Ukraine is preparing for a third round of negotiations with Russia, with little hope for a ceasefire, or any real progress toward ending the war.
“Ukraine is ready to work as productively as possible to secure the release of our people from captivity and return of abducted children, to stop the killings, and to prepare a leaders’ meeting aimed at truly bringing this war to an end,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X this morning. “Our position is fully transparent. Ukraine never wanted this war, and it is Russia that must end the war that it started.”
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“The delegation will be headed by [former defense minister] Rustem Umerov and will include representatives of Ukrainian intelligence, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, and the Office of the President,” Zelensky said.
The two sides last met in Istanbul on June 2, but agreed to little more than another round of prisoner swaps.
It’s unclear if today’s talks will actually take place.
RUSSIA UNDETERRED BY TRUMP’S 50-DAY THREAT TO END UKRAINE WAR
TERROR FROM THE SKIES: Meanwhile, Russia shows no sign of abandoning its strategy to inflict as much pain as possible on the Ukrainian populace with daily drone strikes that grow in intensity by the day. Almost every night, hundreds of Russian attack drones fill the skies over Ukraine, and last night was no exception. Russia struck the Ukrainian regions of Sumy in the northeast, Odesa in the south, and eastern Kramatorsk, beginning at sunset last night, killing a child and wounding at least 24 people.
The targets included an apartment building in Kramatorsk, a gas station in the town of Putyvl, five other apartment buildings, two private homes, and a shopping mall in Sumy City, according to the Associated Press.
“[Russian President Vladimir Putin] has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible. This is a long process, it requires effort, and it is not easy,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday in an interview on Russian state television. “The main thing for us is to achieve our goals.”
Russia has sharply increased its drone production, using a modified design of the Iranian Shahed drones, which it has dubbed “Geran,” or “geranium,” along with new decoy drones dubbed “Gerbera” for a type of daisy.
Russia is also considering creating a separate Drone Force, as Ukraine has done.
RUSSIA AIMS FOR CAPABILITY TO LAUNCH 2,000 DRONES SIMULTANEOUSLY
BACK IN CONTACT: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was scheduled to participate virtually in yesterday’s Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, but the Pentagon did not release a readout or transcript of Hegseth’s remarks, if any. The U.S. announced no new military assistance for Ukraine, despite President Donald Trump’s talk of expediting new weapons and ammunition to help Ukrainian forces hold the front lines.
Trump did sign off on Germany’s plan to transfer five Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine in the near future, which was announced at the meeting by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who recently met with Hegseth at the Pentagon.
Also at the Contact Group meeting, British Defense Secretary John Healey announced a “50-day drive” to arm Ukraine, and said Britain has delivered 50,000 drones to Ukraine in the last six months and £150m worth of air defense and artillery in the last two months.
In an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) issued a bellicose warning to Putin, claiming that Trump will soon impose 100% sanctions that will “crush” the Russian economy, and “put a whooping on your a**.”
“The game has changed when it comes to you, President Putin. You have played President Trump at your own peril. You made a major league mistake, and your economy is going to continue to be crushed,” Graham told host Trey Gowdy. “Putin can live through sanctions. He could give a damn about Russian soldiers, but China, India, and Brazil, they’re about to face a choice between the American economy or helping Putin, and I think they’re going to come pick the American economy.”
GERMANY TO SEND FIVE PATRIOT BATTERIES TO UKRAINE WITH US SUPPORT
Good Tuesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre.
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HAPPENING TODAY: The Senate Armed Services Committee meets at 9:30 a.m. to hear testimony for two prospective combatant commanders: Vice Adm. Frank Bradley to be commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, and Lt. Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson to be commander of the U.S. Africa Command.
Both positions come with a promotion to four-star rank.
A HISTORIC SHIFT: Pete Hegseth continues to remove senior female officers from high-profile assignments where they have been the first of their gender to serve. The latest case was announced Friday, when Hegseth confirmed that President Trump was nominating Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Michael Borgschulte to replace Vice. Adm. Yvette M. Davids as superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy.
Davids has led the Naval Academy since January 2024, and is about 18 months into a term that by statute is supposed to last “no less than three years.”
No reason was given for removing Davids, who Hegseth praised for her “strategic vision and operational depth,” which he said makes her well-qualified for her new post, as deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans, strategy, and warfighting development at the Pentagon.
