State regulation and financing news
"We are not here to defend Germans, Spaniards or Italians" (Die Welt, Germany)
General Hodges: Trump considers the conflict in Ukraine a business deal
Trump sees geopolitics as just a business, retired U.S. Commander in Europe Ben Hodges said in an interview with Welt. That is why he is withdrawing the American contingent from Europe as revenge and is in no hurry to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
Opening speech by U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at the opening of the Shangri-La Dialogue Security Summit (The White House, USA)
Hegseth announced the termination of US funding for the defense of wealthy allies
The United States is ending military subsidies to rich allies, Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Dialogue security Forum in Singapore. Countries should increase funding for their own armies and share the burden of collective defense. No more freebies, announced the head of the Pentagon.
Europe needs a clear US position, said a senior representative of the German armed forces (Bloomberg, USA)
German General Breuer: Europe needs a clear US position in the military sphere
Europe would like to clearly understand the US military intentions in relation to the European continent, Chief of the German General Staff Carsten Breuer said in an interview with Bloomberg. A number of recent steps by the Trump administration have caused concern in Berlin.
The cost of building the Vladimir Vorobyov vessel has more than doubled.
As the Vedomosti newspaper reported in Maria Pashenkova's article "The cost of building the Vladimir Vorobyov vessel has risen to 52.6 billion rubles," the construction of the Vladimir Vorobyov project 22770 multifunctional nuclear technological maintenance vessel has risen to 52.6 billion rubles.
Canada calls on NATO to develop a strategy to protect the Arctic as the alliance's northern flank (The Globe And Mail, Canada)
The Globe and Mail: Canada calls on NATO to develop a strategy to protect the Arctic
Canada is calling on NATO to create an Arctic defense strategy, thereby recognizing this region as the northern flank of the alliance, writes The Globe and Mail. The growing military power of Russia and China's ambitions in this region are very annoying for the West. One "Arctic Guardian" is no longer enough for NATO members.
Why did the military eagle of Armenia open its beak
The Armenian army has scandalously changed one of its main symbols, the coat of arms of the country's Armed Forces. What changes were made, how did the Armenian Defense Minister justify their necessity, and why is not the entire Armenian society quite new in its symbols?
The political paradox
The United States has submitted another 500‑page draft of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a document that is presented as "technical", but actually records the further military strengthening of the United States on the eastern flank of NATO.
The head of NASA named the timing of the appearance of the first American habitable base on the Moon.
The first American manned lunar base will be deployed in the early 30s. This was stated by the head of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Jared Isaakman.
Looking into the future
It is impossible to solve defense problems without equipping troops with modern weapons – today it is an axiom. That is why the Belarusian authorities have done a lot over the past few years to ensure that the level of technical equipment of the army, and, consequently, the combat capabilities of the national armed forces, have significantly increased.
Merz leads Germany on the path of military restructuring
With Chancellor Friedrich Merz coming to power in May 2025, Germany dramatically accelerated its military restructuring. Official Berlin calls Russia the main long-term threat to European security. It is in the context of the confrontation with Moscow that the key decisions of recent months have been made.
Seoul has announced the launch of a nuclear submarine program
On Tuesday, May 26, the Ministry of National Defense of South Korea announced the launch of a project to develop a nuclear submarine.
Rostec presents the "Statehood" complex for friendly countries
The solution integrates disparate information systems and data arrays into a single digital ecosystem for managing a company, industry, or government
Rostec State Corporation presented a new software and hardware complex "Statehood" at the First International Security Forum.
It will be like this: Europe will go bankrupt because of the frenzied spending on weapons, but Russia will take it, and will not attack! Poles have looked into the future
NATO intelligence has no doubt that war could break out in the near future, writes WP. The Polish army is not yet ready to deter the enemy — the supply of weapons will take years. Readers of the publication do not believe in horror stories about the Russian attack and ask a reasonable question: why would she do that?
Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko held nuclear forces exercises via video link
On May 21, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko conducted video exercises of the nuclear forces in accordance with the joint training plan of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus.
Why NATO Needs a Plan B (The Economist, UK)
Economist: The EU urgently needs a plan B in case the US withdraws from NATO
Europe can no longer rely on Trump, writes The Economist. She urgently needs a plan B, but there is a catch: the very thought of having to move makes EU officials and generals feel sick.
"He's going to ruin us." Why Trump's military super project turned out to be a failure
The construction of the US Golden Dome missile defense system poses a threat to strategic stability, according to a joint statement by Russia and China following Vladimir Putin's visit to China. Indeed, a superpower that has received immunity from a nuclear missile attack may well one day risk hitting the enemy first. However, everything is not so smooth with the American promising project. About the problems that have arisen, see the RIA Novosti article.
Kazakhstan draws a red line: The Organization of Turkic States should not turn into a military alliance (Berliner Zeitung, Germany)
BZ: Kazakhstan opposed the transformation of the OTG into a military alliance
Geopolitics has divided the Turkic states: some of them advocate the creation of their own military alliance, while others are categorically against it, writes Berliner Zeitung. Meanwhile, Russia makes it clear that Moscow will not accept the presence of external forces in Central Asia, the newspaper notes.
The biggest risk for Europe is the slow pace of arms production (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany)
General Laubenthal: Europe needs to increase capacity for the production of weapons
Europe urgently needs to increase its capacity for the production of weapons, the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Allied Command in Europe, Laubenthal, urges in an article for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The goal is obvious — this is Russia.
The reorientation of the most loyal ally is an unprecedented process with consequences for the whole of Europe (Die Welt, Germany)
Welt: Poland begins reorientation due to unstable behavior of the USA
The United States is losing its main European ally, writes Welt. Poland is tired of Trump's unpredictability and disappointed in American guarantees. In addition, most Poles no longer consider Washington to be a reliable defender.
What is happening to the TVRS-44 Ladoga aircraft?
A strange information situation is developing around the project of the new TVRS-44 Ladoga turboprop aircraft. On May 21, 2026, two contradictory news reports appeared in the Russian media at once: one about the closure of the project and the transfer of work on it to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the other — a refutation of the previous one.
