International

Trump will receive Zelenski in the US next week and talk to Putin on the phone

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced this Friday that next week he plans to receive his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, at the White House, and will speak on the phone with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in an attempt to end the war in Ukraine.

“I will probably meet with President Zelensky next week and also talk to President Putin. I would like that war to end,” he said in statements to the press in the Oval Office, where he met with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

The last time Trump met with Zelenski was in December in Paris, in a three-man meeting sponsored by the French president, Emmanuel Macron.

Trump had not yet taken office, but served as president-elect after winning the elections weeks earlier against Democrat Kamala Harris.

This Friday, the US president announced, without giving more details, that Zelenski will be in Washington next week.

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With regard to Putin, he assured that both have had “always a good relationship.”

“Putin and I have always had a good relationship. That’s why it’s so sad that this (the war) happened. This would never have happened if I had been president,” said the US president.

“So many dead people and so many destroyed cities. Let’s talk about Gaza, but let’s look at Ukraine. Many of those cities are mere rubble. It’s so sad, it should never have happened. All those beautiful golden domes, but most importantly, all those beautiful dead people. It should never have happened,” he added.

Trump said this week 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.

He has also threatened Moscow with tariffs and more sanctions, as well as promoting a drop in oil prices if the war continues.

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Trump advocated before his arrival at the White House on January 20 to end the conflict in Ukraine immediately, something he has not achieved for the moment.

International

White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment

The White House said Monday that it has not changed its policy toward Cuba, despite allowing a sanctioned Russian oil tanker to deliver fuel to the island on humanitarian grounds.

U.S. officials emphasized that the decision was made as an exception and does not signal a broader shift in policy.

The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.

The clarification comes amid ongoing restrictions related to U.S. sanctions policy, which continue to limit trade and financial flows involving Cuba.

International

Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López

The Spanish government is expected to grant citizenship this Tuesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lópezthrough an extraordinary procedure known as “carta de naturaleza.”

The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.

López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.

As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.

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The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.

López is the leader of the Voluntad Popular party and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside figures such as Garry Kasparov and Masih Alinejad.

International

ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.

“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

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The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.