Ukraine says at least 40 Russian warplanes hit in massive drone strikes
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The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Pete Hegseth is requiring so much security it's taking officers off of criminal investigations
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth 's security requirements are so extensive that it is placing a strain on the U.S. Army 's Criminal Investigation Division, according to a report. The Washington Post reports that the CID, which is responsible for protecting top Pentagon officials as well as serving as the Army's law enforcment arm, has been forced to draft agents who would otherwise be investigating criminal offenses concerning members of the Armed Forces to help watch over Hegseth's family and their properties in D.C., Minnesota and Tennessee. 'I've never seen this many security teams for one guy,' one official told the newspaper. 'Nobody has.' The CID reportedly maintains around 1,500 agents in total, around 150 of whom are typically assigned to VIP security details. But since Hegseth took office in January, the number shifted over into personal protection roles has risen to between 400 and 500, according to two differing estimates the paper received. One CID official quoted by the Post expressed their frustration with the situation by saying agents were being prevented from 'doing what we are supposed to be doing' in order to 'sit on luggage' or 'sit in the cars on the driveway.' Others complained of having to shepherd the secretary's children to school or patrol the perimeter of his properties. 'It is literally taking away from [CID's] law enforcement mission,' they said. 'You are taking hundreds of people out of the field to provide this level of protection.' One of the reasons for the heightened security surrounding the secretary is the fact that he received a bomb threat at his Tennessee home late last year shortly after he was nominated to his post by President Donald Trump, which came a matter of months after two attempts were made on Trump's own life during the campaign, the first of which saw the Secret Service heavily criticized. Another is the complexity of Hegseth's blended family, which includes one child from his marriage to Jennifer Hegseth as well as three from her previous marriage and another three from his. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell reacted angrily to the Post 's reporting and warned in a statement that the media scrutinizing a cabinet secretary's security arrangements 'puts lives at risk,' adding that Hegseth's were 'appropriate' and that 'any action pertaining to the security of Secretary Hegseth and his family has been in response to the threat environment and at the full recommendation of the Army Criminal Investigation Division.' The Independent has also reached out to the Department of Defense for additional comment. Hegseth's reign as the nation's top defense official has been tumultuous so far, with U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin's departure on Monday only the latest in an ongoing shake-up that has seen the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chief of naval operations, the commandant of the Coast Guard, and the vice chief of staff of the Air Force all changed in recent months. The secretary has also struggled to replace his own chief of staff, spokesman and senior aides after they left and found himself caught up in the 'Signalgate' scandal, which erupted in March when Trump's short-lived national security adviser Mike Waltz accidentally added Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg to a group chat in which top secret information about an upcoming bombing raid on Houthi rebels in Yemen was discussed. In addition, Hegseth, a former Fox News weekend host, has been caught up in a number of culture war issues, from the renaming of the U.S.S. Harvey Milk to questions arising from his decision to post a video on X in which a Christian nationalist pastor expressed his support for depriving women of the vote.
The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Putin and Zelensky have only met once before – here's what happened
Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky may soon meet Russian president Vladimir Putin again, for the first time since 2019. A summit in Paris six years ago was the first and only time the two presidents ever met, flanked by French president Emmanuel Macron and Germany's then-chancellor Angela Merkel. At the time, Putin and Zelensky were looking to hash out a ceasefire deal for war in Donbas in Ukraine's east, where Russia-backed forces were fighting Ukrainian troops. The two world leaders are now potentially set for another meeting as part of US president Donald Trump's bid to end the devastating Ukraine war. However, this is far from set in stone with Putin's initial suggestion that it could take place in Moscow quickly rejected by the Ukrainian president. What happened in 2019? Ukrainian forces and Russian separatists had been embroiled in conflict in Donbas, in Ukraine's east, since 2014. Zelensky and Putin travelled to Paris in December 2019 for the Normandy Format Summit, a diplomatic forum designed by French, German, Russian and Ukrainian diplomats after the outbreak of conflict. The Ukrainian president had been elected just months earlier in spring that year - his first role in political office - beating former foreign minister Petro Poroshenko to the presidency. The summit in Paris led to progress, but was not groundbreaking. The two sides agreed to implement 'all necessary ceasefire support measures' before the end of 2019 and to release all the prisoners of war. Both sides also expressed their desire to implement the Minsk agreements signed in 2014 and 2015, the first attempt to achieve a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia after Putin's forces rolled into and took over the Crimean peninsula. What did the leaders say about each other? The mood between the pair was chilly at first. There was no public handshake and they are said to have largely avoided eye contact during the meeting. Clean shaven and sporting a suit, 2019 Zelensky cut a strikingly different figure compared to his more familiar appearance now as a war-time leader. After the summit, Putin hailed the talks as an 'important step' towards de-escalation. He expressed what at the time appeared to be cautious hope: "All this gives us the grounds to suppose that the process is developing in the right direction.' Zelensky also hailed the meeting as a 'big step towards peace'. When he was asked by reporters who he believed had emerged victorious from the exchanges with his Russian counterpart, he said: "I don't know who (beat) who. I think it would be appropriate to be diplomatic as we've just started talking. Let's say for now it's a draw." What happened afterwards? Despite a number of prisoner exchanges, the 2019 meeting was not a catalyst for any major long-term change in Russo-Ukrainian relations - and little over two years later Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Several key sticking points remained after the 2019 negotiations. Kyiv continued to demand the withdrawal of Russian-backed troops and a complete ceasefire, with a return of border control to Ukraine. Russia insisted that before Ukraine regained control of its eastern border, local elections should be held in the occupied territories. Putin also demanded that Donbas have a special constitutional status in Ukraine, to give it a degree of autonomy. In January 2022, just weeks before the full-scale Russian invasion, the summit in Paris took place again, but was attended by officials from the same four countries, rather than their leaders. Senior diplomats met in February 2022 in an attempt to prevent a conflict. After the Russian invasion on 24 February, Zelensky said the invasion had 'ruined' the progress made by the Normandy Format.
The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump ‘prepared to crush Russia's economy if Putin turns down peace talks'
Senator Lindsey Graham is advocating for a sweeping sanctions bill to compel Vladimir Putin to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky and discuss an end to the Ukraine war. The proposed legislation would impose significant tariffs, potentially 500 per cent, on countries like China and India that continue to purchase Russian oil and gas. Graham stated that Donald Trump is prepared to 'crush' Russia 's economy if Putin does not engage in peace talks. The bipartisan bill has garnered support from 85 senators, though it currently lacks explicit endorsement from the White House. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, a supporter of the bill, cautioned against excessive optimism for a peace deal, emphasising that Putin responds to strength and pressure.
