Russia launches air strikes against Ukraine
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Russia carried out one of its largest aerial attacks against Ukraine Friday, just hours after President Donald Trump said it may be better to let the two countries 'fight for a while.'
The U.S. has been trying to broker a peace deal to no avail, largely because Russia will not agree to the ceasefire terms.
Members of Congress warn the U.S. should be paying more attention to this style of drone warfare.
'The United States has to be prepared,' said U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas.).
Gonzales said the U.S. has a blind spot right now.
'We don't know how many drones are being flown every day,' he said. 'We don't know the intentions. I'm not saying they're all negative intentions, but we just need to know.'
Gonzales said Congress can do that through legislation and appropriations to various government agencies.
'Not just telling them or giving them extra work,' he said. 'But giving them extra funds.'
Lawmakers also want to play a larger role in ending the war by passing more sanctions against Russia to pressure President Putin.
'Then maybe he'll come to the table,' said U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas.).
However, McCaul said after Ukraine's surprise drone attack against Russia Sunday, Putin is now planning what McCaul called a 'brutal response' for Ukraine's capital.
'Which was before kind of hands-off because of the churches there,' McCaul said. 'But I think you're gonna see Kyiv get hit really hard.'
President Trump changed his tone Thursday, straying from his usual calls for peace. He said he delivered this comparison to Putin himself during their phone call Wednesday.
'Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy,' President Trump said. 'They hate each other, and they're fighting in a park, and you try and pull them apart. They don't want to be pulled. Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while.'
President Trump has yet to endorse the sanctions legislation against Putin. It would also levy new tariffs against any country that purchases Russian energy, targeting China and India, the top supporters of Russia's war effort.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
42 minutes ago
- New York Post
Ted Cruz was with president when Musk's barrage of attacks started: ‘Trump was pissed'
Sen. Ted Cruz was with a fuming President Trump as Elon Musk viciously attacked his former ally online Thursday — with the Texas Republican saying the spat made him feel like he was a kid in the middle of a divorce. 'I was sitting in the Oval as this unfolded. Trump was pissed. He was venting,' the Republican senator revealed on his podcast 'Verdict with Ted Cruz' Friday. 'I was sitting there, and the tweets were coming…. Elon was saying some really harsh things.' The SpaceX and Tesla billionaire went on a multi-day social media offensive against Trump, panning the president's 'big, beautiful' reconciliation bill 'disgusting' and urging Congress to kill it. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,' Musk fumed after Trump spoke out about the simmering feud. Cruz, who's friends with both former bros, called their very public break-up this week 'incredibly painful.' 'These are two men whom I know very well, they're both good friends of mine,' he said. 3 President Trump and Tesla billionaire Elon Musk came to blows on social media this week, ending their bromance. AFP via Getty Images 'I feel like the kids of a bitter divorce where you're just saying, 'I really wish mommy and daddy would stop screaming.'' 3 Ted Cruz talked about the break-up this Friday on his podcast 'Verdict with Ted Cruz.' Verdict with Ted Cruz/Facebook Trump and Musk's tiff escalated later in the week — with Trump threatening to cancel billions of dollars in government contracts to Musk's companies and Musk claiming Trump was holding out on making the Jeffrey Epstein files public because he's in them. 3 Trump and Musk's tiff escalated later in the week. Getty Images 'It just went from zero to 11 instantaneously,' said Cruz. 'These are two alpha males who are pissed off. And unfortunately, they're unloading on each other … They're angry, it's not complicated.' Cruz and his co-host commented that they thought both men are right — Trump's big beautiful budget bill has to get passed but the government has to tackle the deficit more as Musk argued. 'Unfortunately, Elon is working under the assumption that Congress actually wants to do the job and save our country,' said podcast co-host Ben Ferguson. 'And I think Trump is working under the reality that there's a lot of people in Congress that actually aren't looking out for the American people.' Musk on Saturday deleted his post about the Epstein files in a sign he was ready to throw in the towel. But Trump made it clear he wasn't interested in kissing and making up anytime soon. 'I have no intention of speaking to him,' he told NBC News.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump warns Musk will face ‘serious consequences' if he backs Democrats
