Ben Shapiro traveled to war-torn Kyiv this week for an exclusive 60-minute face-to-face interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Speaking in front of the Saint Sophia Cathedral, Shapiro questioned Zelensky on several topics, including his tense March meeting with President Donald Trump, the substantial amount of American taxpayer money Ukraine is receiving, and prospects for peace with Russia.
The interview will be released in two parts on the Ben Shapiro Show on Thursday and Friday.
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I traveled to Ukraine to interview President Zelensky. Part 1 of our conversation drops tomorrow on The Ben Shapiro Show. <a href="https://t.co/3jvUIU9m5s">pic.twitter.com/3jvUIU9m5s</a>
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1915121386361626749?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Shapiro announced the interview on his show on Wednesday, stating that he took a 10-hour ride from Warsaw, Poland, to the Ukrainian capital to meet with Zelensky and “get the answers the American people deserve.”
In an interview teaser, Shapiro asks Zelensky if he thinks he could have handled the contentious February meeting with Trump and Vice President JD Vance better.
“The meeting in the Oval Office, it did not help Ukraine,” Zelensky said in his response.
Shapiro also asks Zelensky about the $200 billion his country has received from the United States and the concerns Americans have about where the money is ending up.
“There’s nothing to hide,” Zelensky claimed. “We are absolutely open.”
Shapiro’s interview comes as Trump pressures Russia and Ukraine to take his “final offer” peace plan.
On Wednesday, Trump took to <a href="https://x.com/TrumpDailyPosts/status/1915094960853971431" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Truth Social</a> to slam Zelensky for making “very harmful” comments to the Washington Post over not legally recognizing Russia’s occupation of Crimea.
“This statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia in that Crimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President Barack Hussein Obama, and is not even a point of discussion,” Trump wrote.
Trump called the situation in Ukraine “dire” and said that Zelensky can “have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country.”
Trump added that the parties are “very close” to a deal and urged them to “GET IT DONE.”

DW_UA-Z_Stills_023

Ben Shapiro Probes Zelensky In Ukraine As Clock Ticks On Peace Deal

Ben Shapiro

Donald Trump

JD Vance

Kyiv

Ukraine-Russia War

Volodymyr Zelensky

President Donald Trump ripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, accusing him of damaging ongoing peace talks after Zelensky said that his country will &#8220;not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea.&#8221;
Zelensky made the comment on Tuesday after the United States proposed that the country recognize Russia&#8217;s takeover of Crimea in exchange for moving closer to a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. The Ukrainian president <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/ukraines-zelensky-pushes-back-on-u-s-peace-plan-359d74b1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">completely dismissed</a> the U.S. proposal, saying, “There’s nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution.” Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 after Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted.
Trump fired back at Zelensky, saying that the Ukrainian government was not asked to recognize Crimea as Russian territory.
&#8220;This statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia in that Crimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President Barack Hussein Obama, and is not even a point of discussion,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114388111141848447">wrote</a> on Truth Social. &#8220;Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?&#8221;
The president then blasted Zelensky, saying he continues to make &#8220;inflammatory statements&#8221; that make it &#8220;difficult to settle this War.&#8221;
&#8220;He can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country,&#8221; Trump continued. &#8220;I have nothing to do with Russia, but have much to do with wanting to save, on average, five thousand Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, who are dying for no reason whatsoever.&#8221;
Trump has grown increasingly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-pissed-off-at-putin-for-questioning-zelenksys-credibility" target="_blank" rel="noopener">frustrated</a> with both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin as the war drags into its fourth year. Both Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of violating a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-leads-russia-ukraine-to-agreements-on-black-sea-ceasefire-ban-on-energy-facility-attacks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">limited ceasefire</a> deal that the Trump administration oversaw.
According to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/ukraines-zelensky-pushes-back-on-u-s-peace-plan-359d74b1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a>, last week, Trump officials presented Ukraine with multiple ideas for ending the war, including the proposal to acknowledge Russia&#8217;s control of Crimea. Ukrainian officials were supposed to respond to the U.S. proposals during a meeting with European leaders in London on Wednesday, but those plans were canceled after Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a last-minute decision to skip the talks, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/world/europe/ukraine-cease-fire-talks.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday that the United States is close to &#8220;walking away&#8221; from peace negotiations if Ukraine and Russia don&#8217;t make progress. Vance&#8217;s comments echo remarks made by Rubio earlier this week when he said that the Trump administration was &#8220;not going to continue with this endeavor for weeks and months on end.&#8221;
Trump warned that Zelensky&#8217;s approach to the latest peace proposals from the United States &#8220;will do nothing but prolong the &#8216;killing field,&#8217; and nobody wants that!&#8221;
&#8220;We are very close to a Deal, but the man with &#8216;no cards to play&#8217; should now, finally, GET IT DONE,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;I look forward to being able to help Ukraine, and Russia, get out of this Complete and Total MESS, that would have never started if I were President!&#8221;

Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump

Trump Blasts Zelensky Over ‘Inflammatory Statements’ Making It ‘Difficult To Settle This War’

Executive

Global Politics

Politics

Russia

Ukraine

Vladimir Putin

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the Ukraine-Russia peace talks need to make progress &#8220;within a matter of days&#8221; or President Donald Trump will be &#8220;done&#8221; with the negotiations.
Seeking peace between the two countries has been a top priority of the Trump administration after the president vowed on the campaign trail to end the war within the first day of taking the oath of office. The peace negotiations, however, have appeared to come to a standstill, and the Trump administration&#8217;s patience is wearing thin.
&#8220;So we came here yesterday to sort of begin to talk about more specific outlines of what it might take to end the war, to try to figure out very soon,&#8221; Rubio <a href="https://www.state.gov/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-remarks-to-press-3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> reporters in Paris. &#8220;And I’m talking about a matter of days, not a matter of weeks – whether or not this is a war that can be ended. If it can, we’re prepared to do whatever we can to facilitate that and make sure that it happens, that it ends in a durable and just way.&#8221;
&#8220;If it’s not possible – if we’re so far apart that this is not going to happen – then I think the president’s probably at a point where he’s going to say, well, we’re done,&#8221; he added. &#8220;We’ll do what we can on the margins. We’ll be ready to help whenever you’re ready to have peace. But we’re not going to continue with this endeavor for weeks and months on end.&#8221;
Rubio&#8217;s comments come just a few days after Trump&#8217;s Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/steve-witkoff-says-hes-optimistic-about-ending-russia-ukraine-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener">met with Russian President Vladimir Putin</a> and said that the countries &#8220;might be on the verge of something that would be very, very, important for the world at large.&#8221; Trump has grown frustrated with Putin in recent weeks, saying last Friday that Russia &#8220;has to get moving&#8221; on seeking a peace deal with Ukraine.
&#8220;Too many people are DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war – A war that should have never happened, and wouldn’t have happened, if I were President!!!&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114319592702753512" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on Truth Social.
Rubio added that the United States has many pressing issues around the globe to address and cannot waste time if peace in Ukraine is not &#8220;doable in the short term.&#8221;
&#8220;We need to figure out here now, within a matter of days, whether this is doable in the short term. Because if it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on, from our perspective,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The President feels very strongly about that. He has dedicated a lot of time and energy to this, and there are a lot of things going on in the world right now that we need to be focused on.&#8221;
As the future of the Ukraine-Russia peace talks remains uncertain, the United States is close to finalizing a deal for rare earth minerals with Kyiv. Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Thursday, &#8220;We are happy to announce the signing, with our American partners, of a Memorandum of Intent, which paves the way for an Economic Partnership Agreement and the establishment of the Investment Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine.&#8221;
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We are happy to announce the signing, with our American partners, of a Memorandum of Intent, which paves the way for an Economic Partnership Agreement and the establishment of the Investment Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine. <a href="https://t.co/AQsHPkWh5X">pic.twitter.com/AQsHPkWh5X</a>
&mdash; Yulia Svyrydenko (@Svyrydenko_Y) <a href="https://twitter.com/Svyrydenko_Y/status/1912969519326241043?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The minerals deal came to a standstill in February after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was asked to leave the White House following a contentious meeting with Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Zelensky left the White House before he was expected to sign the minerals deal with Trump.
While Trump has directed much of his criticism toward Zelensky and Ukraine, he has also expressed annoyance with Putin. Earlier this month, Trump said he was &#8220;very angry, pissed off, when Putin started getting into Zelensky’s credibility and started talking about new leadership in Ukraine.”
“He considers Zelensky not credible, he’s supposed to be making a deal with him whether you like him, you don’t like him,” Trump later told reporters. “So I wasn’t happy with that. But I think he’s going to be good.”

