Zelensky: If Russia is ready for a ceasefire, it must stop massive strikes on Ukraine.
Also, we reviewed Trump’s proposal in London, adjusted some minor details, and sent it back for approval.
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Zelensky: Trump’s team proposed a strategy for a ceasefire during London talks.
Ukraine, European countries, and the U.S. reviewed it, adjusted certain points, and created a document that's now awaiting Trump’s approval.
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Zelensky: Russia dislikes Ukraine’s presence in Africa and opposes normal humanitarian and economic relations between Ukraine and African nations.
Russia seeks exclusive influence not only in Africa but globally.
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Zelensky: Russia kidnapped thousands of Ukrainian children. Today, I handed President Ramaphosa a list of 400 names.
We seek South Africa's assistance in returning them home.
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Zelensky: If Russia says it's ready for a ceasefire, it must stop massive strikes on Ukraine. That's Ukrainians who have been under constant Russian attacks.
Russian parliament approved a bill that gives Putin the right to deploy troops abroad to free russians arrested under ICC warrants.
Russia can use that to start operations against NATO members to test Article 5 — The Times. 1/
Estonia is the most cited target. Moscow could launch a campaign there under the pretext of protecting the Baltic country's large russian-speaking population.
Estonia halted detention of russian shadow fleet tankers this month, because of "risk of military escalation."
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In May, russia sent a fighter jet into NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea to escort a sanctioned oil tanker into russian waters.
Last week, a russian warship escorted two tankers through the English Channel. The UK announced it would detain such vessels — but has not acted.
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CENTCOM com. Brad Cooper: We launched own one way drones into Iran, originally Iranian designed. We took the guts out, put a "made American" stamp on them and fired them back. Very effective.
We are employing AI to sift through information to help us make decisions faster. 1/
Cooper: We have collected dozens, if not hundreds, of lessons learned. The joint force is taking them and very tactically applying them right now.
Great teams are always adjusting, and that's what we're doing right now. 2X
Zelenskyy: Russia does not want only Ukraine. It has openly said it wants to control all its neighbors and decide what security in Europe should look like.
Russia has carried these war ideas as far as Syria and Africa. This is a truly global threat. 1/
Zelenskyy: At the core of Russia’s war is the false claim that Ukraine does not exist and is merely part of Russia.
Putin knows exactly what he is doing and who he resembles. He is rightly compared to the Nazis. He has the same expansionist ambitions. 2/
Zelenskyy: Air defense remains crucial. Pressure on Russia must continue through sanctions and restrictions, but Russian war criminals must also face justice.
The tribunal for Russia’s aggression must move forward. Do not let Russia go unpunished. 3/
Petraeus: Iran could come out of this much weaker militarily and economically, yet strategically stronger if it keeps control of Hormuz.
A battered Iran that still dictates the strait would leave the US and Gulf partners with an unacceptable result. 1/
Petraeus: Confrontation may well be coming. A US Navy ship apparently already shot down a recon drone, mines are reportedly in the channel, and even one attack every day or two can shut traffic down.
This is not about insurance. It is about the lives of ship crews. 2/
Petraeus: Clearing Hormuz and escorting ships through the normal channel is a very difficult mission.
Demining is laborious and hazardous. Maritime experts say it could require two carrier groups, 8 to 10 frigates and destroyers, and a sustained coalition effort. 3/
On April 13, 2022 a Neptune operator picked up a target on radar 120 km away. He had minutes to decide: fire or not. Nobody could confirm the target. Bayraktars refused to fly. He pressed launch. UP tells the story of how Ukraine sank the cruiser Moskva four years ago. 1/
That day heavy rain clouds hung just a few kilometers above the Black Sea. Aircraft, Bayraktars, and optical satellites were all useless. 2/
The Neptune's standard radar could see targets only up to 18 km. The Moskva knew this and closed to within 120 km of the Ukrainian coast, certain it was untouchable. 3/
Congress can protect Ukraine from Trump’s volatility — the same way it protected Taiwan in 1979 and forced Clinton’s hand on Bosnia in 1995.
A bipartisan Ukraine Relations Act could do the same today, write Brendan Simms and Edward Siddl in FA. 1/
The problem: Trump has taken contradictory positions.
In September 2025 he said Ukraine should “get their land back” and called Russia “a paper tiger.” Two months later he presented a 28-point peace plan widely seen as favorable to Russia. 2/
Trump said Ukraine would “lose in a short period of time” if it didn’t agree to the plan.
Since then he has pushed to end the war as quickly as possible — even if that means a bad deal for Ukraine. 3/