Istanbul Talks Last Under 2 Hours with Large Prisoner Exchange Agreement and Consensus to Meet Again + IDF Airstrikes on Houthi Ports + Armor Not Dead: Netherlands Building Tank Battalion + More

For review:1. Russia and Ukraine Istanbul Talks Last Under 2 Hours with Large Prisoner Exchange Agreement and Consensus to Meet Again. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called the POW swap as a “confidence-building measure” and said the parties had agreed in principle to meet again.2. US President Donald Trump says he will be speaking to Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Monday about ending the war in Ukraine, saying the call would be about "stopping the 'bloodbath'". The President said the call would take place at 10:00 EST & he would then speak to Ukrainian President Zelensky, and leaders of some NATO countries.3. Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Colonel General Andrey Mordvichev, who led the assault on Mariupol in 2022, as the Commander of the Russian Ground Forces.4. IDF Airstrikes on Houthi Ports. Israeli fighter jets targeted two Houthi-controlled ports in the west of the country, and threatened to kill the terror group’s leader (Abdul-Malik al-Houthi), in response to the Iran-backed group’s ongoing missile and drone attacks on Israel.5. The Israel Defense Forces announced that it has launched the first stages of a major offensive in the Gaza Strip, dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots,” that will seek to “seize strategic areas.” 6.  In Baghdad, Leaders at an Arab League summit demanded increased pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza, and reiterated the 22-nation body’s rejection of President Trump’s plan to take over the enclave, oust its residents, and rebuild it as a coastal resort.7.  Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday said US President Donald Trump was lying about his intentions for the region, and once again called Israel a “cancerous tumor” that must be uprooted.8. Armor Not Dead: Netherlands Building Tank Battalion. The new battalion, equipped with at least 46 x Leopard 2A8 Tanks, will be based at Bergen-Hohne Training Area (Germany), where the Dutch says there is enough space for realistic training, something that is lacking in the Netherlands.9. The Hungarian Defence Forces has received 3 x Leopard 2A7HU main battle tanks and their first Leguan 2HU armored vehicle-launched bridge as part of a contract signed in 2018. The plan will integrate up to 44 x tanks and associated support equipment to modernize the military’s ground-based armored firepower.