Trump says Ukraine, Russia will have to swap some land for peace
Trump told a White House press conference that his talks on Friday with Putin in Alaska would be a "feel-out meeting" to determine whether Putin was willing to make a deal. He said he could know within two minutes whether progress was possible.
"So I'm going in to speak to Vladimir Putin, and I'm going to be telling him, you've got to end this war. You've got to end it," Trump told reporters.
Trump also said a future meeting could include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and could end up being a three-way session including himself and Putin. He said he would speak to European leaders soon after his talks with Putin and that his goal was a speedy ceasefire in the bloody conflict.
Trump has in the past talked about land swaps but neither Russia nor Ukraine have been interested in ceding land to each other as part of a peace deal. Europeans worry that major concessions to Russia could create security problems for the West in the future.
Ukraine has sought to push back Russian invaders ever since the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War Two began in February 2022. Russia justifies the war on the grounds of what it calls threats to its security from a Ukrainian pivot towards the West. Kyiv and its Western allies say the invasion is an imperial-style land grab.
Russia currently occupies about a fifth of Ukrainian territory, while Ukraine holds barely any Russian territory.
Trump said: "There'll be some land swapping going on."
"I know that through Russia and through conversations with everybody, to the good of Ukraine," he said. He said Russia had occupied some "very prime territory" but that "we're going to try to get some of that territory back".
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sunday World
3 hours ago
- Sunday World
Trump to deploy National Guard in Washington DC to tackle crime and homelessness
seize control | The president said he would end the 'days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, innocent people' US President Donald Trump (Jane Barlow/PA) Trump has promised new steps to tackle homelessness and crime in Washington, prompting the city's mayor to voice concerns about the potential use of the National Guard to patrol the streets. Ahead of a news conference, Trump said Monday on social media that the nation's capital would be 'LIBERATED today!' He said he would end the 'days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, innocent people.' US President Donald Trump (Jane Barlow/PA) News in 90 seconds - 11th August 2025 For Trump, the effort to take over public safety in Washington reflects a next step in his law enforcement agenda after his aggressive push to stop illegal border crossings. But the move involves at least 500 federal law enforcement officials, raising fundamental questions about how an increasingly emboldened federal government will interact with its state and local counterparts. The president has used his social media and White House megaphones to message that his administration is tough on crime, yet his ability to shape policy might be limited outside of Washington, which has a unique status as a congressionally established federal district. Nor is it clear how his push would address the root causes of homelessness and crime. About 500 federal law enforcement officers are being tasked with deploying throughout the nation's capital as part of the Trump administration's effort to combat crime, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Monday. More than 100 FBI agents and about 40 agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are among federal law enforcement personnel being assigned to patrols in Washington, the person briefed on the plans said. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Marshals Service are also contributing officers. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss personnel matters and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity. The Justice Department didn't immediately have a comment Monday morning. Trump in a Sunday social media post had emphasized the removal of Washington's homeless population, though it was unclear where the thousands of people would go. 'The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,' Trump wrote Sunday. 'We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don't have to move out. We're going to put you in jail where you belong.' Last week, the Republican president directed federal law enforcement agencies to increase their presence in Washington for seven days, with the option 'to extend as needed.' On Friday night, federal agencies including the Secret Service, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service assigned more than 120 officers and agents to assist in Washington. Trump said last week that he was considering ways for the federal government to seize control of Washington, asserting that crime was 'ridiculous' and the city was 'unsafe,' after the recent assault of a high-profile member of the Department of Government Efficiency. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, questioned the effectiveness of using the Guard to enforce city laws and said the federal government could be far more helpful by funding more prosecutors or filling the 15 vacancies on the D.C. Superior Court, some of which have been open for years. Bowser cannot activate the National Guard herself, but she can submit a request to the Pentagon. 'I just think that's not the most efficient use of our Guard,' she said Sunday on MSNBC's 'The Weekend,' acknowledging it is "the president's call about how to deploy the Guard.' Read more Bowser was making her first public comments since Trump started posting about crime in Washington last week. She noted that violent crime in Washington has decreased since a rise in 2023. Trump's weekend posts depicted the district as 'one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the World." For Bowser, 'Any comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and false.' Police statistics show homicides, robberies and burglaries are down this year when compared with this time in 2024. Overall, violent crime is down 26pc compared with this time a year ago. Trump offered no details in Truth Social posts over the weekend about possible new actions to address crime levels he argues are dangerous for citizens, tourists and workers alike. The White House declined to offer additional details about Monday's announcement. The police department and the mayor's office did not respond to questions about what Trump might do next. The president criticized the district as full of 'tents, squalor, filth, and Crime,' and he seems to have been set off by the attack on Edward Coristine, among the most visible figures of the bureaucracy-cutting effort known as DOGE. Police arrested two 15-year-olds in the attempted carjacking and said they were looking for others. 'This has to be the best run place in the country, not the worst run place in the country,' Trump said Wednesday. He called Bowser 'a good person who has tried, but she has been given many chances.' Trump has repeatedly suggested that the rule of Washington could be returned to federal authorities. Doing so would require a repeal of the Home Rule Act of 1973 in Congress, a step Trump said lawyers are examining. It could face steep pushback. Bowser acknowledged that the law allows the president to take more control over the city's police, but only if certain conditions are met. 'None of those conditions exist in our city right now," she said. 'We are not experiencing a spike in crime. In fact, we're watching our crime numbers go down.'
RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Ahead of DC deployment, who are the National Guard?
