Russia launched its largest drone attack of the war overnight Sunday into Monday, firing nearly 500 drones and 20 missiles into Ukraine in response to Ukraine&#8217;s major drone offensive on Russian airfields earlier this month.
Ukraine claims that it intercepted 277 drones and 19 missiles, adding that only 10 Russian missiles or drones hit their targets, according to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-drones-attack-air-force-a1b092efaaad6886659a9230109a48db">the Associated Press</a>. The Ukrainian air force said the Russians targeted the central and western areas of Ukraine, <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/06/09/world-news/russia-launches-biggest-drone-attack-on-ukraine-since-start-of-war-with-almost-500-individual-strikes/">damaging</a> a military airfield in Dubno, which is just 40 miles from Ukraine&#8217;s border with Poland. Russia also said on Monday that its forces took more territory in Ukraine&#8217;s east-central region of Dnipropetrovsk, giving Putin&#8217;s army a &#8220;buffer zone,&#8221; Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-says-it-takes-more-territory-east-central-ukraine-creating-buffer-zone-2025-06-09/">reported</a>.
“Russia is escalating the war and has no intention of stopping it. Any escalation can only be stopped by force,” said Andriy Yermak, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The attack comes as the three-year-long war has intensified despite the Trump administration&#8217;s efforts to work out a peace deal between the two countries. U.S. officials <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-believes-russia-response-ukraine-drone-attack-not-over-yet-expects-multi-2025-06-07/">warned</a> over the weekend that Russia would conduct multiple strikes on Ukraine in response to Ukraine&#8217;s surprise drone attack that knocked out numerous Russian bombers. The first round of Russia&#8217;s response came on Friday when it launched a missile and drone barrage on Kyiv, an attack that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/05/europe/russia-launches-retaliatory-strike-on-kyiv-latam-hnk-intl">said</a> involved 400 drones and 40 missiles.
President Donald Trump, who spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone last week, said that Putin &#8220;strongly&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-holds-75-minute-call-with-putin-not-a-conversation-that-will-lead-to-immediate-peace?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Holds+75-Minute+Call+With+Putin%3A+%E2%80%98Not+A+Conversation+That+Will+Lead+To+Immediate+Peace%E2%80%99">insisted</a> that Russia “will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields.”
“We discussed the attack on Russia’s docked airplanes, by Ukraine, and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides. It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace,&#8221; Trump added.
Trump later told reporters that he urged Putin to avoid further escalation in the war, but added that &#8220;it&#8217;s probably not going to be pretty.&#8221;
&#8220;I said: &#8216;Don&#8217;t do it. You shouldn&#8217;t do it. You should stop it,'&#8221; Trump said of his conversation with Putin. &#8220;But, again, there&#8217;s a lot of hatred.&#8221;
While little progress has been made in negotiating a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, the two countries have agreed to multiple rounds of prisoner swaps, with the latest swap beginning on Monday, according to Zelensky.
&#8220;Today, an exchange began, which will continue in several stages over the coming days,&#8221; the Ukrainian president <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-ukraine-war-prisoner-swap-drone-strikes-front-lines-latest/">said</a>. &#8220;Among those we are bringing back now are the wounded, the severely wounded, and those under the age of 25,&#8221; he added.

