For the first time, major nations in the Group of Seven are promising to recognize an independent Palestinian state. What does that mean for Israel and the Middle East? Our main story shows where this betrayal of Israel by some of its former allies is leading.

Receive a free news briefing in your inbox each weekday—the Trumpet Brief.

Donald Trump will meet with Vladimir Putin next week before hosting a three-way meeting including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The New York Times reported that Mr. Trump briefed European leaders of his plan. The Kremlin confirmed that U.S. and Russian leaders will meet in “the coming days.” But it did not reference a meeting with Zelenskyy.

“Ukraine is not afraid of meetings and expects the same brave approach from the Russian side,” Zelenskyy posted. “It is time we ended the war.”

It comes after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff talked to Putin for three hours yesterday. The Polish news outlet Onet reported that the U.S. is pushing a new proposal:

• Russia and Ukraine would agree to a ceasefire, not a permanent peace.
• The U.S. would recognize Russia’s control over the parts of Ukraine it has conquered, but only temporarily, around 50 to 100 years.
• Most sanctions on Russia would be lifted.

President Trump has proven that he’s not totally naïve when talking to world leaders. But he does have a dangerous belief that he “can solve anything”—as he told India and Pakistan when offering to help their dispute.

This is especially dangerous when talking to someone as subtle and ruthless as Putin.

“This is a man with beastly power and with a beastly desire to rule the world!” wrote Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry. He continued:

He is a vengeful, monstrous friend of the devil with all sorts of anti-God policies. He is steeped in secrecy, deception, manipulation, aggression, intimidation, coercion and force, and there is far more about him that we do not know. …

The closer our president and our nation gets to Putin, the further it gets from what is good and what is right—the further it gets from God! That is deadly dangerous!

Putin will stay true to his character and prey on President Trump and America as he has preyed on others.

Even meeting with a man like that is dangerous. We all want peace in Ukraine. But Putin will scheme to get a peace that sets him up to win the next war. No lasting peace can come from a deal with the devil. See Mr. Flurry’s article “Should Donald Trump Trust Vladimir Putin?” for more.

Germany’s largest arms manufacturer, Rheinmetall, reported record profits during the first six months of 2025. They’re up 18 percent, from €404 million to €475 million. Consolidated sales rose by 24 percent to €4.7 billion. Rheinmetall has orders worth €63 billion waiting to be processed. At the same time, Rheinmetall’s automotive business declined—making clear that this boost comes from weapons.

One of those orders is a €770 million contract from the German government for over 1,000 logistics vehicles, announced Monday. Our In Brief on the subject has more.

“We are working hard to further increase sales massively and are investing in many European countries to create new capacity,” said CEO Armin Papperger. “We are building new plants, expanding existing ones, and have also converted sites from civilian to military production.”

Rheinmetall’s plans include inaugurating Europe’s largest ammunition factory in Lower Saxony and expanding the production of military vehicles in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The company also plans to expand to the maritime sector in the future. “I believe that we are in a position to create a large business in the maritime sector as well—and we will invest there,” Papperger noted.

Despite these profits, Rheinmetall fell behind expectations. Reported sales of €2.43 billion (US$2.8 billion) during the second quarter were below the forecasted €2.53 billion. As a result, shares dropped 5 percent on Thursday. The company cited delays in German defense contract awards as the cause and said it expects a flood of orders in the second half of the year.

As the German government makes it easier for the military to overcome bureaucratic hurdles, we can expect Rheinmetall’s business to further boom.

Rheinmetall is a prime example of Germany’s past resurfacing. As Mr. Flurry wrote in “Rising From the Underground”:

In 1944, the SS leadership directed Rheinmetall and others to go underground again. The minutes of the meeting were kept classified until 1996—and even then the media largely ignored them. But Rheinmetall followed these orders and is now rising from the underground!

“Kings of the east” share the waters: The navies of Russia and China are preparing to begin collaborative patrols in the Asia-Pacific, the press service of Russia’s Pacific Fleet said Wednesday. The announcement comes only one day after the two navies conducted joint naval drills in the Sea of Japan. It’s the latest sign of deepening military cooperation between the two Asian giants. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, its relationship with China has grown stunningly strong.

• The two have conducted numerous joint land, sea and air drills, including “Vostok,” “Zapad,” “Tsentr” and “Sibu.” These build interoperability, enabling Russia and China to make war together.
• Russian and Chinese bombers have flown several joint air patrols over locations such as the East China Sea, Sea of Japan and South Korea’s Air Defense Identification Zone.
• The two have collaborated in a military buildup in the Arctic, aiming to assert control over its shipping lanes and tap into the region’s vast resources.
• China has bought the majority of Russia’s oil exports to help it evade Western sanctions and keep funding the war.
• China has sold great quantities of militarily useful equipment to support Russia’s invasion, including lethal aid.

The Bible prophesies of a colossal Asian army to arise, with Russia at the head and China as the secondary power. Our article “Why the Trumpet Watches Russia Allying With China” explains these prophecies in detail.

IN OTHER NEWS

Germany’s ruling Union party is slipping in the polls, now tied with the far-right AfD at 25 percent. A major source of public backlash has been the Christian Democratic Union’s recent proposal urging Germans to “work more and longer,” as stated by Economic Minister Katherina Reiche in a late July interview. This suggestion has sparked widespread opposition—81 percent of the population rejects raising the retirement age to 70. As political discontent grows, Germany’s democracy is in jeopardy. Bible prophecy, particularly in the book of Revelation, shows that a powerful dictatorship will emerge out of instability—reminiscent of those that shaped Europe’s past.

Hamas is still able to pay its salaries, the BBC reported yesterday. Tens of thousands of employees receive 20 percent of their prewar salaries. The BBC cited a “senior Hamas employee” who said that “the group had stockpiled approximately $700 million in cash and hundreds of millions of shekels in underground tunnels prior to the group’s deadly 7 October 2023 attack.” Even with most of Gaza occupied by Israel, Hamas still commands an economy and a government structure in Gaza. Hamas is surviving the war.

Two “influencers” have been targeting Orthodox Jews in Manchester, England, with water pistols and uploading the footage onto social media. The holders of the relevant Instagram account claimed to the Jewish Chronicle the videos were meant to be “lighthearted and humorous.” The Greater Manchester Police are investigating the matter. Targeting people of a certain minority generally isn’t considered “lighthearted”—unless, it seems, if that minority is Jews. Our article “The One Minority Society Loves to Hate” examines the subject in depth.

The two most populous nations are mending fences, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to visit China later this month. It will be his first since the Galwan clashes of 2020 severely strained India-China relations. The visit will follow a landmark meeting between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in October in Russia that signaled the beginning of improved ties. Modi’s visit will come as President Trump increases pressure on India due to its ongoing purchases of Russian oil. As American pressure increases, India is prioritizing its relationship with Russia and China. Chapter 4 of our free booklet Russia and China in Prophecy explains why we believe India will become a key member of the rising “kings of the east” alliance.