Donald Trump has ordered the mobilisation of hundreds of National Guard troops for deployment in Washington, DC as part of what the US president bills as a crackdown on crime. Mr Trump's move to deploy National Guard troops in the nation's capital comes after he took a similar step in Los Angeles in June, and the president has indicated that other cities should take note. Most National Guard forces answer to state governors and have to be "federalised" to be brought under presidential control, but in Washington, DC these troops already report only to the US president. Military reserve force The National Guard is a military reserve force within the United States Armed Forces, meaning that most of its members serve part-time while holding civilian jobs or conducting other activities. As a response force, the National Guard can be mobilized rapidly to address emergency situations on US soil, typically natural disasters. When needed, National Guard units can also be activated for deployments into combat zones, especially if the United States is at war. Unlike parts of the US military, the National Guard performs both state- and federal-level functions, and is organized into groupings based in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the US territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands. As a state-based force, generally it is the governor of a state or territory who activates and commands the National Guard when needed. However, in some situations the National Guard can be "federalised" by the president, bringing it under the president's control until the specific federal mission has ended - as was the case in Los Angeles. The latest budget from the Department of Defense authorizes 433,000 National Guard personnel in total, split across the Air National Guard and Army National Guard. This means that compared to other components of the US military, the National Guard is second only to the US Army in terms of size. Emergency response National Guard members are typically deployed during emergencies such as natural disasters at the request of governors and based on specific provisions in each state's laws. In the aftermath of events like hurricanes, wildfires, and floods, state National Guards are often called on to help evacuate dangerous areas, deliver supplies to places that would otherwise be cut off, or provide specialist equipment needed to clear hazardous debris. The largest National Guard deployment in recent years was during the Covid-19 pandemic, where troops helped construct and staff emergency care facilities, transport health supplies around the country, and coordinate other logistics. Outside of a natural disaster, deployment of the guard can be ordered in emergencies created by the breakdown of public order. History with protest The use of the National Guard to manage public unrest is not unique to Trump. During the widespread Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, more than half of US states activated National Guard troops to maintain order and help enforce curfews. Before that, they were also deployed to Los Angeles in 1992 to respond to riots that occurred after police officers who had beaten motorist Rodney King were acquitted at trial. At that time, riots, looting and arson attacks had spread across the city, with dozens of people killed and thousands injured. The National Guard was deployed during the 1950s and 60s Civil Rights era to help enforce school desegregation, following the Supreme Court's landmark Brown v Board of Education ruling. In one of the force's darkest moments, in May 1970, members of the Ohio National Guard clashed with anti-war protesters at Kent State University. As unrest swelled, the troops opened fire, killing four unarmed students. The shootings sparked outrage, but also led to reform of the guard's use-of-force guidelines.
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
US Justice Dept loses bid to unseal Epstein partner Ghislaine Maxwell's grand jury records
A US judge ruled on Monday that grand jury records from the sex trafficking case of Ghislaine Maxwell - partner of late financier Jeffrey Epstein - will remain sealed, writing that their release would not answer lingering questions about the case despite the Justice Department's portrayal of them as matters of significant public interest. President Donald Trump , trying to quell discontent from his conservative base of supporters over his administration's handling of the case, last month instructed attorney general Pam Bondi to seek court approval for the release of grand jury material from Epstein's and Maxwell's cases. In his decision denying the Justice Department's request as to Maxwell's case, Manhattan-based US district judge Paul Engelmayer wrote that the government's assertion that the materials would reveal meaningful new information was 'demonstrably false'. 'A member of the public, appreciating that the Maxwell grand jury materials do not contribute anything to public knowledge, might conclude that the Government's motion for their unsealing was aimed not at 'transparency' but at diversion - aimed not at full disclosure but at the illusion of such,' the judge wrote. READ MORE Another federal judge in Manhattan, Richard Berman, is weighing the Justice Department's bid to unseal the grand jury records from Epstein's case. Judge Berman has not yet ruled. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence after her 2021 conviction on sex-trafficking charges. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. He had pleaded not guilty. Neither the Justice Department, the White House, nor a lawyer for Maxwell immediately responded to requests for comment. Epstein socialised with the wealthy and powerful. His death in jail sparked conspiracy theories that other prominent people were involved in his alleged crimes and that he was murdered. The New York City chief medical examiner determined that Epstein's death was a suicide by hanging. Mr Trump had promised to make public Epstein-related files if re-elected and accused Democrats of covering up the truth. But in July, the Justice Department declined to release any more material from its investigation of the case and said a previously touted Epstein client list did not exist, angering Trump's supporters. [ Bill Clinton and ex-federal officials subpoenaed by Republicans over Epstein sex-trafficking operation Opens in new window ] The Justice Department's request to unseal the grand jury records came as the Trump administration sought to contain the political fallout. In a court filing on July 18th, the Justice Department wrote that 'transparency to the American public is of the utmost importance to this Administration'. In his decision, Mr Engelmayer wrote that the Maxwell grand jury proceedings, which consisted of testimony from two law enforcement agents, did not contain noteworthy information that had not previously been made public at Maxwell's month-long trial four years ago. 'The materials do not identify any person other than Epstein and Maxwell as having had sexual contact with a minor. They do not discuss or identify any client of Epstein's or Maxwell's,' wrote the judge, who was appointed by Democratic president Barack Obama. 'They do not reveal new sources of their wealth. They do not explore the circumstances of Epstein's death.' [ Epstein confidante Ghislaine Maxwell transferred to lower-security prison in Texas Opens in new window ] Mr Engelmayer wrote that even though much of the grand jury material was subsequently made public at Maxwell's trial, there was still a 'systemic interest' in maintaining grand jury secrecy. Grand juries operate behind closed doors to prevent interference in criminal investigations and to protect the reputations of uncharged individuals. Last month, a Florida judge rejected the administration's request to unseal grand jury records from federal investigations there into Epstein in 2005 and 2007. Epstein served a 13-month sentence after pleading guilty in 2008 to a state-level prostitution charge as part of a deal now widely regarded as too lenient. – Reuters
