Republican defense hawks are riding high after a series of events abroad prompted President Donald Trump to lean away from his more quasi-isolationist roots in his first term. His bombing of Iran, increased aggression toward Russia,

Former Vice President Mike Pence says he thinks isolationists “may have lost some of their footing” in President Donald Trump’s administration, as he praised Trump’s tougher talk toward Russia’s Vladimir Putin and his decision to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces launched a massive aerial assault on Ukraine early Thursday for the second time in two days.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that the United States and Russia have exchanged new ideas for Ukraine peace talks after he met with his Russian counterpart in Malaysia.

Kazakhstan, whose close ties with Russia and China have made it a significant regional player in Central Asia, has said it is ready to reach a compromise with the Trump administration over tariffs due to take effect next month.

The latest assault included more drones in a single night than Russia used in the entire month of July last year.

Hours after Pres. Trump railed against Vladimir Putin, saying "he’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless," Russia unleashed more than 700 drones into Ukraine.

Following the Pentagon announcing a pause on weapons, the U.S. president said Ukraine must defend itself from Russia.