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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

Air support for Ukraine? Trump floats security guarantee

President Trump is floating providing U.S. pilots and warplanes as part of security guarantees for post-war Ukraine as he pushes for an end to Russia’s war against the country.

Trump has said the U.S. will help Europe craft security guarantees for Ukraine to backstop any peace deal reached with Russia, in lieu of Ukraine joining NATO, a red line for Russia.

“When it comes to security, they are willing to put people on the ground,” Trump said in an interview on “Fox & Friends” Tuesday morning, referring to Europe. “We’re willing to help them with things, especially, probably, if you talk about by air because nobody has stuff we have.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that Trump has tasked his national security team to “come up with a framework for these security guarantees that can be acceptable to help ensure a lasting peace and end this war.”

“I won’t, certainly, rule out anything as far as military options that the president has at his disposal, I’ll let him do that,” she said, adding the president has “definitively” ruled out boots on the ground.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Monday said Trump’s willingness to involve the U.S. in security guarantees for Ukraine was a “breakthrough” in the peace process, though details on America’s potential role remain scarce.

Trump’s floating the possibility of air support could mean American pilots engaged in defensive operations, guarding against Russian missiles, or simply providing support for other aircraft — such as air-to-air refueling or for transportation of military equipment.

Defensive operations could risk a confrontation between the U.S. and Russia, a scenario that both Trump and former President Biden before him have been anxious to avoid.

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’s GOP allies warn against Ukraine entanglement

President Trump’s Republican allies are putting pressure on him not to entangle the U.S. militarily in Ukraine after he signaled an openness to helping craft security guarantees for the embattled nation in its war against Russian aggression. Trump and the White House on Tuesday insisted the U.S. would not put boots on the ground in Ukraine but floated the idea of providing air support using U.S. pilots and warplanes. That came …

Full Story

Gabbard strips security clearances of 37 intelligence officials, including many with Biden ties

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former intelligence officials, sharing the list in a move that prompted swift criticism that the Trump administration was politicizing clearances. Among those on the list are several Biden administration officials, including Maher Bitar, who joined the National Security Council (NSC) after previously working for then-House Intelligence …

Full Story

Putin not going to make deal just to give Trump ‘a good news cycle’: Ben Rhodes

Ben Rhodes, who served as former President Obama’s deputy national security adviser, expressed skepticism on Tuesday that a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine could materialize in the near future. In an interview on MSNBC’s “Chris Jansing Reports,” Rhodes said it appears the two sides remain far apart on key issues — like details of security guarantees for Ukraine and potential NATO troop deployment — and the former Obama …

Full Story

In Other News

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

Raskin: Trump’s National Guard DC deployment is ‘recipe for chaos’

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on Monday said President Trump’s crackdown on crime in Washington using the National Guard is “a recipe for chaos.” “Now they’re mobilizing the National Guard, they’re bringing the National Guard in from South Carolina, from Ohio, from West Virginia, from all these states, …

Full Story

On Our Radar

Upcoming things we’re watching in and around the defense world:

The Institute for Defense and Government Advancement will hold Day 2 of its “2025 Counter UAS Summit,” at 8:55 a.m. tomorrow.
Peterson Institute for International Economics will have a virtual discussion on “Are the Sanctions on Russia Finally Working?” tomorrow at 9 a.m.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies will host an online talk on “The Future of U.S.-Australia Critical Minerals Cooperation,” with Australian Ambassador to the U.S. Kevin Rudd at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies will also hold a virtual media briefing on “Previewing White House Visit of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung,” tomorrow at 2 p.m.
Jews United for Democracy and Justice will discuss “How the West Deceived Itself About Russia and Betrayed Ukraine,” with retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, former director for European affairs at the National Security Council at 8 p.m. tomorrow.

What We’re Reading

News we’ve flagged from other outlets:

Air Force chief’s sudden retirement raises question of ‘who is next’ in leadership shake-up (Military.com)
Air, Space Force budgets seek to boost weapons, cut civilian jobs (Military Times)
US destroyers head toward waters off Venezuela as Trump aims to pressure drug cartels (The Associated Press)

Opinions in The Hill

Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill:

Trump’s drone deal with Ukraine is a path to US military reindustrialization
Military leaders must resist Trump’s politically motivated invasion of cities
Rogue drones are a ticking time bomb — let police intervene