ZELENSKY: ‘A CRAZY QUESTION’: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has to wonder if the U.S. truly wants it to decisively win the war with Russia because President Joe Biden steadfastly refuses to allow Ukraine to use American long-range missiles to prevent the kind of attack that killed a doctor and killed and wounded children at a cancer hospital in Kyiv.
“If you, if we, want to win, if I want to prevail, if we want to save our country, and to defend it, we need to lift all the limitations,” Zelensky said at a joint news conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg as the Washington summit wrapped up after three days. “We understand from what military base they attack us, and if they attacked us and killed our children in the hospital. That is a crazy question why we can’t answer and attack these especially, these persons, these military bases from where these guided bombs from jets or missiles came, targeted us and killed our children.”
Zelensky said Britain is placing no such restrictions on using its Storm Shadow long-range cruise missile. “I held my first meeting with the new U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer,” Zelensky posted on X. “I learned about the permission to use Storm Shadow missiles against military targets in Russian territory. Today, we had the opportunity to discuss the practical implementation of this decision.”
STOLTENBERG: ‘NO DOUBT THAT UKRAINE HAS THE RIGHT’: “Ukraine, of course, has the right to self-defense,” Stoltenberg said, “And the right of self-defense includes also the right to strike legitimate military targets on the territory of the aggressor, Russia.”
Stoltenberg noted that when the war began more than two years ago, Ukraine was mostly hitting Russian targets inside occupied Ukraine, but over time, the front lines and center of gravity have shifted.
“So, the only way to hit military targets — missile launchers or airfields, which are conducting attacks against Ukraine — is to hit military targets on Russian territory,” he said. “And there’s no doubt that Ukraine has the right to use the weapons that they have received, their own weapons but also weapons that have been donated by allies, to hit legitimate military targets on Russian territory.”
Stoltenberg did not mention the U.S. restrictions specifically, but noted “some allies have not imposed any restrictions at all, it varies a bit between allies.”
STOLTENBERG LAYS OUT CASE FOR NATO COUNTRIES TO LOOSEN RESTRICTIONS ON UKRAINE
BIDEN: MOSCOW CAN BOMB KYIV, BUT KYIV CAN’T BOMB MOSCOW: In his post-summit news conference, Biden said he had loosened some restrictions in the Kharkiv region and for what he called “the near term, in the near or abroad” into Russia, but not for deep strikes.
“Should Zelensky … if he had the capacity to strike Moscow, strike the Kremlin, would that make sense? It wouldn’t.” Biden said. “I’ve got him more long-range capacity, as well as defensive capacity.”
“I’m following the advice of my commander in chief, my chief of staff of the military,” Biden said in an apparent reference to Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., “as well as the secretary of defense and our intelligence people. And we’re making a day-to-day basis on what they should and shouldn’t — how far they should go.”
In his meeting with Biden, Zelensky asked, as he has repeatedly, for the restrictions to be lifted. “I also want to discuss, Mr. President, how we can quickly and decisively stop Russian terror with this. Big problem for us, the guided bombs. And of course, we need some quick steps to lift all limitations for our Ukrainian soldiers.”
“ATACMS, SCALPs, and Storm Shadows would be even more effective if we could hit Russian military airfields from which planes carrying the glided bombs take off. Russia is launching about 3,500 such bombs every month,” Zelensky posted on X. “It is only fair to destroy those military bases that are attacking us and killing our people. Each of you would defend yourselves in the same way. We need this permission from our partners, and most importantly – from the United States.”
UKRAINE PUSHES NATO TO ALLOW ATTACKS ON RUSSIA’S KEY BASES
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MISSILES TO GERMANY: In a joint statement issued at the start of the NATO summit, the United States and Germany announced “episodic deployments” of long-range missiles in Germany to “demonstrate the United States’ commitment to NATO and its contributions to European integrated deterrence.”
“I think it is a good and very clear and welcomed message,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday. “It demonstrates that NATO is about deterrence. The way NATO has prevented war and preserved peace is by having at all times credible deterrence. We live in a more dangerous world.”
The missiles the U.S. plans to deploy are “conventional” weapons, meaning they are not armed with nuclear warheads. Still, they do include missiles with longer ranges than are currently based in Europe, including Standard Missile 6s, Tomahawk cruise missiles, and “developmental hypersonic weapons.”
The deployments are permitted because of the demise of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) treaty, which the U.S. withdrew from in 2019 because of repeated Russian violations.
