Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Kursk Oblast of Western Russia earlier today, meeting with Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov and other senior military leaders, in what appears to be an attempt at a “victory tour” following the controlled-withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from most of their positions across region over the last few days. During the visit, Putin was seen wearing a Russian military uniform for the first time publicly since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, likely to signal his vicinity to the “frontline” of the war to the southwest.

Rheinmetall AG, the German arms manufacturer which has seen massive revenue growth over the last few years, has expressed interest in purchasing the Volkswagen Osnabrück GmbH automobile factory, stating that it would be “very suitable” for conversion to military production; with tank factories required heavy-duty cranes and corresponding load-bearing capacities, all of which is held by the plant in Osnabrück.

Armin Papperger, the CEO of Rheinmetall, has stated that the company is planning to repurpose several of its own automotive plants for military production, while also looking at buying sites from other carmakers including Volkswagen; with this taking place as Germany as well as most of Europe has declared a major rearmament effort, due to fears of abandonment from the United States in addition to continued aggression from Russia.

The French National Assembly adopted a resolution today directing the strengthening of political, economic, and military support to Ukraine by France, the European Union, NATO, and other allies across Europe. The resolution also called for the seizure of over $400 billion in frozen Russian assets throughout Europe, in order to fund additional support for Ukraine.

Reuters reports that Russia has presented the United States with its list of demands for a deal to end the ongoing war in Ukraine and reset diplomatic relations with Washington, with officials stating that the list is “broad” and similar to previous demands made to Ukraine, the U.S, and NATO. The terms are said to include no membership in NATO for Ukraine, an agreement not to deploy foreign troops or a peacekeeping force to Ukraine after the war, and international recognition of Russia’s claim to Crimea as well as the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia in Southeastern Ukraine.

Polish President Andrzej Duda during an interview today called on the United States to move nuclear weapons to Poland, as a deterrent against further Russian aggression in Eastern Europe, stating that he had already begun to discuss the possibility with U.S. President Trump’s Envoy for Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg. Duda further said about the proposal, “The borders of NATO moved east in 1999, so 26 years later there should also be a shift of the NATO infrastructure east. For me this is obvious.”

The Kremlin Foreign Policy Advisor, Yuri Ushakov, has said that the current 30-day ceasefire proposal doesn’t benefit Russia. However, all reports that Russia has rejected the proposal are untrue at this time, as Russian President Vladimir Putin will have the final say. Given White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s confirmed trip to Moscow soon, barring a significant development, it’s unlikely that we’ll see a full rejection or acquiescence to the proposal from Russia's top decision-maker before then.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump earlier in a post on Truth Social, “The U.S. doesn’t have Free Trade. We have “Stupid Trade.” The Entire World is RIPPING US OFF!!!”

The White House has announced that it is withdrawing U.S. President Trump’s nominee for Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dave Weldon, who was set to appear today for his confirmation hearing in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Weldon had long been criticized for his continued claims linking vaccines and autism, with his nomination reportedly having been recommended by now U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Sweden’s Minister of Defense Pål Jonson has just announced a New Military Arms Package for Ukraine, worth over $300 Million, which consists of 18 additional “Archer” 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzers and 5 “ARTHUR” (Artillery Hunting Radar) Counter-Battery Radars.

Sweden has also announced that it will be joining the Artillery Capabilities Coalition, which is led by France and consists of at least 14 Countries working to build and advance Artillery Capabilities utilized by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Video has surfaced of the Chinese barges tailor-made for allowing easy ship-to-shore transfer of supplies to a location without proper docking facilities. The barges, first noticed in a Chinese port a number of months ago, are commonly compared to the “Mulberry Harbors” during follow-on operations after D-Day.

The barge’s military applications are obvious and would allow for follow-on forces and sustainment efforts in a Taiwan invasion scenario once a deep beachhead was established by any Chinese invasion force. However, given the nature of Taiwan’s available beaches and the susceptibility of the barges to precision strikes, it still remains to be seen how effective these barges might be in such a scenario.

According to Russian state-owned news outlet Tass, the Kremlin’s foreign policy advisor, Yuri Ushakov, is set to meet the United States’s White House Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, today “in a closed format.” This comes as the U.S. has reportedly received the Russian response to the U.S.-Ukraine ceasefire proposal. The response mirrors much of Russia’s past demands but notably has additional demands pertaining to the U.S.-NATO Eastern European force-posture.

The Trump Administration has reportedly ordered U.S. Southern Command to begin drafting military options for the Panama Canal, with plans including the forcible seizure of the canal by military means, similar to parts of “Operation Just Cause” in 1989, or a defensive partnership between the U.S. Armed Forces and the Panamanian Public Forces.

The Israel Defense Force (IDF) states that it carried out a precision-airstrike on the Beqaa Valley of Eastern Lebanon within the last few minutes, which targeted a Hezbollah “strategic weapons” manufacturing and storage facility in the village of Yanta near the Syrian-Lebanon Border.