PUTIN: NEW DEMANDS, NO CONCESSIONS: President Donald Trump’s apparent intention to negotiate the framework of a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin — which Trump said would include “some swapping of territories” — without the direct participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has sparked fear Kyiv and other European capitals, that Trump is about to leave Ukraine out in the cold.
America’s European allies reacted with shock and surprise to Trump’s announcement that he would meet with Putin in Alaska on Friday, after failing to impose any additional sanctions on Russia, or extracting any concessions from the Russian leader. In fact, following reports that Trump’s negotiator Steve Witkoff may have misunderstood Putin’s terms, it’s now clear he is demanding Ukraine hand over territory in eastern Ukraine that Russia has been unable to capture in three-and-a-half years of war.
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“You’re looking at territory that’s been fought over for three and a half years, with, you know, a lot of Russians have died. A lot of Ukrainians have died. So we’re looking at that, but we’re actually looking to get some back and, some swapping,” Trump said on Friday. “It’s complicated. It’s actually nothing easy. It’s very complicated. But we’re going to get some back. We’re going to get some — some switched. There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.”
In a defiant video address Saturday morning, Zelensky flatly rejected the idea of handing any territory to Russia. “The answer to the Ukrainian territorial question already is in the Constitution of Ukraine. No one will deviate from this, and no one will be able to. Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier.”
“I took Zelensky’s comments at face value, which is that no big chunks or sections are going to be just given that haven’t been fought for or earned on the battlefield,” Matthew Whitaker, Trump’s ambassador to NATO, said on CNN Sunday.
GRAHAM ECHOES TRUMP ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE ‘LAND SWAPS’ THAT ZELENSKY REJECTED
U.S. ALLIES: ‘THE PATH TO PEACE CANNOT BE DECIDED WITHOUT UKRAINE’: America’s closest allies in Europe, including Britain, Germany, France, Poland, and Finland issued a joint statement calling for diplomatic solution that protects “Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests,” and includes “robust and credible security guarantees that enable Ukraine to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny. Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities,” the statement said. “The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.”
After weekend meetings, Ukraine’s European allies offered a counterproposal to serve as a framework for the Trump-Putin talks that combines “active diplomacy, support to Ukraine, and pressure on the Russian Federation” as the only sure way to end Russia’s “illegal war.”
Leaders of eight Baltic countries also issued a statement calling for “No decisions on Ukraine without Ukraine, and no decisions on Europe without Europe.”
“Negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire,” the statement said. “The people of Ukraine must have the freedom to decide their future.”
RUSSIA BOMBS APARTMENT BUILDINGS, UNIVERSITY IN UKRAINE, INJURING 12
VANCE: ‘MAYBE THIS WORKS OUT, MAYBE IT DOESN’T’: In an interview on Sunday Morning Futures on Fox News, Vice President J.D. Vance suggested that Trump is trying to find a way to work Zelensky into the mix, and seemed to indicate a three-way meeting was possible.
“One of the most important logjams is that Vladimir Putin said that he would never sit down with Zelensky, the head of Ukraine. And the president has now got that to change,” Vance told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo. “We’re at a point now where we’re now trying to figure out, frankly, scheduling and things like that around when these three leaders could sit down and discuss an end to this conflict.”
“Now, what do I think is ultimately going to come out of this? Look, it’s actually very simple. If you take where the current line of contact between Russia and Ukraine is, we’re going to try to find some negotiated settlement that the Ukrainians and the Russians can live with, where they can live in relative peace, where the killing stops,” Vance said. “It’s not going to make anybody super happy. Both the Russians and the Ukrainians, probably, at the end of the day, are going to be unhappy with it.”
Then Vance revealed that Trump had doubts about whether there would be any progress. “The president said this to me today privately. He said: ‘Look, maybe this works out, maybe it doesn’t, but it’s worth the effort. It’s worth trying.'”
TRUMP MAY INVITE ZELENSKY TO ALASKA SUMMIT WITH PUTIN: REPORT
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HAPPENING TODAY: TRUMP MAY USE GUARD TO CRACK DOWN ON CRIMES IN DC: In a post on his Truth Social platform, President Trump announced he would hold a 10 a.m. press conference at the White House, which he said would ” essentially stop violent crime in Washington, D.C.”
“It has become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the World. It will soon be one of the safest!!!” Trump said, adding in a separate post. “Be prepared! There will be no ‘MR. NICE GUY.’ We want our Capital BACK.”
“The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong,” Trump posted. “I’m going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before.”
“It’s all going to happen very fast, just like the Border,” he said.
