President Donald Trump used part of his State of the Union address on Tuesday to spotlight American military heroism, awarding U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover and U.S. Navy Captain E. Royce Williams with the nation’s highest military honor. 

Recounting what he described as a high-risk January raid targeting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, Trump detailed Slover’s role in leading the mission. He said Slover was piloting a Chinook helicopter transporting U.S. forces into heavily fortified enemy territory under the cover of darkness. As the aircraft approached the target, it came under intense machine gun fire from multiple directions.

‘There were many heroes on that January raid to capture Maduro. Really great heroes. It was very dangerous,’ Trump said, describing the perilous mission.

‘He absorbed four agonizing shots, shredding his leg into numerous pieces,’ the president continued, telling lawmakers that ‘the success of the entire mission and the lives of his fellow warriors hinge on Eric’s ability’ to keep flying as blood ‘pour[ed] down the aisle.’

Slover, still recovering from his wounds, attended the address with his wife, Amy, as he was presented with the nation’s highest military award.

Trump also presented the Medal of Honor to Williams, a 100-year-old Korean War veteran and retired Navy captain, for his extraordinary combat valor during a long-classified 1952 aerial dogfight over the Sea of Japan. 

Flying a single F9F Panther jet from the USS Oriskany, Williams engaged and shot down four Soviet MiG-15 fighters during a 35-minute battle despite being heavily outnumbered and flying an aircraft considered inferior in speed and climb rate. 

At the time, the U.S. government kept the encounter secret to avoid escalating tensions with the Soviet Union, which was not officially acknowledged as a combatant in the war. Decades later, after the details were declassified, Williams’ actions were formally recognized with the nation’s highest military honor.

The back-to-back Medal of Honor ceremonies underscored the administration’s emphasis on military service, drawing extended applause from lawmakers and guests in the chamber.

Many conservatives quickly took to social media to praise President Trump’s State of the Union speech, which lasted just under two hours, energizing Republicans and riling Democrats.

‘It’s not just an excellent speech, it’s mostly POTUS himself,’ conservative radio host Mark Levin posted on X. ‘ He’s a truly historic leader. I know it drives DC nuts. Who cares.’

‘Trump is a colossus; an amazingly patriotic speech,’ FOX Business Senior Correspondent Charles Gasparino posted on X. 

‘This is the best State of the Union Address I’ve ever seen,’ conservative commentator Buck Sexton posted on X. ‘Not just by Trump. By any President.’

‘President Trump’s State of the Union put America’s greatness on full display—celebrating our war heroes, everyday heroes, and Olympic champions,’ former GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy posted on X. 

‘The President delivered a home run State of the Union tonight,’ GOP Rep. Chip Roy posted on X. 

Democrats on social media struck a different tone, with many prominent faces of the party bashing the president as the speech developed, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom who accused Trump of ‘destroying the country’ and posted ‘that was boring.’

‘That State of the Union speech by Trump was humiliating for both him and the Republican Party,’ liberal influencer Harry Sisson posted on X. ‘He rambled incoherently and Republicans clapped like seals the whole time no matter what was said. I’m glad military heroes were honored, but he lied the entire time.’

Trump’s speech, which was the longest State of the Union in history, focused on what he called a ‘turnaround for the ages’ in the United States during his second term. 

Trump invited a swath of various guests to the speech, including everyday Americans, Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, the U.S. men’s hockey team fresh off their gold medal win, military members who acted heroically in the time of crisis and families who have suffered tragedy at the hands of illegal immigrants.

Trump’s speech came as the GOP prepares to defend its majority in the House and Senate as the November midterms loom, and also as the nation prepares to celebrate its 250 years of independence.

‘This July 4th, we will mark two and a half centuries of liberty and triumph, progress and freedom in the most incredible and exceptional nation ever to exist on the face of the earth. And you’ve seen nothing yet,’ Trump said. ‘We’re going to do better and better and better. This is the golden age of America.’

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report
 

Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas said Tuesday that she would ‘boycott’ President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech.

She blasted him as a ‘wannabe king’ and described the present state of the union as ‘grim.’

