Script Flipped

Closed Polish-Belarusian border crossing in Terespol, Poland, on Sept. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafal Niedzielski)

Greetings from Ukraine.

First, a little personal news. I’ve heard from some of you who preordered my book, “Lessons From the Front,” that you’ve received notice from Amazon that the book’s release date has changed. That is true, and I can confirm the book will now hit shelves Dec. 11, as opposed to Oct. 30.

It’s all good news, I promise. There are some exciting developments and big endorsements coming down for the book, and this date will give it a better opportunity to shine. Thank you all for your patience on this project I’ve pecked away at for the last two and a half years. For those still looking to preorder, you can place your order through Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Bloomsbury.

UN Security Council meets after Russia drone incursion into Poland >

Now, on to the foreign affairs of the day.

Obviously, the headlines out of Utah regarding the Charlie Kirk assassination are dominant. That said, this is a highly significant week here in Ukraine. 

For weeks, European leaders have been calling on the West, including the United States, to up its sanctions on Russia, including targeting Russian oil and hitting major trade partners like China.

President Donald Trump, in a Truth Social post, said this weekend: “I am ready to do major Sanctions on Russia when all NATO Nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all NATO Nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA. As you know, NATO’S commitment to WIN has been far less than 100%, and the purchase of Russian Oil, by some, has been shocking! It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia. Anyway, I am ready to “go” when you are. Just say when?”

The script has effectively been flipped, with the ball in Europe’s court to wean down its reliance on Russian oil. 

Ukraine is certainly set to be front and center this week as Trump travels to Britain for his state visit with King Charles. Trump is also expected to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday. Naturally, all these conversations about sanctions and pushing Russia toward a ceasefire are expected to come up, given how much of a top priority it is for European nations.

On the ground here in Ukraine, tensions remain high. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Russian drones penetrated Romanian airspace over the weekend, causing NATO jets to be scrambled again. This comes on the heels of an incident in Poland, in which NATO forces fired their first shots of the war in Ukraine to down those drones over Polish soil. 

The envelope is certainly being pushed, and Zelenskyy has claimed the acts were intentional. “The Russian military knows exactly where their drones are headed and how long they can operate in the air,” he said. “Their routes are always calculated. This cannot be a coincidence, a mistake, or the initiative of some lower-level commanders. It is an obvious expansion of the war by Russia — and this is exactly how they act. Small steps at first, and eventually big losses.”

Ukrainian drones strike one of Russia’s top oil refineries, sparking fire >

Overnight, Russia fired three missiles and an additional 84 drones at Ukraine, keeping the pressure on. Over the weekend, many major top diplomats — including Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg — were in Ukraine for the Yalta European Strategy conference.

NATO is making a push to bolster its presence in Eastern Europe, particularly Poland, and upgrade its defense capabilities. A reminder: the United States has troops on the ground in Poland as part of NATO’s line of defense.

We’ll be monitoring the situation closely in the U.K. and here in Ukraine throughout the week.