3 h. ago Trump says he ‘had very good talks with Putin’ and again criticizes Ukraine – live

US president also accuses Kyiv of talking ‘tough’ but having few bargaining chips in latest remarks in feud with Ukrainian president ZelenskyyNational security adviser Mike Waltz told a crowd of Donald Trump loyalists that he believes the president will receive the Nobel peace prize.“This is the presidency of peace. He’s going to end the war in Europe. He is going to end the wars in the Middle East. He is going to reinvest the United States and our leadership in our own hemisphere, from the Arctic to the border to Panama all the way down to our good friends in Argentina,” Waltz told the Conservative Political Action Conference.The pause comes after CNN reported on Wednesday that the mass terminations, which could affect over 50,000 civilian employees across the Pentagon, could run afoul of Title 10 section 129a of the US code. Following that report, Pentagon lawyers began reviewing the legality of the planned terminations more closely, the officials said.That law says that the secre...

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3 h. ago Mike Waltz insists Ukraine will sign mineral deal — and Trump will get a Nobel Peace Prize when war’s over

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously rejected an agreement for American control of much of his country’s rare earth minerals

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4 h. ago Senate passes budget funding Trump’s mass deportations; Pentagon reportedly delays firing civilians – US politics live

Republicans approve spending plan that will pay for hardline immigration policies; sackings on hold amid concerns they could hit military readinessMass firings could cause ‘monumental’ bill, say expertsNational security adviser Mike Waltz told a crowd of Donald Trump loyalists that he believes the president will receive the Nobel peace prize.“This is the presidency of peace. He’s going to end the war in Europe. He is going to end the wars in the Middle East. He is going to reinvest the United States and our leadership in our own hemisphere, from the Arctic to the border to Panama all the way down to our good friends in Argentina,” Waltz told the Conservative Political Action Conference.The pause comes after CNN reported on Wednesday that the mass terminations, which could affect over 50,000 civilian employees across the Pentagon, could run afoul of Title 10 section 129a of the US code. Following that report, Pentagon lawyers began reviewing the legality of the planned terminations m...

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28 h. ago Donald Trump aide tells Kyiv to ‘tone it down’ as tensions with Zelensky escalate

It comes as US envoy Keith Kellogg cancelled his press conference following a meeting with Mr Zelensky in Kyiv

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28 h. ago All those to speak out against Donald Trump as Mike Pence rallies against former boss

A few people have backed Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky including Sir Keir Starmer and President Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence

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45 h. ago Mike Pence lashes out, but most Republicans mum as Trump savages Ukraine and Zelensky

Will Republicans in Congress do something about it? Probably not

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66 h. ago Donald Trump and Elon Musk speak in first joint TV interview – US politics live

Sean Hannity interview with US president and billionaire adviser airs on Fox News in prime timeThe US delegation is now speaking to the media. My colleague Jakub Krupa reports that Michael Waltz, the US national security adviser, has said the Ukraine talks with Russia will include discussion of territory and security guarantees, adding:This needs to be a permanent end to the war, and not a temporary end, as we’ve seen in the past.What’s important to understand is two things. The first is [that] the only leader in the world who can make this happen, who can even bring people together to begin to talk about it in a serious way, is President Trump.The second thing I would say is that in order for a conflict to end, everyone involved in that conflict has to be okay with it has to be it has to be acceptable to them.The goal is to bring an end to this conflict in a way that’s fair, enduring, sustainable and acceptable to all parties involved. What that looks like? Well, that’s what this w...

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