A few more points ahead of Tuesday’s conversation between Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin: Russian state-run media was quick to latch onto the fact that Mr. Trump says he will “pay special attention to territorial and infrastructure issues within the framework of the Ukrainian conflict.” In other words, the Kremlin is hoping — or perhaps even expecting — that Mr. Trump will back an agreement that permanently gives Russia some Ukrainian territory seized since the February 2022 invasion.

The Institute for the Study of War has a 3D map offering a detailed look at just how much Ukrainian territory Russian forces control today. It includes Crimea, which Russia forcibly annexed in 2014.

White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz indicated Sunday that the U.S. may be ready to back a deal that would give some Ukrainian land to Moscow. Pressed on whether that’s morally right, he told ABC’s “This Week” program, “We can talk about what’s right and wrong. And we also have to talk about the reality of the situation on the ground.”

Mr. Waltz described the unfolding framework of a deal as “some type of territory for future security guarantees” for Ukraine. 

The Trump administration’s aggressive air campaign against the Houthi rebels continued Sunday night. U.S. Central Command shared a new video of fighter jets taking off to “continue operations against Iran-backed Houthi terrorists,” making good on the Trump administration’s promise to wage an “unrelenting” military campaign against the group. The Houthis said they retaliated by firing at the USS Truman aircraft carrier, though the attack reportedly failed.

The American strikes began Saturday. A lengthy social media post from Mr. Trump warned the Houthis that “hell will rain down on them” if they continue targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea. And the president also delivered a direct warning to the Houthis’ patron state, Iran, which supports and supplies the Yemeni rebel group. 

Threat Status is closely watching this situation, as it appears escalation is inevitable, if not already occurring. Houthi leaders on Sunday vowed to “meet escalation with escalation.” Separately, Iranian Gen. Hossein Salami, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, promised a “devastating” response to any military actions against Iran.

Top administration officials made the rounds on Sunday morning talk shows and made clear that the U.S. strikes against the Houthis should also serve as a direct message to Iran. Mr. Trump has said he is open to a diplomatic deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program, but has warned of direct military action against Tehran if it refuses. The strikes on the Houthis could be viewed in the region as a sign that Mr. Trump is serious about that threat.

Asia Editor Andrew Salmon is tracking the mysterious visit of a group of high-level Russian diplomats, led by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko, to Pyongyang over the weekend. The meeting between the two delegations comes amid the Trump administration’s push to end the Russia-Ukraine war, a conflict in which North Korean troops have fought alongside their Russian allies against the Ukrainians.

So far, those North Korean soldiers have fought exclusively on Russian soil in an effort to push Ukrainian forces out of Russia’s Kursk region. Mr. Salmon examines this high-stakes question: If the Russians retake all of Kursk, could North Korean forces be dispatched across the border to take part in fighting in Ukrainian territory?

There’s no clear answer yet. Moscow would certainly have reason to strongly consider sending North Korean forces to the front lines of eastern Ukraine. An estimated 12,000 to 13,000 North Korean soldiers have taken part in the Russian campaign so far. Not only are their numbers significant, but their units are also fresh and cohesive, Mr. Salmon reports. That sets them apart from Russian units that have been constantly reinforced and reformed due to losses suffered in three years of fighting.

Whether it’s electronics or clothes or antibiotics, how much should the U.S. buy from China? Rep. Mark Green has a simple answer.

“We’re an enemy. Buy nothing from China,” the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee told the Threat Status weekly podcast in an exclusive interview. 

Mr. Green’s declaration comes amid the Trump administration’s push to bring manufacturing back to the U.S., protect American businesses from intellectual property theft, and end supply-chain dependence on Chinese products. In retrospect, Mr. Green argued, the U.S. made a significant geopolitical and economic mistake years ago.

“We saw the dollar signs, and we ran to China to manufacture cheaper and to open up their market. Well, they didn’t open up the market,” he told Threat Status. “And when they did, they did it in such a controlled manner that they could turn it off, and they did. I would submit to you, we should buy as little as possible.”

From Chinese police stations on U.S. soil to alleged Iran-backed assassination plots, adversaries are aggressively targeting the U.S. here at home. And Congress must act.

That’s the case made by Rep. August Pfluger, Texas Republican and chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security’s subcommittee on counterterrorism and intelligence. He argues in a new piece for The Washington Times that Congress must pass a trio of bills designed to empower the Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement to combat the actions of authoritarian regimes on American shores, and to educate communities about the growing threats. Those bills include the “Countering Transnational Repression Act of 2025,” which would ensure that DHS takes steps to recognize, assess and counter threats from foreign authoritarian regimes against American citizens or lawful permanent residents.

“It is clear the arms of authoritarian regimes stretch into our backyards. Every day this egregious activity remains hidden, it presents a victory for those foreign actors who stalk, intimidate or assault people across their borders,” Mr. Plfuger writes. “There is an urgent need for bipartisan congressional action to position DHS as a leader on this issue and support those on its front lines –– state and local law enforcement.”

• March 17-19 — 2025 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, ARPA-E

• March 19 — Strategic Japan 2025: Norms in New Technological Domains, Center for Strategic and International Studies

• March 20 — What’s Next for U.S. Defense Strategy and Spending? Brookings Institution 

• March 25 — Building America’s Missile Defense Shield, The Heritage Foundation

• March 26 — Bending the Defense Cost Curve, Hudson Institute 

• March 27 — Software-defined Warfare Blueprint, Atlantic Council