‘A FANTASTIC PHONE CONVERSATION’: President Donald Trump is a big fan of being told what he wants to hear, and both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have played to that character trait to stay on Trump’s good side while pursuing their own agendas.
In a one-hour phone call with Trump yesterday, Zelensky was heavy on gratitude while treading carefully about his reservations as he discussed the next steps in Trump’s plan to end the war and divide up Ukraine by ceding a large swath of the east to Russia.
It was “a fantastic phone conversation,” according to a readout provided by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz. “Zelensky thanked President Trump for the support of the United States, especially the Javelin missiles that President Trump was first to provide, and his efforts towards peace.”
The big takeaway was that Zelensky agreed to “a partial ceasefire against energy” while working to extend the ceasefire to the Black Sea. This was Zelensky’s original proposal before the U.S. suggested the 30-day total ceasefire, which Putin flatly rejected. “I supported this step, and Ukraine confirmed that we are ready to implement it. Our teams discussed this step in Jeddah,” Zelensky said in a post on X.
The next step is for technical teams from the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia to gather in Saudi Arabia to discuss details to implement the partial ceasefire. “We instructed our advisors and representatives to carry out this work as quickly as possible,” Zelensky said.
WHITE HOUSE SAYS PEACE ‘NEVER BEEN CLOSER’ AS RUSSIA, UKRAINE PREPARE FOR TALKS
ZELENSKY: MISSILES, POWs, AND CHILDREN: Zelensky’s big asks were for more missile defenses to protect against Russian airstrikes and for assurances that the tens of thousands of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia will be returned and reunited with their families.
“We spoke about the situation in the Kursk region, touched on the issue of the release of POWs, and the return of Ukrainian children who were taken by Russian forces,” Zelensky said. “We also discussed the state of Ukraine’s air defense and the possibility of strengthening it to protect lives.”
“Zelensky asked for additional air defense systems to protect his civilians, particularly Patriot missile systems. President Trump agreed to work with him to find what was available, particularly in Europe,” the White House readout said. “President Trump promised to work closely with both parties to help make sure those children were returned home.”
Trump also floated the idea of the U.S. taking ownership of Ukraine’s power plants to ensure their long-term security. “He said that the United States could be very helpful in running those plants with its electricity and utility expertise,” the readout said. “American ownership of those plants would be the best protection for that infrastructure and support for Ukrainian energy infrastructure.”
Currently, Russia controls the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is Europe’s largest. “We talked only about one power plant, which is under Russian occupation,” Zelensky said while visiting Finland.
TRUMP SAYS ‘WE ARE VERY MUCH ON TRACK’ AFTER PHONE CALL WITH ZELENSKY ON CEASEFIRE
‘THIS HAS A LONG WAYS TO GO’: As of this morning, the partial ceasefire on energy-related facilities has not gone into effect, despite Putin’s claim that he already gave the order to stand down, and the Russian Defense Ministry saying it shot down some of its own drones on Putin’s orders.
“Ceasefires take time to negotiate, execute, and monitor and require both sides to agree to cease attacks on specified targets at a specific time and date,” the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said in its latest assessment. “Ceasefires also require both sides to agree to mechanisms to monitor the ceasefire and to address allegations of violations.”
“This has a long ways to go,” Brett McGurk, former senior adviser to four presidents including Trump, said on CNN. “I think we do hold cards. I mean, Russia has suffered enormously in this conflict. 600,000 casualties. Their Black Sea fleet has been cut in half. Europe holds about $300 billion of frozen assets. We have a lot of cards here. And I hope the administration tries to play them smartly.”
McGurk said while Trump always seems to look for “what’s in it for the U.S.,” the power plant move is worth considering. “There’s something smart about the Ukrainians saying, ‘Hey, we have a nuclear power plant here that is under threat, and maybe there’s a role for the U.S. to play.’”
“I think Russia right now feels that it has the advantage and the leverage,” McGurk said, who added that if he were advising Trump, he would remind him that “actually, we hold a lot of cards here.”
