The President's Daily Brief - PDB Evening Bulletin | May 15th, 2025: Chinese Spy Devices Discovered In Solar Panels & Putin Snubs Direct Peace Talks With Zelensky In Turkey

Episode Date: May 16, 2025

In this episode of The PDB Evening Bulletin:  First, U.S. energy officials are re-evaluating the national security risks posed by Chinese-made equipment critical to America’s renewable energy infrastructure, after discovering what appear to be spy devices hidden inside Chinese solar power inverters. Later in the show—high stakes direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine that were planned for Thursday in Turkey hit a major snag, as Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to skip the negotiations, instead sending a junior delegation in a snub to Kyiv and President Donald Trump. 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/@presidentsdailybriefDeleteMe: Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you text PDB to 64000. Message and data rates apply Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold TriTails Premium Beef: Visit https://TryBeef.com/PDB for 2 free Flat Iron steaks with your first box over $250 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Olivia Rodriguez, the unraveled tour, live across North America, with special guests. Get tickets Thursday, May 7th at Olivia Rodrigo.com. It's Thursday, the 15th of May. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Now, I apologize for the late upload today of the PDB afternoon bulletin. Our youngest boy Mugsy had an all-day tennis tournament to get me away from the microphone until now. So it's actually the PDB early evening bulletin for today.

We'll get back to the normal time tomorrow. All right, let's get briefed. First up, U.S. energy officials are reevaluating the national security risks posed by Chinese-made equipment critical to America's renewable energy infrastructure. after discovering what appears to be, and this is shocking, spy devices hidden inside Chinese solar power inverters. We'll have the details. Later in the show, high-stakes direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine that were planned for Thursday in Turkey hit a major snag. As Russian President Putin decided to skip the negotiation, instead sending a junior delegation in a snub

to Kiev and President Trump. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. U.S. energy officials are warning that America's critical infrastructure is dangerously vulnerable to Chinese espionage efforts. Two sources linked to the U.S. Department of Energy exclusively told Reuters that the Trump administration is reevaluating the national security risks posed by Chinese-made devices used in America's renewable energy infrastructure after making some startling discoveries. They say that over the past nine months, officials have found numerous rogue communication devices hidden inside equipment from multiple Chinese suppliers that power America's energy grid. The devices include cellular radios and other equipment that could allow firewalls to be

circumvented remotely. Now, the findings suggest a coordinated effort by the communist regime to infiltrate core U.S. infrastructure and raise questions about America's reliance on energy-related technologies produced in China, not to mention other technologies, including telecoms gear. The latest concerns revolve around power inverters, which are predominantly produced in China and used throughout the world to connect things like solar panels and wind turbines to electricity grids. They are also critical components of batteries, heat pumps, and electric vehicle chargers. For some background, power inverters are typically built to allow some level of remote access for updates and maintenance, but utility companies usually install

firewalls to prevent direct communication back to China. But, according to the sources that spoke with Reuters, the recent discoveries of communication devices not listed in product documents has raised fears that the CCP could bypass these firewalls with potentially catastrophic consequences. The devices were reportedly found by U.S. experts who regularly stripped down equipment hooked up to energy grids to check for security vulnerabilities. The U.S. government however, has not publicly acknowledged the findings, making it hard to know just how widespread the problem is. Here's a pro tip. It's probably fairly widespread. But one source warned that the rogue communication devices could, in theory, be used to remotely switch off inverters or alter

their settings, which could destabilize domestic power grids and damage energy infrastructure, potentially even triggering widespread blackouts. The source told Reuters, quote, that effectively means there's a built-in way to physically destroy the grid. The sources said they declined to be named as they don't have permission to speak on the matter to the media. They did not specify which Chinese manufacturers were linked to the hidden devices or how many the U.S. government has found. Retired Admiral Mike Rogers, a former director of the U.S. National Security Agency, the NSA, told Reuters, quote, we know that China believes there's value in placing at least some elements of our core infrastructure

at risk of destruction or disruption. I think that the Chinese are, in part, hoping that the widespread use of inverters limits the options that the West has to deal with the security issue, end quote. The findings come at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and China, whether over trade tariffs or China's escalating military harassment of Taiwan. It's prompted the government to rethink America's dependence on China for strategic infrastructure technologies. Well, one could argue that on that front, Elvis has left the building. Here's hoping that the U.S. and its allies aren't just now rethinking their dependence on China. As you may recall, last fall, similar concerns were raised regarding the cybersecurity risk posed by Chinese-made cranes used in American ports,

which are responsible for 80 percent of U.S. container operations. Many of the Chinese-made ship-to-shore cranes were found to contain unlisted, quote, suspicious devices, including cellular modems that were actively connected to operational crane components. In November, the U.S. Coast Guard warned that the cranes could be exploited through remote access capabilities by the communist regime for espionage or operational interference. The Coast Guard subsequently issued a maritime security directive that outlined heightened security measures to address these risks, though American port operators have reportedly been slow to act on the guidance. In addition, there's the issue of Chinese-produced telecoms equipment being purchased and installed

