May 9th, 2025: Putin Embraces China's Xi, Violates His Own 'Victory Day' Ceasefire & India Trades Blows With Pakistan In Another Dangerous Escalation
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Why did Putin violate the ceasefire in Ukraine?
It's Friday, the 9th of May. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, Vladimir Putin violates his own unilateral ceasefire with a wave of airstrikes on Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Russian strongman met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro in Moscow ahead of the big Victory Day celebrations. Later in the show, military tensions escalate between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan, as both sides accuse each other of launching drone and missile attacks. Plus, Israeli leaders say they are prepared to defend themselves without American support against the Iranian-backed Houthis in the wake of the Trump administration's surprise ceasefire with the terror group. And in the back of the brief, the Catholic Church has elected a new pope, for the first time in history, selecting an American to serve as the new Bishop of Rome.
But first, today's PDB Spotlight. We'll start things off with the latest from the war in Ukraine, as Russian President Putin violates his own unilateral ceasefire just hours after it took effect. That's quite the surprise. And by that, I mean, well, there's no surprise there at all. launching a barrage of guided bombs on several Ukrainian cities, killing and wounding a number of civilians. As we've been tracking here on the PDB, Putin is gearing up for his big Victory Day celebrations all day Friday, which will be attended by 29 foreign leaders commemorating the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Putin had recently announced a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire to coincide with the ceremonies, which in theory took effect at midnight on Wednesday.
But Ukrainian President Zelensky had rejected the ceasefire proposal as little more than a cynical public relations maneuver by Putin. And it appears, well, that he was right. Ukraine's foreign minister said Thursday that Russian forces had already violated the ceasefire hundreds of times in the hours after the Kremlin claimed all military actions in Ukraine had been suspended. While combat activity reportedly decreased, Russian forces launched a number of attacks, including in the embattled Sumy region in northeast Ukraine near the Russian border. That's according to a report from CNN. Ukraine's foreign minister said, quote, Predictably, Putin's parade ceasefire proves to be a farce. Russian forces continue to attack across the entire front line from midnight to midday.
Russia committed 734 ceasefire violations and 63 assault operations, 23 of which are still ongoing." Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to keep the pressure on the Kremlin through their drone warfare campaign, launching several towards Moscow on Wednesday for the third consecutive day. While the drones were intercepted, the attacks forced Russia to temporarily suspend flights at 13 airports, including four in Moscow. Now, it was the second time this week that the airports had to temporarily halt traffic, embarrassing the Kremlin, of course, and raising questions over their ability to protect their domestic airspace just as world leaders began arriving in the Russian capital.
Who attended Putin's Victory Day celebrations?
As we discussed on yesterday's PDB, Putin's Victory Day celebrations will be attended by some three dozen foreign dignitaries, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, he's the guest of honor, Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, voted most likely to be a really despotic dictator, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who came in second in that voting, and Brazilian President Lula da Silva. Military units from 13 countries, including China, will participate in a massive military parade in Moscow's Red Square alongside Russian troops and an array of military vehicles. Despite the threats to Russia's airspace, China's Xi arrived in Moscow on Wednesday and met with Putin at the Kremlin on Thursday.
Xi proclaimed Russia and China, quote, friends of steel – well, that sounds serious – and mutually pledged with Putin to expand their relations across all areas, including militarily. In a joint statement, the pair vowed to, quote, strengthen coordination in order to decisively counter Washington's course of dual containment of Russia and China.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Why did Putin violate the ceasefire in Ukraine?
0:12–3:34
2
Who attended Putin's Victory Day celebrations?
3:34–4:38
3
How is China supporting Russia in the Ukraine conflict?
4:38–7:32
4
What is the current situation between India and Pakistan?
7:32–9:19
5
How are India and Pakistan escalating military tensions?
9:19–12:18
6
What is the role of the U.S. amidst the India-Pakistan conflict?
12:18–22:34
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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