“And the Russians, when they come to a negotiation, if they think they’re coming from a position of strength, they will simply rope-a-dope you out.”
STATE DEPARTMENT CUTS FUNDING FOR PROGRAM TRACKING ABDUCTED UKRAINIAN CHILDREN BROUGHT TO RUSSIA
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SACRE BLEU! SACEUR MAY NO LONGER BE AMERICAN: Leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have been roiled by a report from NBC News that under a restructuring plan now under consideration by the Pentagon, the U.S. — which has always been the leader of NATO with an American general or admiral as the top military commander — may turn that role over to some other NATO member.
The idea that the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, or SACEUR, as it is known in NATO circles, would not be under American command for the first time in its 75-year history, strikes some on Capitol Hill as a sacrilege and a first step toward the U.S. pulling back, or even withdrawing for NATO under the Trump administration.
The report also suggested the U.S. is considering saving about $1.18 billion by cancelling a planned expansion of U.S. Forces in Japan.
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), chairmen of their respective committees, are aghast. “We will not accept significant changes to our warfighting structure that are made without a rigorous interagency process, coordination with combatant commanders and the Joint Staff, and collaboration with Congress,” they said in a joint statement. “Such moves risk undermining American deterrence around the globe and detracting from our negotiating positions with America’s adversaries.”
“U.S. combatant commands are the tip of the American warfighting spear. Therefore, we are very concerned about reports that claim DOD is considering unilateral changes on major strategic issues, including significant reductions to U.S. forces stationed abroad, absent coordination with the White House and Congress,” the statement said.
The NBC report quotes former Supreme NATO Commander retired Adm. James Stavridis as calling the idea “a political mistake of epic proportion.”
“We would lose an enormous amount of influence within NATO, and this would be seen, correctly, as probably the first step toward leaving the Alliance altogether,” Stavridis told NBC in an email. “And once we give it up, they are not going to give it back.”
TRUMP: THEY WILL BE COMPLETELY ANNIHILATED!: As the U.S. Central Command says its “unrelenting” campaign against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen continues into its sixth day, President Donald Trump is again warning Iran to stand down so U.S. forces can annihilate the group that launched a ballistic missile toward Israel yesterday.
The Israeli military said it intercepted the missile before it reached Israeli airspace and its apparent intended target, Israel’s international airport.
Trump has said he holds Iran responsible. “Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!” Trump posted on Truth Social March 15, the opening day of the new campaign of airstrikes.
Yesterday, Trump followed up with another post, accusing Iran of continuing to send “supplies” to the Houthis. “Iran must stop the sending of these Supplies IMMEDIATELY. Let the Houthis fight it out themselves,” Trump wrote. “Either way they lose, but this way they lose quickly. Tremendous damage has been inflicted upon the Houthi barbarians, and watch how it will get progressively worse — It’s not even a fair fight, and never will be. They will be completely annihilated!”
CENTCOM RELEASES FOOTAGE OF FIGHTER JET SHOOTING DOWN HOUTHI ATTACK DRONE
DEFENDING THE DEI PURGE: The Pentagon’s purge of hundreds of web pages touting the achievements of pioneers and civil rights icons who have served in the U.S. has drawn howls of protest from historians and others who say the DOD’s “DEI is dead” policy is whitewashing history and erasing the stories of heroes who overcame discrimination to rise through the ranks.
Most of the deleted pages are articles written by the Pentagon’s internal news service over the years, profiling minorities and women who achieved significant milestones. Historical figures such as Jackie Robinson, who served in the U.S. military during World War II, are among the pages removed and sometimes replaced.
One page removed told the story of Maj. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, who, as a young first Lieutenant, became an Air Force F-15 combat pilot when those jobs were opened up to women in 1993.
In an email sent to reporters yesterday, Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot defended the removal of stories and references to service members whose achievements were defined by their race, gender, or ethnicity, calling the past practice “a form of woke cultural Marxism that divides the force, erodes unit cohesion and interferes with the services’ core warfighting mission.”