by regional U.S. telecoms providers. Now, the gear was often sold to the U.S. companies at or below cost at prices that just didn't make any sense until you understand that the purpose was simply to get their gear installed on towers across the country, particularly in locations closer adjacent to sensitive U.S. military facilities. Meanwhile, to address broader security risks linked to Chinese technologies, two U.S. senators introduced legislation in February that would ban the Department of Homeland Security from purchasing batteries from six Chinese entities that they say are closely linked to leaders of the CCP. While that bill is still being debated, major domestic utility companies are

already preparing to shift away from their reliance on Chinese inverter manufacturers. Florida Power and Light Company, for example, the state's largest power supplier, is already seeking alternative suppliers to minimize the use of Chinese-built inverters. Officials with the U.S. Department of Energy did not specifically address the concerns around Chinese-made power inverters when asked about the report from Reuters, but said they are continually assessing risks associated with emerging technologies. In a statement, DOE officials said, quote, while this functionality may not have malicious intent, it is critical for those procuring to have a full understanding of the capabilities of the products received, end quote.

Unsurprisingly, officials with the Chinese embassy in Washington denied any subversive intent. I told you it was unsurprising, telling Reuters, quote, we oppose the generalization of the concept of national security distorting and smearing China's infrastructure achievements, end quote. and then they winked and chuckled to themselves. All right, coming up next, in a major snub to Kiev and President Trump, Russian President Putin decided to skip planned direct talks hosted in Turkey to end the war in Ukraine. I'll be right back.

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Putin, who had left the door open on his attendance for days, ultimately sent a junior-level delegation in this place, headed by former culture minister Vladimir Badinsky, best known for leading the failed 2020 to Russia-Ukrainian Istanbul talks. The move drew a scathing rebuke from Zelensky, who derided the Russian delegation as mere, quote, theater props, accusing the Kremlin of showing contempt for both the Trump administration and Turkey's mediation efforts. Following a nearly three-hour closed-door session with Turkish President Erdogan,

Zelensky announced that a Ukraine team, led by his defense minister, would head to Istanbul for talks with low-level Russian representatives, possibly alongside American and Turkish officials. The mission, he said, would have one goal, discussing the implementation and monitoring, of the Trump administration's proposed 30-day unconditional ceasefire. Zelensky made clear that he would not engage with anyone but Putin himself. Still, he said he was sending negotiators, quote, out of respect for Trump and Erdogan. Zelensky stated, quote, despite the relatively low level of the Russian delegation, we still want to try to take at least the first steps toward a ceasefire, end quote.

The absence of Ukraine's military, general staff, and intelligence leadership from the delegation, underscores the limited scope of the Istanbul talks, if in fact they proceed at all. Zelensky's government has flatly ruled out any discussions involving territorial concessions or future security arrangements unless Russian forces halt their offensive. And with Putin nowhere in sight, Ukraine has little reason to expect a breakthrough. Meanwhile, President Trump on Wednesday, speaking from Doha as part of his ongoing Gulf State diplomacy tour, reiterated his central role in the process. He told reporters he might travel to Turkey, quote, if something happened. But later, aboard Air Force

1, clarified, quote, nothing's going to happen until Putin and I get together, end quote. Trump's top-bound voice, Steve Whitkoff, Keith Kellogg, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are expected in Istanbul to represent the U.S. delegation. As our listeners will recall, all three have been engaged in back-channel efforts to gauge whether Moscow is serious about a Trump-brokered truce. which begs the question, how many high-level officials does it take to realize that Putin isn't serious? Ahead of the Zelensky Erdogan meeting, Rubio and Senator Lindsay Graham also met with Ukraine's foreign minister in Antalya, Turkey, to discuss Kiev's negotiating stance. If the talks do commence, Russia's playbook appears unchanged. According to Ukrainian officials, the Russian side is once again floating elements of the 2022 Istanbul-Istandbold draft agreements, which demanded sweeping Ukrainian consensus. including demilitarization and bans on advanced weapons systems. Keeve and its Western

allies have categorically rejected those terms as a non-starter, branding them incompatible with Ukrainian sovereignty. As we discussed on today's PDB, European leaders from France, Germany, Poland, and the UK traveled to Keeve last week to back Zelensky and a warn that failure to reach a ceasefire would prompt tougher sanctions against Moscow. Trump is also weighing so-called secondary sanctions targeting Russia's oil exports. That, of course, would be the Putin regime's main revenue stream. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon, well, let's call it early evening, bulletin for Thursday the 15th of May. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And of course, as you may know, to listen to the show

ad-free, well, just become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting pdbpremium.com. It's that simple. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me take just a little bit of your time to talk about something important.

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