Inside Trump's meetings with Putin and Zelenskyy
So what really happened behind those closed doors and what does it mean for NATO, Europe and the wider world? In this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei speaks to Emily Ferris from RUSI and William Alberque, a specialist on arms control and NATO, to explore what Trump's diplomacy tells us about the next phase of the war – and America's role in it.
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The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
White House just watered down the only concession it can claim Trump won from Putin — Ukraine security
But comments from the White House, European leaders and Russia on Monday and Tuesday make it clear that there's still at least one major gulf that needs bridging. Trump returned to Washington this weekend from Alaska, where the U.S. president met for a summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin that was sharply criticized by his adversaries and a source of real concern for Europe, after which it appeared that the U.S. was on the verge of negotiating away swaths of Ukrainian territory without any input from Kyiv. On Monday, he met with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House alongside a cadre of European leaders from Germany, France, the U.K. and elsewhere. An eyebrow-raising scene played out this time in Washington, D.C., as world leaders crowded around the Resolute Desk like schoolchildren and Trump at one point dismissed them for an impromptu call with Putin. Afterwards, the pro-Ukraine delegation was echoing a level of optimism that the White House was eager to echo at a press briefing on Tuesday. Yet, there was one other development that took place over Monday and Tuesday that could keep progress towards a peace agreement elusive. On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the Trump administration was wholly opposed to deploying troops to support Ukraine under any circumstances, and was only considering acting as a coordinator for a security agreement between Ukraine and its European neighbors. She couldn't tell reporters where common ground on the issue still existed with Russia — which separately indicated through statements that a European security force in Ukraine was off the table. "U.S. boots will not be on the ground in Ukraine,' Leavitt said on Tuesday. 'But we can certainly help in the coordination, and perhaps provide other means of security guarantees to our European allies.' The erosion of that common ground that Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff eagerly proclaimed had been found in an interview Sunday could present the biggest obstacle to a long-term peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia going forward. On Sunday, the administration's go-to conflict resolution expert was on CNN, telling Jake Tapper that Putin had agreed to allow 'Article 5-like protections' to Ukraine, something he called a 'game-changer' in the path towards a peace deal. 'We got to an agreement that the United States and other European nations could effectively offer Article 5-like language to cover a security guarantee,' Witkoff said. By Tuesday afternoon, it was completely unclear whether that was still a feasible suggestion. Russian officials repeated their objections to NATO forces entering Ukraine under any circumstances. The White House rejected the prospect of U.S. boots on the ground at any point. Yet Zelensky, in his own statements, has made clear that his government will not lay down arms without a concrete arrangement protecting his country's sovereignty and borders from future Russian aggression. He wrote on Saturday on Twitter/X: 'Security must be guaranteed reliably and in the long term, with the involvement of both Europe and the U.S.' It's a demand seen all the more crucial by Kyiv, given that Trump is now talking openly about ceding the Donbas region, part of which is occupied by Ukrainian forces, to Putin as a concession to make a deal. On Tuesday, Leavitt was pressed further to confirm that Vladimir Putin agreed to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky within two weeks, something the Kremlin has not yet stated definitively. Just the development of the two leaders in the same room would present a massive step forward in the Russia-Ukraine peace talks. But Russian officials previously agreed to begin 'direct' talks with Ukraine in May, only for those plans to be abandoned. Kremlin officials seemed to already be moving in that direction on Tuesday, saying that talks needed to begin 'gradually'. "We're going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks," Trump himself told reporters on Tuesday. "It's possible that he doesn't want to make a deal."
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Kilmar Abrego Garcia wants criminal case thrown out over Trump administration's ‘vindictive' prosecution
Kilmar Abrego Garcia is asking a federal judge to throw out a criminal case against him, claiming he was 'singled out' by President Donald Trump's administration for 'having the audacity to fight back, rather than accept a brutal injustice' after he was wrongfully deported to a brutal prison in his home country. Despite admitting in court that he was wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March, government lawyers and top administration officials spent weeks insisting Abrego Garcia would never be allowed back into the country following a high-profile lawsuit challenging his arrest and removal. He was abruptly flown back to the United States in June to face a criminal indictment in Tennessee, where a grand jury indicted him on federal smuggling charges. Prosecutors cannot abuse the law to 'punish someone for exercising his constitutional rights,' lawyers for Abrego Garcia wrote on Tuesday. 'Yet that is exactly what has happened here.' 'Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been singled out by the United States government,' they added. 'It is obvious why. And it is not because of the seriousness of his alleged conduct.' Last month, the federal judge overseeing his criminal case ordered his release from jail before trial, finding that prosecutors failed to show 'any evidence' that his history or arguments against him warrant his ongoing detention. That order arrived moments after another federal judge overseeing his wrongful deportation case blocked the Trump administration from immediately arresting and deporting him after he is set to be released from jail. The court agreed to pause his release from pretrial detention so attorneys can 'evaluate options' as they brace for immigration officers to arrest and remove him a second time. That pause is set to expire this Friday August 22. Abrego Garcia's attorneys argue he was only charged because 'he refused to acquiesce in the government's violation of his due process rights.' 