logo
War-torn Ukraine's Zelensky reacts as Trump calls DC ‘the most unsafe place anywhere'

War-torn Ukraine's Zelensky reacts as Trump calls DC ‘the most unsafe place anywhere'

Independent2 days ago
The president of war-torn Ukraine looked shocked when Donald Trump described Washington DC as 'the most unsafe place anywhere' during a meeting at the White House.
Volodymyr Zelensky was in the Oval Office for talks about bringing an end to Russia's brutal invasion of his country which has seen civilians bombed on a near-daily basis.
During questions from the press, President Trump began discussing his federal takeover of the capital which he described as 'the most unsafe place anywhere' before his unprecedented deployment of the National Guard.
Zelensky looked surprised and shocked by Trump's words as the Commander-in-Chief began telling a story about a friend whose golfer son now felt 'safe' to go out for dinner.
Trump went on to claim restaurants are now booming thanks to his actions. Statistics show restaurants have suffered as much as a 30% drop since troops were deployed.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy reveals huge Flamingo cruise missile as no peace in sight
Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy reveals huge Flamingo cruise missile as no peace in sight

The Guardian

time8 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy reveals huge Flamingo cruise missile as no peace in sight

With both sides in the Russia-Ukraine war preparing for further fighting, Ukraine was test-launching a new long-range cruise missile, Zelenskyy said. Ukraine's president announced the huge missile, known as Flamingo, could strike targets as far as 3,000km (1,864 miles) away. 'The missile has undergone successful tests. It is currently our most successful missile,' Zelenskyy told reporters. Mass production could begin by February, he added. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that large Russian attacks in various parts of Ukraine showed Moscow was avoiding negotiations about ending the more than three-year-old war. The latest offensive included 574 drones and 40 missiles, said Ukraine's president, and was one of the largest yet. A missile strike on the US-owned electronics firm Flex in Ukraine's far-west Zakarpattia region was a 'telling' indicator of Russian intentions in peace initiatives led by Donald Trump, Zelenskyy said. 'Now the signals from Russia are simply, to be honest, indecent. They are trying to back away from the need to hold meetings. They don't want to end the war. They carry on with massive strikes.' 'We believe [the Flex attack] was a deliberate strike precisely on US property here in Ukraine, on American investment,' Zelenskyy said. 'A very telling strike … at the very time when the world waits for a clear answer from the Russians on their move in talks to bring an end to the war.' Nineteen people were injured in the attack. Zelenskyy said both sides were preparing for further fighting, citing Russian troop build-ups and Ukraine's own preparations including the Flamingo missile rollout. While he has upended a years-long western policy of isolating the Russian leader, Trump has made little tangible progress towards a peace deal. On Thursday, the US president appeared to vent his frustration at Russia's obstruction, and suggested Ukraine should long since have been armed to 'fight back' against Russia, writes Pjotr Sauer. In a ramble on social media blaming his predecessor, Joe Biden, Trump said: 'It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invader's country … There is no chance of winning! It is like that with Ukraine and Russia.' Trump signed off that there were 'interesting times ahead!'. Moscow attempted on Thursday to further deeply caveat any prospects for talks with Putin, or for peace on any terms other than Russia's. Sergei Lavrov, Putin's foreign minister, said putting European troops in Ukraine to guarantee its security was 'foreign intervention' and absolutely unacceptable for Russia. He insisted the Kremlin must have a veto over any postwar support for Ukraine. Trump set another timeframe – two weeks again – for assessing peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. 'After that, we'll have to maybe take a different tack,' Trump told the rightwing media outlet Newsmax. Trump has not met any of his promised or threatened deadlines for securing peace or acting against Russia, which have ranged everywhere from 24 hours to 10 weeks. In an attack on Ukraine's western city of Lviv, one person was killed, three wounded and 26 homes damaged, said the governor, Maksym Kozytskyi. Authorities in south-eastern Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region reported damage to businesses, homes and gas lines. A later shelling of the city of Kherson killed one person and wounded more than a dozen, a local official said. In the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine's Donetsk region, two people were killed and at least 21 wounded after a Ukrainian shelling, said a Russian-installed official. Kim Jong-un held a ceremony decorating North Korean troops who fought for Russia, state media KCNA said on Friday. The North Korean ruler has sent about 15,000 troops into the war, according to South Korea, with about 600 of them killed.

Global News Podcast  Netanyahu: Israel will begin talks to free all hostages
Global News Podcast  Netanyahu: Israel will begin talks to free all hostages

BBC News

time8 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Global News Podcast Netanyahu: Israel will begin talks to free all hostages

In a video address, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would begin negotiations to release all the hostages held in Gaza and end the war, on terms 'acceptable to Israel'. It was Mr Netanyahu's first response to a temporary ceasefire proposal put forward by Egypt and Qatar that Hamas accepted on Monday. 27 countries have backed a statement calling for Israel to allow immediate independent foreign media access to Gaza. In Ukraine, President Zelensky calls on allies to put greater pressure on Moscow after more deadly Russian strikes, and the plight of thousands of Ukrainian children who have been abducted by Russia. Also: we check in on the parole hearings of the Menendez brothers in California, and a study into phantom limb pain. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@

Trump visits police, military carrying out Washington crime crackdown
Trump visits police, military carrying out Washington crime crackdown

Reuters

time38 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Trump visits police, military carrying out Washington crime crackdown

WASHINGTON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump declared his crime crackdown in the nation's capital a success on Thursday as he visited federal officers deployed under his plan, which has drawn resident complaints that its tactics are too heavyhanded. Trump visited the U.S. Park Police headquarters in Southeast Washington, D.C., bringing pizza and hamburgers for officers as a gesture of support. Without citing evidence, the president told several hundred uniformed personnel that their efforts were leading to a drop in crime. "It's like a different place," he said. "Everybody is safe now." Earlier on Thursday, Trump had said he would go on patrol with law enforcement during his visit, but the ride-along did not happen. Saying the city was gripped by a violent crime wave, Trump last week declared a public safety emergency. He deployed National Guard soldiers and federal agents on the streets, and said he was temporarily taking over the city's police department in an extraordinary assertion of presidential power. The crackdown has included ramped-up stop-and-frisk operations, federal patrols in residential neighborhoods and reports of people being stopped with little explanation. Projecting confidence in the federal response, Trump told the assembled officers that Washington was on the rebound. "We're going to have the best capital ever," he said. City officials have rejected the claim that violent crime is rampant, pointing to federal and city statistics that show violent crime has declined significantly since a spike in 2023. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, asked by reporters earlier on Thursday if the city was safer now, said the capital has seen a decrease in crime for the last two years. "We expect that having 500 additional officers will yield more arrests, and we want guns off the streets. Our police officers continue to do the work, and we expect some incremental difference with more officers," she said, referring to the extra personnel ordered by Trump. The partnership between local and federal law enforcement has been tense at times, with federal agents not only targeting violent crime but also prioritizing immigration arrests and clearing homeless encampments. Five years after Trump deployed National Guard troops to disperse racial justice protesters outside the White House, his 30-day takeover of local law enforcement has sparked some demonstrations. These have included in the past week organized protests near the White House as well as city residents and demonstrators spontaneously confronting federal agents. In one incident, a resident was charged with a felony for throwing a sandwich at an officer. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Wednesday visited troops at Union Station, Washington's central train hub, where protesters heckled them with jeers and shouts. Trump on Thursday was joined by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, his White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, architect of Trump's migrant crackdown. Trump's administration this week ordered federal prosecutors in Washington to be more aggressive in pursuing criminal cases against people arrested as part of the crackdown in the nation's capital, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store