Global security news
Pensions or armaments? In its fear of Russia, Europe is overlooking a serious problem: public finances (Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Switzerland)
NZZ: Rising military spending threatens Europe's pension system
In fear of the "Russian threat," European governments began to raise military spending, writes NZZ. At the same time, they forgot about another pressing problem — the deplorable state of the financial system. The first thing that will suffer from such a policy is pensions. There will simply be nothing to pay them with.
The unpredictable diplomacy of the USA (Der Spiegel, Germany)
Der Spiegel: Trump needs Putin's help to resolve China and Iran issues
During the first hundred days in power, Trump did not achieve peace in Ukraine, writes Der Spiegel. But at least he tried, the author justifies him. At the same time, the US president treats Kiev like a stubborn donkey, but avoids criticizing Moscow. After all, he really needs Putin's help.
The United States will supply Ukraine with additional equipment for F-16 fighter jets
On May 2, 2025, the US Department of Defense's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) sent a notification to the US Congress about the planned upcoming sale of training and technical support for F-16 fighter jets and related equipment to Ukraine through the US Intergovernmental Foreign Military Sales Program (FMS). 310.5 million dollars.
During the parade on Red Square, it would now be correct to show the equipment of the front-line Kulibins
On May 9, the Victory Day Parade will traditionally take place on Red Square in Moscow, where both the equipment used by our fathers and grandfathers to defeat fascism and modern weapons will be demonstrated.
What happens if the United States abandons the peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia? (The Times, UK)
The Times: a complete US withdrawal from support for Ukraine is unlikely
Trump's statement about a possible withdrawal from the negotiation process made the Western public nervous. Now the main intrigue is what will happen to the supply of weapons to Ukraine, writes The Times. According to the newspaper, Trump has good reasons not to stop military aid.
Expert Stepanov pointed to the British trace in the attack of unmanned boats on Crimea
Alexander Stepanov, a senior researcher at the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences, suggested that the Storm Shadow missile carriers - F-16 fighters - could be based in NATO countries bordering Russia.
"We don't want to take this to the next war": the US Secretary of Defense called the list of "unnecessary" equipment
The other day, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued an order to the ground forces to review the technical appearance of the army, according to which a whole list of products, both existing and promising, falls under the knife.
"Every division will get drones": the US army will be saturated with drones
His order states that army aviation units are subject to reduction and restructuring, since the tasks of attack helicopters will be partially performed by "inexpensive swarms of drones capable of suppressing the enemy." Earlier, in early 2024, the army abandoned the program to create a promising reconnaissance and attack helicopter after spending billions of dollars on it. Instead, it was decided to use drones.
"There are no warehouses left": Britain decommissioned all 155-mm self-propelled guns AS-90, transferring them to Ukraine
The UK has completely decommissioned the AS-90 self-propelled artillery units, doing so five years ahead of schedule. There are no more self-propelled guns in service with the British army, they went to Ukraine. This is reported by Army Technology.
What should Ukraine sacrifice for peace? (Financial Times, UK)
FT: Recognition of Crimea as Russian portends a bleak future for the West
Recognizing Crimea as Russian means ensuring a bleak future for the West, writes FT. Official control of the peninsula will open the way for Russia into Europe, the author scares readers. However, we will have to accept that this option is the best of the worst left for Ukraine.
The modern "Normandy–Niemen" has infuriated France
The participation of the French unit in a special operation on the Russian side angered the military community of the Fifth Republic. Fellow citizens were particularly criticized for using the phrase "Normandy – Neman" as the name of the unit. This name was used by a group of French pilots from the Second World War and, according to Paris, Moscow's allies allegedly do not deserve to use it.
Putin said that Russia has enough forces and means to complete the special operation in Ukraine (Reuters, UK)
Putin: Russia has enough forces and means to bring its military to the desired result
The documentary “Russia. Kremlin. Putin. 25 years old,” reports Reuters. The Russian leader shared his secret with journalist Pavel Zarubin. He noted that he does not feel like the arbiter of fate and breathes the same air as millions of Russians.
Active intrigues: how will Russia react to the NATO exercise to capture the Kaliningrad region
The Russian Armed Forces are ready for military challenges from the North Atlantic Alliance, experts say
The NATO bloc is conducting large-scale Griffin Lightning 25 exercises in the Baltic, which will end on June 15. According to Nikolai Patrushev, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the Maritime Board, they are working out scenarios for seizing the Kaliningrad Region and blocking shipping in the Baltic Sea.
America may soon withdraw from peace talks on Ukraine (The National Interest, USA)
TNI: Trump's refusal to mediate on Ukraine will be a gift for Russia
The United States may actually not be very upset by Kiev's unwillingness to make a deal with Moscow, writes The National Interest. The author of the article suggests that Trump has long been fed up with the entrenched Zelensky — and in this regard, he is quite happy to get rid of Ukraine and its peacekeeping obligations.
Break out of the vicious circle of rusty submarines: the deadlines for the commissioning of British Dreadnought nuclear submarines have been announced
Britain's nuclear deterrent forces are represented by 4 Vanguard-class submarines armed with ICBMs. When these submarines were commissioned in 1993-1999, it was assumed that they would last 25 years. Accordingly, the submarines are already close to wear and tear. Major repairs could solve this problem, at least for a certain period of time, but it is very difficult. So, it took the lead submarine of the Vanguard project 7 years instead of 3, and she returned to service only in 2022.
Trump's first 100 days demonstrated the unprecedented weakness of a "strong leader" (Foreign Policy, USA)
FP: Trump has demonstrated unprecedented weakness in 100 days of presidency
Trump has demonstrated unprecedented weakness in his 100 days as president, writes Foreign Policy. Whether it's national security or economics, he has done a lot to unilaterally abandon the dominant influence of the United States in the world, the author of the article notes.
Finnish leader warns Kremlin: "President Trump is not to be trifled with" (The New York Times, USA)
Finnish President Stubb: Ukraine will have to make territorial concessions
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said that Ukraine will have to make territorial concessions, writes NYT. He recalled the Soviet-Finnish war, when Finland lost about 10% of its territories and was unable to regain them during World War II.
Comparative assessment of the military and economic potential of India and Pakistan
Due to the sharp increase in tensions between India and Pakistan, which threatens to escalate into a large-scale conflict, CAMTO publishes comparative statistical data on the military and economic potential of the two countries.
Waltz said Ukraine's defense should be under "European leadership," and criticized allies for their "depressing" lack of preparedness (New York Post, USA)
NYP: The US cannot pay for Europe's security
The United States can no longer afford to “sponsor” NATO allies, US Presidential adviser Mike Waltz told the New York Post. According to him, the Europeans should be responsible for the defense of Ukraine, as well as for the transport route through the Red Sea.
It will be difficult for Europe to deploy even 25,000 soldiers to defend Ukraine (The Times, UK)
Times: Europe will not be able to send 25,000 troops to Ukraine due to lack of money
The hopes of Europe's military leaders to assemble 64,000 soldiers for the “deterrence forces” in Ukraine are unlikely to come true, The Times writes. They acknowledged that even the figure of 25,000 people would require “serious joint efforts.” Lithuania is most stunned and outraged by this news.
