Trump decries ‘stupid' Republicans as Epstein row grows
After days of struggling to brush off what he now claims is a Democratic hoax, Trump took his most combative
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NZ Herald
7 hours ago
- NZ Herald
With an uncertain future weapons supply from other countries, Ukraine shifts to building its own
United States President Donald Trump's inconsistent support for Ukraine has called into question the continued backing of the US, Kyiv's biggest arms supplier. The Trump Administration recently paused some arms transfers but then reversed course, agreeing to sell weapons to European allies, which will then give them to Ukraine. But even with greater certainty about the flow of Western weapons, it still does not match what Ukraine needs to fend off the Russian invasion. That reality has produced a fundamental shift in Ukraine's appeals to its Western allies. Rather than pleading primarily for arms, as it did early in the war, Ukraine is increasingly asking for the money to build its own weapons. The effort involves an array of both private and government-owned firms involved in making vehicles, engines, electronics, weapons, and ammunition. At the start of the war in 2022, Ukraine relied mostly on artillery, shells, and machine guns donated by Western partners. Now, it produces about 40% of the weapons used at the front, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and it is looking to increase that amount sharply. The most striking example of this growing self-reliance is the use of drones, now omnipresent on the battlefield and produced almost entirely in Ukraine. 'This does not bring peace of mind, but it does provide greater moral confidence that we will not be left empty-handed,' Zelenskyy said in February of Ukraine's booming defence industry. To further increase production, Ukraine needs more money, which it sorely lacks. Olena Bilousova, a defence industry expert at the Kyiv School of Economics, said Ukraine had the industrial capacity to produce US$35 billion ($58.6b) worth of military equipment annually, but was producing only up to about US$15b, and was unable to afford more. 'The funding issue is a bottleneck for our defence industry,' Bilousova said in an interview. An employee works on a vehicle at a Ukrainian Armour factory in central Ukraine. Photo / Brendan Hoffman, the New York Times Growing self-reliance - About 40% of weapons used at the front are made in Ukraine. - The drones it uses are produced almost entirely in Ukraine. - Ukraine produces more artillery systems each month than all European countries combined. - It is said to be fully self-reliant for both mortar launchers and shells. Employees work on building mortar launchers at a Ukrainian Armour factory in central Ukraine. Photo / Brendan Hoffman, the New York Times Adding to the pressure to produce more weapons is Russia's own war machinery, which has expanded greatly during the war. Russia's defence budget this year is at least US$150b, about three times as large as Ukraine's. Russia now produces three times as much ammunition in three months as all of Nato does in a year, Mark Rutte, the alliance's secretary-general, said in a recent interview. The imbalance in arms production has given Russia an overwhelming firepower advantage on the battlefield, even in domains such as drones that Ukraine once dominated. Ukrainian soldiers defending the embattled city of Kostiantynivka in the east say Russian attack drones monitor the battlefield day and night, targeting anything that moves. Graffiti left on the bombed-out train station in Kostiantynivka tells the mood. Partly erased where the station wall was blown apart, the words, in English, can still be made out: 'Not asking too much. We just need artillery shells and aviation. Rest we do ourselves.' Unable to match enemy fire, Ukraine is forced to adapt. Using feedback from soldiers on the ground, Ukrainian Armour has started producing vehicles designed specifically to evade drones on the battlefield, including a light buggy capable of racing up to 145km/h to outrun drones. Its construction is bare-bones: an open-topped metal frame, suspension, two seats — and no speedometer. 'Why would you need one?' Belbas said with a smile, as he toured the factory. The New York Times agreed not to disclose the factory's precise location because Russia routinely targets weapons-production sites in Ukraine. Ukrainian Armour also makes a large, unmanned carrier that shows the growing robotisation of the battlefield. It is, in effect, a drone mother ship, designed to transport smaller remote-controlled vehicles to the front. The smaller drones, in turn, deliver food and ammunition to combat positions, while the carrier serves as a relay station for signal transmission. Belbas said robotic vehicles were designed to save the lives of Ukraine's limited number of soldiers, sparing them from risky missions such as resupplying troops at the front. 'Also, it's about money,' he acknowledged. The Ukrainian government pays 15 million hryvnia (about US$360,000) in compensation to the family of each soldier who is killed. Producing a vehicle like this is 'five times cheaper,' Belbas said. The Novator, an armoured vehicle manufactured by Ukrainian Armour. Photo / Brendan Hoffman, the New York Times These innovations make up only a small share of the company's output. Most of its production remains focused on battlefield staples such as mortars — weapons that are reliable in all weather conditions, unlike drones. 'The mortars are like the undying classic weapons,' Belbas said as he stepped into a warehouse lined with mortars mounted on two-wheeled chassis. Last year, the company produced about 1000 mortars, roughly double the previous year's output. Early in the war, Ukrainian troops used Caesar self-propelled howitzers — big cannons mounted on heavy trucks — to pound Russian positions. Now, they have largely turned to a homegrown alternative, the Bohdana, producing nearly 20 units a month, Ukrainian officials say. Bilousova, the defence industry expert, said Ukraine now produces more artillery systems each month than all European countries combined. As for mortars, Belbas estimated that Ukraine has been fully self-reliant for both launchers and shells since last year. It is a turnaround from the start of the war, when nearly all mortar shells were imported. Kyiv has also initiated plans to develop more advanced weapons such as air-defence systems — the type of munitions that were the subject of the Trump Administration's recent flip-flop. (Trump said he did not know who had paused the weapons delivery.) These sophisticated systems are expensive to develop and build, and Kyiv cannot afford to do so on its own. Belbas said contracts with the Ukrainian Defence Ministry to produce more mortars, a far more basic weapon, went unfulfilled because of a lack of funding. To broaden its options, Kyiv recently began a new initiative, inviting its allies to host production facilities within their borders for Ukrainian weapons-makers. Under this model, Ukraine would provide the expertise, while Western partners would provide money and production sites out of reach of Russian strikes. Denmark was the first country to officially endorse the plan, in early July, and Zelenskyy said that 'more such agreements will follow'. Facing the twin threats of Russian expansionism and a diminished US commitment to Nato, Europe is also ramping up military spending and weapons production. Ukrainian officials hope that will mean leaning on Ukraine's hard-won expertise to help rearm the continent. 'Ukraine needs investment. You need skills, you need technology,' Zelenskyy told Western allies this month in Rome. 'And everything we are building now to protect Ukraine will also help protect you.' This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Written by: Constant Méheut Photographs by: Brendan Hoffman ©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES
RNZ News
8 hours ago
- RNZ News
More turns in Trump's handling of Epstein case
United State correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Melissa Chan-Green about a number of developments concerning Donald Trump's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case, as well as the number of people reported missing after the Texas floods droppping significantly. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
NZ Herald
9 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Analysis: As the Maga world focuses on the Epstein case, Trump seeks to focus on anything else
They included a woman snatching an approaching snake from the grass, a car sliding under a truck barrelling along a highway, and no fewer than four people doing tricks on motorcycles and jet skis. Today, Gabbard added another item to the list - announcing the release of hundreds of thousands of documents related to the 1968 assassination of the Rev Martin Luther King jnr. The through-line connecting those disparate posts? They have nothing to do with the political problem that has dogged Trump for weeks - the 2019 death of Jeffrey Epstein. As the controversy over Epstein, the wealthy financier and sex offender, has refused to dissipate, Trump and those closest to him have tried repeatedly to divert attention to other subjects, with limited success. Republican strategist Alex Conant said the Epstein episode has called into question Trump's ability to evade electoral consequences of actions that would kneecap other politicians. 'Nobody turns the page better than Donald Trump,' Conant said. 'His entire first term was constantly changing narratives. We lost track of all the dramas because he's always adding a new one to distract from the previous ones. 'This is different because he's in a real fight with his base. Normally his base helps change the topic by latching on to a new outrage. 'But now he's in a fight with his base, and the Democrats and the mainstream media are more than happy to fan those flames,' Conant said. The fight started because many of Trump's loyal supporters were angered that the Administration was refusing to follow through on promises to release more details about the Epstein case. The politically connected multimillionaire, who died in 2019, has been the subject of years of elaborate conspiracy theories, many of them fanned by people who now hold senior positions in Trump's Administration, including FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino. Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges in Florida of soliciting a minor for prostitution. He was indicted on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019 and died in jail later that year while awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide, though some prominent Trump supporters questioned that and alleged, without evidence, that he had been killed to protect rich and powerful friends who may have also been involved in his abuse of young girls. During an interview on Fox News in March, Attorney-General Pam Bondi said she would be releasing 'truckloads' of new information about Epstein. Instead, the Justice Department released a memo this month saying it had conducted an 'exhaustive review' and found no evidence of an 'incriminating 'client list'' or anything else that warranted public release. That set off an apoplectic response from some in Trump's base, which the Administration has spent two weeks trying to tamp down. Trump has questioned why his supporters had not moved on to more important topics, even suggesting that continued interest in the conspiracy theories benefitted Democrats. 'Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this 'bull****,' hook, line, and sinker,' Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social last week. 'They haven't learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years.' That and other efforts to change the subject have been so far unsuccessful, experts and observers say. Instead, new attention has focused on Trump's own well-documented friendship with Epstein, especially after a Wall Street Journal article about a salacious drawing Trump allegedly contributed to a 50th birthday present for the financier in 2003. Trump denied the story and has sued the Journal and its owner, Rupert Murdoch. By insisting that he is the victim of an unfair media attack, he has rallied some of his most prominent supporters around him. But polls show that large majorities of the public believe the Government is hiding facts about the Epstein case. As a result, the President whose ascent has been linked to a litany of unproven claims now finds his political power threatened by a conspiracy theory he can't shake. 'Donald Trump is the one who cast himself as the elite who doesn't side with the elites. He's the elite who sides with the people. He's going to drain the swamp,' said Russell Muirhead, a professor of democracy and politics at Dartmouth College and a Democratic state legislator from New Hampshire. 'But when he says, 'There's nothing to look at here. We're not going to release what the Justice Department has and forget about that list' … it looks like he's just another elite, corrupt like all the rest, and that impression will remain, to some extent, regardless of whether this particular story is at the top of people's attention.' The President has attempted to make some concessions on the issue, including an announcement last week shortly after the Wall Street Journal published its story that he had directed the Justice Department to petition the courts to release grand jury testimony related to Epstein. Today, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected claims that Trump is paying a political price for his handling of the Epstein case, noting that he enjoys high approval ratings among Republicans. 'The President is the leader and the creator of the Make America Great Again movement. It's his baby that he made and he knows what his supporters want,' she said during an impromptu news conference outside the White House, where nearly a quarter of the questions were about Epstein. 'It's transparency, and he has given them that on all accounts when it comes to everything his Administration has done.' Democrats, seeing an opening, have demanded that Epstein records be released and have blasted Republicans' at times conflicting stances on the issue. How quickly the public may move on from paying attention to the Epstein case might be determined to a greater degree by organic movement in the news cycle than any effort Trump makes, said Conant. 'It's hard to keep a story like this alive unless there's fresh oxygen. Part of why it's become such a big story is because Trump himself keeps talking about it,' he said. 'It's not a coincidence this is happening in the dog days of summer. There's no big legislative fight. There's no national crisis. Fast-forward two months and we're going to be facing a government shutdown. Time is on the President's side here.'
