TRUMP: PUTIN ‘FEELS THE PRESSURE’: Just three weeks after President Donald Trump said “we have nothing to do” with the war in Ukraine, which was now “in the rear view mirror,” he now heads to NATO expressing new hope he can add Ukraine to his self-proclaimed list of wars ended.The new push for peace comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin has given no indication he is ready to negotiate, instead dismissing Ukraine’s recent battlefield games as “imaginary” and vowing to capture more of the eastern Donbas region he has coveted for years. Russian attacks over the past week have claimed the lives of more than 50 civilians and highlighted Ukraine’s desperate shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles. The latest attack came just two days after a July 4th phone call with Trump, which Trump called “a very good call.”
“I think he does feel pressure. He wants to end it and Ukraine wants to end it. And we’re in talks and we’ll see if we can get it ended,” Trump said at a White House event Monday. “I think we’re getting much closer than people realize. And President Putin wants it to end. I will tell you that very strongly.Trump said he will be discussing the current situation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the two-day NATO Leaders Summit which began today in Ankara, Turkey. “President Zelensky actually wants it to end now, “Trump said. “We’re going to be talking about it and I think we’re going to get it — I think we’re going to get it ended.”NATO TO ANNOUNCE ‘TENS OF BILLIONS’ OF DOLLARS FOR NEW DEFENSE CONTRACTSZELENSKY: WAR NOW ABOUT THE ‘BATTLE IN THE SKY’: In an interview with the Financial Times in his central Kyiv office on Monday, Zelensky said with the Russian ground war offensive essentially stymied, and Russia’s Black Sea fleet decimated, the decisive phase of the war is in the air. “If you stop the enemy on the battlefield, if you stop the war on land, and if you deny him dominance at sea — as we did with our naval drones, driving the Russian fleet away — then the next battlefield becomes the sky,” Zelensky said. “And frankly, in that contest it matters far less whose territory is larger.”“We have moved into the air domain. And in the air, we are already competitive,” Zelensky told the FT, indicating he sensed a shift in Trump’s perception of Ukraine’s successes, in a July 4th phone call. Trump said Ukraine “is doing very well” with its long-range drone campaign, according to Zelensky, noting Trump likes to back a winner.“President Trump wants to be where there’s success,” Zelensky said. “That’s tied to many things — not only to his personality, but to the approaching elections, to his status, to his belief in how this war can be ended.”Despite Putin’s intransigence, Zelensky believes the current air campaign, in which drones with longer and longer ranges are striking oil and gas facilities deeper and deeper into Russia, will at some point change Putin’s calculus.Zelensky argued that the psychological impact of Ukraine’s sustained large-scale drone attacks on Moscow and St Petersburg — along with the deepening economic effects — would eventually alter Putin’s calculations.“When it is no longer one hundred drones but one thousand flying towards Moscow . . . he will understand,” Zelensky said. “Once he begins to feel it personally, once he begins to see it with his own eyes, you will see advisers urging him to relocate somewhere beyond the Urals.”“The farther Putin is from Moscow, the closer the end of the war will be,” Zelensky said.THE PATRIOT PROBLEM: Zelensky still faces one very vexing challenge. Ukraine’s home grown interceptor drone technology has proved remarkably effective at neutralizing Russia drone and cruise missiles, but are useless against ballistic missiles, which Putin has used to destroy high-rise apartment buildings, killing dozens of civilians at a time.“Russia’s tactics remain unchanged: to inflict as much pain and damage as possible on Ukrainians and on Ukraine,” Zelensky said in a video address Monday. “The interception rate for ‘shaheds’ was high — 92% — and there were also significant interception results in shooting down cruise missiles,” he said. “All six Kalibr missiles were shot down last night, and 31 out of 33 cruise missiles were intercepted.”But Zelensky decried the “insufficient number of interceptors,” especially Patriot missiles produced by the U.S. “It is simply nonsensical that, in today’s world, production has still not been scaled up to the level that is actually needed to protect people from ballistic terror,” Zelensky lamented, noting in a Sunday address he will take his plea to the NATO summit. “Missiles for Patriots are needed not in warehouses right now, but in Patriot units in Ukraine.”