HIGH-STAKES BRINKMANSHIP: Just as their forces are stalemated on the battlefield, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are in a rhetorical standoff over preconditions for peace talks.
Putin offered to begin talks Thursday in Istanbul under the auspices of Turkey with no preconditions, while Zelensky is demanding a 30-day ceasefire, as proposed by the United States, again with no preconditions.
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“We have proposed steps towards a ceasefire on many occasions. We have never refused to engage in dialogue with the Ukrainian side,” Putin said Sunday. “We do not rule out that in the course of these negotiations it will become possible to agree on some kind of new truce and a new ceasefire.”
But Zelensky upped the stakes yesterday, saying that after talking to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he’s ready to meet in Istanbul personally for “direct and substantive negotiations with Putin,” if he accepts a temporary ceasefire.
“The world still has not received a clear response from Russia to the numerous proposals for a ceasefire. Russian shelling and assaults continue,” Zelensky said. “Moscow has remained silent all day regarding the proposal for a direct meeting. A very strange silence.”
The answer seems to have come in the form of another round of drone attacks, with Russia launching more than 100 Shahed and decoy drones into Ukraine overnight Monday.
TRUMP: ‘I WOULD FLY THERE IF I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL’: President Donald Trump floated the idea that he would consider getting personally involved in the negotiations if the two leaders agreed to meet in Turkey and if he “felt it would be important toward getting the deal done.”
“I was thinking about flying over. I don’t know where I’m going to be on Thursday. I’ve got so many meetings, but I was thinking about actually flying over there. There’s a possibility of it, I guess, if I think things can happen,” Trump said. “I don’t know where I’m going to be at that particular point. I’ll be at some place in the Middle East. But I would fly there if I thought it would be helpful.”
“They couldn’t get a meeting because one said ceasefire, one said no ceasefire, it was going back and forth,” Trump said yesterday at the White House. “That meeting wasn’t going to take place. I insisted that that meeting take place. I said, ‘Look, at this point, we’ve got to stop it. Just go to the meeting. The meeting’s been set. Go to the meeting on Thursday.’”
Trump appeared to be under the impression that Putin would show up, even though the Kremlin has not responded to the invitation. “I think you may have a good result out of the Thursday meeting in Turkey between Russia and Ukraine, and I believe the two leaders are going to be there.”
But at this point, such a high-level meeting seems increasingly unlikely. Such high-level meetings are not organized in “such a difficult situation,” said Russian Federation Council Deputy Speaker Konstantin Kosachev, who, according to the Institute for the Study of War, dismissed Zelensky’s overture as “pure spectacle” and “comedy.”
In his video remarks on Monday, Zelensky immediately picked up on the idea of Trump getting involved. “It is important that President Trump fully supports the meeting, and we would like him to find an opportunity to come to Turkey,” he said.
EUROPE PREPARES MORE SANCTIONS: Meanwhile, Ukraine’s European allies continue to demand that Russia implement a total land, air, and sea ceasefire in Ukraine or face tougher sanctions on Russia’s banking and energy sectors, targeting fossil fuels, oil, and the shadow fleet.
“Everybody wants peace now. Ukraine wants peace, Europe wants peace, the U.S. wants peace,’’ Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday, told the Associated Press during an interview in London. “Now Russia needs to make up their mind whether they also want peace or not, an unconditional ceasefire.”
The ultimatum followed visits to Kyiv by the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, and Poland over the weekend.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that giving ultimatums to Russia was “unacceptable” and wouldn’t work. “You cannot talk to Russia in this language,” he said.
OPINION: PUTIN’S PROBLEM: ZELENSKY HAS LEARNED THE ART OF TRUMP’S FAVOR
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HAPPENING TODAY: Trump received a royal welcome in Saudi Arabia this morning as he begins his first formal international trip since taking office four months ago. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was at the foot of the stairs as Trump disembarked from Air Force One at the King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.
