| | | |  | | By Adam Wren with Dasha Burns | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco On today’s Playbook Podcast, Adam Wren and Dasha Burns talk about the two gigantic meetings looming over the discourse today: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to President Donald Trump at the White House, and the continuing fallout from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Alaska visit.
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| Good morning, and happy Monday. I’m Adam Wren. Send me any news tips: awren@politico.com. In today’s Playbook … — Zelenskyy and Europe’s top leaders arrive in Washington ahead of today’s make-or-break meetings at the White House. Fiona Hill tells us what to watch. — The surge of National Guard troops is doing little to defuse the tensions in Washington. — California charges ahead with its partisan gerrymandering scheme.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to sit down in the Oval Office for critical diplomatic meetings on Monday. | Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo | OVAL OFFICE, ROUND TWO: By the time it was wheels-down in Washington for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last night, the ground had shifted underfoot. For all the chatter in recent weeks that President Donald Trump had come around to a fairly pro-Ukrainian perspective on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression against the country, a Truth Social post last night was a wake-up call. “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump said, putting the onus on Zelenskyy — not the invading Putin — to stop the bloodshed. There will be “no getting back” Crimea, and “NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE,” Trump continued. In a few hours, Zelenskyy will sit down in the Oval Office with Trump to begin perhaps the most important few hours of diplomatic meetings in the 1,272 days since the war began. It promises to be gripping. The run of the day, via POLITICO’s Jake Traylor:
- 12 p.m.: a cavalcade of European leaders arrive, including French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. PM Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
- 1 p.m.: Zelenskyy arrives and the press will see Trump greet him.
- 1:10 p.m.: we’re expecting an Oval Office press spray featuring Trump and Zelenskyy ahead of a bilateral meeting.
- 2:30 p.m.: we’ll see a “family photo” with Trump and European leaders.
- 3 p.m.: Trump, Zelenskyy and European leaders will meet in the East Room.
The last time Zelenskyy was in the Oval, a disastrous spectacle ensued. VP JD Vance upbraided him: “Have you said ‘thank you’ once?” (Vance will be involved in today’s meetings, a person familiar tells Playbook.) A TV personality from a pro-MAGA news outlet used a question during the press spray to complain that the Ukrainian was not wearing a suit and tie. Trump grew angry with Zelenskyy: “You’re gambling with World War III,” he admonished, his face flushed. Further meetings for the day were canceled. Zelenskyy departed Washington in a diplomatic stupor; European allies were left to try and clean up the mess. This time, the European leaders may be cleaning up another mess, if Trump’s Truth post last night is any indication: the residue left from Putin’s sales job during the Alaska summit on Friday. THE ALASKA SNOW JOB: In a somewhat counterintuitive way, Trump’s stated goal of peace may actually weaken his and Europe’s negotiating position with Russia, Fiona Hill tells Playbook. Trump has “absolutely made it 100 percent, 1,000 percent clear that that’s what he wants at whatever cost, and that’s a real problem, because Putin knows that this is Trump's goal,” Hill says. “And he can basically blame other people for being the obstacle to this, which is what he did in the press conference” after the Alaska meeting. Over the weekend, we spoke with Hill — the noted Putin expert, former deputy assistant to the president and senior director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council — to digest the latest and fast-moving diplomacy. Her assessment of the Trump-Putin summit was bleak. “Trump has completely ceded narrative control to Putin,” she told us. “What Ukraine is just basically getting as a concession is for the Russians to stop fighting. And this is Putin's way all the way through the 25 years of his presidency, which is: ‘I'm going to beat you up and my concession is that I stopped beating you up.’” Putin’s endgame: “It’s clear that Putin intends to take as much territory by force and kill as many Ukrainian forces and civilians as he can so that Ukraine is in an even weaker position when the time eventually comes to sit down,” Hill says. “Then Putin might decide to ‘bank’ his territorial gains, and bog the Europeans and U.S. down in peacemaking/keeping operations in support of … Ukraine, while he applies other forms of pressure to undermine Zelenskyy and Ukraine. Imagine the chaos he can sow in an enforced Ukrainian election as part of a peace deal. He will diminish Ukraine one way or another.” In a statement to Playbook, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly called Hill the “go-to Trump Deranged ‘expert’ on Russia.” “President Trump has done more to deliver peace in seven months than Joe Biden did in four years, and he looks forward to discussing a potential peace agreement with President Zelenskyy and European leaders tomorrow.”