The FBI has already begun dispatching agents in overnight shifts to help local law enforcement prevent carjackings and violent crime in Washington, the Washington Post reported. Several media outlets said Trump is considering deploying federalized National Guard troops in the nation’s capital. “A decision on calling up the Guard could come as soon as [today],” the Washington Post reported, citing a U.S. official speaking on the condition of anonymity.”
Meanwhile, the Post reported that violent crime in D.C. has steadily declined since 2023. “The decrease is part of a nationwide drop that in 2024 brought homicide rates to their lowest level in decades. This year, homicides are down more than 30% in data that The Washington Post collected from more than 100 police departments in large U.S. cities. Reports of burglaries and robberies also dipped by double-digit percentages.”
“While details of the plan were unclear, the administration is preparing to deploy hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington,” a U.S. official told Reuters.
TRUMP WEIGHING NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO DC: REPORT
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT UKRAINE:
“Let’s hope that Friday will be an important step in that process. We need Ukraine at the table. It will be about territory. It will be, of course, about security guarantees, but also about the absolute need to acknowledge that Ukraine decides of its own future, that Ukraine has to be a sovereign nation, deciding on its own geopolitical future, of course, having no limitations to its own military troop levels, and for NATO to have no limitations on our presence on the Eastern flank in countries like Latvia, Estonia, and Finland.” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on ABC’s This Week.
“Americans, I think, are sick of continuing to send their money, their tax dollars, to this particular conflict. But if the Europeans want to step up and actually buy the weapons from American producers, we’re OK with that. But we’re not going to fund it ourselves anymore.” Vice President J.D. Vance on Fox News Sunday Morning Futures.
“We need this war to end. We could save thousands of lives with a deal. And I think that, by both sides communicating, by President Trump meeting in Alaska on Friday with either one or both of the combatants, I think this is exciting. And I think President Trump’s really the only one that could make this happen. He’s the sole reason that I think this meeting is happening on Friday. He’s a peacemaker,” Matthew Whitaker, U.S. ambassador to NATO, on CNN’s State of the Union.
“I think everybody knows that how this war ends can be a good thing or a bad thing. If it ends in a way that looks like that Putin’s overly rewarded, there goes Taiwan. You can’t end a war without talking. I do hope that Zelensky can be part of the process. I’ll leave that up to the White House. But I have every confidence in the world that the president is going to go to meet Putin from a position of strength, that he’s going to look out for Europe and Ukrainian needs to end this war honorably.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on NBC’s Meet the Press.
“Putin continues to execute an illegal war, where he is intentionally killing women, children, old people. I visited Ukraine several months ago, went to a veterans hospital, where nurses there just witnessed horrible atrocities. I hope we got something out of this. Putin is a war criminal. This is not a show of strength to allow him to fly into the United States, to land here to negotiate with our president,” Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) on CBS’s Face the Nation.
“I think that by already pre-negotiating part of the Putin plan, Zelensky is going to be put in a position where he’s going to be presented with something that Trump may feel very comfortable with. And then you could be back closer to where we were in February during the famous debacle in the Oval Office with Zelensky. So, it’s not inevitable, but I think this is a very risky meeting upcoming from the perspective, not just for Ukraine, but the Western alliance,” said former national security adviser John Bolton on ABC’s This Week.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Trump may invite Zelensky to Alaska summit with Putin: Report
Washington Examiner: Graham echoes Trump on Russia-Ukraine ‘land swaps’ that Zelensky rejected
Washington Examiner: Russia bombs apartment buildings, university in Ukraine, injuring 12
Washington Examiner: Bolton dismisses Trump record as president wanting Nobel Peace Prize ‘more than anything’
Washington Examiner: Netanyahu orders IDF to shorten time frame for seizing Gaza City in defense of new offensive
Washington Examiner: Australia to recognize Palestinian state, PM Albanese says
Washington Examiner: IDF says it killed Hamas terrorist who ‘posed’ as Al Jazeera journalist
Washington Examiner: What to know about Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City
Washington Examiner: UN nuclear watchdog deputy to visit Iran for first time since US strikes
Washington Examiner: Sheinbaum insists no US ‘invasion’ of Mexico as Trump sends military after cartels
Washington Examiner: Trump weighing National Guard deployment to DC: Report
Washington Examiner: Trump says DC homeless must ‘move out immediately’ in announcing press conference
Washington Examiner: Trump selects Tammy Bruce for deputy UN position