“What is needed are your decisions to ensure real protection of lives in Ukraine. Above all, these are, of course, decisions by the United States, decisions by the strong countries in Europe and around the world. Please be active in your decisions and protect lives,” Zelensky said. EUROPE PRAYS FOR UNEVENTFUL NATO SUMMIT: ‘NO NEWS IS GREAT NEWS’Good Tuesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre). Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSEHAPPENING TODAY: IRAN ATTACKS: In direct violation of Article 1 of the June 17 Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Iran which required both sides “to refrain from the threat or use of force,” Iran has continued attacks on commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz, in an effort to force ships to use the Iranian control route through the Strait.The U.S. is blaming Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for missiles fired at two commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz early today. A tanker traveling off the coast of Oman was seen in images posted on social media with black smoke billowing over its deck, and what appeared to be flames. A U.S. official told Axios’s Barak Ravid that two commercial ships were hit and suffered significant damages, but no casualties. Ship monitoring sites reported that all ships were currently using the north Iranian route to transit the Strait.TRUMP: ‘NOT GETTING THE COVERAGE WE SHOULD’: Talks between Iran and the U.S. have been paused until after the mourning period for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ends with his burial Thursday.Even as Iran has exerted control of the Strait, Trump insists everything is going great. “Three weeks ago, we had a night — 22 ships came out of the strait,” Trump bragged yesterday “that is some big money machine.”Before the war began Feb. 28., an average of 125 to 140 ships a day transited the Strait. Currently the ship traffic is between 20 to 40 ships a day. “We’ve gotten concessions. Now, they have to hold those concessions,” Trump said yesterday, while renewing his threat to resume major combat operations. “Look, we’re going to win one way or the other. We’re either going to make a deal or we’re going to finish the job, OK?” Trump said. “We can knock down their bridges in one hour. We can knock out their energy supply, all of those big plants that they have built, big, beautiful, modern plants — they had a lot of money. They don’t have any money now. We haven’t given them any money.”“Every plant will be gone, and they know that,” Trump said. “And it won’t be tough to finish the job. I’d rather make a deal because I don’t want to affect 91 million people.”TRUMP: CONGRESS MUST PASS $350 BILLION MILITARY BOOST: In a Truth Social Post that appeared in the wee small hours of the morning, while en route to Ankara, Trump posted an urgent demand that Congress approve his request for an addition $350 billion for defense for the fiscal years that starts Oct. 1, in order to keep the War Department “hotter.”“Our Military’s unmatched POWER was on full display during our Celebration of 250 Years of American Independence and, like our Country, the WAR DEPARTMENT has never been “HOTTER.” We need to keep it that way,” Trump said in the overnight post. “When Congress returns, we must pass Reconciliation 3.0, with 350 Billion Dollars for Defense, plus THE SAVE AMERICA ACT!,” Trump said, referring to a budget process that sidesteps the need for a filibuster proof majority. “I am calling on House and Senate Leadership to make this their Number One Priority, and ensure that 350 Billion Dollars in Recon 3.0 moves out of the Budget Committee as soon as Congress is back in session.”Trump said passage was urgently needed to ensure the United States of America stays FREE for Generations to come.”READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINERTHE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: NATO to announce ‘tens of billions’ of dollars for new defense contracts: RutteWashington Examiner: Europe prays for uneventful NATO summit: ‘No news is great news’Washington Examiner: Israeli constitutional crisis deepens as opposition cries ‘anarchy,’ president