President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin arrive for a joint press conference at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, in August. Photo by Jae C. Hong / The Associated Press

On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump renamed the Department of Defence back to the Department of War, the title it bore until 1947. He framed it as “a message of strength,” but the gesture coincided with a week of dangerous escalation. A European Union delegation narrowly escaped with their lives after the navigation system on their plane was disrupted, likely by Russia , China paraded missiles through the streets of Beijing and Russian President Vladimir Putin unleashed the largest assault on Ukraine since 2022, striking Kyiv’s government district.

The Kremlin’s message was clear:

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