The world has woken up to a new series of large-scale geopolitical moves that threaten to fundamentally change the balance of power in Asia and Europe.
US President Donald Trump has made a surprising decision on joint defense in the Asia-Pacific region, while at the same time Russia and North Korea demonstrate an increasingly indestructible alliance. Against this backdrop, former senior US intelligence officials are urging tough measures from NATO against Moscow.
Trump scales down exercises with South Korea because of Kim Jong-un
US President Donald Trump has personally ordered the Pentagon and Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett to drastically reduce the scale of joint military maneuvers with South Korea, world agencies reported, including Reuters and NBC News. Trump justified his decision with his “excellent relationship” with DPRK leader Kim Jong-un and expressed dissatisfaction with the huge financial costs to the US treasury.
The American leader stressed on the social network Truth Social that conducting large-scale simulations hours before their planned start sends an “inappropriate and hostile signal” to Pyongyang. Trump added an additional reason for his decision, criticizing South Korean President Lee Jae-myung for Seoul's refusal to cooperate with Washington on the issue of Iran's nuclear disarmament.
Experts quoted by The New York Times warn that this move undermines the security of allies at a time when North Korean troops are already gaining real combat experience fighting on the side of Russia.
Pyongyang and Moscow cement their military alliance
While Washington makes concessions, North Korea openly demonstrates the deepening of its strategic ties with the Kremlin. In an official message to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of Korean Liberation Day, Kim Jong-un confirmed the transition of bilateral relations to “invincible friendship” and common struggle, reports Yonhap News Agency.
The Russian head of state also emphasized the unprecedented strategic cooperation between the two countries, based on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty concluded between them. The enhanced coordination includes the transfer of Russian military technology and financial assistance in exchange for sending North Korean ammunition and manpower to the front.
Ex-CIA Director Calls for NATO “Red Lines“
Amid the Russian-Korean rapprochement and hybrid threats in Eastern Europe, former CIA Director David Petraeus has called on the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) to immediately draw clear and firm “red lines“ against the aggressive actions of the Russian Federation, international observers note based on data from analytical reports from Russia Matters and the reports of GLOBSEC for hybrid warfare.
According to experts from the intelligence community, if NATO does not set firm limits against the increasing provocations, sabotage of critical infrastructure and violations of the pact's airspace, the Kremlin will continue to test the Alliance's collective defense with the risk of a direct collision until the end of the decade.
„Trump's last loyal electorate“ according to The Atlantic
Domestic political processes in the United States are also escalating. The authoritative American magazine The Atlantic has released an analysis examining which groups remain firmly behind the current White House administration, while the general public and younger voters are starting to progressively move away from the president.
The publication defines Trump's "last loyal electorate" as primarily the more radical economic and corporate structures that profit directly from the administration's deregulation and weakening of financial controls, often at the expense of honest business. According to the media analysts, it is this narrow circle of beneficiaries that remains the core of support for Trump, while traditional voters in key states feel economic pressure from inflation and foreign policy adventures.