TRUMP: ‘WHEN ARE WE GOING TO END THIS, VLADIMIR?’: By his own account, President Donald Trump got pretty much nowhere with Russian President Vladimir Putin after more than two hours of haranguing him on the phone about needing to end the war in Ukraine quickly.
“I said, ‘When are we going to end this, Vladimir?’ I’ve known him for a long time now. I said, ‘When are we going to end this bloodshed, this bloodbath?’ It’s a bloodbath. And I do believe he wants to end it,” Trump said in the Oval Office, hours after he portrayed the conversation as a major breakthrough on Truth Social.
“Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War,” Trump said in the post, adding he had “so informed” the relevant parties, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. allies in Europe, France, Germany, Finland, and the EU. “The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin!”
However, Trump got no firm commitment from Putin aside from a vague promise to engage Ukraine in a “possible, eventual, future peace treaty,” according to the English translation on the Russian network RT.
“So hopefully we did something,” Trump said later. “Very big egos involved, I tell you, big egos involved.”
TRUMP SAYS RUSSIA AND UKRAINE TO REENGAGE ‘IMMEDIATELY’ IN CEASEFIRE NEGOTIATION AFTER PUTIN CALL
PUTIN DOES WANT TO END IT — ON HIS TERMS: Despite Trump’s insistence that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine “will begin immediately,” the Kremlin said there is no deadline or timeline for discussions over what Putin called the process of “drafting a memorandum regarding a potential future peace agreement.”
Putin made clear his terms for a ceasefire are the same as his demands for ending the war, namely total capitulation by Ukraine, including turning over territory in the east that Russia has not been able to capture, forswearing NATO membership forever, disarming its military — essentially giving up its sovereignty to become a vassal state of Russia.
“The key issue, of course, is now for the Russian side and the Ukrainian side to show their firm commitment to peace and to forge a compromise that would be acceptable to all parties,” Putin said, according to the official Kremlin transcript. “Notably, Russia’s position is clear. Eliminating the root causes of this crisis is what matters most to us.”
“Root causes” is Kremlin-speak for “Ukraine’s right to exist as an independent, democratic county,” which Putin does not recognize.
ZELENSKY: ‘RUSSIA IS TRYING TO BUY TIME’: In Kyiv, Zelensky reacted cautiously to Trump’s pronouncements, saying he has discussed the situation with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and would be having further conversation with other European partners today.
“Ukraine is ready for any negotiation format that delivers results. And if Russia continues to put forward unrealistic conditions and undermine progress, there must be tough consequences,” Zelensky said.
“It is obvious that Russia is trying to buy time in order to continue its war and occupation,” he said in a post on X. “We are working with our partners to ensure that pressure forces Russians to change their behavior. Sanctions matter, and I am grateful to everyone making them more biting for those responsible for this war.”
TRUMP’S ULTIMATE CONCESSION: ‘I’D STEP AWAY’: Trump has already made a long list of concessions to Putin and has received nothing in return. Yesterday, he fell on his go-to tactic of dangling the prospect of future trade relations with the U.S. to incentivize Putin to make a deal quickly.
“Russia wants to do largescale TRADE with the United States,” Trump said in his Truth Social post. “There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth. Its potential is UNLIMITED.”
But Trump also has said out loud he’s ready to give Putin the ultimate concession, signaling that if the Russian leader hangs tough with his war plans, the U.S. will abandon the peace process.
“I think something’s going to happen. And if it doesn’t, I’d just back away, and they’re going to have to keep going. Again, this was a European situation. It should have remained a European situation,” Trump repeated a message he had said he had given to European leaders after Putin’s call. “I said to them, got to get going,” Trump said. “If I thought that you couldn’t do it, I’d step away because what are you going to do? We don’t have boots on the ground.”
That was a message echoed by Vice President J.D. Vance after he left Rome following a meeting with the Pope. “[It] takes two to tango. I know the president is willing to do that, but if Russia is not willing to do that, then we’re eventually just going to have to say, ‘This is not our war. It’s Joe Biden’s war. It’s Vladimir Putin’s war. It’s not our war,’” Vance said. “We’re going to try to end it, but if we can’t end it, we’re eventually going to say, “You know what? That was worth a try, but we’re not doing it anymore.”
