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Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & NatSec newsletter

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Defense &
National Security

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The Big Story

Lawmakers skeptical of Trump’s Ukraine deal

Lawmakers in both parties are expressing skepticism of President Trump’s expected deal to share Ukraine’s mineral wealth, warning it will need a robust security guarantee from the United States.

GOP senators are divided over the emerging deal, with some hailing it as a big potential win and other Republicans calling for a stronger guarantee of Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Some conservatives, however, are warning against any security guarantee by the United States. They fear it would risk embroiling the nation in a future war.

A draft agreement of the potential deal to split management of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and oil and natural gas reserves that circulated Thursday did not include a firm security guarantee for Ukraine, something that several Republican senators said would be critical to any viable peace deal.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a leading advocate for U.S. support of the Ukrainian war effort, said a strong U.S. security guarantee would be “critical” to luring U.S. private investment to mineral and fossil fuel extraction within Ukraine’s borders.

He said if the security guarantees “are not pretty strong, to the extent the private sector is playing a role, why would they go there?”

Tillis cautioned that a “complicating factor” is that “a good portion of the minerals that we’re talking about are underneath the ground of where Russian soldiers are standing right now in the occupied area.”

Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), a prominent voice on national security issues, said he’s waiting to see whether Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials embrace the deal.

Zelensky is scheduled to visit the White House on Friday to sign the deal, which Trump has hailed as “a very big agreement.”

Young said that the United States will need to provide assistance to European allies in the near and medium term to “deter further Russian aggression.”

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) called the minerals agreement “a good step forward” but cautioned “there is going to have to be” a stronger U.S.-provided security guarantee.

Read the full report at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.

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Essential Reads

How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future:

North Korea sending more troops to Russia, South Korea says

North Korea appears to have sent more troops to Russia despite its soldiers suffering heavy casualties fighting on the front lines in Ukraine, South Korea’s main spy agency said Thursday. Seoul’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it was trying to figure out how many additional troops North Korea deployed to Russia, according to a brief statement. The South Korean agency also assessed that earlier this month North …

Full Story

Baier to interview Zelensky after Trump meeting

Fox News’s Bret Baier has nabbed the first one-on-one interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after he meets with President Trump Friday at the White House. The meeting between the two world leaders could prove crucial to the trajectory of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war that began three years ago. Trump has had a rocky relationship with Zelensky, particularly over the conflict that escalated to full-blown …

Full Story

Pentagon orders transgender troops to be separated from the military

Transgender service members will be removed from the military within 60 days unless they are granted a waiver demonstrating their support of “warfighting capabilities,” according to a policy memo issued late Wednesday by the Pentagon. The memo specifies how the Defense Department will carry out one of President Trump’s executive orders to prevent transgender troops from serving openly. Trump’s Jan. 27 order, the …

Full Story

On Our Radar

Things we’re watching on our beat:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to be the third major global leader to visit the White House this week following appearances by France’s Emmanuel Macron and Britain’s Keir Starmer.

In Other News

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

Gabbard moves to fire 100+ intel officers over explicit chat messages

Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, has moved to fire more than 100 intelligence officers over explicit chats they allegedly sent around in an internal agency messaging board. Gabbard, who was confirmed as the nation’s top intelligence official earlier this month, stated that …

Full Story

On Tap Tomorrow

Events in and around the defense world:

The National Defense Industrial Association and George Mason University Center for Government Contracting will hold a “Power of Prototyping Symposium,” with remarks from Ellen Lord, former undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, at 8:30 a.m.
The National Institute for Deterrence Studies will have a virtual seminar on “Assessment and Update of the Posture Commission,” at 10 a.m.
Atlantic Council will host a book discussion: No Country for Love, focusing on Ukraine’s historical struggle against authoritarianism amid Russia’s continued aggression, at 10 a.m.TK

What We’re Reading

News we’ve flagged from other outlets:

Navy secretary nominee blasts ‘systemic failures’ plaguing the fleet (Military Times)
Trump’s firing of military brass prompts concern but little pushback from Republicans (The Associated Press)

Trending Today

Two key stories on The Hill right now:

Judge orders rescission of OPM memos directing agencies to fire probationary employees

A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to rescind memos that directed agencies across the federal government … Read more

Trump cuts off talk of Canada annex alongside UK’s Starmer: ‘That’s enough’

President Trump on Thursday cut off talk during a press conference with United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer about his desire to make Canada … Read more