Moscow reacted angrily to the announcement. “This is yet another tangible proof of the extremely destabilizing policy of the United States in the field of “post-INF Treaty,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said at a press event. Ryabkov called the planned deployments “a deplorable fact” that will have “destructive consequences for regional security and strategic stability.”
“Additional missile threats to Russia will not be left without due response on our part,” he warned. “But it was expected. The competent Russian agencies started their work on developing compensatory countermeasures.”
CHINA REJECTS ‘DECISIVE ENABLER’ LABEL: Beijing is taking umbrage with paragraph 26 of NATO’s Washington Summit Declaration, which labels China as “a decisive enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine through its so-called ‘no limits’ partnership and its large-scale support for Russia’s defense industrial base.”
“NATO’s Washington Summit Declaration is a scaremongering piece about the Asia-Pacific, a product of the Cold War mentality and full of belligerent rhetoric,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at yesterday’s regular press briefing. The paragraphs on China, he said “contain a load of biases, smears and provocations.”
“We strongly deplore and firmly oppose it, and have lodged a serious protest to NATO,” he added.
A senior NATO official told reporters on Tuesday so far, there is no evidence that Beijing was providing Moscow with lethal aid, but the declaration accuses China of transferring “dual-use materials, such as weapons components, equipment, and raw materials” that have revitalized Russia’s defense industries.
“The PRC [People’s Republic of China] cannot enable the largest war in Europe in recent history without this negatively impacting its interests and reputation,” the document says.
CHINESE AND RUSSIAN OFFICIALS REBUKE NATO COMMUNIQUE FILLED WITH ‘BELLIGERENT RHETORIC’
THE TRUMP-ORBAN LOVEFEST: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has endorsed Donald Trump’s effort to regain the presidency, made a pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago yesterday, the second time this year the nationalist leader has been hosted at Trump’s Florida compound.
Trump shared a photo on social media showing the two men giving a thumbs-up sign with the message, “We discussed ways to make peace. The good news of the day: he’s going to solve it!”
Recently, Orban visited Kyiv, Moscow, and Beijing, meeting with Zelensky, Putin, and Xi on, what he called, a “peace mission.”
Zelensky rejected his call to begin negotiations with Russia. “He was in Kyiv. I didn’t know that he will go to Putin, or then to China,” Zelensky said at yesterday’s press conference. “And you said now to Trump. Yes. So, what’s the question where he will go tomorrow? I don’t know. Maybe he will come again to Ukraine.”
Zelensky also suggested Orban, who is cozy with Putin, is not the best person to broker a peace deal. “With all due respect to all the countries, big and small countries, we have to understand that not all the leaders can make negotiations. You need to have some power for this.”
TRUMP HONORS MOST PRO-CHINA LEADER, HUNGARY’S ORBAN, AT MAR-A-LAGO
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Ukraine pushes NATO to allow attacks on Russia’s key bases
Washington Examiner: Stoltenberg lays out case for NATO countries to loosen restrictions on Ukraine
Washington Examiner: Chinese and Russian officials rebuke NATO communique filled with ‘belligerent rhetoric’
Washington Examiner: US to end Gaza pier in ‘relatively short order’ after several disruptions
Washington Examiner: Russia’s war in Ukraine could expand to northeast Asia, South Korean president say
Washington Examiner: The prominent Democrats calling on Biden to drop out
Washington Examiner: Senate Republicans push to remove risky virus research spending from DOD budge
Washington Examiner: Trump honors most pro-China leader, Hungary’s Orban, at Mar-a-Lago
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Germany gives Russia an assassination plot pass
New York Times: What NATO’s Warning Could Mean For China
Defense News: At NATO Summit, A Question Of What The Alliance Wants From The Pacific
The War Zone: Air Force’s Cheap and Fast-to-Produce Long-Range Missile Is Being Built for Ukraine
New York Times: Despite NATO’s Pledges To Ukraine, Immediacy Is Lacking
Washington Post: Ukraine’s First F-16s Will See Combat This Summer, Officials Say
Breaking Defense: NATO ‘Drone Coalition’ for Ukraine Announces New Common Fund, Formalizes Plans
Air & Space Forces Magazine: NATO Sounds Alarm on China’s Advances in Space and Nuclear, Ties with Russia
Politico: 2 Percent on Defense? That Is So Last Year.
