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The Hill
24 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump's new model to support Ukraine is a win-win
From the start, Ukraine's defense against Russia's full-scale invasion has been underpinned by a robust commitment from its Western partners. The Biden administration's pledge to support Ukraine 'as long as it takes' promised a sustained flow of military and financial aid directly from Washington. This 'direct donor' model was key to Ukraine's initial resilience, providing essential weaponry from U.S. stockpiles. Biden's approach primarily involved direct transfers from U.S. weapons inventories, prioritizing speed and ensuring that Ukraine received vital equipment quickly to counter Russian aggression. The American government provided extensive amounts of equipment, from air-defense missiles to artillery rounds and armored vehicles, directly to Kyiv. Now, under President Trump, the paradigm is shifting. The U.S. is transitioning from a direct donor to a 'strategic supplier,' where European allies purchase American weapons for Ukraine at their own expense. While this reorientation marks a significant change, it is far from the worst-case scenario for Ukraine. Instead, it represents a pragmatic and potentially more sustainable evolution of transatlantic burden-sharing, securing critical capabilities for Ukraine while invigorating the U.S. defense industrial base and recalibrating the nature of allied support. Support is still 'as long as it takes' but also 'at the others' expense.' This marks a departure from the traditional post-World War II donor-recipient model, particularly within the NATO alliance, towards a more transactional 'America First' approach. Future U.S. engagement in global security will likely be contingent upon tangible economic benefits and direct cost-sharing from allies. Such a shift could lead to a more predictable, albeit less altruistic, framework for security cooperation, where allies are compelled to demonstrate their commitment through direct financial contributions. This policy reorientation accelerates European strategic autonomy. While the immediate effect is Europe paying for U.S. weapons, the long-term implication is a forced impetus for greater European defense integration and self-sufficiency. European nations have already been increasing their defense spending and proactively planning for a future with less guaranteed U.S. aid. This new model, by making U.S. weapons available for purchase, encourages Europe to develop its own robust procurement mechanisms and potentially expand its own defense industrial base. Ukraine's most pressing and enduring need remains robust air defense against Russia's escalating missile and drone attacks. The U.S.-made Patriot air-defense system is critical, as it is one of the few systems capable of intercepting high-speed ballistic missiles. These systems are vital for protecting civilian infrastructure and population centers, which have been subjected to relentless Russian bombardment. A critical strategic reality for Ukraine is that not all American weapons are equally replaceable by European alternatives. While Europe is ramping up its own artillery production, the Patriot system's unique counter-ballistic missile capability makes it a requirement that only the U.S. can provide at scale. Europe, at the same time, has demonstrated a clear willingness and increasing capacity to shoulder a greater share of the burden. The European Union has already provided €165 billion in financial assistance and has launched an €800 billion Defense Readiness Plan. Frozen Russian sovereign assets may be used to finance what Ukraine needs. The shift to a foreign military sales model is explicitly intended to invigorate the U.S. defense industrial base. By integrating 'exportability features' into defense systems during the design phase, the U.S. seeks to advance its competitiveness abroad and potentially lower unit costs for both America and its allies. While the foreign military sales process has historically been slow and plagued by delivery backlogs, the new model offers a potential solution. Consistent, large-scale orders from European allies could provide the long-term contract certainty that the U.S. defense industry requires to invest significantly in surge capacity and overcome challenges. This transforms what was previously a 'drain' on American stockpiles, requiring replenishment at taxpayer expense, into a sustained stimulus for U.S. manufacturing, aligning with 'America First' economic principles. This shift is not merely about burden-sharing; it is about recapitalizing and modernizing the U.S. defense industrial base. While immediate fixes for current shortages remain challenging, this strategic reorientation creates a more sustainable industrial ecosystem. Trump's recent rhetoric marks a notable change from his earlier stance, which often appeared conciliatory toward Vladimir Putin. He has recognized that Russia, not Ukraine, is the core problem in negotiations, even threatening tariffs and sanctions on Russia and its trading partners if a peace deal is not reached within 50 days. The reality that Putin is not amenable to a quick 'deal' is now clear. There is now a crucial political opening for continued support to Ukraine, even if the funding mechanism changes. The narrative that Trump desires Ukraine's fall has been refuted. Instead, Trump is committed to ending the war on terms that align with his administration's interests. This represents a significant psychological advantage for Ukraine, as it lessens the fear of a complete U.S. abandonment.