Russian troops target Zaporizhzhia with guided bombs

Russia Launches Massive Drone Attack On Ukraine As War Intensifies

Donald Trump

Global Politics

Russia

Trump Administration

Ukraine

Ukraine-Russia War

Vladimir Putin

Volodymyr Zelensky

World

Over the weekend, Ukraine launched a devastating surprise attack deep inside Russian territory, damaging dozens of nuclear capable strategic bombers. The attack was launched after a series of Russian aerial bombardments of Ukrainian territory, and shortly before Ukrainian and Russian delegations were scheduled to meet in Istanbul to continue peace negotiations.
“Operation Spider’s Web” involved 117 first person-view drones, which were smuggled into Russian territory by Ukrainian operatives and positioned near key military installations across Russia, including 5 air bases in 5 separate oblasts, spread across 5 different time zones. The drones were positioned under false roofs of portable sheds, which were transported via truck and parked just outside the perimeter of their target bases, before they were launched simultaneously on Sunday.
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbITsi4jZYY">Aerial footage</a> from the attacking drones shows several Russian bombers in flames – Ukrainian officials claim that the attack hit 41 Russian aircraft, including roughly ⅓ of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers, and inflicted $7 billion in damages. Many air bases, including some operated by the United States, are <a href="https://www.twz.com/air/lack-of-hardened-aircraft-shelters-leaves-u-s-airbases-vulnerable-to-china-new-report-warns">not hardened</a> against small scale drone attacks, and many of the bombers targeted by Ukraine were sitting out in the open when they were hit.
The most severe damage was dealt to Olenya Air Base in Murmansk, located in the Arctic Circle near Russia’s borders with Finland and Norway, and Belaya Air Base in Irkutsk, located in Eastern Siberia. Explosions were reported at Dyagilevo and Ivanovo Air Bases, near Moscow, but the extent of the damage is far less certain. Further east, the Ukrainka air base in Amur was targeted but unscathed, as the truck carrying the Ukrainian FPVs reportedly exploded.
<div id="attachment_928207" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-928207" class="size-large wp-image-928207" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-02-at-1.45.24%E2%80%AFPM-1024x551.png" alt="" width="1024" height="551" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-02-at-1.45.24%E2%80%AFPM-1024x551.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-02-at-1.45.24%E2%80%AFPM-300x162.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-02-at-1.45.24%E2%80%AFPM-768x414.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-02-at-1.45.24%E2%80%AFPM-1536x827.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-02-at-1.45.24%E2%80%AFPM-2048x1103.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />(Photo via Wikimedia Commons)</div>
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the operation was planned over the course of a year and a half. In a post on Telegram, Zelenskyy <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/06/02/world-news/how-ukraine-pulled-off-its-stunning-pearl-harbor-attack-against-russia/">praised</a> the “absolutely brilliant outcome” of Ukraine’s “longest-range operation,” adding that “Ukraine is defending itself, and rightly so — we are doing everything to make Russia feel the need to end this war.”
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In a cheeky dig at the failure of Russian intelligence services to spot or stop the attack, Zelenskyy noted, &#8220;The most interesting thing &#8211; and we can already say this publicly &#8211; is that the &#8216;office&#8217; of our operation on Russian territory was located right next to the FSB [Federal Security Service] of Russia in one of their regions.&#8221; The Ukrainian operatives who prepared the attack were reportedly evacuated shortly before the drones were launched.
Russia’s strategic bombing fleet is a major part of its nuclear triad, alongside its nuclear-armed submarines and ground-based intercontinental ballistic missiles. Even before the strike, Russian aerial capabilities were significantly degraded due to interrupted supply chains and the loss of airframes during the war. According to a report by <a href="https://www.dagens.com/war/aging-aircraft-and-low-production-russian-air-force-in-crisis/">Dagens</a>, in 2022 and 2023, only a few dozen new aircraft were delivered to the Russian military, and almost half of Russia’s ~1200 military aircraft were nearing the end of their service lives. Many Soviet Era designs, including the Tu-95s and Tu-22M3, no longer have active production lines and are effectively irreplaceable.
“Today will later be called a black day for Russian long-range aviation,” a Telegram channel thought to be run by Capt. Ilya Tumanov of the Russian Army <a href="https://t.me/fighter_bomber/21277">wrote</a> in the aftermath of the attack.
Russia launched a massive retaliatory strike on Sunday night, sending <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1ld7ppre9vo">472</a> drones and ballistic missiles into Ukrainian airspace, which killed at least 12 Ukrainian servicemen and wounded dozens more. Some voices within Russia are calling for even harsher measures.
“We can expect a great deal of sound and fury from Moscow,” Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow with the London-based think-tank Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia program, told <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/world/ukraine/ukraines-massive-drone-attack-deep-russia-lays-bare-putins-vulnerabili-rcna210300">NBC News</a>. “[Russia] will be working hard on convincing the United States to attempt to rein Ukraine in, in order to prevent any further damage to Russia’s means of bombarding Ukrainian cities with long range missiles… In a way, the more important question is how the United States reacts.”
President Trump was not informed of the attack before it took place. Trump ran on ending the war as quickly as possible and has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-putin-has-gone-absolutely-crazy-risks-the-downfall-of-russia">condemned</a> both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin for prolonging the conflict &#8212; last month, Trump said Putin had &#8220;gone absolutely CRAZY&#8221; and Zelenskyy was doing Ukraine &#8220;no favors&#8230; Everything out of his mouth causes problems.&#8221; 
Trump has also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-eyes-stinging-russia-sanctions-bipartisan-proposal-bring-pain">floated</a> the possibility of increasing economic sanctions on Russia if they don’t agree to a ceasefire. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have recently co-sponsored a bill that would impose a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other products. When asked on Friday if he’d support the bill, Trump <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/01/europe/russia-ukraine-peace-talks-trump-latam-intl">told</a> reporters, “I don’t know… I’ll take a look at it.”
It’s unclear what impact the exchange of aerial strikes will have on peace talks, which are still scheduled to begin on Monday in Istanbul, Turkey. According to Reuters, documents outlining Ukraine’s roadmap for peace include demands for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire, prisoner exchanges between the two countries, and the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. Ukraine has dropped its demand for reparations, but will not formally recognize the annexation of de facto Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, and has so far rejected any restrictions on its military strength.
<div id="attachment_928195" style="width: 867px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-928195" class="size-large wp-image-928195" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine.svg_-857x576.png" alt="" width="857" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine.svg_-857x576.png 857w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine.svg_-300x202.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine.svg_-768x516.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine.svg_-1536x1033.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine.svg_-2048x1377.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 857px) 100vw, 857px" />Photo by Viewsridge via Wikimedia Commons</div>
The Russians have yet to submit a formal proposal, but have consistently demanded that Ukraine renounce any plans to join NATO. Russia invaded and annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and has since claimed 4 oblasts in Eastern Ukraine: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian forces still control portions of all 4 disputed territories: Russia has demanded withdrawal from these territories as a precondition for peace, whereas Ukraine wants to start negotiations at the current line of control.
The attack could provoke further Russian assaults, but it could also shift the perceived balance of power and make a continuation of hostilities less attractive to Moscow.
“At a time when Putin seems to think that he is winning on the battlefield, this demonstrates that his forces are in fact very vulnerable,” said Sven Biscop, a director at the Egmont Institute, a think tank in Brussels, told NBC. “This may not change the course of the war, but it does mean that every gain Russia makes will be at high cost.”

UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CONFLICT-WAR

How Ukraine Pulled Off Its Massive Drone Strike Inside Russia

Ahead of high-stakes peace talks in Istanbul, Ukraine says it carried out an audacious drone attack that destroyed over 40 Russian military planes at airfields, including Belaya air base in Russia’s Irkutsk region.
Planned for over a year and overseen by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the operation involved drones smuggled deep into Russia via truck containers, a Ukrainian security official <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-sumy-region-18966d4b286ffb6f4e764b94a6afaf61" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The Associated Press. Also noted by the news outlet, Russia conducted its own attack with 472 drones and several missiles, killing at least 12 Ukrainian service members and injuring over 60 others, according to Ukraine&#8217;s air force.
The assaults, which happened before Monday’s planned negotiations in Turkey, underscore the fragile prospects for peace.
Zelensky, <a href="https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1929145331696239049" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posting</a> on X, outlined Ukraine’s demands: &#8220;First — a full and unconditional ceasefire. Second — the release of prisoners. Third — the return of abducted children.&#8221; He added: &#8220;And in order to establish a reliable and lasting peace and ensure security, preparation of the meeting at the highest level. The key issues can only be resolved by the leaders. On Monday, our delegation will be led by Rustem Umerov.&#8221;
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Russia’s state-run TASS <a href="https://x.com/tassagency_en/status/1929182444097327484" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quoted</a> envoy Rodion Miroshnik accusing Kyiv of &#8220;destabilizing the situation&#8221; ahead of the talks.
President Donald Trump, a vocal critic of the war’s escalation, has taken to Truth Social to lambast both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky.
&#8220;I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever. I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!&#8221; Trump said in a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114571369956761390" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent</a> post on Truth Social.
&#8220;Likewise, President Zelenskyy is doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop. This is a War that would never have started if I were President. This is Zelenskyy’s, Putin’s, and [former President Joe] Biden’s War, not &#8216;Trump’s,&#8217; I am only helping to put out the big and ugly fires, that have been started through Gross Incompetence and Hatred.&#8221;

Drone operators perform combat tasks in Zaporizhzhia direction

Ukraine Says It Obliterated 40 Russian Military Planes In Drone Attack

Drones

President Donald Trump signaled over the weekend that he is seriously weighing tougher sanctions on Russia over its years-long war against Ukraine, a potential move backed by a bipartisan Senate supermajority eager to force Moscow’s hand, as peace negotiations falter.
In a Sunday exchange with reporters, Trump <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/1926772105401549062" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> he is “absolutely” considering new sanctions on Russia. Hours later, he <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114571369956761390" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blasted</a> Russian President Vladimir Putin on social media, calling him “CRAZY” for “needlessly killing a lot of people” with continued fighting between soldiers, as well as missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities. &#8220;I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!&#8221; he added.
The rebuke stretched into Tuesday, with Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114580564427808609" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warning</a> that Putin is “playing with fire” and claiming that “really bad things” would have already struck Russia without his restraint.
A coalition of 81 senators, led by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), has rallied behind a <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1241/text?s=1&amp;r=2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bill</a> to slam Russia with fresh sanctions if Moscow refuses genuine peace talks with Ukraine or launches new attacks threatening Ukraine’s sovereignty post-agreement. The legislation also <a href="https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=3D495158-CF7D-4833-A2DB-9E5558843F1B" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposes</a> a 500% tariff on goods from nations buying Russian oil, gas, uranium, or other commodities.
&#8220;While we yearn for peace, it is increasingly clear to us – and a supermajority of the Senate – that Putin is playing games,&#8221; Graham and Blumenthal declared in a joint <a href="https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-and-grahams-hard-hitting-sanctions-bill-has-over-80-cosponsors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> last week. &#8220;The United States Senate stands ready to act if these games continue.&#8221;
The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-putin-has-gone-absolutely-crazy-risks-the-downfall-of-russia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that after a two-hour call with Putin last week, Trump declared that peace talks between Russia and Ukraine would &#8220;immediately start,&#8221; only for the Kremlin to deny any such plans. The week prior, Putin snubbed scheduled talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey, prompting Trump to insist that “nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I get together.&#8221;
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Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), a co-signer of the Graham-Blumenthal bill, argued Tuesday that sanctions are now critical. &#8220;I believe president trump was sincere when he thought his friendship w Putin wld end the war,&#8221; Grassley <a href="https://x.com/ChuckGrassley/status/1927369150529171572" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on X. &#8220;Now that being the case ITS TIME FOR SANCTIONS STRONG ENUF SO PUTIN KNOWS &#8216;game over.'&#8221;
Trump also took aim at Zelensky and former President Joe Biden.
&#8220;President Zelenskyy is doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114571369956761390" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on Truth Social over the weekend. “Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop. This is a War that would never have started if I were President. This is Zelenskyy’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s War, not ‘Trump’s,’ I am only helping to put out the big and ugly fires, that have been started through Gross Incompetence and Hatred.&#8221;

Trump and Senate Republicans

Trump Eyes Stinging Russia Sanctions. This Bipartisan Proposal Could Bring The Pain.