Donald Trump/Marco Rubio

Rubio Says Trump Will Likely Be ‘Done’ With Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks If No Progress Is Made Soon

Marco Rubio

Trump Administration

Vice President JD Vance declared in a Tuesday interview that Europe must stop being America&#8217;s &#8220;permanent security vassal&#8221; while slamming continental leaders for repeatedly ignoring voters on immigration.
&#8220;Europe&#8217;s entire security infrastructure, for my entire life, has been subsidized by the United States of America,&#8221; Vance <a href="https://unherd.com/2025/04/jd-vance-my-message-to-europe/">argued</a> in an interview with British website UnHerd.
The vice president specifically noted that with the possible exception of Britain, France, and Poland, &#8220;most European nations don&#8217;t have militaries that can provide for their reasonable defense.&#8221; He emphasized that European leaders have &#8220;radically underinvested in security, and that has to change.&#8221;
&#8220;It’s not good for Europe to be the permanent security vassal of the United States,&#8221; Vance said.
Vance&#8217;s comments <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/jd-vance-europe-permanent-security-vassal-united-states/">align</a> with the Trump administration&#8217;s frequent criticism of European nations for relying too heavily on U.S. military power, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warning that American presence in Europe is not &#8220;forever,&#8221; per Politico.
President Trump has been pushing NATO countries to spend 5% of their GDP on defense, which represents a significant increase from the alliance&#8217;s current 2% target, with the potential increase set to be discussed at the upcoming summit in The Hague.
In 2022, only 7 of the 30 NATO members <a href="https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2024/6/pdf/240617-def-exp-2024-en.pdf">met</a> the minimum 2% GDP threshold for defense expenditures, a number which shot up to 23 in 2024 after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Vance also expressed frustration with many European leaders who continue to implement migration policies that in his view were completely contrary to what their citizens voted for.
&#8220;We&#8217;re very frustrated — &#8216;we&#8217; meaning me, the President, certainly the entire Trump administration — that European populations keep on crying out for more sensible economic and migration policies, and the leaders of Europe keep on going through these elections, and keep on offering the European peoples the opposite of what they seem to have voted for,&#8221; Vance said.
Despite his criticism of European foreign and domestic policies, Vance emphasized his admiration for the continent, stating, &#8220;I love European people. I&#8217;ve said repeatedly that you can&#8217;t separate American culture from European culture. We&#8217;re very much a product of philosophies, theologies, and of course the migration patterns that came out of Europe that launched the United States of America.&#8221;
However, in Vance’s view, Europe being an ally of the United States doesn’t afford it special treatment, particularly in trade.
“With the United Kingdom, we have a much more reciprocal relationship than we have with, say, Germany … While we love the Germans, they are heavily dependent on exporting to the United States but are pretty tough on a lot of American businesses that would like to export into Germany.”
The administration’s guiding principle for the continent going forward is quite simple: “fairness.”
“I think it will lead to a lot of positive trade relationships with Europe. And again, we very much see Europe as our ally. We just want it to be an alliance where Europeans are a little more independent, and our security and trade relationships are gonna reflect that.”
Vance also responded to criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who accused him of &#8220;somehow justifying&#8221; Russia&#8217;s invasion, saying it is &#8220;sort of absurd for Zelensky to tell the [American] government, which is currently keeping his entire government and war effort together, that we are somehow on the side of the Russians.&#8221;
The vice president concluded the interview with a straightforward summary of the administration&#8217;s foreign policy philosophy: &#8220;We&#8217;re not on anybody&#8217;s side; we&#8217;re on America&#8217;s side.&#8221;

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-MARINE-MILITARY

Vance: Time For Europe To Stop Being America’s ‘Permanent Security Vassal’

Free Trade

J.D. Vance

NATO

Tariffs

World

President Donald Trump urged Russia on Friday to seek an end to its three-year-long war against Ukraine.
Trump, who has directed most of his criticism toward Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky, is ramping up the pressure on Russia, pushing the authoritarian country to reach a peace deal and end the fighting. Hundreds of thousands of people, including soldiers and civilians on both sides, have been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
&#8220;Russia has to get moving. Too many people are DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war &#8211; A war that should have never happened, and wouldn’t have happened, if I were President!!!&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114319592702753512" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on Truth Social.
Trump&#8217;s message to Russia comes as his envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrived in the country to meet with President Vladimir Putin and discuss potential pathways to peace, Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/04/11/russia-witkoff-putin-meeting-ukraine-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The White House appears eager to restart talks with Russia after negotiations have stalled. If the meeting goes through, it would be Witkoff&#8217;s third meeting with Putin since the Trump administration took over in January.
The president&#8217;s frustration with Putin has grown in recent weeks. Last month, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-pissed-off-at-putin-for-questioning-zelenksys-credibility" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> NBC News that he was &#8220;very angry, pissed off, when Putin started getting into Zelensky’s credibility and started talking about new leadership in Ukraine.&#8221;
&#8220;He considers Zelensky not credible, he’s supposed to be making a deal with him whether you like him, you don’t like him,&#8221; he later told reporters. &#8220;So I wasn’t happy with that. But I think he’s going to be good.&#8221;
During a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Trump remained hopeful that a deal would be made with Russia and Ukraine to end the war.
&#8220;We are making progress. We hope that we are getting relatively close to getting a deal between Russia and Ukraine to stop the fighting,&#8221; Trump said.
Last month, the White House said it had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-leads-russia-ukraine-to-agreements-on-black-sea-ceasefire-ban-on-energy-facility-attacks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">secured an agreement</a> from Russia and Ukraine &#8220;to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea.&#8221; The agreement also banned both countries from conducting strikes on energy facilities. Shortly after the apparent agreement on the Black Sea ceasefire, however, both Russia and Ukraine accused each other of targeting energy facilities.

Trump Calls On Russia ‘To Get Moving’ On Peace Deal: ‘Too Many People Are Dying’

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to President Donald Trump&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-pissed-off-at-putin-for-questioning-zelenksys-credibility" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticism</a> of Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying on Monday that Russia is still &#8220;working on&#8221; a peace deal with Ukraine but added that it&#8217;s a &#8220;time-consuming process.&#8221;
In remarks to NBC News on Sunday, Trump threatened to impose &#8220;secondary tariffs&#8221; on Russia if the country fails to come to an agreement to end the &#8220;bloodshed in Ukraine.&#8221; Trump also <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-angry-putin-zelenskyy-iran-sanctions-rcna198729">said</a> he was “very angry, pissed off, when Putin started getting into [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky’s credibility and started talking about new leadership in Ukraine.” Asked about Trump&#8217;s comments, Peskov told <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/after-trump-sanctions-threat-kremlin-says-russia-us-working-ukraine-peace-moves-2025-03-31/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters</a>, &#8220;We are continuing to work with the American side, first of all to build our bilateral relations, which were badly damaged during the previous (U.S.) administration.&#8221;
&#8220;And we are also working on the implementation of some ideas related to the Ukrainian settlement. This work is underway, but so far there are no specifics that we could or should tell you about. This is a time-consuming process, probably due to its complexity,&#8221; the Kremlin spokesman added.
Trump, who confronted Zelensky in the Oval Office last month, told reporters on Sunday that he is upset with Putin&#8217;s apparent refusal to negotiate with the Ukrainian leader.
“I was disappointed in a certain way some of the things that were said over the last day or two having to do with Zelensky,” Trump said. “He considers Zelensky not credible, he’s supposed to be making a deal with him whether you like him, you don’t like him. So I wasn’t happy with that. But I think he’s going to be good.”
The president&#8217;s stern message for Putin comes as he has faced some criticism for being too friendly with Russia while taking a harsh approach to Ukraine. In February, Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelensky on national television, accusing the Ukrainian president of taking American military support for granted and &#8220;gambling with World War III.&#8221;
Zelensky was asked to leave the White House following the explosive Oval Office meeting before signing a minerals deal with the United States. The Trump administration later appeared to make progress on the minerals deal with Zelensky, but Trump said on Sunday that the Ukrainian president is &#8220;trying to back out&#8221; of the deal.
“We made a deal on rare earths, and now he’s saying, ‘well, you know, I want to renegotiate the deal.’ He wants to be a member of NATO. Well, he was never going to be a member of NATO,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;He understands that, so, if he’s looking to renegotiate the deal, he’s got big problems.”
Last week, the White House said that it came to separate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-leads-russia-ukraine-to-agreements-on-black-sea-ceasefire-ban-on-energy-facility-attacks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agreements</a> with Russia and Ukraine for a ceasefire on the Black Sea, along with a ban on either country attacking energy facilities. Both countries, however, have <a href="https://kyivindependent.com/vance-says-energy-ceasefire-in-effect-while-ukraine-accuses-russia-of-violations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> each other of violating the ceasefire by conducting strikes on energy infrastructure.

Russia Responds After Trump Says He’s ‘Pissed Off’ At Putin

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he was “pissed off” at Russian President Vladimir Putin for jeopardizing ongoing peace talks to end the war with Ukraine. 
Trump <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/trump-tells-nbc-news-he-s-angry-and-pissed-off-at-putin-235797061888" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> NBC News that he was upset with Putin for questioning Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “credibility,” saying that would hurt negotiations between the two warring nations. The president also said that he might implement secondary tariffs on Russian oil if he thinks Putin causes a deal to stop the war to fall through. 
“If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault — which it might not be — but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia,” Trump said. &#8220;That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States.&#8221;
He added that he was “very angry, pissed off, when Putin started getting into Zelensky&#8217;s credibility and started talking about new leadership in Ukraine.”
Trump later told reporters on Air Force One that he was upset because Putin was supposed to be negotiating with Zelensky, not undercutting him. 
“I was disappointed in a certain way some of the things that were said over the last day or two having to do with Zelensky,” Trump said. “He considers Zelensky not credible, he’s supposed to be making a deal with him whether you like him, you don’t like him. So I wasn’t happy with that. But I think he’s going to be good.” 
Trump added that he didn’t want to impose tariffs on Russia and that there was “tremendous hatred” between Putin and Zelensky. He said the main goal was to stop people from dying, saying that progress was being made &#8220;step by step.&#8221;
The president also had harsh words for Zelensky, who he warned not to try to negotiate the mineral deal made between America and Ukraine. 
&#8220;I think Zelensky, by the way, he’s trying to back out of the rare earth deal, and if he does that, he’s got some problems – big, big problems,&#8221; Trump said Sunday night. &#8220;We made a deal on rare earths, and now he’s saying, ‘well, you know, I want to renegotiate the deal.’ He wants to be a member of NATO. Well, he was never going to be a member of NATO. He understands that, so, if he’s looking to renegotiate the deal, he’s got big problems.&#8221;
Trump is expected to speak with Putin on the phone later this week.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Trump ‘Pissed Off’ At Putin For Questioning Zelensky’s ‘Credibility’

President Donald Trump’s lengthy phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin results in a key step toward peace with Ukraine, while Israel resumes its war with Hamas. The Trump administration releases thousands of files on JFK’s assassination. And a stock market dip raises questions about the future of the American economy.
It’s Wednesday, March 19, and this is news you need to know to start your day. If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/putin-moves-toward-peace-jfk-files-released-3-19-25/id1576594336?i=1000699789123" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2>A Tale of Two Ceasefires</h2>
<div id="attachment_893785" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-893785" class="size-large wp-image-893785" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Russia-Ukraine-soldiers-1024x527.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="527" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Russia-Ukraine-soldiers-1024x527.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Russia-Ukraine-soldiers-300x154.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Russia-Ukraine-soldiers-768x395.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Russia-Ukraine-soldiers-1536x790.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Russia-Ukraine-soldiers-2048x1053.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />(Photo by NTCo via Getty Images</div>
Topline: In a major diplomatic breakthrough, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to phase one of a ceasefire in Ukraine following a long phone call with President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, hostilities between Israel and Hamas resumed in Gaza after the end of a two-month truce.
The Best of Times: President Trump campaigned on a promise to bring the war in Ukraine to an end upon taking office, and we’ve now seen by far the most significant steps toward peace since the conflict began. The president and Putin talked for at least 90 minutes; by the end, they agreed to a limited ceasefire to end strikes on Ukrainian energy and infrastructure facilities for the next thirty days. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said &#8220;civilian infrastructure&#8221; was struck by Russian drones after the Trump-Putin phone call. Moscow has used waves of drones and missiles to target Ukrainian energy plants and refineries, knocking out power across the country and cutting electricity production in half. Ukraine has had similar success striking Russian oil refineries, threatening one of the country’s top industries.
The Trump administration insists that yesterday’s agreement was phase one of a broader “movement to peace,” which will begin immediately with further formal negotiations taking place in the Middle East. Going forward, the two sides will work on a broader maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, followed by a full ceasefire across both countries, as the penultimate step to a “permanent peace.” In the meantime, the Kremlin announced they would conduct a prisoner swap with the Ukrainians later today, with 175 prisoners being released from each side.
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_893789" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-893789" class="size-large wp-image-893789" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Gaza-Rubble-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Gaza-Rubble-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Gaza-Rubble-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Gaza-Rubble-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Gaza-Rubble-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Gaza-Rubble-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Gaza-Rubble-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Gaza-Rubble-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />(Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)</div>
The Worst of Times: On Tuesday, Israel launched a series of airstrikes in Gaza, killing hundreds of Palestinians. Hamas claims the victims were mostly civilians, including children. Israel says they targeted terrorists. After the strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that it was “only the beginning” and that his country would continue pushing forward until Hamas has been destroyed and all of the hostages are brought home.
The two sides had been abiding by a ceasefire since January, which included promises from Hamas to free all of the remaining hostages in their possession. But in the last two months, the terror group released just 33 hostages — eight of whom were dead — while Israel released nearly 1,800 Palestinian prisoners, including a number of convicted terrorists. Netanyahu says Hamas failed to abide by the terms of the ceasefire and Israeli intelligence had proof they were regrouping and preparing new attacks on his nation.
“Hamas was actively recruiting, actively rearming, and planning its next attacks across the border,” Michael Oren, former Israeli ambassador to the United States, told Morning Wire. “Israel concluded that the whole situation was untenable, and while the last thing they wanted to do was to endanger the lives of these hostages further, because they&#8217;re all in desperate shape, there was no choice but to ratchet up a military pressure on Hamas in the hope that it&#8217;ll actually come to the table and strike a deal.”
<h2>JFK Files Released</h2>
<div id="attachment_893885" style="width: 853px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-893885" class="size-large wp-image-893885" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/JFK-Files-Image-843x576.jpg" alt="" width="843" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/JFK-Files-Image-843x576.jpg 843w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/JFK-Files-Image-300x205.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/JFK-Files-Image-768x525.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/JFK-Files-Image-1536x1050.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/JFK-Files-Image-2048x1400.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 843px) 100vw, 843px" />WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2017 &#8212; Visitors line under a poster of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy to enter the Newseum in Washington D.C., the United States, on Oct. 26, 2017. The U.S. National Archives is set to release on Thursday the previously classified files related to former President John F. Kennedy&#8217;s assassination more than half a century ago. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu via Getty Images)</div>
Topline: The Trump administration released tens of thousands of pages of documents on Tuesday related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
During his 2024 presidential campaign, President Trump pledged to release all classified documents on the Kennedy assassination, and late on Tuesday afternoon, the documents began to appear on the National Archives website. According to ABC News, DOJ attorneys were up all night sifting through documents, examining sensitive information, and making decisions on potential redactions. Trump said on Monday that about 80,000 pages of yet-to-be-released documents on the JFK assassination would be made public.
“We’ve got a tremendous amount of paper,” President Trump said in a statement on Monday. “You’ve got a lot of reading. I don’t believe we’re going to redact anything.”
No bombshells have turned up in the files yet – again, 80,000 pages is a lot to get through – there are handwritten notes, old typewritten reports, and some blurry pages. Daily Wire reporters have found some entertaining nuggets. One document appears to show that John F. Kennedy Jr., before he died in 1999, called then-Sen. Joe Biden a “traitor.” Another showed that FBI director J. Edgar Hoover was tracking a set of safes – and knew their combinations – that were purchased for a Soviet embassy in Cuba. Another bit told of how Gary Underhill, a former U.S. Army captain in World War II, suspected a “small clique” in the CIA was behind JFK’s assassination. The document said he was afraid, and that six months later, he was found shot and pronounced dead by suicide.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard wrote in a post after the files were released, quote, “President Trump is ushering in a new era of maximum transparency… Promises made, promises kept.”
<h2>Market Volatility</h2>
<div id="attachment_893797" style="width: 876px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-893797" class="size-large wp-image-893797" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Market-Volatility-866x576.jpg" alt="" width="866" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Market-Volatility-866x576.jpg 866w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Market-Volatility-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Market-Volatility-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Market-Volatility-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Market-Volatility-2048x1363.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Market-Volatility-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Market-Volatility-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 866px) 100vw, 866px" />Financial asset investment analysis with volume and candle stick chart</div>
Topline: After a tumultuous month for stocks, and new Trump tariffs, the Fed will meet today to discuss rate changes.
Stock prices have declined significantly over the past month, a downturn many analysts attribute to the Trump administration’s aggressive tariff policies. As of market close on Tuesday:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The DOW Jones Industrial Average had <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/index/djia">declined</a> by 6.68% over the last month</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/index/comp">Nasdaq</a> was down 12.66%</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/index/spx?mod=search_symbol">S&amp;P 500</a> was down 8.40%</li>
</ul>
Some observers, like The Daily Wire’s own <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao3GqTFChnE">Ben Shapiro</a>, have cautioned that tariffs create instability and could cause an economic downturn, which could be politically disastrous for the Trump administration. Others, including members of the Trump administration, are more bullish on the long-term benefits of tariffs and believe that the negative effects on the American economy have been exaggerated in the press.
“The economy in the first quarter is doing better than the media is reporting,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business on &#8220;Mornings with Maria.&#8221; “We are seeing some good underlying data from credit card companies, from banks … the underlying economy is healthy.”
“When you look at what&#8217;s going on with tariffs, obviously, it&#8217;s creating a lot of uncertainty, which is causing a lot of fantastic stocks to pull back or sell off,” Mark Tepper, CEO of Strategic Wealth Partners, told Morning Wire. “That&#8217;s presenting good buying opportunities.”