Business Wire
24 minutes ago
- Business Wire
Apiture Launches Real-Time Payments for Community Banks and Credit Unions
WILMINGTON, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Apiture, a leading provider of digital banking solutions, today announced the availability of real-time payment capabilities for its community bank and credit union clients. With this enhancement, Apiture clients can enable their consumer and business account holders to send and receive payments instantly, 24/7/365, through The Clearing House's RTP ® network and the Federal Reserve's FedNow ® Service. As demand for faster, more reliable payment experiences continues to grow, real-time payments adoption is steadily increasing, especially among businesses. Over half of American companies were already using RTP and FedNow in 2024, according to a study from U.S. Bank, with adoption projected to reach 80% by 2026. As real-time payments shift from a competitive advantage to a customer expectation, offering this capability is becoming increasingly important for community banks and credit unions to compete with larger financial institutions. The Apiture Digital Banking Platform provides a comprehensive suite of payment options enabling consumers and businesses to choose the best payment method based on their specific use case. The new real-time payments capability builds upon Apiture's existing faster payment options, including domestic and international wire transfers with real-time foreign exchange rates. Additional payment services available to Apiture clients include bill pay, peer-to-peer payments, internal and external transfers, and ACH transactions. 'Whether to support company payroll, bill payments, gig worker payments, early wage access, government disbursements, or P2P transfers, real-time payments have emerged as a highly effective way for consumers and businesses to instantly send and receive account-to-account payments,' said Chris Cox, chief operating officer at Apiture. 'This represents another step in our ongoing mission to help community and regional financial institutions deliver the features today's consumers and businesses need and expect.' For more information, visit About Apiture Apiture delivers award-winning digital banking solutions to banks and credit unions throughout the U.S. Our flexible, highly configurable solutions meet a wide range of financial institutions' needs, from leveling the playing field with larger institutions to supporting growth through innovative data intelligence and embedded banking strategies. With our API-first approach, our clients can maximize the capabilities of their platform while preserving a seamless user experience. Our exclusive focus on digital banking, and a team with hundreds of years of collective experience working at U.S. financial institutions, means we are dedicated to meeting the unique needs of our clients while providing a level of support that is unmatched in the industry. Apiture is headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina. To learn more, visit
Engadget
24 minutes ago
- Engadget
How to buy the Switch 2: Nintendo's restock updates at Walmart, Best Buy, Target and others
Update (7/24/25): Only a couple of days after the new Switch 2 Pokémon Legends: Z-A bundle was announced, you can now pre-order it at various retailers or pick up an existing Switch 2 bundle that's back in stock. The Pokémon bundle, which will be widely available in October, is available for pre-order from Walmart, Target and Best Buy. The Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle is back in stock at Walmart and Best Buy at the moment as well. The Nintendo Switch 2 is finally available in the US, but it's still pretty tough to find it in stock online anywhere. The $450 console officially went up for sale on June 5, and several retailers have offered it both online and in-store in the week since. While millions of people have been able to buy theirs so far, online inventory has dried up considerably since launch day. There have been restocks at Walmart, Target and Best Buy, but they didn't last long, which was to be expected. You may also be able to grab a bundle at Costco if you're a member there, but you might have a better time doing so in store than online. And that may be the way to go at this point, broadly speaking. You may have better luck venturing into a physical store and walking out with a Switch 2 than you will buying one online. If you have a local Target, Best Buy, Walmart or GameStop — the four official retailers Nintendo lists on its store page — it can't hurt to stop by and see if they have any in stock. A few retailers, GameStop being one of them, are even directing online customers to "find a store" near them that has the console in stock. If you're still on the hunt, we've rounded up all of the latest information we could find on how to buy the Nintendo Switch 2 and where you can pick one up. Walmart has restocked the Switch 2 a few times since launch, but most of the time, the new stock has been exclusively available to Walmart+ members, or they've gotten first pick before the wider public. Walmart works with third-party sellers across its site, and outside of official restocks, we've seen the Switch 2 become available at much higher prices than normal. We do not recommend buying the Switch 2 at a premium like this, but rather it's better to wait for an official restock. Naturally, the world's largest retailer is also selling