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The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | August 14th, 2025: Trump Sends A Warning To Putin Ahead Of Alaska Summit & US Destroyer Sails Into Disputed South China Sea
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Mike Baker
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JJ Harrison
Foreign.
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Mike Baker
It's Thursday, the 14th of August. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, while the latest on the U. S. Russia summit in Alaska. As President Trump warns Vladimir Putin, quote, very severe consequences will take place if he doesn't agree to a ceasefire at their Friday meeting while Ukrainian and European leaders tell Trump that Putin is, quote, bluffing about seeking peace. Later in the show, a U. S. Navy guided missile destroyer sails into the disputed Scarborough shoal in the South China Sea just days after two Chinese military ships collided into each other while harassing the Philippine coast guard. We'll have those details. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. All eyes will be on Alaska on Friday, of course, where President Trump will be sitting down with Russian President Putin for a potentially pivotal discussion on ending the war in Ukraine. But it appears that Trump is already tempering expectations ahead of the summit. On Wednesday, the president said there will be, quote, very severe consequences for Russia if Putin does not agree to stop his war on Ukraine after their sit down, though he didn't elaborate on what those consequences might look like. Now, here's a thought. I suspect that a former KGB officer and longtime leader of Russia isn't going to pay much attention to an ultimatum, particularly when he still feels that he has the upper hand militarily in Ukraine. The remarks from President Trump came after he attended a virtual meeting with European leaders, including Ukrainian President Zelensky, during which Zelensky warned that Putin is, quote, bluffing about seeking peace and would try to use the summit to negotiate a favorable peace deal without direct input from Kiev. But according to several officials familiar with the call that spoke to NBC News, Trump promised not to use the summit to discuss land swaps with Putin. The president instead said that his sole focus will be on securing an immediate ceasefire from Putin that will allow for broader peace negotiations to take place in the near future. It was a welcome message for Zelensky and European leaders who have long argued that a false ceasefire must be implemented before substantive peace talks can get underway. Trump has framed Friday's talks as a, quote, feeling out meeting to determine if the Kremlin is serious about peace and said he'll know within two minutes of his sit down whether progress with Putin is possible. But the sources told NBC News that European leaders were left with the impression that Trump is not all that optimistic about his meeting with Putin. And frankly, with good reason. As we touched on this morning, since Trump's return to office, Putin has repeatedly rejected calls from the White House for an unconditional halt to the fighting, and it doesn't appear that Putin's position has changed. Putin feels he's winning the war, and his military forces expanded their offensive push in eastern Ukraine earlier this week. Now, by all accounts, Putin is hoping to use Friday's talks to formalize Russia's territorial gains in Ukraine and pressure Kiev into making major territorial concessions. Putin reportedly wants the Ukrainian military to pull all its forces out of the eastern Donetsk region, which would effectively grant Moscow control over the entire Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine, as well as, of course, the Crimean peninsula. Don't, don't forget Crimea, according to a report from Newsweek. Only then will Putin accept a ceasefire once a withdrawal is complete, at least so the thinking goes, and a ceasefire is in place. Putin wants to negotiate what they're calling land swaps with Ukraine, though it's still unclear what Ukraine would receive in return for ceding vast swaths of their eastern territories. Needless to say, significant uncertainty surrounds the summit and the whether Trump's long held faith in his ability to leverage direct diplomacy can yield a breakthrough. On Thursday, the Kremlin confirmed the names of those who will attend Friday's summit, which will kick off an anchorage at roughly 3:30pm Eastern Time, as well as details about the schedule. Putin will be joined by a delegation of senior Kremlin officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrei Belisov, Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, Finance Minister Anton Suluanov and Special envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who heads Russia's sovereign wealth fund. The day will begin with a one on one between Trump and Putin, which will mark their first encounter since a 2019 G20 summit. Those talks will lead in negotiations between Washington and Russia's respective delegations, followed by a working breakfast. Once the discussions conclude, Trump and Putin are slated to hold a joint press conference. In addition to ending the war in Ukraine, Putin presidential aide Ushakov told reporters the talks will also cover broader topics of peace and security, including what he described as the, quote, most pressing international and regional issues. Usikov said, quote, an exchange of views is expected on the further development of bilateral cooperation, including in the trade and economic sphere. I note that this cooperation has huge and unfortunately still untapped potential, end quote. The Kremlin is clearly hoping to woo President Trump with promises of lucrative economic deals that could be made possible if the war comes to an end, albeit on Putin's terms. All right, up next, a US Navy guided missile destroyer sails into the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, prompting a warning from the Communist Chinese regime. