International

Trump says he will meet with Putin “very soon” to end the war in Ukraine

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, said on Sunday that he could meet “very soon” with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to discuss the end of the war in Ukraine.

In statements to the press in West Palm Beach (Florida), Trump assured that his government is working “very hard” to achieve “peace” between Russia and Ukraine, and stressed that both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will participate in the negotiations.

His words come at a time when delegations from Russia and the United States are preparing to hold talks about the end of the conflict in Saudi Arabia, where an eventual summit between Trump and Putin could also be held.

Trump told the press that, although there is no set date for his summit with Putin, it could be “very soon.”

Asked about the possibility of the meeting with Putin taking place this month, Trump replied: “It will be soon. We’ll see what happens” and suggested that the summit will depend on the outcome of the talks in Saudi Arabia between the US and Russian diplomatic teams.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian delegation led by Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is already in Saudi Arabia, although it is not clear whether it will participate in the negotiations.

Trump revealed that this Sunday he spoke with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who is part of the US delegation in negotiations with Russia, and assured that the peace process “is progressing” and that his team is “working very hard on it.”

Asked if Zelenski will participate in the negotiations in Saudi Arabia, Trump replied: “Yes, he will be involved.”
In addition, he maintained that both Putin and the Ukrainian president want to end the war.

The president said he has a “good idea” of what Putin is looking for because, as he revealed, the US special envoy for the Middle East, Steven Witkoff, one of his closest advisers, met with the Russian leader in Moscow recently for “three hours” as part of negotiations for a prisoner exchange.

“I think he wants to stop fighting. Russia has a large and powerful war machine. We must remember that they defeated Hitler and Napoleon, they have been fighting for a long time, they have done it before, but I think now he would like to stop the war,” Trump said.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

On February 12, Trump spoke by phone with Putin in what was the first public contact between the US and Russian leaders since February 2022, when the Russian leader contacted then-President Joe Biden before the invasion of Ukraine.

After that call, Trump announced that he had reached an agreement with Putin to “immediately” start negotiations with the aim of ending the war and said he could meet with the Russian leader in Saudi Arabia.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday that he was prepared to move British troops to Ukraine with the aim of contributing to security guarantees in the Eastern European country.

“The United Kingdom is ready to play a leading role in accelerating work on security guarantees for Ukraine. This includes greater support for the Ukrainian army (…) but it also means being willing to contribute to the guarantees by sending our own troops to the field if necessary,” the Labor leader said in an exclusive article in ‘The Telegraph’.

This is the first time that the British prime minister explicitly says that he is considering sending British peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, in statements that occur before attending the informal meeting with European leaders that will take place this Monday in Paris.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”