Evening Brief: Trump, Putin to Meet on Cold War-Era Alaska Base to Discuss Ukraine War

· Guy D. McCardle

F-22 Raptor soars over Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson during RED FLAG-Alaska 25-3, July 22, 2025. (US Air Force/DVIDS)

As the week barrels toward a high-stakes summit in Alaska, flashpoints from Gaza to the South China Sea are keeping tensions high. Here’s what you need to know tonight: Trump and Putin meet Friday on a Cold War-era base to discuss Ukraine, D.C. comes under 24/7 federal and National Guard patrols after Trump’s police takeover, and the UN Security Council condemns Sudan’s RSF for forming a rival government amid famine. Israeli fire kills 25 near Gaza aid sites as Netanyahu pushes his relocation plan, Haiti reels from another deadly gang attack on police, and Peru grants amnesty to security forces over past rights abuses. The E3 threatens Iran with UN sanctions over stalled nuclear talks, while US warships move near Scarborough Shoal after a Chinese vessel collision with a Philippine ship.

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Trump, Putin to Meet on Cold War-Era Alaska Base to Discuss Ukraine War

US President Donald Trump will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska — a site historically central to countering Soviet threats during the Cold War and still home to key US Air Force assets, including F-22 Raptor squadrons.

The base, formed in 2010 from the merger of Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson, retains its mission of monitoring Russian activity and intercepting aircraft entering US airspace.

Analysts say the location offers Trump both security and symbolism, allowing him to display American military strength while conducting private talks.

The meeting comes as Trump pursues a quick ceasefire deal in Ukraine, a campaign pledge, with European and Ukrainian officials concerned the one-on-one format could yield concessions favoring Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump was “very clear” about seeking a ceasefire at the summit, which follows a virtual meeting between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European leaders.

Trump has suggested a potential second meeting could include both Zelenskyy and Putin, with land swaps among possible terms. He described Friday’s talks as an initial session to “set the table” for a more substantive follow-up, while critics warn that excluding Ukraine and Europe from the first round risks undermining allied positions in the war’s negotiations.

 

Trump Orders 24/7 Federal and National Guard Patrols in D.C. After Police Takeover

The White House announced a significant escalation of federal law enforcement and National Guard presence in Washington, D.C., starting Wednesday, following President Donald Trump’s unprecedented decision to assume control of the city’s police department for at least 30 days.

The move, which Trump says is necessary to address “emergency” crime levels, comes despite city data showing violent crime at a 30-year low.

Officials expect up to 800 National Guard troops to deploy in support roles alongside a “significantly higher” number of federal agents patrolling day and night.

On Tuesday night, 1,450 combined federal and local officers made 43 arrests, seizing seven illegal firearms. The crackdown targets a range of offenses and includes clearing homeless encampments, with shelter and treatment options offered but potential fines or jail for those who refuse.

Mayor Muriel Bowser has criticized the takeover as “unsettling and unprecedented” but acknowledged the president’s legal authority under D.C.’s unique status. She said no clear goals were provided for the surge but agreed that increasing presence and removing firearms aligns with city objectives.

Police Chief Pamela Smith said the federal deployment will help fill a nearly 800-officer shortfall in the Metropolitan Police Department.

Trump has signaled he may seek congressional approval to extend federal control or push changes to city laws.

Residents have expressed unease over the increased law enforcement presence, with some citing heightened fear despite being law-abiding citizens.

 

UN Security Council Rejects Sudan Paramilitary’s Parallel Government Plan

The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday condemned the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) announcement of a rival government in areas under its control, warning it threatens Sudan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and regional stability.

The council said the move risks further fragmenting the country and worsening the already severe humanitarian crisis.

Sudan’s civil war, which began in April 2023 between the military and RSF, has killed roughly 40,000 people, displaced nearly 13 million, and left millions on the brink of famine.

The RSF dominates most of Darfur, where the International Criminal Court (ICC) is investigating alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Security Council reiterated its call for ceasefire talks leading to a civilian-led transition and a democratically elected government, and expressed alarm over renewed RSF offensives against the besieged city of el-Fasher.

