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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

Trump escalates war of words on Putin

President Trump and Russian officials are engaged in a war of words, a sign of escalating tensions between the two powers.

The tit-for-tat comes as Trump grows increasingly frustrated over the lack of progress toward a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Trump has posted in recent days on social media that Russian President Vladimir Putin had gone “absolutely CRAZY” and warned he was “playing with fire” with continued strikes on Ukrainian cities.

Moscow, meanwhile, has issued coy responses to Trump as it carries out deadly strikes against Kyiv, cautioning the U.S. president against “emotional overload” and warning that the only bad outcome would be “WWIII.”

Lawmakers from both parties have used the shift in tone to urge Trump to take a tougher stance through sanctions on Russia, while experts argue it is still unclear whether the president will match his stronger rhetoric with action.

“We’re going to find out whether he’s tapping us along or not. And if he is, we’ll respond a little bit differently. But it will take about a week and a half, two weeks,” Trump told reporters Wednesday when asked if he thought Putin wanted to end the war.

Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022 after amassing troops near the border for weeks. Tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides of the conflict have been killed in more than three years since.

Trump campaigned in 2024 on a pledge that he would end the war in Ukraine before even taking the oath of office. But he has found it more difficult than expected to strike a peace deal, and he has lashed out in recent months at both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump aides have met separately with officials from both Russia and Ukraine, and Russian and Ukrainian officials spoke directly earlier this month for the first time since the war began. While Ukrainian leaders have said they would back a 30-day ceasefire, Russia has not shown a serious interest in any kind of pause in fighting.

In recent days, Trump’s ire has been directed mostly at Putin. Trump has in the past drawn intense scrutiny from Democrats for his friendly approach to the Russian leader and his desire for good relations with Moscow.

But Trump’s patience appeared to be wearing thin as Putin launched a barrage of strikes on Ukrainian cities in recent days while the U.S. pushed for a detente.

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:

Trump pardons former Army officer court-martialed for refusing COVID shot, rules

President Trump on Thursday pardoned a former Army officer who was convicted by a military court martial for refusing to follow the Pentagon’s COVID-19 safety rules. Former Lt. Mark Bashaw was discharged from the Army in 2022 during the Biden administration after he would not take the COVID-19 shot and then refused to work remotely. Bashaw also would not submit a coronavirus test before reporting for office, and he would not …

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Hegseth orders review of military homeschooling support

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed a review of the Pentagon’s support for military families who choose to homeschool their kids, according to a memo released Tuesday. The review, ordered May 15, calls for officials to look at “current support for homeschooling military-connected families, as well as best practices, including the feasibility of providing facilities or access to other resources for those students.” Hegseth …

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Defense Department ends DOGE-initiated weekly activity reports

Defense Department civilian employees will no longer have to submit a weekly “five things” productivity reports that were imposed in February, during billionaire Elon Musk’s run overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency. Instead of the reports, the Pentagon told employees in an email on Friday, they must submit by Wednesday each week at least one idea to either curtail waste or help improve efficiency in the …

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Trump: Canada ‘considering’ free Golden Dome for its statehood

President Trump said on Tuesday that Canada is “considering” his offer of joining the United States as the 51st state in exchange for no-cost protection by the proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense system. “I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost $61 Billion Dollars if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished …

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On Our Radar

Upcoming things we’re watching on our beat:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is in Singapore tomorrow for the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference.

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In Other News

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

FBI investigating leaked Supreme Court decision, cocaine at White House

The FBI’s No. 2 official said Monday the agency had either reopened or shifted resources toward “a number of cases of potential public corruption,” including the leaked Supreme Court draft decision on abortion and an incident involving cocaine found at the White House during former …

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On Tap Tomorrow

Events in and around the defense world:

George Washington University’s Project for Media and National Security will have a virtual discussion on “China’s AI Infrastructure Surge: How PRC Data Centers and AI Models Bridge Military Ambitions and Global Connections,” at 11 a.m.
The Association of the U.S. Army will have an online talk on “People, Training, and Readiness,” with Army Reserve Command Sgt. Maj. Gregory Betty, at 12 p.m.

What We’re Reading

News we’ve flagged from other outlets:

Pentagon diverts $1 billion from Army barracks to fund border mission (Military.com)
No clear plan for supporting Guam missile defense system, GAO finds (Military Times)
Why Americans are dressing like Russian troops in Oklahoma (The New York Times)

Trending Today

Two key stories on The Hill right now:

Court of International Trade blocks Trump’s tariffs in sweeping ruling

A federal court ruled Wednesday that an emergency law does not provide President Trump with unilateral authority to impose tariffs on nearly every … Read more

Rubio says US will be revoking Chinese student visas, those with ‘Chinese Communist Party’ ties or ‘studying in critical fields’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday announced the United States will begin revoking visas from Chinese students, including “those with … Read more