Posted by BW Actual on Oct 22nd 2025
BLACKWATER USA | DAILY BRIEF
Ukraine
- Following a groundwork call between U.S. SecState Rubio and his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Lavrov, their respective bosses - Presidents Trump and Putin - shelved rumored plans to meet in Hungary in the coming weeks to discuss a Ukraine ceasefire.
- Both sides downplayed the change of plans and left the door open for a future meeting, so it doesn't sound like there was any drama involved.
- Rather, it appears Trump concluded it was going to be a "wasted meeting" after Lavrov conveyed to Rubio that Putin remains uninterested in negotiating a realistic truce.
- Ukraine and Russia then swapped missile and drone strikes.
Gaza
- Hamas returned the remains of two more deceased hostages, bringing the total returned to 15. That leaves 13 bodies unaccounted for. Hamas maintains that it’s doing its best to locate them under the rubble.
- • U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited Israel to reinforce the nascent U.S.-backed ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which appears to be holding.
- Like Pres. Trump - who trod the same path last week - Vance expressed optimism for the truce and said it required Hamas to disarm, but - also like Trump - Vance declined to declare a deadline for Hamas's disarmament.
Sudan
- The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continued its drone assault on Khartoum's airport, which was due to open today after 30 months of wartime closure.
- The RSF's drones caused minimal damage but appear to have delayed the airport's reopening - though the government has neither confirmed a delay nor announced a new reopening date yet.
- The RSF seems determined to frustrate efforts to reopen the capital's airport: RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (aka Hemedti) said that all airports serving military flights - as Khartoum's presumably would - are "legitimate targets," and vowed to continue striking them.