Title 10 of the U.S. Code states that, “In any case in which an officer serving as Superintendent is reassigned or retires before having completed three years service as Superintendent … Secretary of the Navy shall submit to Congress notice that such officer left the position of Superintendent without having completed three years service in that position, together with a statement of the reasons why that officer did not complete three years service in that position.”
Hegseth said Borgschulte, a 1991 academy graduate, “is uniquely prepared to lead the next generations of naval and marine officers and ensure they are ready for the future fight.”
If confirmed, Borgschulte would be the first Marine to hold the “prestigious post,” Hegseth noted.
The Pentagon announcement included a statement by Davids, saying she was “honored to be nominated” for her new assignment. “I look forward to continuing to serve alongside America’s strongest warfighters.”
LATEST HEGSETH AIDE TO LEAVE PENTAGON CONTINUES REVOLVING DOOR
MARINES REDEPLOY: The controversial deployment of 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles last month in response to protests against immigration law enforcement is being told to pack up and go back to their home base.
“With stability returning to Los Angeles, the Secretary [of Defense] has directed the redeployment of the 700 Marines whose presence sent a clear message: lawlessness will not be tolerated,” Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
The 700 Marines were deployed to L.A. June 9, along with 4,000 National Guard soldiers. Last week, 2,000 of the Guard troops were also sent home.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been fighting the Guard deployment in court, and won a lower ruling when a federal judge ruled that President Trump must return control of the Guard to California. But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked the judge’s order last month.
“The women and men of the California National Guard deserve more than to continue serving as puppets in Trump and Stephen Miller’s performative political theater,” Newsom said in a statement. “There was never a need for the military to deploy against civilians in Los Angeles.”
MARINES DEPLOYED TO LOS ANGELES TO RETURN HOME
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Germany to send five Patriot batteries to Ukraine with US support
Washington Examiner: Russia aims for capability to launch 2,000 drones simultaneously
Washington Examiner: Latest Hegseth aide to leave Pentagon continues revolving door
Washington Examiner: Europe hits accelerator on funding and support for Ukraine
Washington Examiner: Australian ambassador ‘confident’ AUKUS review will work out
Washington Examiner: Russia undeterred by Trump’s 50-day threat to end Ukraine war
Washington Examiner: Wall Street Journal removed from press pool in Trump’s trip to Scotland
Washington Examiner: SkyWest flight narrowly avoids collision with B-52 bomber in North Dakota
Washington Examiner: Marines deployed to Los Angeles to return home
Washington Examiner: Grenade caused explosion that killed three LA sheriff’s deputies, department says
Washington Examiner: How Japan had its MAGA moment
New York Times: Ukraine Ups Its Arms Production, Asking Allies to Pay for It
Defense News: Russia Seen as Boosting Combat-Drone Output, Switching Attack Angles
Defense One: Could Modular Manufacturing Solve US Weapons Stockpile Woes?
Breaking Defense: Hegseth Moves to Oust ‘Chinese Labor’ from Pentagon Cloud Services, Orders Wider Review
The War Zone: China’s New Drone Wingmen Look Set for Military Parade Unveiling
AP: Israeli forces push into parts of a central Gaza city that the war had largely spared
AP: Trump ‘caught off guard’ by recent Israeli strikes, White House says
Washington Post: Hegseth removes first female superintendent in shake-up at Naval Academy
The Hill: Trump administration turns hostile on Aspen Security Forum
AP: A pilot made sharp turn to avoid a B-52 bomber over North Dakota, then took to the mic to explain
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force to Buy More KC-46s, Skip Tanker Competition
Breaking Defense: Passive Ground-Based Sensor Networks Could Bolster Air, Missile Defense Resilience: CSIS
Air & Space Forces Magazine: USAF Pilots Fly Australian F-35 in Pacific First
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force, Congress Look to Address Growing Crunch on Launch Facilities
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Investigating Airman’s Death at Nuclear Missile Base
Air & Space Forces Magazine: How ’26 Defense Policy Bill Takes Aim at Speed, Ease of Technological Innovation
THE CALENDAR:
TUESDAY | JULY 22
8 a.m. 2425 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Virginia — Association of the U.S. Army “Hot Topic” conference on “Army Contracting and Procurement,” with Maj. Gen. Douglas Lowrey, commanding general, U.S. Army Contracting Command; Chris Manning, deputy assistant Army secretary for research and technology at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisitions, Logistics, and Technology; Kimberly Buehler, acting deputy assistant Army secretary for procurement at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisitions, Logistics, and Technology; and Jesse Tolleson, acting assistant Army secretary at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisitions, Logistics, and Technology https://www.ausa.org/events/hot-topic/army-contracting-and-procurement
