His latest nuclear threats is attempt to convince Russians that he still holds cards.
After 4 years of war, much of its Black Sea Fleet damaged, territorial gains limited, so Moscow relies on nuclear rhetoric to project strength. 1/
Kremlin’s latest showpiece is the RS-28 Sarmat, branded “Satan II.”
Putin claims it can strike targets 21,750 miles away and bypass Western missile defenses — but the program suffered repeated delays and failed tests. 2/
Sarmat is liquid-fueled, requiring lengthy launch preparation from fixed silos — a vulnerability against modern precision-strike systems used by NATO countries. 3/
The US-China relationship is a zero-sum contest. Their meetings and negotiations do not change that — even after Xi and Trump’s summit in Beijing on May 14th, writes The Economist. 1/
Xi greeted Trump with a ceremony on Tiananmen Square, talks in the Great Hall of the People and an escorted tour of the Temple of Heaven — the first American president to visit it since 1975. 2/
Trump called Xi a “great leader” and said they would have “a fantastic future together.” The main goal: extend the year-long trade truce agreed in South Korea last October. At their peak, Trump’s tariffs on some Chinese goods reached 145%. 3/
Bolton: Xi could trade Trump concessions on Iran or trade for one phrase: "The US opposes Taiwanese independence."
Taiwan is terrified. We don't know yet if Trump gave it. They still have hours of meetings left.
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Bolton: Trump wanted the biggest trade deal in history — he won't get it today either.
Some Boeing sales, some economic deals he'll tout. But the core issues aren't resolved. China played rare earths. They may agree a trade war ceasefire. That's it.
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Bolton: If the US pulls back on Taiwan, Taiwan is in real jeopardy.
China won't invade across 100 miles of open ocean — they'll blockade and wait to see if we break it. Deterrence works only if China stays uncertain what Trump would do.