‘Tonight, I will boycott Donald Trump’s State of the Union address,’ she said in the statement. ‘The American people deserve better than a low-down, scamming wannabe king who plans to stand at that podium and spew more lies; and I refuse to legitimize the weaponization of the federal government, blatant lies and corruption, and the destruction of our Constitutional principles and democratic norms.’

Crockett, who is currently running in the Texas Democratic U.S. Senate primary, said she was not sent to D.C. ‘to coddle Donald Trump’s ego.’

‘Instead of wasting time listening to Donald Trump lie to the American people, I will be back in Texas talking with families about the true state of our union: cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, rogue ICE agents on our streets, the Epstein cover-up, attacks on the First Amendment, and the unlawful tariffs that have made life too expensive for Texans,’ she said in the statement.

She indicated that the president has an ‘authoritarian agenda.’

‘The current state of our union is grim, but it is not permanent. I will spend tonight continuing the fight to actually strengthen the State of the Union,’ she said in the statement.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on Wednesday morning.

A majority of the U.S. Supreme Court’s justices were absent from President Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address Tuesday night — a conspicuous move coming just days after the high court struck down his signature global tariff policy.

Only Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Associate Justices Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett attended the speech. Justices Samuel Alito., Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson were not present.

The absences followed a 6–3 Supreme Court decision ruling that Trump’s sweeping tariff plan exceeded presidential authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act — a major setback for the administration’s economic agenda.

In the wake of the ruling, Trump sharply criticized the justices who sided against him, saying he was ‘ashamed of certain members of the court’ and accusing them of lacking ‘the courage to do what’s right for the country.’ His criticism included members of the conservative bloc, among them two justices he appointed during his first term.

Supreme Court justices are not legally required to attend the State of the Union. Invitations are extended as a matter of tradition, and participation is left to individual discretion. Those who do attend typically enter the House chamber together in their black judicial robes and sit prominently in the front row — a visual symbol of the judiciary’s coequal status alongside the executive and legislative branches.

Still, attendance has long been uneven, reflecting discomfort within the judiciary about appearing at what has increasingly become a partisan spectacle.

Alito has not attended a State of the Union since 2010, when he famously shook his head and appeared to mouth ‘not true’ as then-President Barack Obama criticized the Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Months later, Alito said publicly that sitting through the address made him feel like ‘the proverbial potted plant,’ and he suggested he would not return in the near future.

Roberts at the time described the political atmosphere surrounding the address as ‘very troubling,’ and questioned whether it remained appropriate for the justices to attend if the event had devolved into what he characterized as a political ‘pep rally.’ Despite those concerns, Roberts has attended every State of the Union since becoming chief justice in 2005.

Thomas has also largely stayed away in recent years. After attending President Obama’s first address in 2009, he did not return, later describing the experience as uncomfortable for members of the judiciary given the partisan reactions inside the chamber.

While some justices have consistently opted out — including past members of the court — others have continued to attend as a matter of institutional tradition.

Fox News’ Shannon Bream and Bill Mears contributed to this report. 

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., wore a round button to the State of the Union address that read ‘F— ICE,’ referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

She also wore a message that read, ‘STAND WITH SURVIVORS RELEASE THE FILES,’ in an apparent reference to materials pertaining to the late Jeffrey Epstein. Other lawmakers could be seen wearing that message during the speech as well.

Tlaib was seated next to Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., a fellow member of the progressive cadre of lawmakers known as the ‘Squad.’ 

The two shouted during the president’s address. They also departed the speech early, reports indicate.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on Wednesday morning.

President Donald Trump’s administration has been working to crack down on illegal immigration. 

But some politicians, including Tlaib, have called for the abolition of ICE.

‘ICE has no place in Michigan. This is an unaccountable and violent agency that terrorizes and brutalizes our communities every day,’ Tlaib said in a statement earlier this month.

‘We have all watched as ICE agents execute American citizens in broad daylight and detain and deport our immigrant neighbors with no regard for their wellbeing, right to due process, or the myriad other laws and court orders restricting their illegal operations,’ she said in the statement.

Presidential speechwriters sharply split late Tuesday after President Donald Trump delivered a record-breaking State of the Union address, drawing praise from allies and prompting early exits from some Democrats.

During his address, Trump focused on immigration enforcement, economic concerns and global trade issues as he occasionally sparred with Democrats like Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, who, along with fellow ‘Squad’ member Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, left the chamber early, while Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was booted after waving a sign condemning a recent Trump social media post.