“Everyone at the Defense Department loves Jackie Robinson, as well as the Navajo Code Talkers, the Tuskegee airmen, the Marines at Iwo Jima and so many others – we salute them for their strong and in many cases heroic service to our country, full stop,” Ullyot wrote. “We do not view or highlight them through the prism of immutable characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, or sex. We do so only by recognizing their patriotism and dedication to the warfighting mission like every other American who has worn the uniform.”
“DEI — Discriminatory Equity Ideology,” Ulliot said, “does the opposite.”
“We are pleased by the rapid compliance across the Department with the directive removing DEI content from all platforms,” he continued. “In the rare cases that content is removed — either deliberately or by mistake — that is out of the clearly outlined scope of the directive, we instruct the components and they correct the content so it recognizes our heroes for their dedicated service alongside their fellow Americans, period.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: White House says peace ‘never been closer’ as Russia, Ukraine prepare for talks
Washington Examiner: Trump says ‘we are very much on track’ after phone call with Zelensky on ceasefire
Washington Examiner: State Department cuts funding for program tracking abducted Ukrainian children brought to Russia
Washington Examiner: Trump demands Iran immediately cease Houthi support: ‘This way they lose quickly’
Washington Examiner: CENTCOM releases footage of fighter jet shooting down Houthi attack drone
Washington Examiner: IDF renews ground invasion into Gaza
Washington Examiner: Turkish opposition leader arrested ahead of candidacy, has college diploma revoked
Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan Opinion: Why Trump’s Houthi policy should avoid full-scale war
Washington Examiner: Peace Institute standoff with DOGE is the result of ‘rogue’ bureaucrats: Leavitt
Washington Examiner: Judge warns DOJ of ‘consequences,’ gives extension on deportation flights
Washington Examiner: Man surrenders after ‘barricade incident’ at CIA headquarters in Virginia
AP: Israeli strikes across Gaza hit multiple homes, killing at least 58 Palestinians, medics say
AP: Zelensky agrees to a limited ceasefire as Trump floats US ownership of Ukraine’s power plants
Defense News: Ukraine Claims to Have Fielded a Drone-Killing Laser Weapon
AP: Russia and Ukraine swap hundreds of prisoners in one of the war’s largest exchanges
Washington Post: Trump Team Makes Plans for Military to Hold Migrants at Border
NBC News: Trump admin considers giving up NATO command that has been exclusively American since Eisenhower
AP: A look at Israel’s multilayered air defense as military says it shot down missile from Yemen
Defense News: EU’s 2030 Defense Plan Pushes for More Joint Spending at Home
Military.com: Navy Plans to Deploy Second Destroyer to Patrol Waters Off US and Mexico This Week
AP: Pentagon Reviews Plans to Cut Troops Handling Migrants at Guantanamo by as Much as Half
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force, Navy Pitched Trump to Keep Their NGAD Programs Intact
DefenseScoop: DOD Turns Its Focus to 6G with Concept That Could Help Sense Drones
Defense One: Military Hydrogen-Cell Drones Poised for Big Takeoff
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Fighters Use New Laser-Guided Rockets to Shoot Down Houthi Drones
SpaceNews: Space Force Unveils Strategic Plan for AI Integration
Wall Street Journal: War-Torn Congo Has a Deal for Trump: Kick Out Rebels, Get Minerals
Stars and Stripes: Uniform Shortage Sends Airmen Scrambling as Air Force Inspections Loom
Defense One: SecDef’s Software Memo Causing ‘Angst,’ Defense Official Says
Air & Space Forces Magazine: F-35s, Air Task Force Deploy to Korea for ACE Exercise
THE CALENDAR:
THURSDAY | MARCH 20
8 a.m. 7920 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, Virginia — Potomac Officers Club 2025 Artificial Intelligence Summit, with Young Bang, principal deputy assistant Army secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology; Daniel Holtzman, CIO, Defense Department’s Office, Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer; Saleela Khanum Salahuddin, AI policy and governance lead in the Office, Director of National Intelligence; Gurpreet Bhatia, acting deputy CIO for cybersecurity and acting chief information security officer, Defense Department; Cynthia Kaiser, deputy assistant director, FBI Cyber Division; and Sunil Madhugiri, CTO of U.S. Customs and Border Protection https://potomacofficersclub.com/events/2025-artificial-intelligence-summit/
