Evening Brief: Putin Offers One-Year Extension of Nuclear Arms Limits, France Recognizes Palestinian State at UN

· Guy D. McCardle

French President Macron announces France's formal recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly. (Screenshot/X)

Top headlines for Monday evening, September 22, 2025.

 

US Army Identifies Four Soldiers Killed in Washington State Helicopter Crash

The US Army on Monday identified four soldiers killed when an MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a training flight on Wednesday near Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.

The victims were Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Cully, 35, of Missouri; Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Kraus, 39, of Florida; Sergeant Donavon Scott, 25, of Tacoma; and Sergeant Jadalyn Good, 23, of Mount Vernon, Washington. They served in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the “Night Stalkers,” an elite unit specializing in nighttime missions worldwide.

The crash occurred around 9 p.m. local time under clear weather conditions, and the cause is under investigation.

This marks the second fatal crash for the regiment in recent years, following a 2023 incident in the Mediterranean that killed five soldiers.

 

Oracle to Oversee TikTok Algorithm Security Under US Divestment Deal

The Trump administration announced Monday that Oracle will manage the security of TikTok’s recommendation algorithm as part of a proposed divestment from Chinese parent company ByteDance.

The arrangement would give Oracle a licensed copy of the algorithm, which will be inspected, retrained with US data, and monitored for irregularities.

The plan aims to address US national security concerns that the algorithm could be manipulated by Chinese authorities.

A new joint venture will oversee TikTok’s US operations with a majority-American board, including Oracle and Silver Lake, though the US government will not hold equity.

President Trump is expected to sign an executive order this week certifying the deal meets US security needs, while China is also expected to approve the framework. The agreement would grant a 120-day reprieve to finalize terms and ensure TikTok remains available in the US.

 

France Recognizes Palestinian State at UN, Joining Growing Wave of Support

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Monday that France now formally recognizes a Palestinian state, delivering the declaration at the United Nations General Assembly to applause from more than 140 world leaders.

The move follows similar recognition by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Portugal a day earlier, with Palestinians expecting more countries to follow this week.

Macron framed the decision as part of France’s historic commitment to Middle East peace, while Palestinian leaders welcomed it as a step toward independence.

Israel strongly opposes the recognition, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning it rewards Hamas and hinting at possible annexation of West Bank territory.

The United States also rejects the push, blaming it for disrupting ceasefire talks.

Advocates of a two-state solution say international recognition is necessary to preserve hopes for peace, though analysts note it is unlikely to change conditions on the ground as Israel presses its Gaza offensive and expands settlements in the West Bank.

 

Putin Offers One-Year Extension of Nuclear Arms Limits, Urges US to Match

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Russia is prepared to continue observing the limits of the New START nuclear treaty for one year beyond its February 2026 expiration, provided the United States does the same.

Speaking from the Kremlin, Putin warned that allowing the pact to lapse could spark a destabilizing arms race and increase nuclear proliferation risks.

Signed in 2010, New START caps each side at 1,550 deployed warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers, though inspections have been suspended since 2020.

Arms control advocates welcomed Putin’s proposal as a step toward reducing tensions and buying time for broader talks.

The treaty, already extended once in 2021, is the last remaining US-Russia nuclear arms control agreement after the 2019 collapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

Putin said Russia will continue monitoring US nuclear activities, warning that any move to deploy missile interceptors in space would prompt a response.

US President Donald Trump has acknowledged the treaty’s looming expiration, calling the issue “a big problem for the world.”

 

Russia and Ukraine Trade Drone Strike Accusations as Zelenskyy Heads to UN

Russia and Ukraine blamed each other Monday for deadly drone strikes on civilian areas as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared for a week of diplomacy at the UN General Assembly.

Zelenskyy said he would hold nearly two dozen meetings, including with US President Donald Trump, to rally support for peace efforts and tighter sanctions on Russia. He reported that Russia launched more than 1,500 drones, 1,280 glide bombs, and 50 missiles at Ukraine in the past week.

Overnight strikes killed three people in Zaporizhzhia, while Russia said Ukrainian drones killed three in Crimea and three in Belgorod.

The escalating attacks come amid NATO concerns over Russian provocations, including drones landing in Poland and jets entering Estonian airspace, prompting an emergency Security Council session. European leaders warned Moscow is testing alliance resolve while carefully avoiding direct confrontation.

 

Drone Strike on Sudan Mosque Kills at Least 11 Children, Dozens More Dead

A drone strike hit a mosque in el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, during Friday prayers, killing at least 70 people, including 11 children, and injuring many others, UNICEF said Monday.

Local groups and the Sudanese army blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for the attack, which also destroyed nearby homes and left civilians trapped under rubble.

UNICEF condemned the strike as an “atrocious” act against innocent people seeking shelter. Three doctors were among the dead, adding to the more than 230 medical personnel killed since Sudan’s civil war began.

The UN warned that the RSF’s siege of el-Fasher has left children and families with little food, water, or healthcare, while attacks on civilians, hospitals, mosques, and schools escalate.

Fighting in North Darfur has intensified since April, with over 400 civilians killed in RSF assaults, including the takeover of Zamzam displacement camp.

Egypt denounced the mosque strike as a violation of international humanitarian law.

 

Explosion in Pakistan’s Northwest Kills 24, Conflicting Claims Over Cause

At least 24 people, including civilians and Pakistani Taliban fighters, were killed early Monday in a powerful explosion in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Security officials said the blast occurred inside a compound where militants had stored explosives to make roadside bombs, which ignited secondary blasts that destroyed nearby houses. They reported 12 to 14 militants and 8 to 10 civilians, allegedly used as “human shields,” among the dead.

However, local lawmaker Suhail Afridi told the provincial assembly the deaths were caused by government airstrikes, a claim dismissed by security officials as baseless.

Thousands attended funerals and protests demanding justice, while the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan urged an investigation into the civilian deaths. The incident comes amid intensified military operations against the Pakistani Taliban, who have stepped up attacks since the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

 

Indonesia’s Military Defends Expanded Civilian Role Amid Fears of Militarisation

Indonesia’s defence ministry published a full-page advertisement Monday in Kompas newspaper defending the military’s growing involvement in civilian programmes under President Prabowo Subianto.

The ministry said its initiatives now include nutrition, healthcare, agriculture, and medicine production, framing them as part of a “people’s defence” strategy aimed at boosting national resilience.

The ad highlighted free school meals, 100 battalions assigned to health and agriculture, and labs producing medicines, with plans to expand to 500 battalions within five years.

Critics, including analysts and activists, warn the policies expand military control over civilian life and risk a return to Suharto-era dominance.

A defence spokesperson said the ad was meant to explain the initiatives and counter perceptions of militarisation, insisting they are constitutionally mandated.

 

Sources: News Agencies