President Donald Trump said he’s begun arrangements for a face-to-face meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss a pathway to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Trump affirmed that the U.S. would back European security guarantees but stopped short of committing U.S. troops to a collective effort to prevent Moscow from reinvading its neighbor.
Relying on the false information and conspiracy theories that he’s regularly used to explain away his 2020 election loss, Trump has pledged again to get rid of both mail voting, used by about one-third of all voters, and voting machines used in nearly all of the nation’s election jurisdictions. Based on the Constitution, U.S. elections are managed by the states, and there is little to no way for Trump to change this.
Here’s the latest:
Trump says he didn’t speak with Putin with European leaders in the room
The president said he thought it would have been disrespectful to handle the phone call that way since Putin and the European leaders meeting with him at the White House haven’t had the “warmest relations.”
But despite that, he said during an interview on Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends” that he has managed to maintain a “very good relationship” with Putin.
Trump was holding talks at the White House on Monday with Zelenskyy and the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, the European Union and NATO on ending Russia’s war on Ukraine
Trump says admitting Ukraine into NATO and the return of Crimea are ‘impossible’
The president, in a morning interview on “Fox & Friends,” said that he’s optimistic a deal can be made to bring an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But Trump underscored that Ukraine will have to set aside both its hope of a returned Crimea, which Russia seized by force in 2014, and its aspirations to join the NATO military alliance.
“Both of those things are impossible,” Trump said.
Putin, as part of any potential deal, is looking for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as recognition of Crimea as Russian territory.
Government argued ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ lawsuits need a different court
The state and federal government had argued that even though the isolated airstrip where the facility is located is owned by Miami-Dade County, Florida’s southern district was the wrong venue since the detention center is located in neighboring Collier County, which is in the state’s middle district.
The defendants made an identical argument last week about jurisdiction for a second lawsuit in which environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe sued to stop further construction and operations at the Everglades detention center until it’s in compliance with federal environmental laws.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami has yet to rule on the venue question. On Aug. 7 she ordered a 14-day halt on additional construction during a hearing last week and said she plans to rule before the order expires this week.
Judge dismisses part of lawsuit against ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ lawsuit
A federal judge in Miami dismissed part of a lawsuit over the legal rights of detainees at the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center and moved the case to a different jurisdiction.
U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz’s 47-page ruling late Monday says claims the detainees lack confidential access to their lawyers or to immigration hearings were rendered moot when the Trump administration recently designated the Krome North Processing Center near Miami as a site for their cases to be heard.
The judge heard arguments from both sides in a hearing earlier Monday in Miami. Civil rights attorneys were seeking a preliminary injunction to ensure detainees at the facility have access to their lawyers and can get a hearing.
Read more about the lawsuit over the detention center
Next steps in the negotiations turn back to Putin
Trump, who bragged on numerous occasions during the campaign that he could settle Russia’s war in Ukraine in a day, said repeatedly Monday that it was far more complicated than he ever thought it would be.
But he also suggested — likely implausibly — that the fighting that has raged for years could wind down quickly.
“A week or two weeks, we’ll know whether we’re going to solve this, or if this horrible fighting is going to continue,” said Trump, even suggesting the issues yet to be hammered out weren’t “overly complex.”
Still, much remains unresolved, including red lines that are incompatible — like whether Ukraine will cede any land to Russia, the future of Ukraine’s army and whether the country will ultimately have lasting and meaningful security guarantees.
Read more about the main takeaways from Monday’s multilateral meeting
Zelenskyy says meeting with Putin should be held ‘without any conditions’
Zelenskyy says that if he starts to set conditions for the meeting, regarding a potential ceasefire or other matters, then Russia will want to set conditions, too, potentially jeopardizing those talks.
“That’s why I believe that we must meet without any conditions,” he told reporters.
Zelenskyy said Trump showed him a map of the Ukraine front lines in the Oval Office and they got into a little debate about territories it showed. But they didn’t argue, he said.
“We had a truly warm, good and substantial conversation,” Zelenskyy said.
NATO leader says ‘Article 5 kind of security guarantees’ will be discussed in coming days
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says Trump agreed that the United States would contribute to Ukraine’s security following a peace deal, a development he called “a breakthrough.”
Membership in NATO is not on the table, but the U.S. and European leaders are discussing “Article 5 kind of security guarantees for Ukraine,” Rutte said in an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham. Article 5 of the NATO treaty says an attack on one member nation is an attack on all members, the heart of the transatlantic defense compact.
Details around U.S. involvement in Ukraine “will be discussed over the coming days,” which will give Zelenskyy the clarity he needs to decide whether Ukrainians can remain safe following a peace deal.
“It is important to also know what the situation will be with the security guarantees to prevent Vladimir Putin from ever, ever trying again to invade parts of Ukraine,” Rutte said.
The possibility of U.S. troops in Ukraine was not discussed Monday, he said.
DC told of intent to arm National Guard troops
Washington has been informed about the intent for the National Guard to be armed, though it has not received details about when that could happen or where armed Guard members could be deployed in D.C., according to a person familiar who was not authorized to disclose the plans and spoke on condition of anonymity.
It would be a departure from what the Pentagon and Army have said about the troops being unarmed. The Army said in a statement last week that “weapons are available if needed but will remain in the armory.”
Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson also said last week that troops won’t be armed.
In response to questions about whether Guard members in Washington would be armed in the coming days, the District of Columbia National Guard said troops “may be armed consistent with their mission and training.”
Maj. Melissa Heintz, a spokesperson for the D.C. Guard, didn’t provide more details and said “their presence is focused on supporting civil authorities and ensuring the safety of the community they serve.”
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— By Anna Johnson and Mike Pesoli
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