Chuck Grassley

Congress

Lindsey Graham

Sanctions

U.S. Senate

President Donald Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin has “gone absolutely CRAZY” and is focused on taking Ukraine rather than ending the war.
In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump warned that Putin’s ambition would wreck Russia while also criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” Trump posted.
“He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever. I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!” Trump continued.
Hours earlier, when Trump was asked by a reporter what he intended to do about Putin, Trump <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/1926766181609820177" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded:</a> “We’ll see what we’re going to do. What, am I going to tell you? You&#8217;re the fake news, aren&#8217;t you? You&#8217;re totally fake.”
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&#8220;I don&#8217;t like what Putin is doing, not even a little bit,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;He&#8217;s killing people. And something happened to this guy, and I don&#8217;t like it.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
🚨 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a>: PRESIDENT TRUMP FUMES ABOUT PUTIN
&#8220;Yeah, I&#8217;ll give you an update. I&#8217;m not happy with what Putin&#8217;s doing! He&#8217;s killing a lot of people. And I don&#8217;t know what the hell happened to Putin! I&#8217;ve known him a long time. Always gotten along with him. But he&#8217;s sending… <a href="https://t.co/Az6XpL7Dqz">pic.twitter.com/Az6XpL7Dqz</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1926766181609820177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
Trump also lashed out at Zelensky on Sunday, chiding the Ukrainian president for his rhetoric around the war.
“President Zelenskyy is doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does. Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop,” said Trump.
“This is a War that would never have started if I were President. This is Zelenskyy’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s War, not ‘Trump’s,’ I am only helping to put out the big and ugly fires, that have been started through Gross Incompetence and Hatred,” he added.
Trump and Putin spoke on the phone for two hours last week. Afterward, Trump posted to Truth Social that peace talks between Russia and Ukraine would “immediately start.” Days later, the Kremlin said that no peace talks had been scheduled.
The week prior, Putin skipped peace talks with Zelensky that were set to take place in Turkey. Trump <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/world/ukraine/putin-trump-zelenskyy-ukraine-russia-peace-turkey-istanbul-ankara-rcna206961" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at the time that “nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I get together” and suggested that Putin’s absence at the talks was due to Trump himself not attending.
Trump has suggested that peace talks could take place in the Vatican and be moderated by Pope Leo. While Italy and the pope have agreed to host the talks, the Kremlin dismissed the proposal.
“Many people are fantasizing about when and where it will take place. We don&#8217;t have any ideas right now,” <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/moscow-wont-allow-russian-speakers-ukraine-remain-under-rule-zelenskiys-junta-2025-05-23/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday. “But imagine the Vatican as a venue for negotiations. It would be a bit inelegant for Orthodox countries to use a Catholic platform to discuss issues on how to remove the root causes.”

Trump Says Putin Has ‘Gone Absolutely CRAZY,’ Risks ‘The Downfall Of Russia’

Executive

Politics

President Donald Trump announced on Friday morning that Ukraine and Russia were completing a &#8220;major&#8221; prisoner exchange as the United States continues to seek peace between the two nations.
The deal, which was agreed to last week, swaps 1,000 prisoners each between Ukraine and Russia, making it the largest prisoner exchange of the war, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/23/world/europe/ukraine-russia-prisoner-swap.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Trump congratulated the countries on the agreement and hinted that it &#8220;could lead to something big.&#8221;
&#8220;A major prisoners swap was just completed between Russia and Ukraine. It will go into effect shortly,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114556494480941887" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on Truth Social early Friday morning. &#8220;Congratulations to both sides on this negotiation. This could lead to something big???&#8221;
Earlier this week, Trump said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to begin ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine, adding that the talks could be held at the Vatican. Trump <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/23/world/europe/ukraine-russia-prisoner-swap.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made the announcement</a> after a two-hour phone call with the Russian despot.
“Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War,” Trump said on Monday. “The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of.”
While Trump administration officials have met with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the two leaders have yet to negotiate with each other. Last week, Zelensky met with Russian officials in Turkey as Putin skipped the meeting. Trump said last Friday that he understood why Putin didn&#8217;t attend the meeting, adding that he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/after-putin-blows-off-peace-talks-trump-gives-timeline-for-meeting-with-russian-prez" target="_blank" rel="noopener">planned</a> to meet with the Russian president &#8220;as soon as possible.&#8221;
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=memorial&amp;utm_content=editorialmemorialday" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Memorial Day Sale – Get 40% Off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
During the talks in Turkey, Ukraine and Russia agreed to the prisoner swap, but Russian officials <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/world/europe/russia-ukraine-peace-talks.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> said they would not agree to a ceasefire unless Ukraine withdraws from four regions in eastern Ukraine that Russian forces took over in 2022.
&#8220;The agreement to release 1,000 of our people from Russian captivity became perhaps the only tangible result of the meeting in Turkey,” Zelensky said following the meeting. “We are working to ensure this result is delivered.”
Ending the war in Ukraine has been a top foreign policy goal for President Trump, who promised on the campaign trail that the conflict would end by his first day back in the White House. Peace talks between the countries, however, have hit multiple roadblocks, and the Trump administration has suggested that it is willing to walk away from further negotiations if Ukraine and Russia don&#8217;t make progress soon.
Trump, however, remains optimistic that he can work out a deal between Putin and Zelensky to end the bloodshed, saying last week that &#8220;in two or three weeks we could have it be a much, much safer place.&#8221;

Ukraine/Russia War

‘Lead To Something Big?’: Trump Touts ‘Major’ Prisoner Swap Between Ukraine And Russia

