North Korea’s Un calls military support for Russia a ‘sacred mission’; Russia launches 100-plus drones in nighttime attack; newly elected pope calls for ceasefire in Gaza, peace in Ukraine.
1. North Korea’s decision to send troops and weapons to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is part of a “sacred mission” to counter U.S. influence around the world, according to state-run media. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made the remarks Friday during a visit to the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang, in a speech marking Victory Day, the Russian holiday commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, the Korean Central News Agency reported Saturday. Kim said North Korea and Russia have “dedicated their blood and lives to defending and supporting each other” for over 80 years and that he was proud to continue that tradition. He compared U.S. support for Ukraine with its backing of South Korea, calling both nations “faithful lackeys” of Washington, according to KCNA.
2. Russia launched more than 100 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine in nighttime attacks, the Ukrainian air force said Monday, after the Kremlin rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in the more than 3-year war. There was no response from the Kremlin, meanwhile, to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s challenge for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to meet him for face-to-face peace talks in Turkey this week. The United States and European governments have made a concerted push to stop the fighting, which has killed tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides as well as more than 10,000 Ukrainian civilians. Russia’s invading forces have taken around one-fifth of Ukraine.
3. Pope Leo XIV called for a genuine and just peace in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, in his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff that featured some symbolic gestures suggesting a message of unity in a polarized Catholic Church. “I too address the world's great powers by repeating the ever-present call ‘never again war,’” Leo said from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica to an estimated 100,000 people below. It was the first time that Leo had returned to the loggia since he first appeared to the world on Thursday evening following his remarkable election as pope, the first from the United States. Then too he delivered a message of peace.
4. The U.S. Army task force that brought six High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems to the recently concluded Balikatan exercise has maintained a presence in the Philippines since 2022, according to one of its battalion commanders. The 1st Multi-Domain Task Force’s 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment fired six rockets into the South China Sea from a HIMARS launcher positioned April 28 near Palawan’s western coast. The island province lies lengthwise against the sea, where the Chinese and Philippine coast guards sometimes clash over maritime claims. The task force, based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., has maintained a regular presence in the Philippines over the past few years, battalion commander Lt. Col. Ben Blane said in a phone interview Sunday. Last year marked the battalion’s first exercise on Palawan.
5. Congressional budget hearings continue this week with a focus from appropriators on the military’s operations at sea. On Wednesday afternoon, the House Appropriations Committee’s defense panel will discuss force needs and challenges with the heads of the Navy and Marine Corps. At the same time, Acting Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunda will testify before a separate subcommittee on his service’s operations. Both sets of testimony come as lawmakers craft their response to President Donald Trump’s budget plan for fiscal 2026. That outline calls for roughly $1 trillion in defense spending, but more than $100 billion of the total would come from one-time funds provided through the reconciliation process.
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