International

Trump says he has a very good dialogue with Moscow and Kiev to stop the “slaughter” in Ukraine

US President Donald Trump assured on Tuesday that he is having “very constructive” talks with Moscow and Kiev to end the conflict and stressed that the “massacre” that is taking place in Ukraine cannot be allowed to continue.

“An absolute slaughter is taking place on the beautiful farmland of Ukraine and we have to stop it. We cannot allow this to continue. It is a human tragedy and we will work hard to stop it,” he said at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump said that he is having “very good and constructive” talks with the Ukrainian leadership of Kiev and also with the Russian leadership of Moscow.

“This should not have happened,” added the Republican president, who began his second term on January 20, about that war.

The US leader therefore stressed that it must be put to an end. “We cannot allow this to continue. It is a human tragedy and we will do our hard effort to stop it,” he said alongside Netanyahu, the first foreign president he receives in the White House since his return to power.

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Trump said on Monday that he wants Ukraine to deliver rare earths to the United States, key minerals for technological innovations ranging from electric vehicles and wind turbines to state-of-the-art aircraft, in exchange for the help that Washington is providing.

“We are telling Ukrainians that they have very valuable rare earths. We want what we offer to be guaranteed in some way. We want a guarantee,” Trump told the press in the Oval Office of the White House, insisting that Ukraine should give something to Washington in exchange for the aid it provides.

According to Trump, the previous president, Joe Biden, “never asked them for money” and only “gave them money,” in reference to the military and other aid that the United States has given to Ukraine worth more than 180 billion dollars since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022.

In the opinion of the president, the European Union is not putting itself at the level of the United States in terms of aid to Ukraine and that has to be “rebalanced”, because “we have an ocean in between and they don’t.”

Trump advocated before his arrival at the White House to end the conflict in Ukraine immediately, something he has not achieved for the moment.

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He has also said that he hopes to be able to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin to be able to “end the war” in Ukraine, while last Friday he was again cryptic about whether or not he has already spoken to Putin.

International

Florida judge sets 2027 trial in Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against BBC

A federal judge in Florida has scheduled February 2027 for the trial in the lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump against the BBC, in which he is seeking $10 billion in damages for defamation.

Trump accuses the British broadcaster of airing a misleading edit of a speech he delivered on January 6, 2021, which, he says, made it appear that he explicitly urged his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

The president filed the suit in December in federal court in Florida, alleging defamation and violations of a law governing business practices when the program was broadcast ahead of the 2024 election.

Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages for each of the two claims.

Lawyers for the BBC unsuccessfully asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that Trump had not suffered a “legally recognizable harm,” since the investigative program Panorama, which included the edited footage, aired outside the United States.

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International

Head-of-state diplomacy key to guiding China–U.S. ties, Beijing says

Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China–United States relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday during a regular press briefing, when asked about high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Lin added that in a recent phone call, U.S. President Donald Trump once again expressed his intention to visit China in April, while Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his invitation.

Both sides remain in communication regarding the matter, the spokesperson said.

Lin noted that the essence of China–U.S. economic and trade ties lies in mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

“Both parties should work together to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, injecting greater certainty and stability into China–U.S. economic and trade cooperation, as well as into the global economy,” he said.

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International

Trump administration to end special immigration operation in Minnesota

The administration of Donald Trump is bringing to a close its special operation targeting illegal immigration in the northern state of Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday, following weeks of unrest and the fatal shootings of two activists by federal agents.

Thousands of federal officers had been deployed to Minnesota in December to carry out large-scale raids against undocumented immigrants.

The operations triggered strong reactions from residents and advocacy groups, leading to daily confrontations and the deaths of two people who were shot by federal agents.

“I proposed, and President Trump agreed, that this special operation should end in Minnesota,” Homan said during a press conference in the state capital, Minneapolis.

“A significant drawdown began this week and will continue into next week,” he added.

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Homan indicated that similar enforcement efforts could be launched in other cities.

“Next week we will redeploy the agents currently here back to their home stations or to other parts of the country where they are needed. But we will continue to enforce immigration laws,” he said.