Prisoners

After a two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, President Donald Trump announced that ceasefire negotiations between Russia and Ukraine would begin immediately.
In a statement following the call, Trump said he believes the call &#8220;went very well&#8221; and that the &#8220;tone and spirit of the conversation was excellent.&#8221;
&#8220;Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114535693441367601">said</a>. &#8220;The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of.&#8221;
Trump added that once the &#8220;bloodbath&#8221; ends, there will be opportunities for Russia to do &#8220;largescale&#8221; trade with the United States and have &#8220;tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth.&#8221;
Trump said he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, of Germany, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb immediately after his call with Putin.
Trump said that the Vatican, &#8220;as represented by&#8221; Pope Leo XIV, &#8220;has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations.&#8221;
After the call, Putin spoke to reporters on-camera and described the call as “very frank” and very useful.”
“The US president expressed his position on the cessation of hostilities, ceasefire, and from my end, I have emphasized that Russia stands for peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis,&#8221; Putin said. &#8220;We just need to outline the most effective routes of moving towards peace.&#8221;
Ahead of the call, Russia launched a massive drone attack on Ukraine with exploding drones and decoys, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-call-putin-bid-end-russias-bloodbath-war-ukraine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News reported</a>. Eighty-eight drones were reportedly intercepted, and 128 were lost in the attack on the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk regions.
Trump has supported a ceasefire between the two sides, though Russia has pushed for an agreement to end the war with Ukraine making concessions. Trump has grown frustrated with both Putin and Zelensky in his efforts to bring the war to an end.
“He’s grown weary and frustrated with both sides of the conflict,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday before the call. “He has made it clear to both sides that he wants to see a peaceful resolution and ceasefire as soon as possible.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ben-shapiro-confronts-zelensky-on-christian-persecution-and-conscription-in-exclusive-interview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BEN SHAPIRO CONFRONTS ZELENSKY ON CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION AND CONSCRIPTION IN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW</a>
Vice President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-and-vance-clash-with-zelensky-in-fiery-white-house-meeting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JD Vance</a> said there has been “a bit of an impasse” in the talks and that the United States is “more than willing to walk away.”
“President Putin…he doesn’t quite know how to get out of the war,” Vance said. “There is fundamental mistrust between Russia and the West. It’s one of the things that the president thinks is frankly stupid that we should be able to move beyond the stakes that have been made in the past. But it takes two to tango. I know the president is willing to do that but if Russia is not willing to do that, then eventually we will have to say ‘this is not our war.’”
Trump announced the call on Saturday, stating that he planned to talk about “stopping the ‘bloodbath’ that is on average, more than 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week.”
“Hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war, a war that should have never happened, will end,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;God bless us all!!!&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-trump-and-rubio-put-america-first-in-100-days?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=How+Trump+And+Rubio+Put+America+First+In+100+Days" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HOW TRUMP AND RUBIO PUT AMERICA FIRST IN 100 DAYS</a>
Last week, Zelensky <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/zelensky-lands-in-turkey-as-putin-skips-meeting-russia-calls-him-a-clown-and-loser?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Zelensky+Lands+In+Turkey+As+Putin+Skips+Meeting%2C+Russia+Calls+Him+A+%E2%80%98Clown+and+Loser%E2%80%99" target="_blank" rel="noopener">traveled to Turkey</a> in the hopes of having a face-to-face conversation with Putin. When Putin did not show up, the two leaders&#8217; underlings met and successfully negotiated a prisoner swap of 1,000 people from each side, though no agreement on peace was made, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/19/trump-putin-call-ceasefire-agreement?utm_campaign=editorial&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Axios</a>. The meeting was the first direct negotiations between the two sides since March 2022.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/zelensky-tells-ben-shapiro-hes-open-to-an-audit-on-how-ukraine-spends-u-s-taxpayer-dollars?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Zelensky+Tells+Ben+Shapiro+He%E2%80%99s+Open+To+An+Audit+On+How+Ukraine+Spends+U.S.+Taxpayer+Dollars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ZELENSKY TELLS BEN SHAPIRO HE’S OPEN TO AN AUDIT ON HOW UKRAINE SPENDS U.S. TAXPAYER DOLLARS</a>
On Sunday, leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy urged Trump to sanction Putin if he doesn’t agree to an immediate, unconditional ceasefire, Axios reported.
Trump has said that the war “has to stop.”
“We spent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/zelensky-lands-in-turkey-as-putin-skips-meeting-russia-calls-him-a-clown-and-loser">$350 billion there</a> — just handed,” he said. “Nobody even knows where the money is. There’s no accounting.”
Trump added that Zelensky is the “greatest salesman, maybe in history” because “every time he came to the United States, he’d walk away with $100 billion.”
“That’s a good salesman, right?” Trump added. “Last time he didn’t do as well. He only got $60 billion.”

