Ukraine will not give up land, Zelensky says ahead of Trump-Putin meeting
Zelensky said Ukraine "will not give Russia awards for what it has done"."The answer to the Ukrainian territorial issue is already in the Constitution of Ukraine. No one will and cannot deviate from this," he added.His statement followed comments from Trump at the White House on Friday that there "will be some swapping of territories, to the betterment of both". "You're looking at territory that's been fought over for three and a half years, a lot of Russians have died. A lot of Ukrainians have died," the US president said. He did not provide further details on what any such proposal would look like.Trump later announced the meeting between himself and Putin, saying that further details will follow. The meeting was later confirmed by the Kremlin.Zelensky said on Saturday that Ukraine is ready for "real solutions that can bring peace" but underlined that Ukraine needed to be involved."Any solutions that are against us, any solutions that are without Ukraine, are simultaneously solutions against peace," he said."We are ready, together with President Trump, together with all partners, to work for a real, and most importantly, lasting peace - a peace that will not collapse because of Moscow's wishes."
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The Independent
31 minutes ago
- The Independent
‘Texas law does not apply in Illinois': Gov. JB Pritzker draws line in sand as FBI ‘hunts down' runway Democrats
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Sunday refuted claims that President Donald Trump could force Texas Democrats to return to their state and cooperate with a Republican redistricting effort, insisting FBI agents had no jurisdiction to enforce Texas law in his state. Three members of the Texas state legislature left the state to dodge warrants for their arrest, a ploy by the state's Republican governor to force their attendance on a vote to redraw congressional district lines. Republicans are seeking to redraw lines and gerrymander up to five congressional seats for their party in Congress. The largely unprecedented mid-decade effort threatens to kick off a national redistricting war between Republicans and Democrats with real, tangible consequences for party representation and the kinds of politicians sent to Washington. By leaving the state and refusing to appear at the legislature, the lawmakers forced a halt to the special legislative session called by Abbott to handle the redistricting process. The governor and his allies have threatened to continue calling those sessions until quorum is reached and the redistricting effort concludes. 'We're providing them a safe haven, a place for them to visit and stay, breaking quorum, because they're heroes that are standing up not just for their own constituents and for the people of Texas and their rights but also for the rights of people all across the country,' Pritzker told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday. In Illinois, Pritzker said his administration is refusing to cooperate with Texas authorities and says that he won't allow FBI officials to participate in illegal actions. 'Texas law does not apply in the state of Illinois, and there's no federal law that would allow the FBI to arrest anybody that's here visiting our state,' said the governor. He went on to attack both Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas and Trump, whom Pritzker said Abbott was trying to impress with an 'illegal' effort to boost GOP numbers in the House of Representatives — where Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' passed in July by only a one-vote margin. 'They know that they're going to lose in 2026 the Congress, and so they're trying to steal seats,' Pritzker claimed. '[T]he map that they put together, it violates the Voting Rights Act, and it violates the Constitution.' '[Trump] knows he's going to lose the Congress in 2026,' the governor continued. 'That's why he's going to his allies and hoping that they can save him. And we've all got to stand up against this. This is — it's cheating. Donald Trump is a cheater. He cheats on his wives. He cheats at golf. And now he's trying to cheat the American people out of their votes.' While Pritzker would claim that Abbott and Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who is running for re-election in a tight primary against a MAGA-backed opponent, were 'grandstanding' he would not rule out harboring his own similar national ambitions in the same interview. Pressed by Kristen Welker, Pritzker wouldn't say one way or the other whether he planned to run for president in 2028. The governor, a billionaire, is widely viewed as one of the Democratic Party's best-positioned candidates to run for the White House given his Midwestern ties, ability to self-finance and growing national profile. Cornyn told a local radio station in Texas this past week that agents in two Texas FBI offices were assigned to the effort, without giving specifics of their given roles or what orders they were under. Pritzker did tell Welker that he was focused on his 2026 re-election campaign, but added: 'I can't rule anything out.' The governor is one of several Democratic state leaders who've publicly suggested that they would consider their own redistricting efforts — explicitly to aid Democrats — were Republicans to go forward with their plan in Texas to do the opposite. Kathy Hochul, in New York, called for the dissolution of her state's Independent Redistricting Commission (NYIRC) while telling reporters that it would be illegal for Trump to weaponize the FBI against Texas lawmakers. Hochul also fired back at Cornyn, telling reporters that the FBI did not have the legal authority to 'hunt down' the three members of Texas's state legislature who absconded to break quorum. 'First of all, I have a lot of respect for the FBI, but I guarantee there are far more important pursuits that they should be engaging in, like human trafficking, breaking up drug cartels, stopping terrorist attacks here in New York City,' she told MSNBC. 'So I think this is an abuse of the power of the FBI to direct them to go after duly elected officials in the United States of America,' the governor said. 'If we've fallen that far, that makes our fight even more important, that all people stand up and say, 'we're not going to let you take away our democracy, and you're not going to hunt down our elected officials.''
