The President's Daily Brief
March 24th, 2025: China Considers Sending Troops To Ukraine & Israel Launches Strikes In Lebanon
Mon, 24 Mar 2025
In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: A major report out of Germany reveals China may be considering sending troops to Ukraine as part of a future peacekeeping force. We’ll explain why this development could shift the global balance—and what it signals about Beijing’s long game. In the Middle East, Israel responds to a rocket barrage from Lebanon with targeted airstrikes, marking a serious escalation on its northern front. Meanwhile in Gaza, Hamas faces growing pressure from Palestinians who warn that continued conflict could spell “the end of Palestinian existence.” And in today’s Back of the Brief—a reversal from Venezuela. Caracas announces it will once again accept deportation flights from the United States, handing the Trump-era immigration strategy a win. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold Stash Financial: Go to https://Get.Stash.com/PDB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What is the significance of China's potential troop deployment to Ukraine?
It's Monday, the 24th of March. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Coming to you yet again from a, well, an airport lounge somewhere. Not sure where it is at this point. I can't keep track. All right, let's get briefed. We'll start off with a major report out of Germany.
China is reportedly considering sending troops to Ukraine as part of a future peacekeeping force. That's right, Chinese troops in Ukraine. I'll explain why that's such a big deal and why the consequences could reach far beyond Ukraine's borders.
Later in the show, a major escalation in the Middle East as Israel launches airstrikes into Lebanon following a rocket barrage coming from Lebanese territory. Plus, as the Israeli Defense Forces, the IDF, continue their renewed efforts in Gaza, Hamas faces calls from Palestinians to relinquish their power in order to avoid, quote, "...the end of the Palestinians' existence."
And in today's back of the brief, it looks like a win for the Trump administration's immigration agenda. Venezuela says it will once again accept deportation flights from the US, reversing a recent suspension. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. We'll start things off today with a surprising development, that's putting it mildly, related to Putin's war in Ukraine.
According to a new report from the German newspaper Die Welt, China is considering sending troops to Ukraine. Now, China's PLA, the People's Liberation Army, wouldn't deploy to Ukraine to fight, but to function as part of a future peacekeeping force. Hmm. Makes you wonder how the North Korean troops that are fighting next to Russian soldiers would feel about that.
According to the report, China is angling to join what British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is calling a, quote, coalition of the willing. That's the group of countries prepared to send troops to Ukraine to enforce a ceasefire between Kiev and Moscow, if and when that day comes.
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Chapter 2: How could China's involvement shift the balance in Ukraine?
An unnamed European Union diplomatic source told Die Welt that the situation is, quote, delicate, well, that's probably, again, putting it mildly, but that China's inclusion in a peacekeeping mission could help get Russia to agree to such a force. The thinking here is fairly simple. Moscow would never accept NATO troops in Ukraine, they've said as much repeatedly.
not even under a UN peacekeeping mandate. But Chinese troops, well, that's different, given that China's Xi Jinping has basically propped up the Russian economy for the past three years and enabled Putin to keep his war machine chugging away. Now, if China has actually floated this idea as a possibility, it is highly likely that Chinese and Russian high-level officials have discussed the idea.
And if they've discussed the idea and consider it an actual possibility, well, it would be because Putin and Xi view it as advantageous to their own interests. Up to this point, the biggest roadblock to any international peacekeeping force has always been Russia's total distrust of NATO. Well, not to mention Putin's lack of interest in stopping his war on Ukraine. There is that.
But were he inclined to agree to some legitimate type of ceasefire, there's zero chance that Moscow would allow NATO boots on the ground in Ukraine. But China, despite some complicated history, is viewed by the Kremlin as a strategic partner and, as mentioned, an economic lifeline.
If a peacekeeping force were needed to monitor or enforce a ceasefire, China might be the only major power that Russia wouldn't immediately reject. And that gives Beijing a very rare position, a kind of diplomatic leverage that no Western nation could claim. It could even let China present itself as a so-called, quote, honest broker, capable of holding both sides to account.
And yes, I somehow managed to say that with a straight face. Now, to be clear, as mentioned, China has supported Russia throughout this war. They've parroted Russian talking points, ramped up trade, and sent dual-use goods that help Moscow on the battlefield. So the idea of China as a neutral party is humorous at best.
Something else worth mentioning, which makes this potential scenario remarkable and concerning. If China does send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, it would mark the first time ever that the Chinese military establishes any kind of presence in Europe. The People's Liberation Army has participated in peacekeeping missions in Africa and Asia, but never in a conflict zone in the West.
That would be, in geopolitical terms, a huge milestone. It would signal a major evolution in how China sees its military role around the world, moving beyond regional power projection in the South China Sea or Indian Ocean and stepping onto the global stage in a much more assertive way.
It would also allow China to test and refine its overseas operations, everything from logistics and chain of command to how it gathers intel and coordinates with foreign forces. And for Europe, the arrival of Chinese troops, even in a peacekeeping capacity, would raise all sorts of new questions.
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Chapter 3: What recent escalations are occurring in the Middle East?
For its part, Lebanon's military has struggled to reassert control in the south, where Hezbollah remains deeply entrenched, and frankly, that's been the history of Lebanon's military. President Aoun has repeatedly insisted that only the state should bear arms. That's a not-so-subtle jab at Hezbollah. Forcing that remains a politically fraught, if not logistically impossible task.