Argentina G20 Leaders’ Summit 2018 – Day 1 Of Sessions

Trump Makes Big Announcement Following  ‘Very Frank’ Two-Hour Call With Putin

President Donald Trump said Friday that he would like to set up a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin &#8220;as soon&#8221; as possible.
Trump made the comments in Abu Dhabi as he prepared to return home to the United States at the end of his Middle East tour. He had previously floated a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin in Turkey, but the Russian president refused to attend.
&#8220;They all said Putin was going and Zelensky was going. And I said, If I don&#8217;t go, I guarantee Putin is not going, and he didn&#8217;t go,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;And I understand that, but we&#8217;re going to get it we&#8217;re going to get it done. We&#8217;ve got to get it done. Five thousand young people are being killed every single week on average, and we&#8217;re going to get it done.&#8221;
While Ukrainian and Russian officials are meeting in Turkey on Friday, Trump said he believed he would have to meet with Putin to make real progress toward ending the war.
Trump said that he plans to meet Putin &#8220;as soon as we can get it set up,&#8221; noting that he had planned to meet with Putin and Zelensky after wrapping up his visit to the United Arab Emirates. He added that he wanted to go back to America to see his new grandson, whom his daughter, Tiffany, gave birth to on Thursday.
&#8220;I do want to see my beautiful grandson, a son, and we&#8217;ll be doing that, but I will, I will tell you that the world is a much safer place right now,&#8221; Trump told reporters. &#8220;And I think in two or three weeks we could have it be a much, much safer place. We&#8217;re going to handle a couple of situations that you have here. We have some very serious situations.”
Zelensky and Ukrainian negotiators are meeting in Istanbul with Putin&#8217;s representatives for talks supervised by Turkish Defense Minister Hakan Fidan. While it will be the first talks between the warring nations since 2022, American officials don&#8217;t expect much to come from the meeting.
&#8220;We don&#8217;t have high expectations of what will happen tomorrow. And frankly, at this point, I think it&#8217;s abundantly clear that the only way we&#8217;re going to have a breakthrough here is between President Trump and President Putin,&#8221; Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

U.S. President Donald Trump in Abu Dhabi

After Putin Blows Off Peace Talks, Trump Gives Timeline For Meeting With Russian Prez

Turkey

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky landed in Turkey today for what he hoped would be face-to-face negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Instead, he was met with Putin&#8217;s underlings.
On Sunday, Putin first proposed direct talks with Ukraine to bring the three-year war to a close during a televised address.
“We are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions,&#8221; Putin said. &#8220;We offer the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations already on Thursday, in Istanbul.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-trump-and-rubio-put-america-first-in-100-days?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=How+Trump+And+Rubio+Put+America+First+In+100+Days" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HOW TRUMP AND RUBIO PUT AMERICA FIRST IN 100 DAYS</a>
Zelensky <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/zelensky-offers-meet-putin-after-trump-pushes-historic-peace-talks?author=Daniel+Chaitin&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Zelensky+Agrees+To+Meet+Putin+After+Trump+Pushes+For+Historic+Peace+Talks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded by challenging</a> Putin to come to Istanbul himself for a face-to-face meeting.
“We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy,” Zelensky <a href="https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1921611690891940116" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on X. “There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday. Personally. I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses.”
Instead, Russia sent aides to negotiate with the Ukrainian leader, who described them as “stand-in props,” <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c74nxrr7mwkt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported the BBC</a>.
In response, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said “A clown and a loser is talking about respected people.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ben-shapiro-confronts-zelensky-on-christian-persecution-and-conscription-in-exclusive-interview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BEN SHAPIRO CONFRONTS ZELENSKY ON CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION AND CONSCRIPTION IN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW</a>
Russia&#8217;s delegation will be headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, but meetings are still not officially scheduled, according to the BBC.
So far, Zelensky has met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara.
President Donald Trump also said he was skipping the meetings because of scheduling conflicts, despite <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-trumps-middle-east-trip?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Here%E2%80%99s+What+You+Need+To+Know+About+Trump%E2%80%99s+Middle+East+Trip" target="_blank" rel="noopener">floating the possibility</a> of attending earlier this week.
Trump said he doesn’t think it “was possible for Putin to go” if he himself wasn’t there.
&#8220;I actually said, why would he go if I’m not going?&#8221; Trump said, speaking at a business roundtable in Doha, Qatar during his four-day Gulf tour.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-trumps-middle-east-trip?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Here%E2%80%99s+What+You+Need+To+Know+About+Trump%E2%80%99s+Middle+East+Trip" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST TRIP</a>
The President added that the war “has to stop.”
&#8220;We spent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/zelensky-tells-ben-shapiro-hes-open-to-an-audit-on-how-ukraine-spends-u-s-taxpayer-dollars?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Zelensky+Tells+Ben+Shapiro+He%E2%80%99s+Open+To+An+Audit+On+How+Ukraine+Spends+U.S.+Taxpayer+Dollars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$350 billion there</a> — just handed,” he said. “Nobody even knows where the money is. There’s no accounting.”
Trump added that Zelensky is the “greatest salesman, maybe in history” because “every time he came to the United States, he’d walk away with $100 billion.”
“That’s a good salesman, right?&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;Last time he didn’t do as well. He only got $60 billion.&#8221;
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is already in Istanbul for meetings with his NATO counterparts and he and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff were planning to be present for the Russia-Ukraine talks.

