President Trump spoke with Zelensky before he left The Hague after spending less than 24 hours there for the NATO summit.
www.newsweek.com
Peruse at your leisure.
Allied foreign ministers say the secretary of state took a harsher tone against the Kremlin in private.
www.politico.eu
>U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday threw cold water on European calls for more sanctions on Russia. That came as a surprise to the NATO foreign ministers Rubio met the night before at the alliance’s annual summit. Rubio, who came under criticism at the dinner over Trump’s reluctance to toughen up on Moscow, acknowledged to his European counterparts that Russia was the problem holding back peace talks to end the Ukraine war, according to the officials, who were granted anonymity to discuss the private dinner. But hours later during an exclusive interview with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Rubio outlined the administration’s rationale for holding off on further sanctioning Russia. “If we did what everybody here wants us to do, and that is come in and crush them with more sanctions, we probably lose our ability to talk to them about the ceasefire and then who’s talking to them?” Rubio said, adding that Trump will know the “time and place” for changing tack.<
From being a longtime Senate hawk regarding Russia, Rubio has degenerated into a dependable "yes man" for Donald Trump.
Kills on tanks and multiple launch rocket systems used to offer the top bonus for Ukraine's drone pilots. That's now changed dramatically.
www.businessinsider.com
>Russian tanks and rocket launchers used to be the most highly valued target for Ukrainian drones — but no longer. Ukraine's drone forces recently revamped a points system that rewards pilots for battlefield kills, and it's putting the greatest emphasis on targeting Russian drone operators. Ukrainian units now earn 15 points for wounding a drone pilot and 25 for eliminating them, said Maj. Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, the new commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, in a video address on June 12. Brovdi said the change came from concerns that Ukrainian drone units weren't clearing Russian infantry as quickly as needed, allowing Moscow to accumulate a surplus of troops on the frontline. Now, Ukraine's system has doubled the points a drone pilot can score from eliminating a Russian soldier, from six points to 12 per kill.<
If the end results are better for Ukraine, then by all means use the new updated points system.
Robert Brovdi, who led the elite aerial reconnaissance unit "Birds of the Madyar," was tapped for the top drone command in late May.
www.newsweek.com
>The promotion of 49-year-old Robert Brovdi, known by his call sign "Madyar," formalized what many in Kyiv and beyond had already recognized: drone warfare is now the backbone of Ukraine's military strategy. His appointment as commander of Ukraine's newly formed Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) underscores the central role drones now play in the country's defense. Ukraine's defense ministry says drone strikes are now responsible for up to 80 percent of Russian battlefield casualties. At his underground base, drone operators—known as "Madyar's Birds"—work 12-hour shifts monitoring live drone feeds. The walls are covered with destroyed or captured Russian UAVs, including a battered Merlin reconnaissance drone capable of flying nearly 400 miles, displayed like a war trophy, according to the
Times. Brovdi's unit also benefits from a video-game like, performance-based incentive program. Crews earn points for confirmed kills and equipment strikes—which can be exchanged for new gear. Digital Minister Mykhailo Fedorov told Politico that Brovdi's team has already accumulated enough points to receive more than 1,100 new drones.<
Ukraine drone forces Commander Robert "Madyar" Brovdi.
Analysts say Beijing is eager to learn from Moscow's combat experience, even as its military capabilities eclipse its Russian ally's
www.newsweek.com
>Russia plans to train hundreds of Chinese military personnel this year on lessons learned from its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the
Kyiv Post reported. Instructors will cover methods for countering weapons systems used by Ukrainian forces that were produced by the United States and its NATO allies, a source in Ukraine's top intelligence agency told the outlet. Security analysts say China has closely studied the war—and the world's response—and could apply these lessons in an invasion of Taiwan, the island democracy Beijing has vowed to unify with, through force if necessary.<
Putin and Xi are seemingly light years ahead of Donald Trump regarding their joint effortts to destroy the United States.
www.rferl.org
I'm shocked, shocked I tell you.