| | | | A message from Comcast: Comcast is focused on connecting millions of Americans now and into the future. With $80B invested to expand broadband infrastructure in the U.S., Comcast is actively supporting the goal of bringing broadband to everyone, including rural communities across the country. Learn more. | | | | WHAT ELSE TO WATCH: Still, Hill says it’s possible that today turns out well for Ukraine and Europe. Here are the signs she says to keep an eye on … A ‘sober’ tone: If it’s “without the hyperbole, if it’s more sober, if there’s agreements, if the Europeans look like they’ve got something to say, rather than they're looking like some kind of weird Greek chorus — just making little comments in the background,” Hill says. If Trump keeps the press spray with Zelenskyy short: If things are going well, don’t expect to see much play out in front of the cameras, Hill says. “Trump cannot resist things being done in the media, but this should all be happening now quietly … let’s just hope there’s just less of these big, flashy meetings. … [T]hey should pay [Zelenskyy] the respect of having a serious meeting and not parading him in front of the cameras.” The best case for Zelenskyy and Ukraine: “To get Trump to agree to help Ukrainians and Europeans hold the line and to have a real negotiation,” Hill says. The worst case for Zelenskyy and Ukraine: “If Trump is agreeing to a peace negotiation, and now he's given up on a ceasefire because he sees that Putin won't agree to one, because Putin wants to tie everybody up in knots, and so they keep negotiating while he takes more and more of Ukrainian territory and that creates more and more mayhem for Ukraine and Europe. I mean, that's a great outcome for Putin.” WHAT’S NEXT?: A White House official tells Jake that if things go well today, they will have a trilateral meeting for Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy scheduled to take place within the week. “You have to strike while the iron is hot and the iron is hot,” the official said.
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We extended our network to over 1.25 million new homes and businesses just in the last year and are on track to do the same this year. Learn more. | | | | CAPITAL PUNISHMENT THE D.C. CRACKDOWN: With Ohio, South Carolina and West Virginia sending troops, the number of National Guard troops patrolling D.C. may come close to doubling in a matter of days, and they may be armed, WaPo’s Praveena Somasundaram and Karina Elwood preview. AG Pam Bondi announced yesterday that since federal law enforcement took over, authorities have made more than 300 arrests and charged people, including homicide and drug trafficking suspects. The disconnect: Despite Trump’s plan to crack down on violent crime in D.C. — which is higher than in many similar cities but on the decline — operations thus far have largely focused on immigrants and homeless people. And with the show of force happening downtown and around nightlife hubs, residents of high-crime areas are still waiting for help, WSJ’s Vera Bergengruen and colleagues report. The impact: In the past week, restaurant reservations have plummeted in the city, WUSA9’s Jordan Fischer reports. And WaPo’s Olivia George captures nightlife owners worried about declining foot traffic as a result of the increased police presence over the weekend. HOW IT’S PLAYING: MAGA movement figures see Trump’s targeting of D.C. as an opportunity to show Republicans having success in making big-city life better, with the goal of converting liberals and spreading to more places, Axios’ Tal Axelrod reports. Right-wing social media is savoring clips of law enforcement taking action in the capital. On the flip side, Black mayors of big cities fear that Trump’s narrative elides the recent progress they’ve made in bringing down crime, the LA Times’ Terry Tang reports. The D.C. crackdown is just the latest in a series of moves Trump has made to target Democratic cities, CNN’s Ronald Brownstein writes. THE 30,000-FOOT VIEW: “Trump’s Selective Stance on Justice: Redemption for Some, Scorn for Others,” by NYT’s Erica Green: “President Trump, himself a felon, has shown particular leniency to criminals he seems to identify with — people who are white or wealthy, or who rioted in his name on Jan. 6, 2021.”
| | | | The California Agenda-- Don't miss POLITICO's inaugural California policy summit in Sacramento. Join us in-person or virtually to explore policyy debates around tech, energy, health care and more. Hear from Sen. Alex Padilla (D), Katie Porter, GOP gubernatorial candidates and more! Register to watch. | | | | | THE FOREVER CAMPAIGN REDISTRICTING ROUNDUP: As the state legislature returns today, California Democrats are expected to officially introduce their proposal to gerrymander the state in retaliation for Texas Republicans’ power grab. That will presage a rapid sprint to get it passed through Sacramento, before the plan to supersede the state’s independent redistricting process for now goes before voters in November. Don’t mess: At the same time, Texas House Democrats who left the state are gradually returning to Austin, “each on their own timeline,” CBS’ Nidia Cavazos and Kaia Hubbard report, which will pave the way for Republicans to push through a deeper gerrymander. It’s not yet clear whether today will be the day the chamber reaches quorum. A state Senate committee yesterday once again approved the plan as an openly partisan move, despite strong public pushback, The Texas Tribune’s Alex Nguyen reports. The politics: California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s team thinks the redistricting push could give his presidential ambitions a big boost, as he shows an angry Democratic base that he’s actually fighting back against Republicans in power, CNN’s Isaac Dovere reports. (An interesting nugget: Newsom talked with Arnold Schwarzenegger, who opposes the push, about the gerrymandering drive for an hour, apparently to no avail.) But there are big risks too for Newsom and Democrats nationwide if the special election fails in November, LAT’s Julia Wick writes. The step back: The turbocharged “congressional arms race” could worsen partisan divisions in Congress, NYT’s Carl Hulse writes, further entrenching polarization and reducing voters’ say in general elections. 2026 WATCH: Iowa Democrat J.D. Scholten today is suspending his Senate campaign to endorse fellow state Rep. Josh Turek. The two Democratic athletes from western Iowa say they want to work together to unseat GOP Sen. Joni Ernst. Meanwhile at the Iowa State Fair, incumbent Republicans and the Democrats running against them are working to cut social-media spots and sway the public about the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Bloomberg’s Erik Wasson reports. All in on the megabill: Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) is the first House Republican to go up on the air with ads selling the law, POLITICO’s Nick Reisman reports. And though he’s in a competitive race, Lawler isn’t shying away from the controversial Medicaid cuts, as he touts changes to the program along with his victory on the state and local tax deduction. First in Playbook — Ken Martin’s crisis: Amid a major pullback from wary big donors, the DNC now “wildly trails the Republican National Committee by nearly every fundraising metric,” POLITICO’s Jessica Piper reports. It’s only gotten worse for Democrats since the second-quarter reports. Relative to this point in Trump’s first term, Republicans’ advantage is significantly larger, and “[t]he DNC has less cash this summer than it did at any point in the last five years.” Notably, other big Democratic groups are not struggling to keep up with their GOP counterparts. The DNC has taken a big hit too from paying off Kamala Harris’ campaign debt. First in Playbook — John Cornyn’s comeback: The NRSC is sending a new memo this morning to donors that aims to reassure them the ad blitz to save Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is working. The group argues that Texas AG Ken Paxton’s primary challenge can be stopped by deepening his negatives with voters: “rally behind Cornyn, and we win.” The memo
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Comcast employees are delivering top broadband, mobile, and entertainment across the country. Learn more. | | | | BEST OF THE REST IMMIGRATION FILES: Arguments in the next court hearing over Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention facility will take place before a federal judge at 10 a.m. today. The ACLU brought the lawsuit over migrants’ access to attorneys and alleged violations of due process rights. Meanwhile, the Florida GOP retreated from selling “The Deport Depot” merch after the Home Depot objected to its branding being used, WaPo’s Marie-Rose Sheinerman reports. KNOWING ERIC LENDRUM: The current DHS speechwriter has apparently praised the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, promulgated the false “great replacement theory” and referred to asylum-seekers as “scum,” NOTUS’ Emily Kennard reveals. MEDIAWATCH: Jerusalem Demsas is today launching a new publication, The Argument, that aims to mount a proactive and positive case for modern liberalism as a means of making people’s lives better, Semafor’s