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now you've heard me talk about the excellent company Jacked Up Fitness and their amazing all in one home gym. It's a, it's a complete game changer for home fitness. And now I've got some more exciting news from Don and his excellent team at Jacked Up Fitness. Look, they know that many people are short on time and short on money, but still want to get fit. So now you can start your fitness journey for under $60 and in just six minutes each day. And for those of you of a certain age, stand by for a blast from the past. Introducing the all new Shake Weight by Jack Dub Fitness. Remember this? Fifteen years ago, the original Shake Weight shook the world. Now the fitness legend returns. Bigger, better and built to perform. And why now, you ask? 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Unknown
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JJ Harrison
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Unknown
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Mike Baker
Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. Two days after a Chinese destroyer and a Chinese Coast Guard ship collided into each other while chasing a Philippine vessel, a US Navy warship sliced through the heavily disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea in its first Freedom of Navigation operation there in at least six years. According to the 7th Fleet. The guided missile destroyer USS Higgins conducted the passage, quote, consistent with international law under the principle of innocent passage. Beijing, as you might suspect, saw it differently. Chinese state media claimed its forces, quote, tracked, monitored, warned and expelled. They expelled the Higgins, a statement flatly rejected by U.S. navy Lt. Sarah Marl, the fleet spokeswoman, who called it false. She said, quote, the U.S. is defending its right to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows Nothing China says otherwise will deter us. End quote. For those unfamiliar the Scarborough Shoal sits about 140 miles west of the main Philippine island of Luzon and within the Philippines exclusive economic zone. Rich fishing grounds make it a hotly contested region in the already volatile South China Sea. Although claimed by China, the Philippines and Taiwan, it's been under Beijing's de facto control since 2012, enforced by a near constant People's Liberation Army Navy presence. Notably, under international law, neither Beijing nor Taipei can impose the prior notification rules they demand for foreign warships. It's a restriction that Manila does not enforce. China's military accused Washington of violating its sovereignty. Manila, meanwhile, confirmed that the Higgins wasn't alone. A Philippine Coast Guard spokesman said the littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati was also in the vicinity, though the US Navy would only confirm that it was operating somewhere in the South China Sea. Although it was the first Freedom of Navigation operation exclusively at the shoal in several years, it was the second in the South China Sea this year, following one in the Spratly Islands back in May. Washington carried out two of these in 2024, down from five the previous year, according to a researcher at a Singapore based graduate school that also serves as a defense oriented think tank that tracks such missions. For Beijing, these operations are a direct challenge to its sweeping maritime claims. For Manila, they're a counterweight to what it calls Chinese harassment, harassment that it is now documenting more aggressively, even inviting independent journalists to board patrol vessels to witness Beijing's actions. Monday's collision sharpened those tensions. A Chinese destroyer and a Chinese Coast Guard ship slammed into each other near the shoal while pursuing a Philippine Coast Guard vessel, heavily damaging the bow of the China Coast Guard ship. In coverage that carefully avoided mentioning the destroyer's presence, Beijing's Global Times instead blamed Manila, and by extension Washington, for backing the Philippines militarily and accused the Philippines of engaging in, quote, dangerous maneuvers that allegedly endangered Chinese vessels. Chinese state Media released a 26 second clip purporting to show reckless Philippine actions, but the footage, not surprisingly, did not capture the moment of the Chinese vessel's impact. The latest Freedom of Navigation operation underscores Washington's willingness to challenge Beijing's sweeping maritime claims as tensions in the South China Sea continue to mount. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Thursday the 14th of August. Now if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@the first tv.com and of course, if you're jonesing for an ad Free PDB Experience We've made that an option for you? Simply become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting pdbpremium.com it really is that simple. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.