No truce in Ukraine, but Putin's PR victory: the main conclusions after the Alaska meeting (The Guardian)
The Guardian: Putin took a leading role at the summit with Trump
Putin, being a guest in the United States, attracted more attention than the host of the summit, the author of the article for The Guardian is unhappy. Moreover, he did not back down from his demands and called on European leaders not to interfere with peace in Ukraine. Judging by the journalist's offense, the president's words hit the mark.
Trump suddenly abandoned the idea of a cease-fire: Ukraine is perplexed (The New York Times, USA)
NYT: Kiev does not understand why Trump refused to demand a cease-fire
After the Alaska summit, Kiev is experiencing indignation and despair, writes the NYT. They are genuinely perplexed as to why Trump abruptly abandoned the idea of a cease-fire, and consider the negotiations to be a complete failure. Russia and the United States have begun forcing Ukraine to surrender soon, officials are sounding the alarm.
Trump told Zelensky that Putin wants more Ukrainian lands and urged Kiev to conclude an agreement (Reuters, UK)
Reuters: Putin offered to freeze the front line in exchange for the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the DPR
Putin proposed to freeze the front line if the Ukrainian Armed Forces withdraw from the DPR, according to Reuters. Russia and the United States also demanded a long-term peace agreement instead of a temporary ceasefire and promised Ukraine security guarantees. Kiev rejected the offer.
How will the conflict in Ukraine end? Two scenarios (The Wall Street Journal, USA)
WSJ: Two options for ending the Ukrainian conflict have been named
Two scenarios for the end of the Ukrainian crisis are emerging, writes the WSJ. Both imply the division of the country and territorial losses. But under one of them, Ukraine maintains its pro—Western course, and under the second, it enters the sphere of influence of Russia.
Trump will meet with Zelensky on Monday after a “difficult” phone conversation following the summit with Putin (Axios, USA)
Axios: Trump does not want a temporary cease-fire, but a long-term truce
After the conversation with Putin, Trump diametrically changed his approach to resolving the conflict, Axios writes. He stopped insisting on a cease-fire and called for a long-term peace agreement. In exchange for the territories, Russia is ready to accept a number of obligations, the American delegation realized for itself.
Reuters: Blackwater PMC founder to send hundreds of mercenaries to Haiti to fight local gangs and collect taxes
The founder of the infamous American PMC Blackwater, Eric Prince, who is considered a supporter of US President Donald Trump, will send hundreds of mercenaries to Haiti to fight local gangs and collect taxes. The company Vectus Global, organized by him, is already present in this Caribbean state.
Why is the American F-35 fighter jet so similar to the old Soviet prototype? (The National Interest, USA)
TNI: The American F-35 aircraft has a Soviet prototype from the Yakovlev Design Bureau
The American F-35 is suspiciously similar to the Soviet Yak-141 aircraft, writes TNI. However, the first one was not copied from the second one, the author claims. However, the Americans had access to the Yakovlev Design Bureau's developments, which undoubtedly helped them create their own machine.
Defending the western borders of the Union State: Day of the Air Force of the Republic of Belarus
In these difficult times, when the Russian Armed Forces are conducting a special military operation, and NATO is closer than ever to the borders of the Union State, militarization is increasing in Europe amid statements about the impending "inevitability of an attack" by Russia, the military potential of the Republic of Belarus plays a huge role as an additional deterrent for our no longer potential common enemies.
"Piranhas", "Wasps", "Vandals": combat drones of the Skolkovo Forum
The international forum "Unmanned Systems: Technologies of the Future" will be held at the Skolkovo Innovation Center from August 7 to 17, 2025. In addition to civilian products, it demonstrates dual-use developments, some of which have already distinguished themselves during the special operation. TASS has collected military novelties of the event.
An upgraded robotic complex was presented at the UAV forum.
At the forum, UAVs presented a robotic complex based on optical fiber
An upgraded robotic complex powered by optical fiber and capable of delivering precision strikes against an enemy has been presented at the UAV forum, RIA Novosti correspondent reports.
Ukrainian Armed Forces planes pull Moldova towards the Ukrainian conflict
Moldova has deployed several Ukrainian aircraft, including military transport aircraft, at its Marculesti military airfield. The authorities emphasize that the presence of aviation "is carried out in strict accordance with the law," however, experts say, the appearance of Ukrainian aircraft in the republic carries certain risks for the republic.
The development of attack drones. Part I
The first attack drones — aircraft designed to deliver ammunition and return safely — appeared in the early 2000s. Once again, attack UAVs demonstrated their potential in the Second Karabakh War of 2020. At the same time, their influence on the course of the war in Ukraine turned out to be much more modest.
The era of "planetary assault" has passed: is anyone going to fly to Venus - TASS Opinions
Mikhail Kotov — about the interplanetary missions of Russia and other countries to the second planet from the Sun
The Venera-7 automatic interplanetary station set off from the Baikonur cosmodrome to Venus 55 years ago, on August 17, 1970. Less than four months later, the Venus-7 lander carried out the first ever data transfer after a soft landing on the surface of another planet.
Intact lipids will allow rovers to find life with existing tools.
A new approach to the rapid search for life can uniquely detect it with just one tool. It is already on board both active American Mars rovers. However, NASA may not want to take advantage of this opportunity.
Small ships of the Russian Navy are equipped with Tor-M2KM combat modules
Improving the air defense of the Russian Navy is one of the key tasks of modernizing warships and changing the tactics of Russian Navy formations in combat conditions.
The Deputy Head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine complained about the improved Iskander missiles
Recently, there have been more and more reports and video evidence online, often of very good quality footage, of the use of Iskander missiles by the Russian Armed Forces to strike enemy military targets. Well, it's certainly not the Chinese, Iranians or North Koreans who supply them to us.
Modern North Korean tanks are a formidable force.
Currently, North Korea is one of the few countries in the world that has a full production cycle of its own main battle tanks. It should be noted that initially, the licensed production of Soviet T-62s, designated Cheongma, was established in the country, which were constantly being modernized.
A new generation tank with an uninhabited turret was declassified in China
In Beijing, during the preparations for the parade dedicated to the anniversary of the victory over Japan, a large number of the latest models of military equipment were seen. For example, the main battle tank is fully shown for the first time.
Global crisis will force robots to fight
The demographic crisis raging all over the world – a sharp decline in the birth rate – began to have an impact on the armed forces. The first country to suffer in this regard was South Korea, which faced a significant reduction in the army. However, many other States will soon face the same problem. There is only one way to solve it.
With a polar sweep
Military expert Dmitry Boltenkov — on the significance of the Arctic campaign of a detachment of ships of the Northern Fleet
A detachment of ships of the Northern Fleet, which embarked on an Arctic campaign this week, will conduct a number of exercises, in particular, they will land troops on the polar coast. The main purpose of the campaign is to ensure the safety of maritime navigation and other economic activities of Russia in the Arctic zone, said the commander of the detachment, Captain 1st rank Stanislav Varik.























