conflict
Russia floats peace talks with Ukraine next week after Trump pressures Putin
Quick Hit:
Russia has proposed a new round of peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul next week—an apparent response to rising pressure from President Trump, who recently warned Vladimir Putin that he’s “playing with fire” by continuing to bomb Ukrainian cities.
Key Details:
- Russia offered to meet Ukraine in Istanbul on Monday to exchange written ceasefire proposals.
- Ukrainian officials see it as a move to appease Trump, not a genuine push for peace.
- Trump has threatened economic retaliation against Russia if attacks on Ukraine continue.
🇺🇸 TRUMP: “WE’LL KNOW IN 2 WEEKS IF PUTIN IS STALLING”
"We're gonna find out whether or not he's tapping us along or not.
And if he is, we'll respond a little bit differently."
Source: @RealAmVoice https://t.co/XWXakS3ye2 pic.twitter.com/2nXkaJZaq4
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 28, 2025
Diving Deeper:
The Kremlin has proposed a fresh round of peace talks with Ukraine next week, hoping to exchange written proposals for a ceasefire agreement and possible terms to end the war. Russian and Ukrainian officials confirmed the offer on Thursday, with the proposed meeting set for Monday in Istanbul.
The proposal came directly from Putin adviser Vladimir Medinsky, who leads Russia’s negotiating team. In a call with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rusten Umerov, Medinsky stated, “We are ready to begin a substantive discussion of each of the points of the package agreement on the future ceasefire.”
But behind the scenes, Ukrainian officials are skeptical. According to a source close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the proposal appears more like a diplomatic gesture aimed at placating President Trump than a sincere bid to end hostilities. Ukraine has not prepared any written peace offer, the source said, instead advocating for an unconditional ceasefire before formal negotiations. “Maybe the Russians can just send their peace memo by email,” the source added.
The renewed Russian outreach follows blunt warnings from President Trump, who has grown increasingly frustrated with Putin’s refusal to stop the bombardment of Ukrainian cities. Earlier this week, Trump accused Putin of “playing with fire” and signaled that economic consequences could be on the table if Moscow continues to ignore his calls for peace.
“I don’t like rockets fired into cities and I am not going to allow it,” Trump told reporters. He acknowledged that sanctions or tariffs were being considered but said he was holding off to avoid jeopardizing a possible deal. “I don’t want to screw it up by doing that,” Trump said. “I am a lot tougher than others… but you have to know when to use that.”
This marks the second round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, with the first taking place in Istanbul two weeks ago. That meeting ended with little progress. Since then, Trump has attempted to personally broker a ceasefire, including a rejected proposal for Vatican-hosted talks.
Putin had previously promised Trump that a “peace memo” would be delivered within days. That promise remains unfulfilled, and in the meantime, Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian cities have intensified, further testing Trump’s patience. “We are gonna find out soon if [Putin] is tapping us along or not, and if he is we will respond a little bit differently,” Trump warned.
Trump also noted that his envoy, Steve Witkoff, is actively engaging with Russian officials. “He’s dealing with Putin very strongly right now to see if he wants a deal,” Trump said.
As of now, Ukraine is weighing its options. While the proposed meeting in Istanbul could signal movement, Ukrainian officials remain cautious—viewing the Kremlin’s motives as more about managing international optics, particularly with Trump, than genuinely pursuing peace.
Artificial Intelligence
AI Drone ‘Swarms’ Unleashed On Ukraine Battlefields, Marking New Era Of Warfare
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
Artificial intelligence-powered drones are making their first appearances on the battlefield in the Russia-Ukraine war as warfare creeps closer to full automation.
In bombardments on Russian targets in the past year, Ukrainian drones acting in concert were able to independently determine where to strike without human input.
It’s the first battlefield use of AI “swarm” technology in a real-world environment, a senior Ukrainian official and Swarmer, the company who makes the software, told the Wall Street Journal in a Tuesday report. While drones have increasingly defined modern battlefields, swarms until now had been confined to testing rather than combat.
“You set the target and the drones do the rest,” Swarmer Chief Executive Serhii Kupriienko told the WSJ. “They work together, they adapt.”
So far, the Swarmer technology has been used hundreds of times to target Russia assets, but was first used a year ago to lay mines on the front, the Ukrainian official told the WSJ. The software has been tested with up to 25 drones at once, but is usually utilized with only three.
Kupriienko told the WSJ that he was preparing to test up to 100 drones at once with the linking software.
A common arrangement used on the battlefield includes one reconnaissance drone to scout out the target and two explosive drones delivering the payload on target, the official told the WSJ.
While Western nations such as the U.S., France and the United Kingdom are also pursuing drone swarm technology, they have not deployed swarm technology on the battlefield the way Ukraine has, according to the WSJ. Currently, autonomous weapons are not regulated by any international authority or binding agreement, but ethical concerns around the technology has led many to call for increased regulation of weapons like the Swarmer system.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
The Department of Defense has spent months blocking the Ukrainian military from using American and British-made missiles to hit targets deep inside Russia, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing unnamed U.S. officials.
Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Eldridge Colby reportedly designed the procedure to review requests to carry out the long-range strikes with weapons that are either of U.S. origin or that require American intelligence or use components provided by the U.S., according to the WSJ. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reportedly has the final say on whether Ukrainian forces can use the MGM-140 ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) to hit targets in Russia.
The reported blocks on missile strikes coincides with a Trump administration effort to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment further on the matter.
BREAKING: President Vladimir Putin reacts to B-2 Flyover pic.twitter.com/1mzVn7DxlW
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) August 15, 2025
The Biden administration allowed Ukraine to carry out strikes with ATACMS in November, weeks after President Donald Trump won the 2024 election, the New York Times reported. Trump criticized the move during a December interview with Time magazine.
“It’s crazy what’s taking place. It’s crazy,” Trump said. “I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that? We’re just escalating this war and making it worse. That should not have been allowed to be done.”
Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Alaska on Aug. 15 for a summit meeting during which Trump sought to secure a cease-fire in Russia’s war with Ukraine. As Trump greeted Putin, a B-2A Spirit stealth bomber and several fighters carried out a flyover of Elmendorf Air Force Base.
Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and major European leaders on Aug. 18 to update them on the summit.
In July, Trump reached an agreement with NATO where members of the alliance would purchase weapons, including MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missiles, and donate them to Ukraine.
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