UN officials warned famine has spread from the Zamzam displacement camp to 17 areas across Darfur and Kordofan, with residents in some areas surviving on animal fodder and food waste. The World Food Program is providing digital cash aid to 250,000 people in el-Fasher but says greater access is urgently needed.

Sudan’s government has accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of sending Colombian mercenaries to aid the RSF, a claim the UAE denies.

The Security Council urged all nations to avoid external interference and to support peace efforts, and condemned recent deadly attacks in Kordofan that caused significant civilian casualties.

 

Israeli Gunfire Kills 25 in Gaza as Netanyahu Pushes ‘Voluntary Migration’ Plan

At least 25 Palestinians were killed Wednesday by Israeli gunfire while seeking aid in Gaza, according to health officials and witnesses. Victims were struck while approaching or waiting near humanitarian distribution sites, with the dead taken to Nasser and Awda hospitals.

Israeli fire killed 14 people in Teina, five in the Netzarim corridor area, and six near the Morag corridor, hospital staff said.

Israel denied awareness of casualties in some incidents.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his call for what he calls the “voluntary migration” of Palestinians from Gaza, framing it as part of a broader plan to relocate much of the territory’s population.

Critics warn the policy could amount to ethnic cleansing.

Netanyahu also reaffirmed his attachment to the concept of a “Greater Israel,” drawing condemnation from the Palestinian Authority and Arab states.

Ceasefire talks have resumed in Cairo between Hamas and Egyptian officials, but Israel has declined to send negotiators. Egypt is pushing a U.S.-backed proposal for a 60-day truce, partial hostage release, and increased humanitarian aid. Hamas insists on a lasting ceasefire, release of Palestinian prisoners, and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, but refuses to disarm.

Meanwhile, South Sudan dismissed reports it was in talks with Israel about accepting relocated Palestinians. The Associated Press previously reported that Israel and the US have approached several East African countries about hosting Palestinians from Gaza.

The war, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that killed 1,200 in Israel and saw 251 hostages taken, has left more than 61,700 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which the UN and independent experts regard as the most reliable source for casualty data.

In the West Bank, an Israeli settler shot and killed 35-year-old Thamin Dawabshe near Duma during a clash in which the military said Palestinians hurled rocks. The area has seen escalating settler violence and Israeli military operations since the Gaza war began.

 

Gang Attack Kills Two Haitian Police Officers as Violence Intensifies

Heavily armed gang members killed two Haitian police officers Tuesday night in Kenscoff, a farming community near Port-au-Prince that gangs are attempting to seize.

The officers, part of a specialized patrol unit, were inside an armored vehicle when it became stuck in a ditch dug by gangs and were killed while trying to escape. Attackers seized their weapons, gear, and posted graphic videos online.

The killings follow last month’s murder of three other officers and an informant in central Haiti, with one officer still missing.

According to a recent UN report, 1,520 people were killed and 600 injured in Haiti from April to June, with nearly a quarter of the casualties linked to gangs.

Haitian police are working with Kenyan officers as part of a UN-backed multinational mission, but the force has fewer than 1,000 personnel on the ground, well short of the planned 2,500.

Outgoing UN humanitarian coordinator Ulrika Richardson described conditions in Port-au-Prince as “very strikingly horrific,” citing 1.3 million displaced, 2 million facing emergency-level food insecurity, and two-thirds of the capital’s hospitals nonfunctional.

The UN’s $900 million humanitarian response plan for Haiti is only nine percent funded, the lowest level for any global response plan.

Richardson warned that Haitian gangs have expanded into regional organized crime, trafficking drugs, arms, and people, further complicating efforts to restore security and stability.

 

Peru Enacts Amnesty Law Shielding Security Forces from Past Human Rights Prosecutions

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte signed into law Wednesday an amnesty bill preventing prosecution of military and police personnel for alleged human rights abuses committed during the 1980-2000 conflict with the Shining Path insurgency.