Scottish Sun
31 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
‘I look forward to playing with him' – Moment Scots golf star congratulated by US President Donald Trump on video call
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A SCOTTISH golf star has been personally congratulated by Donald Trump in a special video call. The US president expressed his desire to play with the Scot after he picked up an honour at one of his courses. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Grant Forrest of Scotland picked up the Nexo Championship 2025 trophy Credit: Getty 4 His victory came at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen Credit: Getty 4 The US president congratulated him in a video call Credit: DP World Tour Grant Forrest eased to victory on home soil for the second time in his career with a four-shot success at the Nexo Championship. The win came at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen and, shortly after collecting his trophy, he was being congratulated by the owner and 47th president of the USA over FaceTime. "I watched it... he's some player. I look forward to playing with him - in fact I will play with him tomorrow if he could get on a plane right now," Trump said in the call, shared on X by the DP World Tour. He continued: "I'm playing right now, I'm on a golf course, a beautiful one in Washington D.C. Trump International. "I have very good players, but they're not like you Grant!. "What a round of golf. What three rounds of brilliant golf. "That course is big and strong and tough, your swing is great. "It's a great honour you won, thank you very much." The Livingston-born star replied 'thank you for having us'. Forrest, who lifted his maiden DP World Tour title at St Andrews four years and two days ago, took control of windy conditions over the weekend but saw his three-shot overnight advantage trimmed to two after Todd Clements' birdie on the opening hole. Donald Trump hits first ever shot at opening of new Trump North Sea links golf course 4 Trump said he watched Forrest achieve his 'great honour' Credit: DP World Tour However, when Forrest birdied the fourth and Clements carded a triple-bogey eight at the same hole, the Scot led by five and never looked back. The world number 294, who double-bogeyed the last, added two more birdies and a dropped shot in a closing 72 to finish with an eight-under-par total. "It's amazing, just speechless," Forrest said. "I think it is the same week as I won four years ago on the calendar so just amazing, that must say something about this week and being at home. "I just can't believe it. It's been such a tough year on the golf course. It's just a crazy game that you can go and come out and do this, with what feels out of nowhere. "It's just that old chestnut that one week can turn things around and it has." Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
The Guardian
31 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Netanyahu defends Gaza City plan as UN warns of ‘calamity' and starvation
Benjamin Netanyahu has defended his plan to take control of Gaza City in the face of widespread international outrage, even as senior UN officials warned that the move risked unleashing 'another calamity' on a territory already experiencing 'starvation, pure and simple'. In a rare press conference with foreign journalists in Jerusalem, the Israeli prime minister said the plan, signed off last week by the security cabinet to criticism both at home and abroad, was 'the best way to end the war and the best way to end it speedily.' But during an emergency weekend session of the UN security council in New York, there were repeated warnings that rather than end the 22-month war, the move would exacerbate an already dire humanitarian situation. 'If these plans are implemented, they will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza, reverberating across the region and causing further forced displacement, killings, and destruction,' said UN assistant secretary general, Miroslav Jenca. Amid the heated rhetoric, Gaza's health ministry said that five more people, including two children, had died of malnutrition-related causes, bringing the number of children who have died from such causes to 100. Including adults, the total death toll from malnutrition stands at 217, the ministry says. Ramesh Rajasingham, Ocha's coordination director, told the security council meeting: 'This is no longer a looming hunger crisis – this is starvation, pure and simple.' Israel has imposed a blockade and restrictions on aid entering the territory, but in his press conference Netanyahu said it was 'completely false' that his government was pursuing a 'starvation policy'. He acknowledged hunger, and problems with the food distribution system run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), but accused the media of 'lies' about the scale of the problem. A few hours before he spoke, at least 26 Palestinians were killed while seeking aid in Gaza, hospitals and witnesses said. They included 15 killed while waiting for aid trucks close to the newly built Morag corridor that separates the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, according to Nasser hospital. A further six were killed while waiting for aid in northern Gaza near the Zikim crossing, according to Gaza's health ministry and Shifa hospital in Gaza City. According to the UN, more than 1,370 Palestinians have been killed since 27 May while seeking food. Netanyahu did not take responsibility for the killings and said, without providing evidence, that 'a lot of the firing was done by Hamas'. The Israeli military has repeatedly claimed Hamas is stealing aid, despite the European Commission finding no reports of this. Except on organised and controlled 'embeds' of a few hours alongside Israeli soldiers, international journalists have not been allowed into Gaza since the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023, when about 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians, were killed and more than 250 people were taken hostage. Families of the remaining hostages have also criticised the plan, and many were among tens of thousands of people who marched on Israel's military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Saturday. The plan has also opened a rift between Netanyahu and the IDF leadership, but has not been opposed by the Trump administration, Israel's most important backer. Israel says Gaza City and nearby areas are home to two remaining Hamas strongholds. 'We have about 70 to 75% of Gaza under Israeli control, military control. But we have two remaining strongholds. These are Gaza City and the central camps in Al Mawasi,' Netanyahu told reporters. 'Given Hamas's refusal to lay down its arms, Israel has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas', Netanyahu said, adding he expected the operation to begin 'fairly quickly'. Hamas says it will not disarm unless an independent Palestinian state is established. Netanyahu pushed back against what he called a 'global campaign of lies'. 'We will win the war, with or without the support of others,' he added. Britain, a close ally of Israel which nonetheless pushed along with others for the emergency meeting, warned in New York that Netanyahu's plan risked prolonging the conflict. 'It will only deepen the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. This is not a path to resolution. It is a path to more bloodshed,' said British deputy ambassador to the UN, James Kariuki. Algeria's ambassador, Amar Bendjama, called for sanctions on Israel in response to its Gaza City plan. 'The hour has come to impose sanctions on the enemy of humanity,' he said. The Palestinian envoy, Riyad Mansour, said: 'If it was another country, you would have been imposing sanctions a long time ago.' However, the US, a veto-wielding permanent member of the security council, offered support for Israel and accused those nations who supported Sunday's meeting of 'actively prolonging the war by spreading lies about Israel'. 'Israel has a right to decide what is necessary for its security and what measure measures are appropriate to end the threat posed by Hamas,' said the US envoy to the UN, Dorothy Shea. Israel's military offensive has killed at least 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, most of them civilians. The figure does not include the thousands believed to be buried under rubble or the thousands killed indirectly as a consequence of the war. Israel's deputy ambassador to the UN, Jonathan Miller, said: 'Pressure should not be placed on Israel, who suffered the most horrific attack against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, but on Hamas.'
