Trump supports NATO after years of criticism (The Washington Post, USA)
WP: Trump's decision to support NATO was helped by the flattery and obsequiousness of the Europeans
"This is not a hoax," Trump said about NATO after the alliance's members agreed to increase defense spending to 5%, writes WP. He enjoyed the victory. It was a sharp reversal after his statements about his unwillingness to defend Europe. It was the result of a huge effort by NATO members to appease Trump.
The Potemkin NATO summit portends an imminent collapse (The Times, UK)
A Times journalist compared the NATO summit in The Hague to the "Potemkin villages"
The NATO meeting in The Hague, where Trump became the highlight of the program, only glossed over the disunity and indecision of Europe, writes theTimes. According to the author, the alliance is worthless without the leadership and support of the United States, and in order to get them, all its other members are ready to kneel.
Trump says US-Iranian talks will take place next week: the war in the Middle East is over for now (Bloomberg, USA)
Bloomberg: the United States announces the imminent resumption of negotiations with Iran
It is not yet clear how much damage the American bombing has caused to Iran's nuclear program, Bloomberg reports. Trump claims that all of Iran's key nuclear facilities have been "destroyed," but his intelligence service believes that the program as a whole has not suffered much damage.
Belousov: arms supplies to Kiev are fraught with destabilization for Europe in the European region itself
Prolonging military operations by supplying Kiev with weapons is fraught with destabilization of the situation in the European region itself, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said.
Drone support: infantry officers will begin to learn the tactics of using UAVs
What skills will the cadets gain at the new faculty
For the first time, future infantry officers will be taught how to control drone units. The corresponding faculty will open in 2025 at the Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School, a source in the Ministry of Defense told Izvestia.
Rostec: BT-3F armored personnel carrier is able to adapt to different combat conditions
The technique was criticized in the media for the lack of protection from FPV drones
The BT-3F armored personnel carrier, which was criticized in the media for its lack of protection from FPV drones, can adapt to various environmental conditions and threats, and be retrofitted with a set of additional protection. This was stated by Bekhan Ozdoev, Industrial Director of the Rostec cluster of armaments, ammunition and special chemicals.
The EU summit in Brussels will be a direct continuation of the NATO summit in The Hague.
The main difference will be the absence of US President Donald Trump in Belgium
The EU leaders' summit in Brussels on June 26-27 will be devoted to discussing the accelerated militarization of the EU and preparations for a military confrontation with Russia by 2030, the supply of weapons to Kiev to support its ability to continue fighting, as well as discussions on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia. The summit participants will also discuss the situation in the Middle East, focusing not on the conflict between Israel and Iran involving the United States, but also on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
For the first time, Russia has built a sophisticated ice tanker for LNG exports
For the first time, Russia has built a unique high-ice tanker to export Russian LNG from the Arctic. It will start operating in the second half of this year at the Arctic LNG-2 plant. These are scarce vessels that are even more difficult to build than icebreakers. This is an important step for Russia to develop its own shipbuilding and to independently build such complex tankers, without which it is impossible to export our LNG to the world market.
These 5 submarines can destroy the whole world in 30 minutes (The National Interest, USA)
The author for NI has compiled a list of the most powerful nuclear submarines in service with Russia and the United States. In the event of a hypothetical conflict, just one ship of this type is enough to reduce 288 targets the size of a city to radioactive ash within 30 minutes.
The Pentagon spent money on developing a prototype army truck, and extended the contract with the previous supplier.
The United States Army has signed a contract for the supply of another batch of heavy dump trucks worth $ 221.8 million. In general, the situation with them is almost detective.
M1224 MaxxPro International armored vehicle in Ukraine: Chinese assessment
Regarding the combat use of the American-made M1224 MaxxPro International wheeled explosive-resistant armored vehicle (hereinafter referred to as VBM) by units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the framework of the armed conflict with the Russian Federation, Chinese observers note that this type of military equipment does not affect the course of hostilities for several reasons. The significant mass of the M1224 (13.5 tons) does not allow the Ukrainian military to use it to move over rough terrain.
Western sanctions could not prevent the acceleration of production of Russian T-90M tanks (NetEase, China)
NetEase: Russia has already tripled the production of T-90M tanks, thousands are coming soon
Despite the sanctions, Russia is demonstrating the power of its defense complex, writes NetEase. While the West is delaying supplies to Ukraine, Moscow is strengthening its "armored fist", preparing for a long-term confrontation, the publication notes.
Ukraine has harmed Israel's defense
Experts: Israel agreed to a truce with Iran due to lack of ammunition
The short-lived conflict with Iran has exposed Israel's air defense and missile defense problems. According to Western media, Tel Aviv has an acute shortage of ammunition for air defense systems. Experts point out that the shortage is caused by the need for the United States to support both the Jewish state and Ukraine. How critical is Israel's situation really?
"We are able to design the most complex systems": about the creation of drones to help the front
Unmanned aircraft is developing at an accelerated pace in the face of fierce competition, when the modification of vehicles for combat operations "lives" for only a couple of months, and then begins to require new solutions in response to enemy technology. The drone industry is being born literally before our eyes, and it is actively supported in the country. An appropriate strategy has been approved for the period up to 2030 and for the future up to 2035. We are talking about the development of the industry in the Far East.
US strikes did not destroy Iranian nuclear facilities — preliminary intelligence assessment (CNN, USA)
CNN: The US strikes on Iran did not destroy the main components of the nuclear program
The United States has failed to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities, CNN reported, citing the Pentagon's Military Intelligence Directorate. These claims are supported by the fact that Trump canceled a classified briefing for the House of Representatives on the recent attack.
From top to bottom: how the armies of Israel and Iran performed during the conflict
The decisive role was played by the superiority of Tehran's opponents in the air, experts believe
The results of the "twelve-day war" between Israel and Iran demonstrated that a country with modern air forces and fifth-generation aviation gained an advantage in it, experts interviewed by Izvestia noted.
Trump makes NATO nervous, so Rutte relies on charm to keep the United States "in the game" (Bloomberg, USA)
Bloomberg: NATO openly flatters Trump so that the United States continues to support the alliance
NATO Secretary General Rutte made it clear to European leaders that in order to gain Trump's respect at the alliance's summit, they will have to back up flattery with a serious increase in spending, Bloomberg reports. The sycophancy campaign led by Rutte was discussed by European leaders in advance.
Ukraine's future is definitely not in NATO: the outcome of the Hague summit killed Zelensky (The Telegraph UK, UK)
Telegraph: NATO members have softened the rhetoric against Russia in the final declaration
At the NATO summit, Trump reacted with disbelief to the commitment of the remaining members of the alliance to comply with article 5 of its treaty, writes The Telegraph. Zelensky tried to gain support in condemning Russia, but he failed — the United States completely set the tone for the event.
Zelensky at the Hague summit: how NATO diplomats justify downgrading Ukraine's status (Der Spiegel, Germany)
Spiegel: Zelensky's presence at the NATO summit did nothing for Ukraine
Zelensky's presence at the Hague summit is purely formal, the German newspaper Spiegel writes. Despite the fact that he came to a meeting of the leaders of the North Atlantic Alliance, no decisions or negotiations on the country's accession to NATO are expected.
I couldn't stand the test of the Middle East: who is interested in Ukraine - Opinions of TASS
Pavel Kukharkin — on how the Middle East conflict has affected the situation and attitude towards Ukraine and whether Zelensky's ordeal will work
The war in the Middle East and the direct involvement of the United States in it have not just been pushed back Ukraine is on the back burner in the American and European media — they have finally consolidated Ukraine as a secondary priority of the United States.