Trump is accompanied on the trip, which will also take him to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Trump has made clear that the trip is focused on securing “America First” deals that will benefit the U.S. in the areas of weapons, artificial intelligence, energy, and space, and he has reportedly told advisers that he expects to return with $1 trillion worth of deals and investments, Jon Alterman, senior vice president for Center for Strategic and International Studies, told reporters in a briefing last week. “The Gulf itself is a developer’s dream, with mangrove swamps and sand dunes transformed into glittering complexes of malls, apartments, and fountains — often owned by people with connections to the rulers. It seems to me that, in the president’s mind, this is the world as it should be.”
PRO-ISRAEL AMERICANS URGE TRUMP TO ‘TREAD LIGHTLY’ WITH QATAR
THE 747 PLANE FLAP: While Democrats and a few Republicans are criticizing Trump’s decision to accept the gift of a $400 million Boeing 747 jumbo jet from Qatar to serve as an interim Air Force One, Trump is dismissing the naysayers as “World Class Losers!”
“That the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane,” Trump posted on Truth Social yesterday morning. “Anybody can do that!
At yesterday’s White House news conference, Trump called the offer of the luxury jet “a great gesture from Qatar,” which he appreciates very much. “I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person and say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’”
In rejecting criticism that the gift of the 747, which will need extensive taxpayer-funded upgrades to serve as the president’s plane, amounts to a bribe that violates the emoluments clause of the Constitution, Trump argued it’s the country that benefits, not him personally.
“It’s not a gift to me, it’s a gift to the Department of Defense,” he said, and he insisted he had no plans to use the plane after he leaves office. “They get to a certain age, they decommission them. It’ll go to my library. They’re talking about going to my library in years out,” Trump said, comparing it to the plane used by President Ronald Reagan. “They actually decommissioned the plane, and he put it in his library. And it actually has made the library — I think a Boeing 707 — it’s actually made the library more successful, so it was good.”
The current pair of Air Force One planes, two 1971 model Boeing 747-200Bs, which first flew in 1987, are 38 years old. Presumably, the Qatari plane would be in the Air Force fleet for decades, although at one point, Trump seemed to think the plane would be a museum piece as soon as he left office. “It would go directly to the library after I leave office,” he said. “I wouldn’t be using it. No.”
TRUMP SAYS ONLY ‘STUPID’ PERSON WOULD TURN DOWN ‘FREE’ PLANE FROM QATAR
SCHUMER: ‘NOT JUST NAKED CORRUPTION’: The news of the Qatari gesture sparked a blistering attack on the Senate floor from Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who, according to the New York Times, plans to place a hold on all Justice Department political appointees awaiting Senate confirmation until his concerns are addressed.
“His shameless self-enrichment is without equal in American history. You cannot think of another president who has been so brazen, so selfish, and so destructive of the norms of what America is about,” Schumer said yesterday, calling the gift of the luxury jet by the Qatari royal family “just the tip of the iceberg.”
“For months, Qatari and other Gulf State nationals have spent billions on deals with the Trump organizations to buy the president,” he said. “Just as concerning as the very gift are the national security implications that surround it.”
The New York Times reports that Schumer has a follow-up speech planned for today in which he will demand information about whether the jet will require expensive upgrades and whether it will affect the two planes yet to be delivered by Boeing, and he will ask the Justice Department to report any activities by Qatari agents in the U.S. that could benefit the president or any of his family’s businesses, under provisions of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
“This is not just naked corruption. It is also a grave national security threat,” Schumer will say, according to his prepared remarks.
RAND PAUL: ‘IT’S NOT WORTH THE APPEARANCE OF IMPROPRIETY’: In an appearance on Fox News last night, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) told host Jesse Watters that it’s up to Congress to decide if the gift violates the emoluments clause, which states, “No Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”
“So the question is, can you do it if it’s only for official purposes? If it came to someone in Congress, they can vote and the Ethics Committee can look at it. With this, there will have to be some kind of adjudication. This has never been done,” Paul said. “We’re talking about the entire $400 million plane. I think it’s not worth the appearance of impropriety. Whether it’s improper or not, I don’t think it’s worth it.”
“I have spent time trying not to sell weapons to Qatar because they have human rights violations of their people. Many of their people are prevented from participating in the government. And some of the minority religious folks in Qatar are treated poorly,” Paul said. “And so I really haven’t been a big fan. And I wonder if our ability to judge their human rights record would be clouded by the fact of this large gift. So I wouldn’t take it. That’s just me. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: White House Correspondents’ Association slams Trump after news wires cut from foreign trip
Washington Examiner: US expects ‘all 31 other’ NATO allies to commit to increased defense spending
Washington Examiner: US pushes ahead with aid plan for Gaza without UN support
Washington Examiner: US military looks to reopen Adak naval base in Alaska to counter Pacific threats
Washington Examiner: Democratic senator unveils plan to tackle immigration reform and border security
Washington Examiner: US Customs and Border Protection employees told not to use DEI terms
Washington Examiner: Senate Democrats promise to ‘take action’ over Trump accepting Qatari luxury jet
Washington Examiner: Pro-Israel Americans urge Trump to ‘tread lightly’ with Qatar
Washington Examiner: Trump says only ‘stupid’ person would turn down ‘free’ plane from Qatar
Washington Examiner: Opinion: John Hyten: To beat China, keep Space Command fully operational
Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan Opinion: Putin’s problem: Zelensky has learned the art of Trump’s favor
New York Times: Why Trump Suddenly Declared Victory Over the Houthi Militia
Politico: Trump’s Free Plane Is Not So Free
Washington Post: Ukraine works with Europe to ready new Russia sanctions after no ceasefire
AP: Germany bans the largest ‘Reich citizen’ group and arrests 4 leaders
Reuters: India PM Modi Warns Pakistan of More Strikes if There Is a ‘Terrorist Attack’
NBC: Pentagon Spent at Least $21 Million on Flights to Guantanamo, Which Currently Holds 32 Migrants
Air & Space Forces Magazine: New 85th Fighter Group Trains First Polish F-35 Pilots With More Nations to Come
Defense News: Pentagon Taps 12 More Companies for Space Data Transport Network Demos
SpaceNews: Space Force Selects Vendors to Build Cloud-Based Ground Station Marketplaces
Breaking Defense: US Loosens Some Rules for Offensive Counterspace Ops, Wargaming
Air & Space Forces Magazine: AFRL Taps Rocket Lab for Space Cargo Experiment
The War Zone: Starlink-Equipped Navy C-130s Offer Communication Boost for Pacific Missile Tests
SpaceNews: Foreign SpaceX Launch Customers Seek Relief from US Tariffs
Air & Space Forces Magazine: USAF to Start Rotating Fighters to Misawa
Air & Space Forces Magazine: From North Carolina to Shooting Down Drones in 22 Hours: A Team Effort to Defend Israel from Iran
THE CALENDAR:
TUESDAY | MAY 13
8 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies Global Security Forum: “Strength Through the Storm: Industry, Innovation, and the Future of U.S. Military Power, with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IO); Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ); and Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY); Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY); William Lynn, CEO of Leonardo DRS and former deputy defense secretary; retired Gen. Mike Minihan, former commander, U.S. Air Mobility Command; retired Gen. John “Jay” Raymond, senior managing director at Cerberus Capital Management and former chief of space operations at the Space Force; Gen. James Mingus, vice chief of staff of the Army; Gen. Christopher Mahoney, assistant Marine Corps commandant; Adm. James Kilby, vice chief of Naval operations; Vice Adm. Peter Gautier, acting vice Coast Guard commandant https://www.csis.org/events/2025-global-security-forum
9:30 a.m. G-50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the nominations of Richard Anderson to be assistant Air Force secretary for manpower; Adam Telle to be assistant Army secretary for civic works; and Matthew Napoli to be deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation at the National Nuclear Security Administration. http://www.armed-services.senate.gov
10 a.m. 419 Dirksen — Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing: “East Africa & The Horn: At a Turning Point or Breaking Point?” with testimony from Joshua Meservey, senior fellow in the Hudson Institute; and Michelle Gavin, senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations http://foreign.senate.gov
12 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W — Hudson Institute discussion: “Building Weapons that Adapt and Scale,” with Col. Tim Fuhrman, senior material leader, Air Force Material Command; Diem Salmon, vice president for air dominance and strike, Anduil Industries; Mike Rucker, head of General Atomics’ electromagnetic systems weapons programs; Trent Emeneker, program manager at the Defense Innovation Unit; and Eric Nelson, Boeing vice president of business development, space, intelligence, and weapon systems https://www.hudson.org/events/building-weapons-adapt-scale
