New North Korea Solution Emerges: A Down Payment on Denuclearization
Alastair Gale | Wall Street Journal
A partial surrender of nuclear arms and missiles by North Korea could help break a deadlock between Washington and Pyongyang over how to begin the process of denuclearization, under a solution proposed by a senior U.S. official and an adviser to the South Korean president. The idea is intended to bridge a gap between the U.S. position that North Korea denuclearize before it receives economic benefits and Pyongyang’s desire for a phased process with each side making concessions in stages.
Trump Faces North Korean Dilemma After Bolton Infuriates Pyongyang
Julian Borger | Guardian
North Korea’s denunciation of John Bolton has forced Donald Trump to decide whether to stick with his national security adviser and his hardline tactics, or push ahead with a summit with Kim Jong-un that will provide historic spectacle but an uncertain outcome.
EU Sets Course For US Clash With Law Blocking Iran Sanctions
Patrick Wintour and Daniel Boffey | Guardian
The EU has put itself on a collision course with the US over Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal with Iran, as major European firms started to pull out of the country to avoid being hit by sanctions.
Putin Says New Russian Missiles, Bombers To Be Deployed This Year
Radio Free Europe / RadioLiberty
Russian President Vladimir Putin has touted new weapons that he says are ready for deployment, stating that they will significantly increase Russia's military capabilities and “ensure a strategic balance for decades.” Putin was speaking at a meeting with Russian defense officials in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi on May 15. As relations between the West and Russia have plummeted to post-Cold War lows, Putin has maintained that he does not want an arms race, but at the same time he has warned that his country is developing a new generation of weapons that he has described as "invincible" and unmatched by foreign rivals.
US Intelligence Reports: Russia’s New Hypersonic Weapon Will Likely Be Ready For War By 2020
Amanda Macias | CNBC
Russia has successfully tested a hypersonic weapon the United States is currently unable to defend against, according to sources with direct knowledge of U.S. intelligence reports. The Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle is expected to enter Russia's arsenal by 2020. The weapon could be outfitted with a nuclear warhead but would be able to create destruction even without explosives.
North Korea Has Begun Dismantlement Of The Punggye-Ri Nuclear Test Site
Frank V. Pabian, Joesph S. Bermudez Jr., and Jack Liu | 38 North
After initial reporting of plans to allow experts and media personnel to observe the closing of North Korea’s Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site, now scheduled for next week, commercial satellite imagery from May 7 provided the first definitive evidence that dismantlement of the test site was already well underway.