Defense One: Info Warriors Coming To Navy Subs In The Pacific
Stars and Stripes: U.S. Navy Missile Defense Site In Poland Is Mission-Ready, NATO Says
Defense News: Switzerland Squares Neutrality with Its European Air-Defense Push
Breaking Defense: AFSOC Seeks Industry Feedback for ‘Swarm Carrier’ Drone
Bloomberg: Lockheed set to resume F-35 Deliveries to Pentagon Next Week
Air & Space Forces Magazine: ACC Boss: CCA Drones Will Mostly Be Kept in ‘Flyable Storage’ Outside of Missions
SpaceNews: General Atomics to Build Second Space Force Weather Satellite
Stars and Stripes: Suicides in Air Force, Navy and Marines in First Quarter of 2024 Top Pandemic-Era Rates, DOD Data Shows
AP: Australian army private and her husband accused of spying for Russia
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Like Your Uncle’s Old Porsche’: Why the Aging C-21 Is Still in High Demand
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Maj. Gen. Joe Engle, X-15 Pilot and Shuttle Astronaut, Dies at 91
THE CALENDAR:
FRIDAY | JULY 12
9 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Israel’s Missile Defense Engagements Since October 7th,” with Moshe Patel, director, Israel Missile Defense Organization; and Tom Karako, senior fellow, CSIS International Security Program and director, CSIS Missile Defense Project https://www.csis.org/events/israels-missile-defense-engagements-october-7th
9:30 a.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW — American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research discussion: “Europe’s Security After the Washington Summit,” with Polish Foreign Affairs Minister Radoslaw Sikorski; Kori Schake, AEI director of foreign and defense policy studies; and Dalibor Rohac, AEI senior fellow https://www.aei.org/events/europes-security-after-the-washington-summit
10:45 a.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “Bolstering Transatlantic Security and Solidarity,” with Jan Jires, director general of defense policy and planning, Czech Ministry of Defense; Lt. Gen. Karel Rehka, chief, General Staff, Czech Armed Forces; J.R. McDonald, vice president for business development at Lockheed Martin; Valbona Zeneli, nonresident senior fellow, Atlantic Council Europe Center; and former U.S. Ambassador to Poland Daniel Fried, fellow, Atlantic Council Eurasia Center https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/bolstering-transatlantic-security
11 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: “Beyond the Summit: Outcomes and the Path Forward to Ukraine’s NATO Membership,” with Paul Good, president, Ukrainian World Congress; Nico Lange, senior fellow, Munich Security Conference; Michal Szczerba, member, European Parliament (via video); former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker, fellow, Center for European Policy Analysis; former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst, senior director, Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center; and Shelby Magid, deputy director, Atlantic Council Eurasia Center https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/beyond-the-summit-outcomes
12:15 p.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “Next Steps for Transatlantic Cooperation Post-NATO Summit,” with Czech Republic President Petr Pavel; Jan Jires, director general of defense policy and planning, Czech Defense Ministry; Karel Rehka, chief, general staff, Czech Armed Forces; former Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs and former U.S. Ambassador to Poland Daniel Fried, fellow, Atlantic Council; and Valbona Zeneli, nonresident senior fellow, Atlantic Council https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/czech-president
2 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion “Hollywood Goes to NATO: Telling the Story of the Alliance,” with LeAnne Howard, special adviser for NATO and summit coordinator, National Security Council; Christine Levinson, Showrunner, Tyrant; Scott Silveri, writer, Friends and Speechless; and Kathleen McInnis, senior fellow, International Security Program and director,CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative https://www.csis.org/events/hollywood-goes-nato-telling-story-alliance
TUESDAY | JULY 16
4 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual and in-person book discussion: The New Cold War: How the Contest Between the US and China Will Shape Our Century, with author Sir Robin Niblett, distinguished fellow, Chatham House; and John Hamre, CSIS President and CEO, and Langone Chair in American Leadership https://www.csis.org/events/new-cold-war-conversation-sir-robin-niblett
TUESDAY | JULY 23
6:30 a.m. 2425 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va. — Association of the U.S. Army “Coffee Series” in-person event with Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, commanding general of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command https://www.ausa.org/events/coffee-series/ltg-gainey
WEDNESDAY | JULY 24
11:30 a.m. — Washington Post Live virtual discussion: “Cyber landscape, terrorism threat and transnational repression,” with Matthew Olsen, assistant attorney general for national security https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2024/07/24/matt-olsen2 p.m. House Chamber — Joint meeting of the House and Senate to receive an address from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu