20 August 2025
Poland
A military drone crashed in Poland. It is suspected that it was a Russian Geran drone, the Russian version of the Iranian Shahed. The amount of explosives also indicates that it was most likely a decoy for Ukrainian air defences. Polish authorities are continuing to investigate.
Venezuela
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced on Monday the deployment of 4.5 million militiamen throughout the country, assuring that “no empire will touch the sacred soil of Venezuela,” after the United States doubled the reward for information leading to his arrest and increased the number of troops sailing around Latin America and the Caribbean. The United States is also deploying three Aegis guided-missile destroyers to the waters off Venezuela as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels. The USS Gravely, the USS Jason Dunham and the USS Sampson are expected to arrive soon in the region. The deployment will reportedly last for several months.
Switzerland
Switzerland would be ready to host Russian President Vladimir Putin for any peace talks on Ukraine despite an existing arrest warrant for him from the International Criminal Court, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said on Tuesday. Neutral Switzerland is a signatory to the ICC, but Cassis told Swiss national broadcaster SRF that if Putin were coming for peace purposes, the country could receive him.
Hungary
After finishing discussions with European leaders at the White House, President Trump called Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday to win his support for Ukraine to join the European Union (EU). European officials reportedly asked Trump to use his sway over Orban to do away with his opposition to Ukraine joining the EU. Orban expressed his willingness to host the next summit between Zelenskyy and Putin. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk rejects the idea of Hungary hosting the event, citing that in 1994, Ukraine was granted assurances in Budapest of its sovereignty.
Israel
The Israeli military said on Wednesday that it will begin calling up around 60,000 reservists for duty as it proceeds with plans to take over Gaza City. Israel also plans to extend active duty for around 20,000 reservists already serving. Reservists will begin to receive letters in the coming days, a military official said.
Afghanistan
The Taliban are hosting the tri-lateral talks with China and Pakistan to boost cooperation. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the event in Kabul. The last round of talks took place in May in Beijing. Pakistan’s foreign minister stated that the negotiations were about trade, improving regional connectivity and counterterrorism.
United Kingdom
According to The Times, Foreign Secretary David Lammy is at loggerheads with Defence Secretary John Healy over the decision to send HMS Richmond through the Taiwan Strait. Lammy is concerned with diplomatic tensions with China over the decision.
Feature Photo: “Ukrainian EOD specialists disarming crashed Russian Geran drone in Sumy Oblast” – Wikimedia Commons, 2025
The Wires Brief is a weekly breaking news report incorporating wire service news and social media updates. DefRep cannot verify the authenticity of social media reporters nor the accuracy of social media updates