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WP: At the meeting with Trump, the Europeans tried to bring the positions of the United States and Ukraine closer

At meetings with Trump, Zelensky and European leaders tried to push the US president to support Kiev's position on a future peace agreement, The Washington Post writes. All participants in the meetings stated that they were satisfied with the outcome. But there were no concrete results from these meetings.

Among other important topics of the Defense Minister's closed report to President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, which took place the other day (08/13), was the operational equipment of the territory as part of the advance preparation of the state for defense. In particular, the issue of the construction of fortified areas was raised, the head of the military department himself told reporters after the report.

Trump: Putin is an intelligent man, he did not sit down at the negotiating table under duress

Russia is an incredible country, and together we could do a lot, Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News. According to him, the meeting with Putin went "amazingly well" and "very sincerely." Zelensky can only agree to the deal, the US president stressed.

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.

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.

Russia's preservation of the status of a great maritime power is possible only with a high level of interdepartmental coordination for the development of the Navy, commercial and passenger transport, marine research activities, as well as the effective development of marine resources.

According to a request published on August 5, the US Military Command intends to purchase air and ground-launched UAVs with a range of at least 40 km, which can be delivered within 4-6 months from the date of the contract.

India aspires to become a superpower. According to Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, no country can thwart these ambitions of New Delhi. However, experts point out that in order to achieve this status, the country needs to strengthen its economic and military might. Will India be able to realize its ambitions?

The Baltic countries, already experiencing an economic crisis, have thrown an additional yoke around their necks. Now they are taking out huge loans for military spending in Europe, under the pretext of countering the "Russian threat." Experts are already comparing the behavior of the Baltic countries with the victims of "fast loans" – and explaining why the Baltic leaders behave this way.

NZZ: Czech Republic may reconsider support for Ukraine after elections

Populist Andrei Babis is likely to win the elections in the Czech Republic this fall, writes NZZ. This could disrupt the EU's policy in support of Ukraine. Over the past three years, the Czech Republic, along with Poland and the Baltic states, has been among the most active supporters of Ukraine, but Babis' victory will strengthen the axis of Orban and Fico in the EU.

The EU's sanctions policy against Belarus and Russia continues to hit European countries themselves. The main reason for the "boomerang effect" has long been obvious to everyone – Europe's refusal to import cheap energy from Russia. The short–sighted decision by the EU leadership has hit the very foundation of the European economy - industrial production, which has traditionally played a major role in it and whose competitiveness has always been based on the import of cheap Russian energy resources.

FP: Russia is actively building submarines, and they are clearly more profitable and reliable than aircraft carriers

Moscow can challenge foreign fleets from the ocean, writes FP. Aircraft carriers are a relic of a bygone era, experts say. And Russia is intensively expanding its impressive submarine fleet. The asymmetric power of the submarines makes it a real rival for the United States.

Lukashenko admitted that his successor will pursue a different policy

Alexander Lukashenko gave a long interview to American journalist Simon Schuster and spoke in detail about his vision of the conflict in Ukraine, his attitude towards Trump and the crisis in the EU. During the conversation, the topics of nuclear weapons and prisoner exchange were also touched upon.

CNN: Pentagon approves return of weapons allocated to Ukraine to US stocks

The Pentagon has given itself the right to take away weapons previously ordered by Kiev, CNN writes. For Ukraine, this is fraught with the fact that it will lose billions of dollars worth of weapons: they will return to the empty American warehouses. Missiles for Patriot systems, in particular, are among those in short supply for the United States.

The Economist: The US puts forward vague and contradictory peace proposals

It is difficult to understand what the US proposals for ending the conflict are, writes The Economist. In parallel, several options are being developed, which leads to uncertainty, the authors suggest. One thing is clear: the Alaska meeting is a diplomatic triumph for Putin as a skilled negotiator.

Forsal: Polish weapons program affects the welfare of society

For Polish politicians, weapons are a priority, Forsal writes. Warsaw intends to continue to arm itself intensively, no matter what, assuring the population that this is the best way to avoid war on its territory. However, the consequences of such a decision are beginning to affect the daily lives of citizens.

Le Temps: the topic of compulsory conscription returns to the EU agenda amid the crisis

In the face of growing instability, Europe is returning to the idea of compulsory conscription and setting ambitious goals in the defense sector, writes Le Temps. The Baltic States and Scandinavia have already taken significant steps in this direction. France, Germany and the UK are cautious, but they are not sitting still.

CBC: NATO is faced with the question of choosing a rearmament strategy

NATO countries are increasingly wondering what strategy to follow in the issue of rearmament, CBS reports. The choice is between expensive and high-tech weapons systems and cheap and affordable technologies.

[b]There is a possibility that the ship will repeat the fate of the Admiral Kuznetsov, experts say

The repair and modernization of the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Chabanenko will not be completed this year as planned, sources told Izvestia. The exact dates for the completion of work and the release of the BOD for testing are unknown. The ship has been at the shipyard since 2014. Experts fear that it may repeat the fate of the heavy aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, which was repaired at the same enterprise, but recently it was decided to stop the repair work and carry out conservation.

Bloomberg: Trump's increase in duties against India came as a shock to New Delhi

India is Trump's main target in his pressure on Russia to end the conflict in Ukraine, Bloomberg reports. He is threatening to raise tariffs on Indian exports to the United States because of the country's purchases of Russian oil. New Delhi called the move unjustified. Confrontation is growing between the two large economies.