And perhaps most notably, Trump has abandoned the line that he alone can close the deal, that “nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I get together.” Now, he says only the two warring parties can find a solution. “The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of,” he said on his social media post.
OPINION: PUTIN PLAYS TRUMP FOR AN IDIOT, REJECTS UKRAINE CEASEFIREGood Tuesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSE
HAPPENING TODAY: TRUMP GOES TO BAT FOR ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’: President Donald Trump heads to Capitol Hill this morning in an effort to whip up support among skeptical Republicans for his “big, beautiful bill,” which caught up infighting between factions of the Republican Party over cuts to Medicaid, food stamps, and divisions over the SALT deduction for state and local taxes.
“With just three votes to spare in his slim Republican majority, Johnson has little time to get the reconciliation legislation on the floor for a House-wide vote by Thursday or Wednesday at the earliest,” reports the Washington Examiner’s Rachel Schilke. “The Rules Committee is scheduled to meet at 1 a.m. on Wednesday to discuss alterations to the legislation, the product of a handshake agreement between leadership and fiscal hawks to pass the bill of the Budget Committee on Sunday.”
“They literally are trying to take healthcare away from millions of Americans at this very moment in the dead of night,” said Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), “If this legislation is designed to make life better for the American people, can someone explain to me why they would hold a hearing to advance the bill at 1 a.m. in the morning?”
Democrats claim 10 million poor people would lose health insurance under the Medicaid reforms in the bill.
JOHNSON BRINGS IN TRUMP FOR FINAL PUSH ON ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’
MORE ON THE PLANE: CNN is out with a report this morning quoting sources saying the Pentagon offered to buy a surplus 747 from Qatar before it was offered to President Trump as a gift.
According to what CNN says are “four sources familiar with the discussions,” it was actually Boeing, the plane maker, that suggested acquiring an existing plan to bridge the gap until two new Air Force Ones can be delivered in 2027.
“After the Pentagon’s initial engagement with the company, Boeing provided U.S. defense officials with a list of other Boeing clients around the world with planes that could work in the meantime,” three sources said. “And Qatar was one of the clients,” the second source familiar with the discussions said, adding the Pentagon “offered to buy the plane” and Qatar indicated it was willing to sell it.
In an interview with Bret Baier on Fox News, Trump indicated it was Qatar that reached out to him after they heard about the delays by Boeing. “But let me tell you, people knew I was angry at Boeing. A lot of people know. These people know,” Trump said, referring to the Qataris. “They suggested if we can do anything at all to help … I said, how can you help? Well, we happen to have a plane.”
CNN reported that in February, Trump inspected a Qatari 747 at the airport in Palm Beach, Florida, near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. Trump remarked afterwards on the plane’s luxurious appointments.
A recent Forbes magazine profile of the plane described it as a “flying mansion” with “two bedrooms, entertainment and meeting rooms, and a sumptuous beige and cream-colored interior created by the Parisian design house Cabinet Pinto that features furnishings made of sycamore and wacapou wood, silk fabrics, and natural leather.”
HEGSETH ON OPSEC: ‘NOBODY TAKES IT MORE SERIOUSLY THAN ME’: In an extensive walkaround tour of the Pentagon with his former Fox News college Will Cain, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took umbrage at the recent criticism of his sharing of operational details of the start of the Houthi bombing campaign.
“I don’t get offended by much,” he told Cain but said he has “sort of been offended” at the coverage of the so-called Signalgate scandal. “I wish those I served with, those I worked with every day, could see how seriously we take every aspect of operational security, from the way we communicate to the way we transmit information, to the orders we give, to the plans we discuss.”
“This idea that I don’t take classification or I don’t take clearances seriously — Nobody takes it more seriously than me,” Hegseth said. “And we make sure that’s infused through how we operate.”