COMBO-RUSSIA-UKRAINE-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY-CONFLICT-WAR

Zelensky Lands In Turkey As Putin Skips Meeting, Russia Calls Him A ‘Clown and Loser’

Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited President Donald Trump to join in peace talks with Russia later this week.
Officials from Ukraine and Russia are expected to meet in Turkey on Thursday to begin peace talks to end the war in Ukraine. Ahead of the summit, Zelensky posted on social media that Russian President Vladimir Putin had rejected offers of a ceasefire.
“Ukraine has always supported diplomacy. I am ready to come to Türkiye. Unfortunately, the world still has not received a clear response from Russia to the numerous proposals for a ceasefire,” Zelensky wrote in a post on X. “[Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] has expressed full readiness to host the meeting. It is important that President Trump fully supports the meeting, and we would like him to find an opportunity to come to Türkiye.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Ukraine has always supported diplomacy. I am ready to come to Türkiye. Unfortunately, the world still has not received a clear response from Russia to the numerous proposals for a ceasefire.
Russian shelling and assaults continue. Moscow has remained silent all day regarding the… <a href="https://t.co/4AGiLX5Sdf">pic.twitter.com/4AGiLX5Sdf</a>
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1921997432231231499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
Asked earlier on Monday about whether he would attend the peace talks, Trump said he might attend if his presence is needed to move the negotiations forward.
“I think you may have a good result out of the Thursday meeting in Turkey between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump said. “I was thinking about flying over. I don’t know where I’m going to be on Thursday – I’ve got so many meetings. But I was actually thinking about flying over there. There’s a possibility if I think things can happen. But we got to get it done.”
Putin and Zelensky agreed to meet in Turkey for peace talks after Putin rejected another offer from Ukraine for a 30-day ceasefire over the weekend. Putin countered the offer with a restart to peace talks, with Turkey’s Erdoğan as host. Trump took to Truth Social to push Zelensky to accept the offer.
“Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114490093180275292" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a>. “At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders, and the U.S., will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly!”
Trump appeared to warn Putin in the message, as well.
“I’m starting to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal with Putin, who’s too busy celebrating the Victory of World War II, which could not have been won (not even close!) without the United States of America,” Trump said. The president has previously expressed frustration at Moscow for appearing recalcitrant in making progress toward peace.
Last week, Trump <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/09/ukraine-war-briefing-trump-calls-for-ideally-a-30-day-ceasefire-backed-with-sanctions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pushed</a> for a 30-day ceasefire in fighting and suggested that the United States and its allies may punish the offending party with sanctions if no ceasefire is agreed to.

Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky

Zelensky Asks Trump To Join Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks In Turkey

President Donald Trump appears to be on the cusp of bringing the leaders of Ukraine and Russia together for a historic meeting to negotiate the end of the years-long war between their countries.
In a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114490093180275292" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> to Truth Social on Sunday, Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to agree on a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkey next week.
&#8220;President Putin of Russia doesn’t want to have a Cease Fire Agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the BLOODBATH. Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY,&#8221; Trump said.
&#8220;At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders, and the U.S., will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly!&#8221; he added. &#8220;I’m starting to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal with Putin, who’s too busy celebrating the Victory of World War ll, which could not have been won (not even close!) without the United States of America. HAVE THE MEETING, NOW!!!&#8221;
Soon after, Zelensky said he was ready to meet Putin.
&#8220;We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy,&#8221; Zelensky <a href="https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1921611690891940116" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on X. &#8220;There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday. Personally. I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses.&#8221;
The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/05/10/ukraine-ceasefire-demand-russia-trump/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on Saturday the United States and its Western allies demanded Putin agree to a 30-day ceasefire starting on Monday or face more sanctions on Russia&#8217;s energy and banking sectors. Putin proposed a meeting in Istanbul.
<div class="wpds-c-PJLV article-body type-text" data-qa="article-body">
<p class="wpds-c-heFNVF wpds-c-heFNVF-iPJLV-css overrideStyles font-copy" dir="null" data-apitype="text" data-contentid="AJORFT4SHNGFZIDWVIKJJTMH5I" data-el="text" data-scroll-pos="3" data-scroll-measured="true">“We are committed to serious negotiations with Ukraine … to remove the root causes of the conflict,” Putin said at a news conference, according to the newspaper. “I do not exclude that during these negotiations it will be possible to agree on some new ceasefire.”
Earlier on Sunday, Trump signaled that a breakthrough was imminent.
&#8220;A potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine! Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending &#8216;bloodbath&#8217; hopefully comes to an end,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114487210304050642" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Truth Social. &#8220;It will be a whole new, and much better, WORLD. I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens. The USA wants to focus, instead, on Rebuilding and Trade. A BIG week upcoming!&#8221;
</div>

