Rutte: We’re now massively arming Ukraine with U.S. weapons funded by Europe: missiles, ammo, air defense.
If Russia avoids peace talks, in 50 days, secondary sanctions will hit India, China, and Brazil hard. Leaders in Beijing, Delhi, and Brasília should take note. 1/
Sen. Tillis: If Putin succeeds in Ukraine, what’s next? Moldova? The Balkans? Peace in the region is at risk.
This isn’t a political or partisan war. It’s a brutal war of choice by Putin and he must fail. 2/
Rutte: Together with Ukraine, through our command in Wiesbaden, we’re building tailored aid packages.
The U.S. keeps enough for its own defense, but ensures Ukraine gets what it needs. It’s also a clear signal to Putin: get serious about peace talks. 3/
Rutte: Pistorius and Hegseth are working out the details. Patriots are flowing to Ukraine either directly from the U.S. or front-loaded by Europe and backfilled by the U.S.
The logistics are in place. Trump now backs opening U.S. stockpiles. 4/
Shaheen: We need to move forward with the Graham-Blumenthal sanctions bill — 85 bipartisan sponsors.
Giving Russia 50 days only means more dead Ukrainians and global uncertainty. Every day counts. 5/
Tillis: We should pay special attention to the murderous behavior of Putin as we go into any peace discussions if they occur 50 days from now. 6X
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WSJ: Trump decided to give Ukraine not 2, but 5 Patriot systems — after seeing Russia bomb a maternity hospital in Kharkiv and a residential block in Kherson (killing a 1-year-old). He immediately called Merz on July 11 and made the offer.
1/
The sale wasn’t planned. Just a week earlier, Merz asked for 2 systems and Trump said no. But July 11 changed that. Trump: I’m ready. He picked up the phone himself. Merz immediately agreed.
2/
Merz got Trump’s attention by offering money. On July 3, hours after Trump’s last call with Putin, Merz called him and said: if you’ve frozen aid to Ukraine, sell Patriots to Germany.
3/
Ukraine Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko for Kyiv Independent:
Previously mineral deal focused on critical raw materials and energy.
At the G7 we discussed using the Ukraine investment fund for defense projects. The U.S. is considering it. 1/
Svyrydenko: This fund is purely about investment, not security guarantees.
But U.S. investment in Ukraine naturally boosts U.S. interest in protection. We discussed this with U.S. companies just two days ago. 2/
Svyrydenko: The fund will operate at least 10 years, investing in Ukrainian projects and sharing dividends later. It won’t build factories, only investment. 3/