Reuters | Europeans discuss Ukraine peace force but big questions unanswered
Defence ministers from some 30 countries met in Brussels on Thursday to discuss a "reassurance force" for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire in the war with Russia but key questions about its mission and any U.S. support remained unanswered.

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Newsweek | Ukraine's Main Munitions Plant 'Wiped Out' in Russia Air Strike: Report
Ukraine's "main" ammunition production site close to the Ukrainian border with Russia has been "wiped out," a Ukrainian soldier has said, as Russia intensifies attacks into Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region.

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The Economist | Why are Chinese soldiers fighting in Ukraine?

On April 8th Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, posted a video on X that he said showed one of two Chinese citizens captured by Ukrainian forces while fighting for Russia. China was now militarily supporting Russia, he added in a press briefing, and “the United States of America should pay attention”.

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Military Times | VA secretary to testify on department budget needs, workforce cuts
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins will make his first appearance since his confirmation before Congress this week, testifying before the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday about the fiscal 2026 budget.

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Military.com | VA Chipping Away at Claims Backlog, Hopes to Process 2.5 Million Filings This Year
The Veterans Benefits Administration -- the arm of the Department of Veterans Affairs that adjudicates disability compensation claims -- has processed more than 1 million filings this year and is on track to complete 2.5 million total by year's end, which is roughly a half-million more than it processed in 2024, according to officials.

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Stars & Stripes | Repeated orders for medical exams and other common mistakes slow down claims for veterans’ disability
Veterans groups urged the Department of Veterans Affairs to take steps to end common mistakes in claims reviews for disability that include redundant requests for veterans to undergo more medical exams when the clinical diagnoses already are in their records.

Responsible Statecraft | Why a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine is pointless | Anatol Lieven

On the question of an early temporary ceasefire in Ukraine, the Trump administration might be described as being wrong for the right reasons, and the Putin administration as right for the wrong reasons.

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Foreign Policy | America Under Trump Is the Realists’ Grand Experiment | Raphael S. Cohen
Take a seat in almost any introduction to international relations course at a U.S. university, and you’ll probably catch an opening lecture on the “Melian Dialogue” from Thucydides’s famed history of the Peloponnesian War. In it, the Athenians put a simple proposition to the people of neutral Melos: Surrender or face destruction. The weaker Melians make a series of arguments—about alliances, morality, and the gods—in hopes of changing the Athenians’ minds, but to no avail. In the end, the Melians choose to resist and meet their fate. From there, Thucydides draws his famous dictum: “The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.”

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The American Conservative | Trump Surprises the Hawks on Iran | Eldar Mamedov
President Donald Trump, in a significant and unexpected development, announced on Tuesday “direct talks” with Iran scheduled for Saturday. Notably, he made the announcement sitting next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office. Netanyahu has long pushed for a U.S. war with Iran, Israel’s chief adversary in the region, and some observers discerned a look of dismay on the prime minister’s face as Trump spoke.

Concerned Veterans for America has been vocal on the war in Ukraine. We believe it is past time for a negotiated peace deal. CVA’s Coalitions Director, Jimmie Smith wrote a piece for Foreign Policy arguing a swift end to the war in Ukraine that excludes any security guarantees from NATO or the United States:

Russia’s war in Ukraine has dragged on for more than three years now. While it’s heartening that negotiations to end the bloody conflict are finally underway, peace and stability seem a long way off.

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One of the sticking points to these negotiations is possible Western security guarantees for Ukraine and what role the U.S. and NATO will have in the region’s future.

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Naturally, Ukraine wants security guarantees as part of any negotiated settlement. Many European leaders feel the same way. That is hardly surprising, as most of Europe has allowed the U.S. to carry the bag for European security for decades – a continuation of the post-WW2 European security arrangement whereby the United States was the only nation equipped to secure the continent as it barreled into the Cold War.

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Read more here.

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