US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky

Zelensky Agrees To Meet Putin After Trump Pushes For Historic Peace Talks

President Donald Trump sits down one-on-one with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Rome and ramps up pressure on Putin. Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the funeral of Pope Francis. And 100 days into Trump&#8217;s term, we ride along with ICE agents in Boston as they arrest criminal illegals.
It’s Monday, April 28, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. For the first time, Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today&#8217;s episode here:
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<h2>Vatican City Peace Talks, Canadian Elections</h2>
<div id="attachment_912765" style="width: 946px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-912765" class="size-large wp-image-912765" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Four-Way-Convo-936x576.jpg" alt="" width="936" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Four-Way-Convo-936x576.jpg 936w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Four-Way-Convo-300x185.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Four-Way-Convo-768x473.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Four-Way-Convo-1536x945.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Four-Way-Convo-2048x1260.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 936px) 100vw, 936px" />(Photo by Ukrainian Presidential Press Service via Getty Images)</div>
Topline: President Trump traveled to Vatican City on Saturday for the first foreign trip of his new term, honoring Pope Francis and meeting face-to-face with Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders.
Before Pope Francis’s funeral began, Trump and Zelensky huddled with Britain&#8217;s Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron in St. Peter&#8217;s Basilica.  This was their first encounter since Zelensky’s contentious visit to the White House back in February, but this time there were no advisers, translators or video cameras. Zelensky called it a “very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic,” adding that he and Trump discussed a “full and unconditional ceasefire” and “reliable and lasting peace.”
Trump certainly seemed more pleased with Zelensky than before, writing on Truth Social that it was time for a high-level summit to “finish it off” — in his words, “most of the major points are agreed to.” Following that meeting, Trump also issued new warnings to Vladimir Putin. For months, Trump has been taking a more diplomatic approach with his Russian counterpart, but over the weekend the president took a rare public <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114404524335638236">shot</a> at Putin, writing on social media: “There [is] no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!” 
Last week, the White House threatened to abandon the peace talks if the two sides didn’t show more willingness to negotiate, and that seemed to get things moving. On Friday, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Moscow for a three-hour meeting with Putin, which the Kremlin described as “constructive and quite useful” — in their words, the two sides had “narrowed differences.”
That same day, as a sign of their desire to make a deal, Ukraine reportedly sent the White House a new peace proposal that included a major concession — it would not demand all of its land back. In exchange, the Ukrainians are calling for guarantees of a U.S.-backed “European security contingent” to help preserve the peace. Ukraine also wants financial reparations paid for by frozen Russian assets in U.S. and European control.
Meanwhile: A snap election will determine the political future of Canada, and bilateral relations with the United States have been the leading issue. Former Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned after his poll numbers cratered – many felt his public sparring with Trump was the final nail in his coffin. Now, after two months in which Trump has threatened massive tariffs on Canada, and even floats the idea of acquiring the nation as the 51st U.S. state, the election has hinged on which party will stand up to Trump most effectively — to that point, 39% of Canadians say Trump was their top concern, that’s second behind only the cost of living. In the winter, it looked like Pierre Poilievre&#8217;s Conservative party would cruise to victory, but acting Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal party has surged in the polls on a promise to fight Trump. 
<h2>Pope Francis Laid To Rest</h2>
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Topline: The world bid farewell to Pope Francis on Saturday. With world leaders, faithful Catholics, and mourners gathering in St. Peter’s Square to honor his legacy.
The atmosphere was one of reverence and profound emotion. An estimated 250,000 people filled the square and surrounding streets, with millions more watching worldwide to pay their respects. The funeral was a blend of ancient tradition and the simplicity Pope Francis championed. During his papacy, Francis chose to live in a simple guest house rather than the papal palace. He also lived without the internet, reading only one Italian newspaper a day, and vowed to give up television 30 years ago – he kept that vow until his death. His open wooden coffin, a departure from the elaborate triple-casket tradition, lay at ground level in St. Peter’s Basilica during three days of public viewing so he could be with the people rather than above them. He also chose to be buried in his old black shoes rather than the traditional elegant red shoes.
Saturday’s Mass was led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, whose homily called Francis “a pope among the people,” highlighting his warmth as the first pope from Latin America. He was also the first Jesuit pope. After the service, the coffin was carried in a modest procession to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where Francis was laid to rest.
The funeral was a significant diplomatic gathering, with 170 foreign dignitaries present, including dozens of heads of state. Among them were President Trump and first lady Melania Trump, Ukrainian President Zelensky, French President Macron, and Argentine President Javier Milei, representing Francis’ native country. European royalty, including Britain’s Prince William, Spain’s King Felipe VI, and Queen Letizia, also attended. The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi was seated prominently in the front row and praised Francis as a “symbol of human fraternity.” 
The College of Cardinals will begin the process of electing a new pope next month in a conclave held inside the Sistine Chapel. A conclave typically begins 15 to 20 days after the death of the previous pope, and only cardinals under the age of 80 can vote. There are currently 135 eligible cardinals, and their first meeting is scheduled for sometime between May 6 and May 11. A strict oath of secrecy is sworn by the cardinal electors, and they are not allowed to communicate with the outside world. When they&#8217;ve reached a two-thirds majority vote, they send a signal to the world with white smoke rising from the chapel.
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<h2>A Look Into Immigration Enforcement</h2>
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Topline: Since President Trump took office nearly 100 days ago, migrant encounters at the southern border have dropped dramatically, by as much as 95%.
Daily Wire reporter Kassy Akiva recently wrapped up a six-hour ride-along with national ICE Director Todd Lyons, where she joined agents from several other federal agencies, including the FBI, to arrest criminal illegal aliens in the Boston area. Director Lyons said while his team in Boston is highly effective, there are challenges in operating in a sanctuary jurisdiction – local governments essentially provide no help and often release criminal aliens on the street without giving ICE any warning.
“While ICE had five targets to arrest during our raid, only two were captured,” Akiva told Morning Wire. “While ICE surveils these criminals for days to determine the best way to approach them, sometimes things don’t go as planned. However, the two criminal aliens arrested while I was along for the operation are what Lyons describes as “the worst of the worst.” The first, a 55-year-old from El Salvador, Miguel Chauvez, is a convicted pedophile. The second, a 68-year-old, Jose Lazaro Ayalla, who was charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving an injured person or death.

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