'Rather than fix its mistake and return [him] to the United States, the government fought back at every level of the federal court system,' attorneys wrote. 'And at every level, [he] won. This case results from the government's concerted effort to punish him for having the audacity to fight back, rather than accept a brutal injustice.' The Independent has requested comment from Homeland Security. In court filings, Abrego Garcia's attorneys detailed the 'severe mistreatment' and 'torture' he experienced during his month-long detention inside El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT. His attorneys say the 29-year-old father was subject to 'severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation, inadequate nutrition, and psychological torture' at the facility. 'A group of the most senior officials in the United States sought vengeance: they began a public campaign to punish Mr. Abrego for daring to fight back, culminating in the criminal investigation that led to the charges in this case,' his attorneys wrote. His lawyers admitted that motions to dismiss on grounds of selective or vindictive prosecution are rarely granted but 'if there has ever been a case for dismissal on those grounds, this is that case,' they said. 'The government is attempting to use this case — and this Court — to punish Mr. Abrego for successfully fighting his unlawful removal. That is a constitutional violation of the most basic sort,' his attorneys wrote. Abrego Garcia — who entered the country illegally as a teenager after fleeing gang violence in El Salvador — was deported on March 15 despite an immigration judge's order that blocked his removal from the country for humanitarian reasons. Government lawyers admitted in court documents that he was removed from the country due to a procedural error and several federal judges and a unanimous Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to 'facilitate' his return. Still, the government spent weeks battling court orders while officials publicly said he would never step foot in the United States, characterizing him as a serial abuser and criminal gang member. Emails and text messages provided to members of Congress appear to show that administration officials and government lawyers were sympathetic to his wrongful removal and made efforts to get him out of El Salvador before the case made headlines, which caused major headaches for the White House. A two-count indictment in Tennessee accuses Abrego Garcia of participating in a years-long conspiracy to illegally move undocumented immigrants from Texas to other parts of the country. He faces one count of conspiracy to transport aliens and one count of unlawful transportation of undocumented aliens. But in their request to keep him in jail before trial, federal prosecutors also claimed he is a member of transnational gang MS-13, and 'personally participated in violent crime, including murder.' Prosecutors also claim he 'abused' women and trafficked children, firearms and narcotics, and there is also an ongoing investigation into 'solicitation of child pornography.' Abrego Garcia is not facing any charges on those allegations and a federal judge determined that the government failed to link those allegations to evidence that implicates him.
Reuters
13 minutes ago
- Reuters
US, NATO planners start to craft Ukraine security guarantee options
Aug 19 (Reuters) - U.S. and European military planners have begun exploring post-conflict security guarantees for Ukraine, U.S. officials and sources told Reuters on Tuesday, following President Donald Trump's pledge to help protect the country under any deal to end Russia's war. Ukraine and its European allies have been buoyed by Trump's promise during a summit on Monday of security guarantees for Kyiv, but many questions remain unanswered. Officials told Reuters that the Pentagon is carrying out planning exercises on the support Washington could offer beyond providing weapons. But they cautioned that it would take time for U.S. and European planners to determine what would be both militarily feasible and acceptable to the Kremlin. One option was sending European forces to Ukraine but putting the U.S. in charge of their command and control, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The sources added that the troops would not be under a NATO banner but operate under their own nations' flags. The Pentagon and NATO did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the idea. In a press briefing, the White House said that the United States could help coordinate a security guarantee for Ukraine. Russia's Foreign Ministry has ruled out the deployment of troops from NATO countries to help secure a peace deal. Trump has publicly ruled out deploying U.S. troops in Ukraine but on Tuesday appeared to leave the door open to other U.S. military involvement. In an interview with Fox News "Fox & Friends" program, he suggested Washington could provide air support to Ukraine. "When it comes to security, (Europeans) are willing to put people on the ground, we're willing to help them with things, especially, probably, ... by air because nobody has stuff we have, really they don't have," Trump said. He did not provide further details. U.S. air support could come in a variety of ways including providing more air defense systems to Ukraine and enforcing a no-fly zone with U.S. fighter jets. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor in 2022, the United States has shipped billions of dollars worth of weapons and munitions to Kyiv. The Trump administration briefly halted those weapons shipments, including after a contentious White House meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in February and again in July. Shipments have resumed and Trump has pledged to send weapons, primarily defensive ones, to help the war-torn country. NATO military chiefs will focus on Ukraine and the way forward when they meet virtually on Wednesday, a conference first reported by Reuters. U.S. Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, who also oversees NATO operations in Europe, will brief the chiefs of defense on the Alaska meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin last week. A U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity said U.S. General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was expected to attend the meeting. The official added that Caine would meet with some of his European counterparts in Washington on Tuesday evening. Trump has pressed for a quick end to Europe's deadliest war in 80 years, and Kyiv and its allies have worried he could seek to force an agreement on Russia's terms after the president last week rolled out the red carpet for Putin. Russia says it is engaged in a 'special military operation' in Ukraine to protect its national security, claiming NATO's eastward expansion and Western military support for Ukraine pose existential threats. Kyiv and its Western allies say the invasion is an imperial-style land grab.