9:30 a.m. G-50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the nominations of Vice Adm. Frank Bradley to be commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command; and Air Force Lt. Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson to be commander of the U.S. Africa Command http://www.armed-services.senate.gov
10 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual discussion: “The challenges in Europe and Africa,” with Brig. Gen. Jacob Middleton, commanding general, U.S. Space Forces Europe and Space Forces Africa; and Jennifer Reeves, senior resident fellow for spacepower studies, Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/events/brig-gen-jacob-middleton/
11 a.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE — Heritage Foundation B.C. Lee Lecture: “U.S. Engagement with China,” with Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) https://www.heritage.org/china/event/the-2025-bc-lee-lecture
1 p.m. — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security Defense Writers Group Zoom conversation with Lt. Gen. Joel “JB” Vowell, deputy commanding general, U.S. Army Pacific RVSP: Thom Shanker at [email protected]
WEDNESDAY | JULY 23
8:45 a.m. 151 St. George Blvd., Oxon Hill, Maryland — Defense Strategies Institute Marine Security Summit: “Leveraging Emerging Technologies to Enhance Maritime Dominance,” through July 24, with retired Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis, president of Novaphos, senior adviser at Pole Star Global and former commander, U.S. Second Fleet; and Vice Adm. Douglas Perry, commander, U.S. Navy Second Fleet https://maritime.dsigroup.org/
10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: “Reforming Defense Acquisition to Deliver Capability at the Speed of Relevance,” with testimony from William Bailey, performing the duties of assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology & logistics; Michael Duffey, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment; Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration; Brett Seidle, acting assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, performing the duties of undersecretary of the Navy; and Jesse Tolleson, acting assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology http://www.armedservices.house.gov
10 a.m. 222 Russell — Congressional-Executive Commission on China hearing: “Stand with Taiwan: Countering the PRC’s Political Warfare and Transnational Repression,” with Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), CECC chair; Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ), CECC co-chair; retired Rear Adm. Mike Studeman, former commander, Office of Naval Intelligence; Peter Mattis, president, Jamestown Foundation; and Andrye Wong, fellow, American Enterprise Institute http://www.cecc.gov
12 p.m. — Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft virtual book discussion: Iran’s Rise and Rivalry with the U.S. in the Middle East, with author Mohsen Milani, executive director, Center for Strategic and Diplomatic Studies and professor of politics, University of South Florida; and Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute https://quincyinst.org/events/book-talk-irans-rise-and-rivalry-with-the-u-s
3 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “The State of Republican Foreign Policy,” with Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-TX) https://www.hudson.org/events/state-republican-foreign-policy
5 p.m. Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: “The Future of U.S. Foreign Assistance,” with Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA); Lisa Curtis, CNAS senior fellow and program director for Indo-Pacific Security; and moderated by CNAS CEO Richard Fontaine https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-event-the-future-of-u-s-foreign-assistance
THURSDAY | JULY 24
6:30 a.m. — Association of the U.S. Army Coffee Series discussion: “Army $197.4 billion fiscal year 2026 budget request,” with Maj. Gen. Mark Bennett, director, Army budget https://www.ausa.org/events/coffee-series/mg-bennett
8 a.m. 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — GovForward Seventh annual ATO (Authorization to Operate) and Cloud Security Summit, with Katie Arrington, performing the duties of the Defense CIO; Drew Myklegard, deputy federal CIO at the Office of Management and Budget; and Danny Holtzman, executive director and acting deputy chief digital and AI officer for acquisition and assurance at the Defense Department; https://events.govexec.com/ato-and-cloud-security-summit-2025/
FRIDAY | JULY 25
10 a.m. — National Institute for Deterrence Studies virtual seminar: “Strategic Imperatives: Augmenting Theater Nuclear Forces for 21st Century Deterrence,” with Greg Weaver, principal of Strategy to Plans LLC https://thinkdeterrence.com/events/strategic-imperatives