the console at its brick-and-mortar locations, though the company has noted that quantities are limited and inventory will vary by location. Amazon finally has the Switch 2 listed now: the Switch 2 console is up for $450 while the Mario Kart World bundle costs $500. This comes after weeks of the console being conspicuously absent from the retail giant's site. A June 30 Bloomberg report confirmed what had been widely rumored for weeks: Nintendo was apparently punishing Amazon for continuing to surface third-party retailers selling trans-shipped games. That punishment appears to be over now, but note that both the console by itself and the bundle are available "by invitation" only from Amazon, which just means you have to register your interest with Amazon before you get an official invite that will allow you to buy the Switch 2. Best Buy has restocked a few times since launch as well, and similarly to Walmart, we recommend waiting for official restocks to buy in the future. Best Buy stores may also have limited quantities available to buy in person. Target is much the same deal as Walmart and Best Buy, although it has been less forthcoming about announcing future restocks than the other two retailers. You may have some luck going to a local Target store near you and checking to see if they have consoles to buy in store. GameStop has advertised in-store availability, though exactly how much stock your local store may have will vary by location. Online, the device has been unavailable for the past week, with the listings for the base console and Mario Kart bundle now pointing to a "Find a Store" page. You may still have some luck at certain membership-based retailers. A Mario Kart World bundle at Costco that includes a 12-month Switch Online subscription has gone in and out of stock since launch day. Sam's Club has had a bundle without the Switch Online sub as well, though it's out of stock now. We also saw the console at BJ's early on June 5, but it's showing up as out of stock now. Verizon briefly had the Switch 2 available on launch day, but that's dried up. Only those with Verizon service were able to order, and the process was apparently somewhat rocky. Newegg has listed the Switch 2 on its site for several weeks, but it's given no indication as to when it'll begin sales. While some listings are available via a third-party seller, they're at massively inflated prices. With all of these stores, we've seen the Mario Kart World bundle available in greater quantities online than the base console, which costs $50 less. But given that Mario Kart is the Switch 2's biggest launch game and retails for $80 on its own, that may not be the worst thing. Nintendo, meanwhile, is only offering the Switch 2 via an invite system. This requires you to have been a Switch Online member for at least 12 months and logged at least 50 hours of Switch 1 playtime as of April 2. It can't hurt to sign up if you meet the criteria, but don't expect it to bear fruit immediately — it's taken weeks for many people who registered in April to receive their invite. You can find a list of every Switch 2 retail listing we could find below. Just be aware that this is meant to be a reference, not a rundown of everywhere the device is available right this second. Where to buy Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle: Where to buy Switch 2 + Pokémon Legends: Z-A bundle (pre-order now, available October 16): Where to buy Switch 2: Nintendo is selling a number of Switch 2 accessories alongside the console, from its (pricey) Pro Controller to cases to cameras for the new GameChat feature. Most of these became available on June 5. The same goes for games like Mario Kart World and the Switch 2 version of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom . Another big Switch 2 release, Donkey Kong Bananza , will be available shortly starting on July 17 but is still up for pre-order now. As of this publication, just about all Switch 2 games are broadly available. Stock for the accessories remains a little spottier, but most devices are still available at multiple retailers. Nintendo's official Switch 2 carrying cases have been the main exceptions, so you may need to look to third-party alternatives if you want some protection for your console right away. Mario Kart World ($80) Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Donkey Kong Bananza ($70) Nintendo Amazon Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Costco (membership required) Additional Switch 2 games Nintendo Amazon Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Samsung microSD Express Card (256GB) for Nintendo Switch 2 ($60) Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Amazon Joy-Con 2 bundle ($95) Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Switch 2 Pro Controller ($85) Switch 2 Camera ($55) Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Hori Nintendo Switch 2 Piranha Plant Camera ($60) Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip ($40) Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Joy-Con 2 Wheels (set of 2) ($25) Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Switch 2 All-in-One Carrying Case ($85) Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Switch 2 Carrying Case and Screen Protector ($40) Nintendo (invite required) Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Nintendo Switch 2 Dock Set ($120) Nintendo GameCube Controller for Switch 2 ($65) Nintendo (Switch Online required)