12 p.m. 529 14th St. NW — Aviation Week two-day Defense Conference, with Air Force Maj. Gen. Mark Mitchum, commander, Integrated Capabilities Command; and, Omer Haim, Israeli defense minister representative for Washington, D.C. and director of the Office of Defense Cooperation https://defenseconference.aviationweek.com/en/home.htm
4:45 p.m. 232-A Russell — Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee hearing: “Department of Defense missile defense activities in review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY2026 and the Future Years Defense Program,” with testimony from: Andrea Yaffe, acting principal deputy assistant Defense secretary for space policy; Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander, U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command; Air Force Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, director, Missile Defense Agency; and Army Lt. Gen. Robert Rasch, executive officer, Guam Defense System Joint Program Office http://www.armed-services.senate.gov
WEDNESDAY | MAY 14
12 p.m. Antalya, Turkey — An informal two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers begins. https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/events
10 a.m. 2362-A Rayburn — House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee “Oversight Hearing – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with testimony from Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons http://appropriations.house.gov
12 p.m. Antalya, Turkey — An informal two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers begins. https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/events
2 p.m. 2008 Rayburn — House Appropriations Committee Homeland Security Subcommittee “Oversight Hearing – The United States Coast Guard,” with testimony from Adm. Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard http://appropriations.house.gov
2 p.m. H-140, U.S. Capitol — House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee “Oversight Hearing — The United States Navy and Marine Corps,” with testimony from Navy Adm. James Kilby, acting chief of naval operations; John Phelan, secretary of the Navy; and Gen. Eric Smith, commandant of the Marine Corps http://appropriations.house.gov
3 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services RDY Subcommittee hearing: “Energy, Installations, and Environment Update,” with testimony from Robert Thompson, acting assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations, and environment; Daniel Klippstein, performing the duties of assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment; Brenda Johnson-Turner, performing the duties of assistant secretary of the navy for energy, installations and environment; and Michael Saunders, acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy, installations and environment http://www.armedservices.house.gov
3:30 p.m. 2212 Rayburn — House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee hearing on “National Security Space Programs,” with testimony from Andrea Yaffe, acting principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy Chris Scolese, director, National Reconnaissance Office; Vice Adm. Frank Whitworth, director, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; and Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration http://www.armedservices.house.gov
THURSDAY | MAY 15
7 a.m. Antalya, Turkey — An informal two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers concludes with a press conference from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte . https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/events
8 a.m. 111 Fairview Park Dr., Falls Church, Va. — Potomac Officers Club Cyber Summit, with Bridget Bean, executive director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; and Acting assistant secretary of defense for Cyber Policy Ashley Manning https://potomacofficersclub.com/events/2025-cyber-summit/
8 a.m. 700 M St. NE — Politico Security Summit with House Intelligence ranking member Rep. Jim Himes (D-CN); and Rep. Michael Lawler (R-NY) chairman, House Foreign Affairs Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee https://2025politicosecuritysummit.splashthat.com/Invite
10:30 a.m. 419 Dirksen ‚ Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing to consider the nominations of Joel Rayburn to be assistant secretary of State for near Eastern affairs, and Chris Pratt to be assistant secretary of State for political-military affairs https://www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings/nominations-05-15-2025
FRIDAY | MAY 23
9 a.m. 550 Taylor Ave., Annapolis, Md. — U.S. Naval Academy 2025 graduation and commissioning ceremony at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium https://www.usna.edu/CommissioningWeek/schedule.php