Good morning — here’s your SOFREP Morning Brief for Tuesday, August 19, 2025. World leaders are maneuvering for peace as Trump and Zelenskyy reset ties with Europe behind them, aiming for direct talks with Putin. In Washington, Trump expands his federal crackdown with National Guard deployments as protests mount. Iraq begins exhuming a massive ISIS-era grave near Mosul, while the UN reports record aid worker deaths in 2024, nearly half in Gaza. Meanwhile, a ship carrying 1,200 tons of food aid nears Israel for Gaza, New Zealand convicts its first soldier of espionage, and Kim Jong Un unveils a nuclear-capable warship as US-South Korea drills get underway.

—Trump-Zelenskyy Reboot Talks with European Leaders, Push for Direct Meeting with Putin

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian Presid

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