Max Tani reports. Its early staffers comprise Kelsey Piper, Jordan Weissmann, Lakshya Jain and Kate Crawford, along with a wide list of contributors that includes Matt Yglesias, Derek Thompson, Adam Harris, Matt Bruenig, Robinson Meyer, Paul Williams and Adelle Waldman. (Yes, that’s a lot of ties to the “abundance” movement.) The outlet, which will also conduct polling and focus on policy solutions, has already raised $4 million. BIG INVESTIGATION: “Wildfire Fighters, Unmasked in Toxic Smoke, Are Getting Sick and Dying,” by NYT’s Hannah Dreier: “Countries with major wildfire seasons … have begun to hand out half-face respirator masks with replaceable filters … But year after year, the Forest Service sends crews into smoke with nothing to prevent them from inhaling its poisons. … The agency said in a statement that it wanted to protect its crews but masks posed too great a risk that firefighters would overheat … Internal records, studies and interviews with current and former agency officials reveal another motivation: Embracing masks would mean admitting how dangerous wildfire smoke really is. That could lead to a cascade of expensive changes.” LOOK WHAT’S BACK: “The unusual GOP alliance pushing earmarks in this fall’s funding fight,” by POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill: “Among those now agitating for earmarks — once shunned by most fiscal hawks — are members of the Main Street Caucus … But even more remarkable is that many fiscal conservatives — seeing a strategic advantage — are actually promoting the idea, too. Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris of Maryland and his allies are suggesting that allowing earmarks to ride alongside a flat-funded, short-term spending bill … would help avoid a more dreaded scenario: passage of a larger, full-year package — called an omnibus — at higher funding levels.” TRADING PLACES: From the U.K. to Europe to South Korea to Japan, American allies with framework trade deals in place with the U.S. are waiting for the agreements to be finalized and take effect, Bloomberg’s Lucy White and colleagues report. Foreign industries struggling under the weight of U.S. tariffs remain anxious for relief. THE MEGABILL IN ACTION: “Even at 1%, new tax will burden African immigrants who send money back home,” by NBC’s Eden Harris
| | | | Want to know how policy pros stay ahead? Policy Intelligence Assistant — only with POLITICO Pro — merges trusted reporting with advanced AI to deliver deeper insights, faster answers, and powerful report builders that drive action. Get 30 days free. | | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | Robin Givhan is the latest WaPo staffer to take a buyout. Shelley Moore Capito is now a grandmother of nine. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — American Oversight is adding Krista Boyd as general counsel and VP of strategy and elevating Peter Kenny to VP of litigation and investigations. Boyd most recently was IG of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Kenny is a White House and House Oversight alum. — The Guardian is expanding its D.C. bureau with a new political enterprise team, adding George Zornick as editor to lead the team and Aram Roston as senior reporter. Zornick most recently was chief national editor at HuffPost. Roston most recently was an investigative reporter at Reuters. MEDIA MOVE — Hugo Rojo is now head of comms at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He previously was executive director of comms for CBS News’ Washington bureau. TRANSITION — Miriam Smallman is now head of comms at the Belgian Embassy. She previously was deputy director of media relations at the Atlantic Council and is a British Embassy alum. ENGAGED — Aliza Oppenheim, a Penn Law student and Matt Cartwright alum, and Scott Boxer, a research analyst at the State Department and USAID alum, got engaged yesterday at the National Gallery of Art. They had brunch at Emissary, the spot of their first date, before Scott proposed. The couple originally met at a friend’s Shabbat lunch. Pic, via Oren Oppenheim … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) … Austan Goolsbee … Erik Wemple … WSJ’s Sadie Gurman … Jason Furman … Scott Haber-Katris … Megan Scully … former Reps. Toby Moffett (D-Conn.) and Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) … H.R. Bert Peña … POLITICO’s Jesse Naranjo … Lee Hudson … CNN’s Simone Pathe … Bryan Greene of the National Association of Realtors … Roger Zakheim … Elizabeth Letter … Jordan Baugh … former Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner … Bob Woodruff … Jules Polonetsky (6-0) … National Park Service’s Mike Litterst … Connie Hair … Ben Wermund … Meera Kallupura … Robert Lynch … Bill McCormick … Mary Anne Bradfield … Laurie Doane and Grace Sedlazek of the Herald Group … Paris Dennard Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook included an outdated work affiliation for Jessica Gail.
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