Gene Hamilton, a former deputy White House counsel who has written speeches, told Fox News Digital that Trump delivered a ‘resounding speech’ and ‘could not have been more clear about the current state of our great nation.’

‘A vision of hope, prosperity, and strength, driven by strong borders, a strong economy, and a love of country.’

Hamilton said the speech was ‘juxtaposed’ against a swath of the Democratic caucus in the chamber that ‘wouldn’t even stand for the provision that the government’s first duty ‘is to protect American citizens, not illegal immigrants’.’

‘Donald Trump saved this country with his election in 2024. His administration will keep working every day to deliver real wins for the American people,’ said Hamilton, who worked in the first Trump administration and now works with America First Legal.

On the other side of the political spectrum, former Biden speechwriter Dan Cluchey told Fox News Digital that Trump did ‘less than zero to dispel the notion that he is living in his own reality.’

Asked if Trump succeeded in addressing the immigration crisis and affordability criticisms well enough, Cluchey said that while Americans endure ‘skyrocketing grocery, energy, and health costs, rising unemployment, and an economy that is growing more slowly today than in any year under President Biden, his only play is to tell families not to believe their own pocketbooks.’

‘[That] doesn’t work,’ said Cluchey, who co-hosted a SOTU watch party and speechwriting workshop across town at Georgetown University during Trump’s speech.

Asked about Trump’s ability to convey what he believed to be his administration’s successes, Cluchey said that dynamic ‘doesn’t really work when the claims you fabricate don’t square with people’s real lives.’

‘A willingness to lie brazenly about anything and everything has some utility when you’re campaigning, but it doesn’t hold up when you’re governing — and people are actually living through the constant stream of chaos, cruelty, and ineptitude,’ Cluchey said.

Cluchey added that Trump did not do enough to combat his critics, saying he instead came across as ‘self-obsessed and delusional as he always does.’

Unlike Hamilton, Cluchey believed Trump failed to change any minds in America with his remarks.

Hamilton separately countered that Trump did indeed reiterate that he has delivered on campaign promises.

‘For all the haters and ‘black-pillers’ who run their mouths incessantly, just one year of President Trump’s successes has dwarfed the accomplishments of entire administrations that preceded him,’ he said.

Michael Ceraso, a Democratic strategist with a background in speechwriting who worked with presidential candidates Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders, offered a slightly different perspective, saying that as a Democrat, he wants a president who works toward collaboration and not someone who ‘speaks in monologues.’

‘As a voter, I may not like him. I may find his long form exhausting. But when he speaks, he never wavers from American exceptionalism,’ Ceraso said.

‘I see someone protecting our cities against those he deems a threat to democracy, revving up the economy, managing global partners, and defeating terrorism.’

Ceraso said, however, he misses former President Barack Obama and his message of intellectualism, curiosity and togetherness.

‘As a voter, I believe both parties are bad for this country.’

‘So I go with the guy who entertains me,’ Ceraso said.

The UK government is set to unseal a first batch of key documents relating to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the U.S., MPs were told Monday.

The disclosure, set for ‘early March,’ follows a Commons motion ordering the release of files related to Mandelson’s vetting for the post and comes in the wake of his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

‘The government expects to be able to publish the first tranche of documents very shortly, in early March,’ Darren Jones, chief secretary to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, told the House of Commons.

‘I should, however, inform the House that it remains the case that a subset of this first tranche of documents is currently subject to the ongoing Metropolitan Police investigation,’ he said.

Jones added that ‘a small portion of that material engages matters of national security or international relations’ and would be handled through the Intelligence and Security Committee, in line with the will of the House.

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed in a statement Monday that officers had arrested a 72-year-old man at an address in Camden and took him to a London police station for questioning.

The arrest follows revelations about Mandelson’s links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and comes days after former Prince Andrew was detained.

The investigation relates to allegations that Mandelson shared confidential government information with Epstein while serving as business secretary.

Police had opened a criminal inquiry after the government passed on communications between the former ambassador and the disgraced financier.

Emails released by the U.S. Department of Justice also appeared to show Mandelson sharing market-sensitive information with Epstein during the 2008 financial crisis.