warns noncompliance is ‘red line’Washington Examiner: Hungary’s Magyar continues ‘Operation Purgatory’ purges with proposed amendment to oust presidentWashington Examiner: Cuba suffers island-wide blackout under US oil blockadeWashington Examiner: Egypt unveils massive ‘Octagon’ defense headquarters, 39 times bigger than PentagonWashington Examiner: Federal crime task force sent to Memphis tops 10,000 arrestsWashington Examiner: Opinion: Karoline Leavitt calls Americans lazy — ‘Send them to Iran’? They’re already thereAP: Tanker set ablaze after being struck by projectile in the Strait of Hormuz as Iran mourns KhameneiWall Street Journal: The Iran War Has Oil-Rich Alaska Freaked Out About $9 GasFinancial Times: ‘Battle in the sky’ will decide outcome of war with Russia, says ZelenskyyBreaking Defense: Turkey and European NATO Allies Draw Closer, but Tensions Remain: ExpertsThe Hill: US Troops Returning to Poland in ‘Coming Weeks,’ Defense Minister SaysAP: Russia’s attacks on Ukraine kill at least 22The Telegraph: Britain to lead European drive to build long-range Nato missilesTask & Purpose: US Troops Working in Venezuelan Airport Tower as Aid Flows InThe Atlantic: The Military Pete Hegseth WantsNBC News: China Conducts Rare Long-Range Missile Test, Rattling US AlliesAP: Trump says he’s building a White House helipad for a new, more powerful Marine OneWashington Post: Air Force major arrested in uniform at Capitol had protested Trump beforeAir & Space Forces Magazine: LRASM Clears Integration Milestone for Use on the B-1BDefenseScoop: DIU Reshaping Its Tech Priorities and Portfolio Teams Under New LeadershipBreaking Defense: Ondas Makes $876M Acquisition of DYZNE, Latest in Acquisition SpreeAir & Space Forces Magazine: Deep-Space Radar Construction Delayed, GAO SaysNational Defense Magazine: Defense Logistics Agency Modernizing at Same Pace as ServicesWashington Post: Opinion: John Bolton: To save NATO, smile and thank TrumpTHE CALENDAR: TUESDAY | JULY 7 4 a.m. EDT Ankara, Turkey — President Donald Trump attends the two-day NATO Leaders Summit at the Beştepe Presidential Compound in Ankara https://www.nato.int/en/news-and-events/6:45 a.m. EDT Ankara, Turkey — NATO Secretary-General’s Mark Rutte delivers keynote speech at the NATO Defence Industry Forum along with the Vice-President and the Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Turkey https://www.nato.int/en/news-and-events8 a.m. EDT Ankara, Turkey — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky deliver short remarks https://www.nato.int/en/news-and-events9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies “16th annual South China Sea Conference,” with Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA); and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre https://www.csis.org/events/sixteenth-annual-south-china-sea-conference3 p.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW — Henry L. Stimson Center discussion: “Was the Iran War Worth It? Assessing Costs, Benefits, and U.S. Interests,” with Suzanne DiMaggio, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s American Statecraft Program; Greg Priddy, senior fellow for the Middle East at the Center for the National Interest; John Hudson, Washington Post national security reporter; Barbara Slavin, Stimson Center fellow; and Michael Cohen, nonresident senior fellow at the Stimson Center’s Reimagining U.S. Grand Strategy Program https://www.stimson.org/event/was-the-iran-war-worth-itWEDNESDAY | JULY 8 9 a.m. EDT Ankara, Turkey — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte holds press conference at conclusion of NATO Leaders Conference https://www.nato.int/en/news-and-events 9 a.m. 1779 Massachusetts Ave.NW — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace “New Voices Conference for interns, students and young professionals, focusing on “future nuclear dangers” https://carnegieendowment.org/events/202610:15 am. EDT Ankara Turkey — President Donald Trump holds post-summit news conference before departing Ankara for WashingtonQUOTE OF THE DAY: “Last month set the record: 36,000 people were killed in one month. Young soldiers, they go off to war and they’re dead before the first week ends. It’s drone technology. Who would have thought that drones would have become such a factor? They’re killing machines. it’s amazing. You hide behind a tree and it goes and gets you.” President Donald Trump commenting on how drones have frozen the front lines in Ukraine.
