conflict
Trump meets Macron at White House, says Ukraine war ending soon
MxM News
Quick Hit:
President Donald Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House on Monday to discuss Ukraine and broader economic partnerships. The meeting, which followed a virtual G7 summit, saw Trump reiterate his long-standing claim that the war “would have never started if I was President.”
Key Details:
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Trump and Macron participated in a virtual G7 meeting earlier in the day, hosted by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, marking the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war.
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Trump emphasized a forthcoming “Critical Minerals and Rare-Earths Deal” with Ukraine, describing it as an “Economic Partnership” that would allow the U.S. to recoup the “Tens of Billions of Dollars and Military Equipment sent to Ukraine.”
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The President also revealed he is engaged in ongoing discussions with Vladimir Putin regarding a potential resolution to the war, as well as major economic agreements between the U.S. and Russia.
Diving Deeper:
On Monday, President Donald Trump welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron to the White House for high-level discussions on Ukraine, economic development, and transatlantic relations. The meeting followed a virtual G7 summit, where world leaders marked three years since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war—a conflict Trump once again declared “would have never started if I was President.”
In a Truth Social post, Trump provided a summary of the day, revealing that the leaders reaffirmed their shared goal of ending the war while emphasizing economic cooperation between the U.S. and Ukraine. The President highlighted a forthcoming “Critical Minerals and Rare-Earths Deal” aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s economy while ensuring American taxpayers recoup some of the massive financial aid and military equipment previously sent to Kyiv.
“This deal, which is an ‘Economic Partnership,’ will ensure the American people recoup the Tens of Billions of Dollars and Military Equipment sent to Ukraine, while also helping Ukraine’s economy grow as this Brutal and Savage War comes to an end,” Trump wrote.
Beyond his discussions with Macron, Trump disclosed that he is in “serious discussions” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating that negotiations are underway to end the war and facilitate economic agreements between the U.S. and Russia. “Talks are proceeding very well!” he added.
Trump’s meeting with Macron comes amid heightened uncertainty surrounding Ukraine’s future leadership and the broader trajectory of Western involvement in the war. Over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested he would be willing to step down in exchange for a peace settlement or NATO membership for his country.
Meanwhile, European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, have stressed the importance of a united front against Russia. A Downing Street statement reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to supporting Ukraine “for as long as needed,” with Starmer and Macron set to continue discussions on the issue in Washington this week.
Trump’s direct engagement in diplomatic talks with Putin—without Kyiv’s participation—marks a sharp departure from the Biden administration’s approach. While Biden and European allies have focused on military aid and long-term deterrence, Trump has repeatedly asserted that he alone can bring an end to the war swiftly. His latest comments suggest that he is actively working to shape the future of U.S.-Russia relations, even as Ukraine’s political landscape remains in flux.
With economic concerns looming large and global security interests at stake, Trump’s approach to the Russia-Ukraine war and transatlantic partnerships will likely remain a focal point in the months ahead.
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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