Trump sets sights on three-way summit with Zelenskyy, Putin
Trump spoke after what he described as a 'very good' call with European leaders, including
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1News
3 hours ago
- 1News
Feds will be out 24/7 on patrol in Washington DC, White House says
As a wary Washington waited, the White House promised a ramp-up of National Guard troops and federal officers on the streets of the nation's capital around the clock starting Thursday, days after President Donald Trump's unprecedented announcement that his administration would take over the city's police department for at least a month. The city's Democratic mayor walked a political tightrope, referring to the takeover as an 'authoritarian push' at one point and later framing the infusion of officers as boost to public safety, though one with few specific barometers for success. The Republican president has said crime in the city was at emergency levels that only such federal intervention could fix — even as District of Columbia leaders pointed to statistics showing violent crime at a 30-year low after a sharp rise two years ago. For two days, small groups of federal officers have been visible in scattered areas of the city. That is about to change, the administration says. () A 'significantly higher' presence of guard members was expected Wednesday night (local time), and federal agents will be out during the day as well as at night, according to the White House. Hundreds of federal law enforcement and city police officers who patrolled the streets Tuesday night (local time) made 43 arrests, compared with about two dozen the night before. ADVERTISEMENT In one neighbourhood, officers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI could be seen along with the US Park Police searching the car of a motorist parked just outside a legal parking area to eat takeout and drop off a friend. Two blocks away, US Customs and Border Protection officers gathered in a parking lot before driving off on patrol. Agents from various agencies including Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Park Police, and FBI, question a couple who had been parked outside a legal parking zone while eating McDonald's (Source: Associated Press) In other parts of the city, including those with popular nightlife hot spots, federal patrols were harder to find. At the National Mall, there was little law enforcement activity aside from Park Police cruisers pulling over a taxi driver near the Washington Monument. Unlike in other US states and cities, the law gives Trump the power to take over Washington's police for up to 30 days. Extending his power over the city for longer would require approval from Congress, and that could be tough in the face of Democratic resistance. Trump suggested Thursday that he could seek a longer period of control or decide to call on Congress to exercise authority over city laws his administration sees as lax on crime. 'We're gonna do this very quickly. But we're gonna want extensions. I don't want to call a national emergency. If I have to, I will,' he said. Targeting a variety of infractions Agents with US Customs and Border Protection as well as Metropolitan Police wait in a parking lot before driving along Kennedy Street NW in a caravan (Source: Associated Press) ADVERTISEMENT The arrests made by 1450 federal and local officers across the city included those for suspicion of driving under the influence and unlawful entry, as well as a warrant for assault with a deadly weapon, according to the White House. Seven illegal firearms were seized. There have now been more than 100 arrests since Trump began beefing up the federal law enforcement presence in Washington last week, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said. 'President Trump is delivering on his campaign promise to clean up this city and restore American Greatness to our cherished capital,' she said. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including police fatally shoot a woman in Christchurch, sausages recalled over glass fears, and why McDonalds Japan isn't loving its customers right now (Source: 1News) The president has full command of the National Guard, but as of Tuesday evening (local time), guard members had yet to be assigned a specific mission, according to an official who was not authorised to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. As many as 800 troops were expected to be mobilised in a support role to law enforcement, though exactly what form remains to be determined. The push also includes clearing out encampments for people who are homeless, Trump has said. US Park Police have removed dozens of tents since March, and plan to take out two more this week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said. People are offered the chance to go to shelters and get addiction treatment, if needed, but those who refuse could be fined or jailed, she said. City officials said they are making more shelter space available and increasing their outreach. Violent crime has dropped in the district ADVERTISEMENT Vehicles with law enforcement agents from the US Customs and Border Protection as well as Metropolitan Police drive along Kennedy Street NW (Source: Associated Press) The federal effort comes even after a drop in violent crime in the nation's capital, a trend that experts have seen in cities across the US since an increase during the coronavirus pandemic. On average, the level of violence in Washington remains mostly higher than averages in three dozen cities analysed by the nonprofit Council on Criminal Justice, said the group's president and CEO, Adam Gelb. Police Chief Pamela Smith said during an interview with the local Fox affiliate that the city's Metro Police Department has been down nearly 800 officers. She said the increased number of federal agents on the streets would help fill that gap, at least for now. Mayor Muriel Bowser said city officials did not get any specific goals for the surge during a meeting with Trump's attorney general, Pam Bondi, and other top federal law enforcement officials. But, she said, "I think they regard it as a success to have more presence and take more guns off the street, and we do too.' Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks during a news conference on President Donald Trump's plan to place Washington police under federal control and deploy National guard troops to Washington. (Source: Associated Press) She had previously called Trump's moves 'unsettling and unprecedented' while pointing out he was within a president's legal rights regarding the district, which is the seat of American government, but is not a state. For some residents, the increased presence of law enforcement and National Guard troops is nerve-racking. 'I've seen them right here at the subway ... they had my street where I live at blocked off yesterday, actually,' Washington native Sheina Taylor said. 'It's more fearful now because even though you're a law-abiding citizen, here in DC, you don't know, especially because I'm African American."