Washington Examiner: Indiana goes all-in to help ICE arrest, detain, and deport illegal immigrants
Washington Examiner: Chicago police refused to turn over 92% of illegal immigrants to ICE under Trump
Washington Examiner: Skepticism mounts after DHS claims 1 million illegal immigrant self deportations under Trump
Washington Examiner: Complaints pour in over Army Corps’ Los Angeles fire cleanup efforts
Washington Examiner: Smithsonian reinstates Trump as part of impeachment display in American history museum
Wall Street Journal: Israel Killed Five Al Jazeera Journalists in Airstrike, Network Says
AP: Hegseth reposts video on social media featuring pastors saying women shouldn’t be allowed to vote
Washington Post: Laura Loomer knocks Medal of Honor recipient in new attack on Army
Business Insider: How the US Military is Training a Drone Army 400 Miles From Ukraine
Soldier of Fortune: Airman Arrested in Connection With Fatal Shooting Involving M18 Pistol at Wyoming Base
CNN: Trump Says Qatari Jet Could Be Ready For Use as Air Force One in 6 Months. Experts are Deeply Skeptical
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Aeromedical Airmen Prepare to Treat Sicker Troops—and More of Them
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force’s Big IT Programs Need ‘Course Correction,’ General Says
ABC News: Active Shooter Drills at US Military Bases Have Become Routine
NBC News: Air Force Revokes Approved Retirement for Trans Service Members: ‘Complete and Utter Betrayal’
Colorado Springs Gazette: Recent Air Force Graduate Patrick Hoopes Claims National Title in Pommel Horse, Spot on World Championships Team
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Thunderbirds Fly their 1,000th Show
THE CALENDAR:
MONDAY | AUGUST 11
1 p.m. 14th and F Sts. NW, — American Security Project and New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy discussion: “Future-Proofing U.S. Technology: Strategic Priorities Amid Chinese Tech Advancement,” with former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff; Gavin Moore, director of ForgeFront; Kelsey Quinn, program head for tech sovereignty and security at the New Lines Institute of Strategy and Policy; and Courtney Manning, director of ASP AI Imperative 2030 https://www.americansecurityproject.org/event/future-proofing-u-s-technology
TUESDAY | AUGUST 12
9 a.m. — Henry L. Stimson Center virtual discussion: “North Korean Foreign Policy in Focus: Emerging Scholar Perspectives,” with Gordon Kang, senior analyst at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies; Ludovica Favarotto, research assistant at the Institute for International Political Studies; Jinwan Park, Schwarzman Scholar; and Rachel Minyoung Lee, senior fellow at the Stimson Center’s Korea Program and 38 North https://www.stimson.org/event/north-korea-emerging-scholar-perspectives
WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 13
1 p.m. — Washington Institute for Near East Policy virtual discussion: “Arms Sales and the Middle East: Another Arena for Great Power Competition,” with Laura Cressey, former director of the State Department’s Office of Regional Security and Arms Transfers; Samuel Bendett, adviser in the Center for Naval Analyses’s Russia Studies Program; Ionela Ciolan, research officer at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies; and Jake Rinaldi, associate political scientist at the RAND Corporation https://washingtoninstitute-org.zoom.us/webinar/register
THURSDAY | AUGUST 14
10 a.m. Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: “Policy Options on Afghanistan Four Years After the U.S. Withdrawal,” with U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan Richard Bennett; former Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary David Sedney; Metra Mehran, gender and policy adviser at the Atlantic Council; and Lisa Curtis, director of the CNAS Indo-Pacific Security Program https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-event-policy-options-on-afghanistan
12 p.m. 1400 K St. NW — Arab Center Washington, D.C. book discussion: Understanding Palestine and Israel, with author Phyllis Bennis, fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies, and director of its IPS New Internationalism Project; and Khalil Jahshan, executive director of Arab Center Washington, D.C. https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/
FRIDAY | AUGUST 15
8 a.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “U.S.-Japan Global Partnership in Central Asia,” with Tomohiko Uyama, professor at Hokkaido University; Zhanibek Arynov, assistant professor at Nazarbayev University; Joseph Webster, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center; Markus Garlauskas, director of the Atlantic Council’s Indo-Pacific Security Initiative; and Kyoko Imai, associate director of the Atlantic Council Indo-Pacific Security Initiative and the Atlantic Council Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/us-japan-global-partnership-in-central-asia/
10 a.m. — Henry L. Stimson Center virtual discussion: “Taliban Rule and Regional Realignments Four Years On,” with Sibghatullah Ghaznawi, associate research scholar at Columbia University; Shalini Chawla, fellow at the Centre for Air Power Studies; Sarah Godek, research associate at the Stimson China Program; and Akriti Vasudeva Kalyankar, fellow at the Stimson South Asia Program https://www.stimson.org/event/taliban-rule-and-regional-realignments