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U.S. envoy arrives in Moscow as new sanctions and weapons sales loom

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Monday, where he was received by Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and the Kremlin’s chief negotiator with Washington. He is now in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This comes at a time when U.S. pressure on Russia is ratcheting up. According to U.S. Ambassador to NATO Mathew Whitaker, the United States will impose new sanctions on major purchasers of Russian oil, including China, India, and Brazil. The measures are expected to target financial intermediaries and shipping firms involved in circumventing the current price cap mechanism.

In parallel, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark announced a joint contribution of $500 million to a NATO-administered fund to facilitate the transfer of U.S. weapons to Ukraine. The fund will finance advanced systems such as Patriot missile batteries and associated logistics.

The U.S. government has also approved two potential military sales to Ukraine, with a combined value of $203.5 million. The packages include transportation services and sustainment support for M777 howitzers, which remain a key part of Ukraine’s artillery arsenal.

The ball is now in Russia’s court. It needs to show that it is serious in making concessions that could lead to an end to the war. While it is making slow progress on the battlefield, its economy is teetering on the edge of collapse, and American crackdowns on the sale of Russian oil could seriously threaten Russia’s ability to continue to conduct the war. President Trump has staked much of his personal prestige on ending this conflict one way or the other.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shows little desire to compromise on his stated intent to see a full Russian withdrawal from Ukrainian territory. U.S. pressure on Ukraine earlier in the year did not produce compromise, and now we will be able to see if U.S. pressure on Russia brings better results. Witkoff has a hard job ahead of him.

Move fast and break things

House Oversight Committee subpoenas Clinton, Comey, Garland & others

The House Oversight Committee has issued a sweeping set of subpoenas compelling testimony from several high-ranking former officials across multiple administrations. The move signals a significant escalation in the Committee’s inquiry into what Republican lawmakers describe as a “pattern of politicization and selective enforcement” within the U.S. Department of Justice and related agencies.

The individuals subpoenaed are required to appear for depositions according to the following schedule:

Although the Committee has not publicly released the full scope of the inquiry, aides close to the investigation suggest that the depositions will focus on a range of matters, including the handling of politically sensitive investigations, alleged intelligence abuses, and coordination between federal law enforcement and private sector actors.

Democrats on the Committee have dismissed the effort as politically motivated and lacking clear legislative purpose, arguing that it revisits settled investigations in a bid to distract from ongoing probes into President Donald Trump’s administration and campaign activities.

How the subpoenaed individuals will respond remains uncertain. Several are expected to challenge the summons on legal or constitutional grounds, potentially setting up a high-stakes clash between congressional investigators and some of the most prominent political figures of the past three decades.

Birth pangs in the birthplace of civilization

Israeli leaders divided on the scope of Gaza campaign

Israeli media are consistently reporting that the country’s political leadership favors a full takeover of Gaza and that agreement was reached on this in yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, in contrast to the position of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which is more cautious.

However, despite his tough talk, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears inclined to adopt the IDF’s proposal to seize control of Gaza City, without necessarily pursuing a complete occupation of the Strip. This would mean a more operationally focused campaign centered on Gaza City rather than a full takeover of the entire coastal enclave.

According to IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, limited operations are preferable to a full-scale takeover. They would likely result in fewer Israeli casualties and avoid the need to exert direct control over more than 2 million Palestinians.

American officials have also weighed in privately, urging restraint and emphasizing the need to avoid scenarios that could ignite a broader regional conflict. Egypt and Qatar, meanwhile, continue to mediate intermittent ceasefire talks, though little tangible progress has been made in the past few months.

Lebanese government delays Hezbollah decision but signals disarmament plan

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam addressed the nation following the conclusion of a Cabinet session on Monday. The meeting had been convened specifically to deliberate on the disarmament of Hezbollah but postponed discussion of that issue until the end. The resulting communiqué struck an optimistic tone but offered few concrete details.

Reading aloud the Cabinet’s conclusions on restricting the possession of weapons to state authorities, Salam said:

“I will inform you what the Council of Ministers has delivered to me regarding the first item on its agenda, which concerns the continued expansion of state authority across all national territory through its own forces. The decision is as follows:

After the Council of Ministers reviewed the recommendations presented by the United States of America via U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack, entitled 'Extending and Enforcing the Declaration of Cessation of Hostilities' of November 2024 to support a durable and comprehensive solution, and the amendments introduced at the request of Lebanese officials,

The Council of Ministers decided the following:

To continue discussions regarding the proposal submitted by the United States on Thursday, the 7th of the current month (tomorrow).

To assign the Lebanese Army the task of drafting a plan to monopolize the possession of arms before the end of the year, restricting it solely to the agencies specified in the declaration on the cessation of hostilities. This plan is to be submitted to the Council of Ministers before the 31st of the current month, for review and approval.”

In a symbolic but pointed gesture, the Lebanese government also announced a decision to rename a prominent road leading to Beirut’s international airport. The road, previously named after former Syrian President Hafez Assad, will be renamed after Ziad Rahbani, the late Lebanese musician, playwright, composer, and political activist. Assad, a longtime patron of Hezbollah, oversaw Syria’s military occupation of Lebanon during its civil war.

On the same day, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Naim Qassem, rejected any new agreement between the Lebanese state and Israel that would exceed the terms already established on the group’s disarmament.

“We will not accept any timetable that does not begin with the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a halt to its strikes on Lebanon,” Qassem said in a recorded address. “We cannot accept disarmament without dialogue with us. The United States has imposed dictates aimed at stripping Lebanon, the resistance, and the people of their strength, entirely in Israel’s interest.” He added that if Israel were to launch a broader war on Lebanon, rockets would again fall on Israeli territory.

America First

Canada hails productive talks with Mexico as U.S. tariff threats loom

During a high-level visit to Mexico City on 5 August, Canada’s Finance Minister François‑Philippe Champagne and Foreign Minister Anita Anand met with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and senior members of her economic team. The Canadian delegation described the discussions as “productive and forward-looking,” reflecting shared concerns over looming U.S. tariff measures and the need for greater continental coordination.

Talks focused on reinforcing trilateral economic cooperation under the framework of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

The meetings come at a time of growing uncertainty in North America’s trade architecture. The administration of President Donald Trump has issued a fresh round of tariff threats targeting Mexican exports, citing alleged violations of trade provisions and national security concerns.

Canadian officials, meanwhile, emphasized the importance of avoiding protectionist escalations, warning that trade disruption would undermine regional competitiveness in key sectors such as manufacturing, energy, and agri-food. The joint statement released after the meetings reaffirmed Canada and Mexico’s commitment to multilateralism, economic stability, and democratic governance.

President Sheinbaum, who has sought to project continuity in economic policy since taking office, welcomed Canada’s overtures and described the bilateral relationship as “essential to the long-term prosperity of the continent.” Mexican sources indicated that a follow-up meeting is planned for September in Ottawa, where a more detailed memorandum of understanding is expected to be signed.

The visit also coincided with the announcement of a new bilateral working group on port modernization and digital customs, aimed at reducing congestion and increasing transparency at major maritime entry points, including Veracruz and Vancouver.

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