Mandelson has denied wrongdoing and said he does not recall the alleged disclosures and apologized to Epstein’s victims for maintaining contact with him after his conviction.

On Feb. 4, Starmer told the Commons: ‘I’m as angry as anyone about what Mandelson has been up to. The disclosures … are utterly shocking and appalling. He has betrayed our country. He has lied repeatedly. He is responsible for a litany of deceit.’

Starmer later said that if he had known then what he knows now, Mandelson ‘would never have been anywhere near government.’

Mandelson, an architect of New Labour, was appointed U.S. ambassador before being dismissed in September 2025 as scrutiny over his links to Epstein intensified. 

He resigned from the Labour Party and stepped down from the House of Lords.

As U.S. ambassador, Mandelson scored an early victory by ensuring Britain was the first country to agree to a deal with the U.S. to lower some of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, but was fired a few months later.

Starmer has also faced calls to step down over Mandelson’s appointment, Reuters reported.

A deadly confrontation at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend is the latest in a string of high-profile security incidents involving President Donald Trump, as former Secret Service officials warn that low-tech, lone actors now pose one of the toughest challenges to presidential protection.

‘It should be quite clear to all of us by now that Trump is the most threatened president in the history of the U.S.,’ former Secret Service agent William ‘Bill’ Gage told Fox News Digital Monday, pointing to multiple high-profile incidents in recent years. Unlike past presidencies, where threat levels often subsided over time, Gage said, ‘the longer he’s president, the more these attacks keep happening.’

Gage said the most difficult cases to prevent are often the least sophisticated. The recent incidents, he noted, were ‘super low-tech attacks by people with zero training,’ using rudimentary weapons. ‘If you were standing behind them in line at Starbucks, you wouldn’t have given them a second look,’ he said.

Gage said the threat landscape shifted over the course of his 12-year career as a Secret Service agent. When he joined the Secret Service in 2002, he said the agency was moving away from what he described as the traditional ‘lone gunman’ model — figures like Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated John F. Kennedy, or international militants such as ‘Carlos the Jackal,’ one of the world’s most wanted terrorists in the ’70s and 80s — and adapting to a post-9/11 world focused on coordinated terrorist networks like al Qaeda and later ISIS.

‘But if you look at Butler and the two incidents at Mar-a-Lago, those were super low-tech attacks,’ Gage said. ‘The low-tech actors are the ones that tend to slip through the cracks.’

He also warned of a potential copycat effect when details of such incidents become public. 

‘If it were up to the Secret Service, they would never report any of these incidents ever,’ Gage said, arguing that widespread coverage allows others to ‘study what happened’ and attempt to refine it. 

In today’s hyperconnected political climate, he said, that dynamic adds another layer of complexity for agents trying to stop the next threat before it materializes.

In the early hours of Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, a 21-year-old man identified as Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina was shot and killed by U.S. Secret Service agents and a local sheriff’s deputy after entering the secure perimeter of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

Authorities say Martin drove through the north gate carrying a shotgun and a gasoline can. After being ordered to drop both, he dropped the can but raised the shotgun toward officers, who fired and killed him at the scene. Trump and First lady Melania Trump were in Washington at the time.

The incident marked the third highly publicized security encounter involving Trump in less than two years. In July 2024, a gunman opened fire at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing Trump’s ear and killing an attendee before being shot by a Secret Service sniper. In September 2024, a man armed with a rifle was confronted by agents near Trump’s golf course while he was playing; that suspect was later convicted on attempted assassination charges.

While the incidents have drawn intense attention, former Deputy Assistant Director Don Mihalek said the latest Mar-a-Lago intrusion does not necessarily signal a breakdown in protective systems.

‘He got through an exterior gate of an active club,’ Mihalek told Fox News Digital. ‘This wasn’t someone reaching the president’s residence.’ Agents confronted the suspect within seconds, he said, describing the rapid response as evidence that overlapping security layers functioned as designed.

Mihalek said presidential protection relies on multiple rings of security because outer perimeters at properties like Mar-a-Lago cannot be sealed in the same way as the White House. ‘If he ended up in the president’s house on Mar-a-Lago, that might be a different conversation,’ he said.