Hegseth pointed to the success of the Houthi campaign, which he dubbed Operation Rough Rider
“The president set a limited objective where we got the Houthi to cry uncle and say, we’re done, and now our ships can transit … the Red Sea freely,” He said. “It’s not a perfect end state. They’re not completely destroyed, but we also have a lot of other things we need to focus on, like the Iranians, like the Chinese, and if we spend all of our time and effort investing in some sort of regime change war in Yemen, then we’re not focusing on the core interests.”
HEGSETH ACKNOWLEDGES HOUTHIS ‘NOT COMPLETELY DESTROYED’ BUT TOO COSTLY TO CONTINUE
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Trump says Russia and Ukraine to reengage ‘immediately’ in ceasefire negotiation after Putin call
Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan Opinion: Putin plays Trump for an idiot, rejects Ukraine ceasefire
Washington Examiner: Coast Guard at ‘lowest point of readiness’ since WWII, commandant says
Washington Examiner: Hegseth acknowledges Houthis ‘not completely destroyed’ but too costly to continue
Washington Examiner: Pentagon and FAA can’t seem to get on same page over air safety
Washington Examiner: Populist movements see mixed results in Europe election blitz
Washington Examiner: Most illegal immigrants arrested near Canadian border entered from Mexico
Washington Examiner: Vance, Rubio bring Pope Leo XIV letter from Trump and Chicago Bears jersey
Washington Examiner: DOJ charges House Democrat LaMonica McIver over ICE facility assault
Washington Examiner: Homan scolds arrested Newark mayor after ‘storming’ ICE prison: ‘Not very smart’
Washington Examiner: Senate confirms Charles Kushner as ambassador to France despite criminal past
Washington Examiner: Retired Navy four-star admiral convicted in bribery scheme
Washington Examiner: Somaliland eyes up a deal with Trump in return for US recognition
AP: First Few Aid Trucks Enter Gaza but Allies Threaten Israel with Sanctions and Urge More
New York Times: Russia Unleashes One of Its Largest Drone Barrages of the Ukraine War
Defense News: EU, UK Agree Defense Partnership as Prelude to Tighter Cooperation
Breaking Defense: US and UAE Ink Agreement Formalizing Major Defense Partnership
Washington Post: In Pro-Military Nebraska, A Lawmaker’s Stand Over Hegseth Tests the GOP
New York Times: Ex-National Guardsman Planned to Attack U.S. Army Base for ISIS, U.S. Says
CNN: Sources contradict Trump narrative about Qatar offering plane as ‘gift’
The New Yorker: How Joe Biden Handed the Presidency to Donald Trump
USA Today: How Air Force One stacks up to the Qatari 747, Trump’s coveted ‘palace in the sky’
The War Zone: Far More Powerful B61-13 Guided Nuclear Bomb Variant Joins US Stockpile
Air & Space Forces Magazine: US Will Have a Tough Time Deterring All Chinese Attacks in Space, Report Says
Breaking Defense: Allvin Says Air Force Must Grow, Even At ‘Expense’ of Other Services
Defense One: Special Operations Are Becoming the Pentagon’s Future ‘Normal’
Air & Space Forces Magazine: The Biggest News from India-Pakistan Air Battle: the Kill Chain
Stars and Stripes: USS Truman Due to Join NATO Drill in Mediterranean After Eventful Stint in Red Sea
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Boeing Resumes KC-46 Deliveries After Work to Fix Cracks
Air Force Times: Congressional Appropriators Criticize VA’s Unapproved Funding Moves
Task & Purpose: Army Investigating Whether Rangers Fired Weapons at Public Beach Before ‘Pirate Sea Battle’
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Severely Damaged Korean F-35 Gets Second Life After Crash Thanks to Novel Repair
Task & Purpose: Army Apache Crews Who Fired ‘First Shots of Desert Storm’ Receive Distinguished Flying Crosses
THE CALENDAR:
TUESDAY | MAY 20
7:50 a.m. 151 St. George Blvd., Oxon Hill, Maryland — Defense Strategies Institute Assured Logistics Summit, with Army Brig. Gen. Mike Siegl, director of J-4, U.S. Central Command; Brig. Gen. Geoffrey Kent, former director of logistics, U.S. European Command; and Hyeong-Jin Yoon, defence attache, Embassy of the Republic of Korea to the U.S., participates in a discussion: “Security Challenges of the ROK-U.S. Alliance and Prospects for Defense Industry Cooperation” https://logistics.dsigroup.org/
9:30 a.m. G-50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing: “The Posture of the Department of the Air Force in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY2026 and the Future Years Defense Program,” with testimony from Air Force Secretary Troy Meink; Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin.; Space Force Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations http://www.armed-services.senate.gov