At least until Israel's campaign to degrade Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed proxy was actually more of a fighting force than the Lebanese military. Okay, staying in the region, Israel confirmed it killed Hamas political leader Salah al-Bardawil in a Saturday night airstrike in southern Gaza, marking the third high-ranking Hamas official to be assassinated in the span of a week.
Bardawil, a longtime figure in Hamas's political bureau and head of its planning and development ministry, was killed alongside his wife in a drone strike that targeted a tent shelter in Khan Yunis.
Israeli officials accused Bartowil of playing a central role in the terror group's strategic wing, claiming that his elimination would deal a significant blow to Hamas's ability to govern and its operational capacity.
Reports from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry say at least 19 people, including Bartowil, were killed in strikes overnight, though those numbers could not be independently verified and did not distinguish between civilians and terrorists.
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Chapter 4: How is Israel responding to threats from Lebanon?
The strike comes on the heels of Israel's assassinations of two other top Hamas figures last week, its internal security chief and the terror group's de facto government head, Issam Daalis. Together, the killings form part of an intensifying Israeli campaign to dismantle Hamas' leadership structure. As we've been discussing on the PDB, ground operations have also ramped up across the Strip.
In the north, Israeli forces resumed combat in Beit Hanoun, an area previously cleared but now re-entered, as the IDF says it's targeting remaining Hamas infrastructure and expanding a strategic buffer zone along the border. Fighter jets carried out strikes ahead of a ground advance, which military officials described as a renewed phase of combat.
In southern Gaza, Israeli forces encircled Tel Sultan, a neighborhood in Rafah long regarded as a Hamas stronghold. The IDF said troops are now conducting raids on tunnel networks and command centers that are believed to have housed hostages.
Residents in Tel Sultan were issued a, quote, urgent evacuation order with an IDF Arabic language spokesman warning the area had become an active combat zone. Maps of the evacuation corridor circulated online, urging civilians to flee westward toward the coast on foot.
Meanwhile, in a rare break from internal silence, the Palestinian authorities ruling Fatah faction called on Hamas to relinquish its hold on Gaza. In a statement sent to AFP, a Fatah spokesman warned that continued fighting under Hamas rule would, quote, "...lead to the end of Palestinians' existence."
On Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he ordered the IDF to seize more territory unless Hamas agrees to release the remaining hostages. Katz stated, quote, as long as Hamas continues its refusal, it will lose more and more land that will be added to Israel, end quote.
Though Israel has largely refrained from annexing areas that it's captured, Katz suggested the IDF might maintain a long-term presence in captured areas to safeguard troops and nearby communities. As we noted last week on the PDB, Prime Minister Netanyahu authorized a full resumption of hostilities after Hamas rejected a proposal to extend Phase 1 of the ceasefire. The message from Jerusalem.
Negotiations, if they occur at all, will now proceed under fire. All right, coming up in the back of the brief. A win for the Trump administration as Venezuela reverses its suspension of deportation flights from the U.S. We'll have those details next. This podcast is brought to you in part by Stash. Saving and investing can feel impossible, but with Stash, well, it's not just possible, it's easy.
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Chapter 5: What are the implications of Israel's airstrikes on Lebanon?
Chapter 6: What challenges does Hamas face amid the current conflict?
Residents in Tel Sultan were issued a, quote, urgent evacuation order with an IDF Arabic language spokesman warning the area had become an active combat zone. Maps of the evacuation corridor circulated online, urging civilians to flee westward toward the coast on foot.
Meanwhile, in a rare break from internal silence, the Palestinian authorities ruling Fatah faction called on Hamas to relinquish its hold on Gaza. In a statement sent to AFP, a Fatah spokesman warned that continued fighting under Hamas rule would, quote, "...lead to the end of Palestinians' existence."
On Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he ordered the IDF to seize more territory unless Hamas agrees to release the remaining hostages. Katz stated, quote, as long as Hamas continues its refusal, it will lose more and more land that will be added to Israel, end quote.
Though Israel has largely refrained from annexing areas that it's captured, Katz suggested the IDF might maintain a long-term presence in captured areas to safeguard troops and nearby communities. As we noted last week on the PDB, Prime Minister Netanyahu authorized a full resumption of hostilities after Hamas rejected a proposal to extend Phase 1 of the ceasefire. The message from Jerusalem.
Negotiations, if they occur at all, will now proceed under fire. All right, coming up in the back of the brief. A win for the Trump administration as Venezuela reverses its suspension of deportation flights from the U.S. We'll have those details next. This podcast is brought to you in part by Stash. Saving and investing can feel impossible, but with Stash, well, it's not just possible, it's easy.
Stash isn't just an investing app. It's a registered investment advisor that combines automated investing with dependable financial strategies to help you reach your goals faster. They'll provide you with personalized advice on what to invest in based on your goals. Or if you want to just sit back and watch your money go to work, you can do that.
Just opt into their award-winning, expert-managed portfolio that picks stocks for you. Stash has helped millions of Americans reach their financial goals and starts at just $3 per month. Look, don't let your savings sit around. Make your money work harder for you. Go to get.stash.com slash PDB to see how you can receive $25 towards your first stock purchase and to view important disclosures.
That's get.stash.com slash PDB. This is a paid non-client endorsement, not representative of all clients and not a guarantee. Investment advisory services offered by Stash Investments LLC and SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Investing, of course, involves risk and as they say, offer is subject to terms and conditions.
In today's back of the brief, Venezuela has agreed to resume accepting deportation flights for its migrants after halting cooperation earlier this month, marking a major win for the Trump administration's deportation policy.
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