President Donald Trump vowed his former friend Elon Musk will face 'very serious consequences' should he choose to support the Democratic party following their very public feud. Trump delivered the warning in an interview with NBC News, during which he also said he had 'no intention of speaking to' the tech billionaire any time in the near future, citing the online threats and insults he hurled in recent days. 'I'm too busy doing other things,' Trump said Saturday. 'I think it's a very bad thing, because he's very disrespectful,' he added. 'You could not disrespect the office of the president.' Asked directly whether he believes their relationship to be permanently over, Trump replied: 'I would assume so, yeah.' The world's richest man backed Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the 2024 election, shelling out nearly $300 million in a bid to land them in the White House. In the months following their win, Musk cemented himself by Trump's side, appearing at press conferences, parties and public events, while professing his 'love' for the president. But relations ruptured between the pair on Tuesday, when Musk ripped into the Republicans' 'Big, Beautiful' budget bill aimed at enacting much of Trump's agenda. 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore,' Musk wrote on his X social media platform. 'This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.' He said the bill would undermine much of his efforts to trim federal spending during his brief period with Trump's Department of Government Efficiency. On Thursday, he then blasted the president and accused him of being an ingrate, saying, 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election,' Mere hours later, the SpaceX founder dropped the 'really big bomb' when he alleged Trump appeared in the 'Epstein files,' referring to a trove of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein's alleged sex trafficking crimes, including those who were involved. That post was deleted Friday night. 'That's called 'old news,' that's been old news, that has been talked about for years,' Trump said Saturday when asked about his reaction to Musk's allegation. 'Even Epstein's lawyer said I had nothing to do with it. It's old news.' The president also fired back in a series of press appearances and social media posts. He threatened to not only terminate Musk's government contracts, but to get rid of his Tesla as well. Sources told NBC News the electronic vehicle is still parked outside of the White House. 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,' Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to federal contracts with SpaceX. 'I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!' As for his budget bill, Trump believes his feud with Musk has actually been positive, telling NBC the Tesla CEO helped bring it to the public's attention. 'I think, actually, Elon brought out the strengths of the bill because people that weren't as focused started focusing on it, and they see how good it is,' Trump said. 'So in that sense, there was a big favor. But I think Elon, really, I think it's a shame that he's so depressed and so heartbroken.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Zelensky urges US to act on Ukraine's request to buy air defenses after deadly Kharkiv bombing
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 7 that Russian forces continued to brutally bomb Kharkiv, targeting the city "throughout the day" with both drones and guided aerial bombs. Two people were killed and at least 18 injured following what Zelensky called "a brutal strike on the city in broad daylight." "These Russian strikes are not 'retaliation' but acts of destruction," the president added. On June 6, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to justify Russia's large-scale attack on Ukrainian cities launched the night before, in response to Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb. He said earlier that Russia's response to Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb is likely "not going to be pretty." "They gave (Russian President Vladimir) Putin a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them last night," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. Zelensky stressed that Russia's goal is the complete erasure of life in Ukraine and reiterated that in all occupied territories, Russia has shown its true intent — building only military infrastructure and looting anything of value. "In more than 11 years of war, Russia has brought only one new thing to our land — ruins and death," he said. Zelensky highlighted Ukraine's urgent need for air defense and appealed specifically to the United States: "We still await a response to our proposal to purchase systems that can help. We need concrete signals, not words." He thanked European countries for their support and underlined the need for joint production of air defense systems and missiles, noting this is essential not only for Ukraine but for all of Europe. He also renewed calls for increased international pressure, saying that "no form of pressure on Russia can be eased." Zelensky warned that Moscow continues to prepare for war and ignores every peace proposal: "They must be held accountable." Reporting on recent military updates, Zelensky said Ukrainian forces destroyed three Russian Iskander missile launchers used to strike Ukrainian communities. He also confirmed the downing of a Su-35 fighter jet, damage to Russian helicopters, and new strikes against Russian military logistics and airfields. "Every complication for Russia matters for our defense," he said. Read also: Ukraine refutes Russia's claims of disrupting POW exchange We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