10 a.m. 419 Dirksen — Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing: “Review of the FY2026 State Department Budget Request,” with testimony from Secretary of State Marco Rubio http://foreign.senate.gov
10:15 a.m. 226 Dirksen — Senate Judiciary Committee hearing: “Defending Against Drones: Setting Safeguards for Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems Authorities” http://judiciary.senate.gov
10:30 a.m. 222 Russell — Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee hearing: “The Department of Energy’s Atomic Energy Defense Activities and Department of Defense Nuclear Weapons Program in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY2026 and the Future Years Defense Program,” with testimony from James McConnell, acting principal deputy administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration; Roger Jarrell, principal deputy assistant Energy secretary for environmental management; Adm. William Houston, director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program; Brandi Vann, performing the duties of the assistant Defense secretary for nuclear, chemical, and biological defense programs; David Hoagland, acting deputy administrator for defense programs in the National Nuclear Security Administration; Gen. Thomas Bussiere, commander, Air Force Global Strike Command and commander of Air Forces Strategic – Air, U.S. Strategic Command; and Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe, director for strategic systems programs for the Navy http://www.armed-services.senate.gov
11:30 a.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: a new report, “Confronting Russia’s Cyber Power: Reassessing Assumptions, Sizing Up the Threat, and Building a Proactive Response,” with author Justin Sherman, nonresident fellow, Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative; Laura Galante, principal at WestExec Advisers and former director, Office of the National Intelligence’s Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center; and Dylan Myles-Primakoff, Atlantic Council nonresident senior fellow https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/report-launch-confronting-russias-cyber-power/
12:30 p.m. 58 East 68th St., New York, New York — Council on Foreign Relations discussion: “The Future of Alliances: Burden Sharing and Credibility of Commitments,” with Frances Fragos Townsend, former assistant to President George W. Bush for counterterrorism and homeland security and CFR Board of Directors member; Michael Fullilove, executive director, Lowy Institute; Stefan Mair, director, German Institute for International and Security Affairs; and Michael Froman, CFR president https://www.cfr.org/event/future-alliances-burden-sharing-and-credibility-commitments
2 p.m. 138 Dirksen — Senate Appropriations State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee hearing: “The proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2026 for the State Department,” with testimony from Secretary of State Marco Rubio http://appropriations.senate.gov
WEDNESDAY | MAY 21
2:30 p.m. 124 Dirksen — Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee hearing: “A Review of the President’s FY2026 Budget Request for the Department of Energy,” with testimony from Energy Secretary Chris Wright http://appropriations.senate.gov
2:30 p.m. 222 Russell — Senate Armed Services Cybersecurity Subcommittee hearing: “Defense of the Department of Defense Information Network,” with testimony from Army Lt. Gen. Paul Stanton, director, Defense Information Systems Agency and commander, Department of Defense Information Network’s Joint Force Headquarters http://www.armed-services.senate.gov
2:30 p.m. 232-A Russell — Senate Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee hearing: “Navy unmanned systems,” with testimony from Bryan Clark, senior fellow and director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology; and retired Navy Rear Adm. Robert Girrier, former deputy commander, Pacific Fleet and former director of operations for the U.S. Pacific Command http://www.armed-services.senate.gov6 p.m. 90 Stadium Dr., College Park, Maryland — University of Maryland 2025 commencement ceremonies with Kermit the Frog delivering the commencement address https://commencement.umd.edu/school-college-ceremonies