He also cautioned against viewing recent incidents in isolation, noting that presidents routinely face roughly 2,000 threats per year, most of which are mitigated before the public ever becomes aware of them. ‘These just happen to be very public instances,’ Mihalek said, arguing that the social media era amplifies perceptions of escalation.

Mihalek pointed to last summer’s rally shooting in Butler as an example of how early intervention can be decisive, noting that local law enforcement had reportedly identified the suspect prior to the attack. ‘If somebody had walked up and said, ‘Hey, who are you?’ we wouldn’t be talking about Butler,’ he said.

As Trump prepares to address Congress at the State of the Union, both former officials said the security posture at the Capitol is unlikely to change in response to the weekend incident.

The annual address is designated a National Special Security Event — the highest level of federal security planning — triggering coordination among the Secret Service, U.S. Capitol Police, FBI, War Department and other agencies. The designation allows for expanded perimeter controls, airspace restrictions and continuity-of-government planning.

Gage, who previously led advance planning for State of the Union addresses, said the event operates under a well-established security ‘blueprint’ built to account for worst-case scenarios. ‘There’s really no way to increase it anymore,’ he said.

Both former officials said the defining challenge for presidential protection today is unpredictability: individuals with minimal training, rudimentary weapons and the ability to find reinforcement online. Unlike organized extremist networks, such actors may leave few detectable signals before acting.

As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its fourth year since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022, United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer referred to the ongoing conflict as ‘the most critical issue of our age,’ according to a press release announcing additional UK assistance for Ukraine.

‘On this grim anniversary, our message to the Ukrainian people is simple: Britain is with you, stronger than ever. That is why we are announcing new support today and we will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes,’ Starmer said, according to the press release.

‘For all the noise in world affairs today, this war remains the most critical issue of our age. It asks the question of whether Ukrainian and European freedom will endure. Our answer, together, is unequivocal. Russia is not winning this war. They will not win this war. Ukraine’s courage continues to hold the line for our shared values, in the face of Putin’s aggression,’ Starmer continued. ‘We will stand by their side, until a just and lasting peace – and beyond. Slava Ukraini.’

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has suggested that the Western World is ‘pussyfooting around.’

‘Putin will not stop the slaughter until he faces much greater pressure. So for heaven’s sake let’s get on with it. Impound his entire shadow fleet. Unfreeze all his frozen assets and give them to Ukraine. Give the Ukrainians the weapons they need to take out all the Russian drone factories. Do all of it now. Putin will not negotiate sincerely until he feels he has no choice,’ Johnson wrote in a post on X.

‘The Ukrainians fight like heroes while we in the West pussyfoot and delay. The West can end the war this year — if we stop pussyfooting around,’ he said.

President Donald Trump’s administration has been attempting to help broker peace between Russia and Ukraine.

In its statement, the UK government said the country’s security is closely tied to Ukraine’s fate and outlined new assistance, including £20 million (about $27 million) in emergency energy funding to help repair and protect Ukraine’s power grid and expand generation capacity.

The package also includes £5.7 million (around $7.7 million) in humanitarian aid for frontline communities, including people requiring evacuation and those affected by airstrikes or internal displacement, according to the release.

Four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, the war in Ukraine has settled into a grinding conflict defined by high casualties and incremental territorial shifts. Russia still controls roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, while Kyiv has recently clawed back limited ground in counteroffensives. Military estimates put Russian losses at about 1.2 million casualties since 2022, with Ukrainian losses between 500,000 and 600,000, underscoring the scale of attrition on both sides.

Diplomacy has intensified alongside the fighting. President Donald Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last August for high-stakes talks aimed at advancing negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has traveled to Washington multiple times since Trump returned to office, including a contentious Oval Office meeting in Feb. 2025 and a follow-up visit later in the year.

The most recent U.S. engagement with both sides came during trilateral negotiations in Abu Dhabi earlier this year and more taking place in Geneva on Feb. 17–18, where special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian and Ukrainian delegations as part of ongoing efforts to broker a settlement.

As the war enters its fifth year, former officials and analysts say the next phase could unfold along three possible paths: prolonged stalemate, shifting Ukrainian momentum, or a dangerous erosion of Western resolve.

Scenario one: Prolonged stalemate

The most immediate trajectory is continuation. The war remains defined by attrition, with neither side delivering a decisive blow and negotiations producing little progress.

