREAT

Space Force expects to launch its first ground moving target indicator satellites in the next year — but until then, it is working on operational concepts and experimenting with enabling technologies that will shape the future constellation.

In the first major agency effort by the interim NASA administrator, who is also the Transportation secretary, Sean Duffy to announce nuclear reactor on the moon.

Lockheed Martin aims to test a missile-killing satellite by 2028. The company’s Golden Dome strategy mixes established missile defense tech with new concepts.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Wheeled launcher, with double the weapons of a HIMARS, completes first successful test firing. Rheinmetall and Lockheed developed the Global Mobile Artillery Rocket System as demand for guided-rocket launchers grows, especially in Europe.

Australia is now set to operate a fleet of Japanese made futuristic Mogami class frigates through a first-of-its kind defense export deal for post-World War II Japan.

More than 140 migrants feared dead in boat disaster near Yemen. The vessel capsized along treacherous route for Africans transiting the war-torn country to find work in the rich Gulf states.

US MILITARY

Army is planning to grow its operational Patriot air-and-missile defense force from 15 to 18 battalions, plus a composite battalion which includes Patriot capability in Guam.

On the heels of fielding the military’s first attack drone team, the Marine Corps has also deployed a 90-page handbook about employing small, unmanned aerial systems against the enemy and integrating them into formations.

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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