Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mongolia’s second ousted premier in just four months, and military purges in China.

Seeking U.S. Tomahawks

Hoping to capitalize on the momentum of last week’s U.S.-brokered Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal, U.S. President Donald Trump is turning his attention back to the Russia-Ukraine war. On Friday, he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House to discuss next steps to bringing lasting peace to the region.

Securing more weapons was at the top of Zelensky’s agenda. In particular, Ukraine is seeking to purchase long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States. According to Zelensky, these weapons are needed to target key military sites, energy facilities, and other critical infrastructure deep inside Russian territory in order to push Russian President Vladimir Putin to engage in direct negotiations.

Initially, the White House appeared to be considering such a deal, particularly after Trump and Zelensky met last month to discuss the battlefield’s status. At the time, Trump announced that he believed Kyiv could win back all of its Russian-occupied territory, a dramatic rhetorical about-face from his previous stance that Ukraine must make territorial concessions to end the war.

But on Thursday, after Trump held a lengthy phone call with Putin, the U.S. president seemed less enthusiastic about giving Kyiv the missiles. “We need Tomahawks for the United States of America too,” Trump said. “We have a lot of them, but we need them. I mean, we can’t deplete our country.” He went on to describe the Tomahawk as “a vicious, offensive, incredibly destructive weapon” and noted that Putin did not want the United States to give the missiles to Ukraine.

According to Russian foreign-policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, Putin had warned Trump that allowing Ukraine to purchase U.S. Tomahawks “won’t change the situation on the battlefield but would cause substantial damage to the relationship between our countries.” Similar threats have worked on the U.S. president before. Trump has repeatedly delayed imposing any new sanctions on Moscow to avoid angering the Kremlin and scuppering the chance for a peace deal.

To counter Trump’s reluctance, Zelensky is expected to offer Trump several potential deals. That includes one in which, in exchange for Washington supplying Tomahawks to Ukraine, Kyiv would give the United States new Ukrainian-made drones—even as drones have become essential to Ukraine’s battle strategy. If that doesn’t work, Zelensky may offer to house U.S. liquified natural gas in Ukrainian storage facilities, which would allow the United States to have a presence in the lucrative European energy market.

Zelensky, asked by a reporter at a press conference if he was more or less optimistic about getting the Tomahawks following his meeting with Trump, answered: “I’m realistic.”

Even if Trump agrees to sell the missiles to Ukraine, though, it will likely still be difficult for Kyiv or its European backers to find the money to purchase them. Just one Tomahawk costs as much as $2.5 million. And although Ukraine can now benefit from NATO’s new fast-track procurement system, which allows European nations to buy U.S. weapons for Ukraine’s use, such a price tag may still prove to be too costly.

Yet, hopes remain high that Trump’s renewed focus on peacemaking may help bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Friday’s meeting was Trump and Zelensky’s fourth face-to-face discussion since Trump returned to office in January. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet with senior Moscow aides next week to arrange a meeting between Trump and Putin in Budapest, Hungary.

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What We’re Following

Party shake-up. Mongolian lawmakers passed a resolution on Friday effectively ousting Prime Minister Zandanshatar Gombojav from power after they agreed to accept the resignation of his chief rival, parliamentary speaker Amarbayasgalan Dashzegve, the day before. Zandanshatar’s removal marks a rare power struggle within the ruling Mongolian People’s Party, which both individuals are members of.

Zandanshatar’s feud with Amarbayasgalan began four months ago, when the prime minister accused the speaker of involvement with corruption in the coal mining industry. Zandanshatar reiterated these allegations, along with praise for his own efforts to raise salaries for teachers and doctors, ahead of the parliament’s vote on Friday. Amarbayasgalan, meanwhile, asked to resign on Thursday in an effort to restore his honor.

It is unclear who will serve as Zandanshatar’s replacement until a new prime minister can be elected; Zandanshatar was only named premier in June. Among the grounds cited for Zandanshatar’s removal were his efforts to bypass parliament to appoint a new justice minister and a possible loss in state revenue over a change in government royalties for the country’s coal and iron ore.

Military crackdown. Chinese President Xi Jinping has purged his second-most senior general, Gen. He Weidong; Navy Adm. Miao Hua; and seven other high-ranking military commanders as part of an ongoing crackdown on the country’s armed forces, a Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson confirmed on Friday.

Xi has previously targeted officials whom he believes are guilty of corruption or disloyalty. “The military is one of few possible alternate power bases to the CCP [Chinese Communist Party], to the extent that it is separate from the party at all,” FP’s James Palmer wrote in China Brief during another major dismissal in December 2024. “But the military is also genuinely corrupt—a problem that repeated purges haven’t solved.”

All nine commanders removed will face court martial. Gen. He, specifically, was dismissed for alleged “severe violations of party discipline” and “serious duty-related crimes” involving large sums of money. The 68-year-old is the first incumbent vice chair of the Central Military Commission to be removed in nearly 40 years, and he is the most senior active-duty officer who Xi has ever ousted. Gen. He hasn’t been seen publicly since March.

New man in charge. Madagascar’s military coup leader, Col. Michael Randrianirina, was sworn in on Friday as the nation’s new president to the raucous cheers of many of the same young people who participated in a weekslong movement against now-ousted President Andry Rajoelina.

“Today marks a historic turning point for our country,” Randrianirina said. “With a people in full fervor, driven by the desire for change … we joyfully open a new chapter in the life of our nation.”

Anti-government demonstrations began last month, with thousands of young people protesting water and power shortages as well as alleged government corruption. On Tuesday, these protests came to a head with the impeachment of Rajoelina and the subsequent military takeover of the country; Rajoelina has since fled Madagascar and has refused to step down while in exile. The United Nations and African Union have denounced the military coup.

However, such foreign condemnation has not scared off Randrianirina. He has vowed to organize new elections after two years of military rule. In the interim, a military-led committee will govern Madagascar alongside a transitional government.

But FP’s Africa Brief writer, Nosmot Gbadamosi, warns that such promises appear weak: “The military is already indicating that it may follow a now-perfected African coup playbook by promising institutional reforms and a national referendum to establish a new constitution—key tools that military leaders in Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Mali, and Niger have used to delay elections and legitimize their power.”

What in the World?

Which action occurred on Monday as part of the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas?

A. Hostages and prisoners were exchanged
B. Hamas disarmed and began leaving the Gaza Strip
C. Israel allowed unfettered humanitarian aid to enter Gaza
D. A technocratic government council was appointed

Odds and Ends

It’s a case of the missing artwork. Spanish authorities confirmed on Friday that they are investigating the disappearance of Pablo Picasso’s 1919 “Still Life with Guitar,” which vanished while in transit from Madrid to Granada. While the painting measures at just 5 inches tall, the gouache work is insured for an estimated $700,000. Picasso’s masterpieces have been the target of several major art thefts in recent years, though it is still unclear if thieves were behind this piece’s disappearance.

And the Answer Is…

A. Hostages and prisoners were exchanged

U.S. President Donald Trump was in Israel that day to address the Knesset and make clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that this cease-fire will last, FP’s Keith Johnson reports.

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