Ret. U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, former NATO supreme allied commander of Europe, said Moscow is not winning despite its territorial hold, ‘There isn’t a winner right now.’

‘Russia, supposedly a world superpower with one of the world’s probably top three world armies and top four world air forces, in 12 years has gained about 20% of Ukraine. And they have lost some, say, over 1.2 million in the conflict so far. It’s a conflict that Ukraine is working hard to manage. It’s also a conflict that Russia is not, I repeat, not winning,’ he said.

Scenario two: Ukrainian momentum reshapes diplomacy

Recent battlefield developments suggest another possibility. Breedlove pointed to rapid Ukrainian gains following disruptions in Russia’s command-and-control systems.

‘In the last three or four days, because of the loss of the Starlink command and control system, Ukraine launched an offensive, and they have snatched back months of Russian gains in three days, three-pronged push, hundreds of square miles regained, and Russia is backing up in several places right now.’

Carrie Filipetti, executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition, said such advances could shift leverage at the negotiating table. ‘Ukraine’s recent advances to recapture its territory is yet another signal that Putin’s war machine is continuing to atrophy as the world marks the fourth year of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Russia’s latest territorial losses shows that far from being invincible, Putin and his army are beginning to experience real failures in terms of capability and resources.’

She added that momentum matters. ‘Not only is this the most significant Ukrainian advance on the battlefield in more than two years, its importance may be felt even more concretely at the diplomatic table. Finding a lasting and equitable peace deal through negotiation is often about momentum – and right now the Ukrainians have it.’

If sustained, such gains could alter Moscow’s calculations and give Kyiv a stronger footing in negotiations as long as Ukraine has strong U.S. support, Breedlove argues, ‘The first thing and the most important thing Ukraine needs is a declaratory statement by the West and specifically by the United States that we are not going to allow Russia to win in Ukraine, and we will give Ukraine what it needs to stop Russia… where Putin hears it loud and clear and where the people of Russia hear it loud and clear that is a game changer. And I think that’s when Mr. Putin is going to have to make some tough decisions.’

Scenario three: Escalation or Western fatigue

A third path worries some Western strategists: that inconsistent support could prolong or tilt the conflict in Russia’s favor.

Heather Nauert, who served as spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State from 2017 to 2019, framed the war as more than a territorial dispute. ‘As we now enter the fifth year of Putin’s war in Ukraine, we’re reminded that this conflict has never been only about territory — it’s about identity, faith, and the future of a free nation. Russia has destroyed more than 600 churches, persecuted millions of Ukrainian Christians under occupation, and abducted more than 19,000 children in an effort to break Ukraine’s spirit. President Trump’s push for a lasting peace must be backed by strength and accountability – one that protects innocent lives, defends religious freedom and brings stolen children home.’

Ret. Lt. Gen. Richard Newton said deterrence remains central. ‘Four years into this horrific war, the fundamental lesson remains unchanged: Peace is only possible when strength shapes the terms. Putin will continue to savagely test our resolve until the costs of his aggression outweigh any possible gain.’

‘What Ukraine needs isn’t gestures from the world, but instead, unwavering support from the U.S. and Europe that convinces Moscow further advances carry unacceptable consequences,’ he argued. ‘Russia must not prevail against Ukraine and the West. What are needed are credible security guarantees, robust offensive and defensive capabilities and a unified, long-term commitment by the West to ensure deterrence isn’t an elusive goal, but a lasting reality.’

Breedlove warned that negotiations alone will not shift the balance. ‘The most dangerous scenario is that we do not do what we should do in Ukraine and Russia takes over Ukraine because they’re not done.We have a policy of peace through strength and we’re using it in Iran. We’ve used it in Venezuela. We’re using it with oil tankers around the world… But when it comes to Putin and Ukraine, we are peace through weakness.’

‘Mr. Putin is making a point that he’s in charge in Ukraine, not the West and certainly not America. And so we need to change that dynamic. You got good guys and you got bad guys. And right now the bad guys have told America to take a hike. So now, rather than telling them what to do, we are going to the good guys and saying, you have to give up more because the bad guys are not playing well in the sandbox. That’s peace through weakness, not peace through strength,’ Breedlove concluded.