9 a.m. 300 5th Ave. SW — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association DOD Cyber Workforce Summit, with Katie Arrington, performing the duties, defense CIO; Army Lt. Gen. Paul Stanton, commander, Joint Forces Headquarters-Department of Defense Information Network and director, Defense Information Systems Agency; Ashley Manning, acting assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy; and Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh, commander, U.S. Cyber Command https://www.afcea.org/events/dod-cyber-workforce-summit
9:30 a.m. 215 Dirksen — U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission hearing: “Crossroads of Competition: China in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands,” with Prashanth Parameswaran, global fellow, Wilson Center; Lynn Kuok, chair in Southwest Asia studies, Brookings Institution; and Graeme Smith, senior fellow, Australian National University; Gregory Poling, director and senior fellow, enter for Strategic and International Studies Southwest Asia Program; Jason Tower, country director for Burma, U.S. Institute of Peace; and Cleo Paskal, non-resident senior fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies; Vikram Nehru, senior fellow, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies Foreign Policy Institute; Alvin Camba, research adviser on critical minerals, Associated Universities Incorporated; and Guanie Lim, associate professor, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies https://www.uscc.gov
10 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Brookings Institution virtual discussion: “What’s next for US defense strategy and spending?’ with Mackenzie Eaglen, senior fellow, American Enterprise Institute; Michael O’Hanlon, senior fellow, and director, Brookings Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology; Stephen Tankel, associate professor, American University; and moderator: Melanie Sisson, senior fellow, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology https://connect.brookings.edu/register-to-watch
2 p.m. — Defense One virtual discussion: “State of Defense 2025: Air Force and Space Force,” with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin; Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George; Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman; and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith https://events.defenseone.com/state-of-defense
FRIDAY | MARCH 21
8:45 a.m. 300 5th Ave. SW — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association DOD Cyber Workforce Summit, with Jing Deng, director, Marine Corps Information Workforce Division; Army CIO Leonel Garciga; Air Force CIO Venice Goodwine; Navy CIO Jane Rathbun; Brynt Parmeter, chief talent management officer, Defense Department; Army Lt. Gen. David “Todd” Isaccson, director for command, control, communications and computers, cyber and CIO, J6, Joint Chiefs of Staff https://www.afcea.org/events/dod-cyber-workforce-summit
9 a.m. — Peterson Institute for International Economics virtual discussion: “Can Sanctions Change a Country’s Policy? The Case of China and Russia,” with Denis Redonnet, deputy director-general for trade and economic security and chief trade enforcement officer for the European Commission, Brussels; Martin Chorzempa, PIIE senior fellow; and Cecilia Malmstrom, PIIE nonresident senior fellow https://www.piie.com/events/2025/can-sanctions-change
9:30 a.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council conference: “U.S.-Turkey Relations Under the New Era,” with Turkish Ambassador to the U.S. Sedat Onal https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/us-turkey-relations-under-the-new-era/
11:30 a.m. 7801 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, Virginia — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association discussion: “Hacking Bureaucracy,” with Col. Mike Medgyessy, CIO for the Air Force intelligence community; Chandra Donelson, space data and analytics officer, Space Force; and Gabe Chiulli, CTO, Army’s Enterprise Cloud Management Agency https://afceanova.swoogo.com/afceanovaluncheonMar2025
THURSDAY | MARCH 27
10 a.m. — Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation Subcommittee hearing on “NTSB Preliminary Report: DCA Midair Collision,” with testimony from NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy http://commerce.senate.gov
THURSDAY | APRIL 3
9 a.m. Brussels, Belgium — Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers, with press conferences scheduled by both Rubio and NATO Secretary-General Mark Ruttehttps://www.nato.int