The war left an estimated 70,000 dead, most of them rural Indigenous Peruvians caught between security forces and the communist guerrilla group.

Boluarte said the law honors those who fought the insurgency, claiming they have endured years of “unjust accusations.”

Rights groups condemned the move, with Human Rights Watch calling it “a betrayal of Peruvian victims” that grants impunity and undermines rule of law.

The measure could nullify 156 convictions and halt 600 ongoing cases.

Support for the law came from right-wing parties, including Keiko Fujimori’s Popular Force. Her late father, former President Alberto Fujimori, defeated the Shining Path but was later imprisoned for crimes against humanity after his authoritarian rule in the 1990s.

Past amnesty laws in Peru have been invalidated by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for violating justice standards.

A truth commission found that most victims of the conflict were Indigenous. The new law draws Peru into the ranks of countries accused of disregarding victims’ rights, raising concerns of further erosion of accountability for atrocities committed during the nation’s internal war.

 

E3 Threatens Iran With UN Sanctions as Nuclear Talks Stall

Britain, France, and Germany warned they are prepared to trigger the UN’s “snapback” mechanism to reimpose sanctions on Iran if it fails to resume nuclear negotiations and restore cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by the end of August.

In a letter to the UN, the E3 foreign ministers said they would act if Tehran does not take the opportunity to return to diplomacy.

The warning follows stalled talks after June’s 12-day Iran-Israel conflict, during which Israeli and US strikes targeted key Iranian nuclear-related sites.

Iran suspended ties with the IAEA and limited inspections, using access restrictions as leverage in past negotiations.

The IAEA’s first post-war visit this week did not include any facility inspections, and formal cooperation has not resumed.

Iranian officials have threatened to quit the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if sanctions are reinstated. Former foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki said parliament could approve withdrawal from the nuclear deal within 24 hours if the E3 pushes the issue at the UN Security Council.

The E3 states emphasized that legal grounds for snapback have long existed, but that Iran can still avoid sanctions by re-engaging with the IAEA and addressing its highly enriched uranium stockpile, now up to 60 percent purity — just short of weapons-grade.

Tehran insists it does not seek a nuclear weapon, while the US and IAEA maintain its last organized weapons program ended in 2003.

No new US-Iran nuclear talks are scheduled, and it remains unclear if negotiations will restart before the deadline.

 

US Navy Enters Scarborough Shoal Waters Days After Chinese Vessels Crash

The US Navy deployed the guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG-76) and the littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati (LCS-20) to waters about 30 nautical miles from Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday, days after two Chinese vessels collided while attempting to block a smaller Philippine coast guard ship.

The warships were shadowed by a Chinese navy vessel, but no incidents were reported, according to Philippine officials.

The deployment follows a collision on Monday in which a Chinese navy destroyer and a Chinese coast guard ship struck each other while trying to drive away the BRP Suluan (MRRV-4406), located roughly 10.5 nautical miles from the shoal.

Philippine Coast Guard video shows the Chinese coast guard using a water cannon before the navy ship’s abrupt turn caused the crash, heavily damaging both Chinese vessels.

Scarborough Shoal, claimed by both China and the Philippines, has become a flashpoint in the South China Sea, where the US conducts regular freedom-of-navigation operations to challenge China’s sweeping territorial claims.

Washington has reiterated its treaty obligation to defend the Philippines in the event of an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.

Japan, Australia, and New Zealand condemned the “dangerous and unprofessional” conduct of Chinese vessels, calling for de-escalation and adherence to international law. Hours before the US ships’ arrival, a Chinese fighter jet flew as close as 500 feet to a Philippine surveillance aircraft carrying journalists, shadowing it for 20 minutes and coming within 200 feet vertically.

Philippine coast guard officials warned that China’s risky maneuvers create a high chance of miscalculation, urging Beijing to follow maritime collision regulations.

 

Sources: News Agencies