NZ Herald
12 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Europeans, Zelenskyy try to keep Trump on board ahead of Putin summit
European leaders today implored United States President Donald Trump to keep one key point in mind when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. They said the US cannot - must not - negotiate away Ukrainian territory, especially for nothing in return. As Trump floats 'land swaps', Kyiv's
Otago Daily Times
14 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Trump threat if Putin blocks Ukraine peace
US President Donald Trump has threatened "severe consequences" if Russia's Vladimir Putin does not agree to peace in Ukraine. However, he also said a meeting between them could swiftly be followed by a second that would include the leader of Ukraine. Trump did not specify on Wednesday what the consequences could be, but he has warned of economic sanctions if his meeting with Putin in Alaska on Friday proves fruitless. The comments by Trump and the outcome of a virtual conference with Trump, European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held on Wednesday could provide encouragement for Kyiv after fears the Alaska summit could end up selling out Ukraine by carving up its territory. However, Russia is likely to resist Ukraine and Europe's demands strongly and previously has said its stance had not changed since it was first detailed by Putin in June 2024. When asked if Russia would face any consequences if Putin does not agree to stop the war after Friday's meeting, Trump responded: 'Yes, they will.' Asked if those consequences would be sanctions or tariffs, Trump told reporters: 'I don't have to say. There will be very severe consequences." But the president also described the aim of the meeting between the two leaders in Alaska as "setting the table" for a quick follow-up that would include Zelenskyy. "If the first one goes okay, we'll have a quick second one," Trump said. "I would like to do it almost immediately, and we'll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskyy and myself, if they'd like to have me there." Trump did not provide a time frame for a second meeting. RED LINES European leaders and Zelenskyy had earlier spoken with Trump in a last-ditch call hosted by Germany to lay out red lines ahead of the Alaska meeting. "We had a very good call. He was on the call. President Zelenskyy was on the call. I would rate it a 10, very friendly," Trump said. French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump agreed Ukraine must be involved in any discussions about ceding land, while Zelenskyy said Trump had supported the idea of security guarantees in a post-war settlement. "President Trump was very clear that the United States wanted to achieve a ceasefire at this meeting in Alaska," Macron said. "The second point on which things were very clear, as expressed by President Trump, is that territories belonging to Ukraine cannot be negotiated and will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president." German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who hosted the virtual meeting, said the principle that borders could not be changed by force must continue to apply. "If there is no movement on the Russian side in Alaska, then the United States and we Europeans should ... increase the pressure," he said. "President Trump knows this position. He shares it very extensively and therefore I can say: We have had a really exceptionally constructive and good conversation with each other." Trump and Putin are due to discuss how to end the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict, the largest in Europe since World War 2. Trump has previously said both sides will have to swap land to end fighting that has cost tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions. RUSSIA MAKES SHARP ADVANCE INTO UKRAINE On a day of intense diplomacy, Zelenskyy flew to Berlin for the virtual conferences with European leaders and then with Trump. He and the Europeans worry that a land swap could leave Russia with almost a fifth of Ukraine, rewarding it for nearly 11 years of efforts to seize Ukrainian land, the last three in all-out war, and embolden Putin to expand further west. Russian forces have made a sharp thrust into eastern Ukraine in recent days in what may be an attempt to increase the pressure on Kyiv to give up territory. "I told the US president and all our European colleagues that Putin is bluffing (about his stated wish to end the war)," Zelenskyy said. "He is trying to apply pressure before the meeting in Alaska along all parts of the Ukrainian front. Russia is trying to show that it can occupy all of Ukraine." A source familiar with the matter said the call with Trump discussed possible cities that could host a three-way meeting, depending on the outcome of the talks in Alaska. Wary of angering Trump, European leaders have repeatedly said they welcome his efforts, while stressing that there should be no deal without Ukraine's participation. Trump's agreement last week to the summit was an abrupt shift after weeks of voicing frustration with Putin for resisting the US peace initiative. Trump said his envoy, Steve Witkoff, had made "great progress" at talks in Moscow. A Gallup poll released last week found that 69% of Ukrainians favour a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible. But polls also indicate Ukrainians do not want peace at any cost if that means significant concessions. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexei Fadeev earlier said Moscow's stance had not changed since last year. As conditions for a ceasefire and the start of talks, Putin had demanded Ukraine withdraw its forces from four regions that Russia has claimed as its own but does not fully control, and formally renounce plans to join NATO. Kyiv swiftly rejected the conditions as tantamount to surrender.