Street signs showing war and peace

Morning Brief: A Tale Of Two Ceasefires, JFK Files Released, And Market Volatility

Economy

Hamas

Israel

John F. Kennedy (JFK)

Media

Morning Wire

Stock Market

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed on Tuesday that Russia bombed civilian infrastructure in Ukraine following a phone call between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that had reportedly resulted in a limited ceasefire agreement.
Last week, Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire and the phone call between Trump and Putin on Tuesday elicited that there would be an “energy and infrastructure ceasefire.”
“The leaders agreed that the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, as well as technical negotiations on implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace,” the White House <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5202186-zelensky-ukraine-civilian-infrastructure-hit-russia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>. “These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East.”
“Right now, in many regions, you can literally hear what Russia truly needs,” Zelensky posted Tuesday evening on X. “Around 40 ‘Shahed’ drones are in our skies, and air defense is active. Unfortunately, there have been hits, specifically on civilian infrastructure. A direct hit by a ‘Shahed’ drone on a hospital in Sumy, strikes on cities in the Donetsk region, and attack drones currently in the skies over the Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Chernihiv, Poltava, Kharkiv, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, and Cherkasy regions.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Right now, in many regions, you can literally hear what Russia truly needs. Around 40 &#8220;Shahed&#8221; drones are in our skies, and air defense is active.
Unfortunately, there have been hits, specifically on civilian infrastructure. A direct hit by a &#8220;Shahed&#8221; drone on a hospital in… <a href="https://t.co/TKTeB9gaZy">pic.twitter.com/TKTeB9gaZy</a>
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1902120683699626108?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“It is these types of nighttime attacks by Russia that destroy our energy sector, our infrastructure, and the normal life of Ukrainians,” he continued. “And the fact that this night is no exception shows that the pressure on Russia must continue for the sake of peace. Today, Putin effectively rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire. It would be right for the world to respond by rejecting any attempts by Putin to prolong the war. Sanctions against Russia. Assistance to Ukraine. Strengthening allies in the free world and working toward security guarantees. And only a real cessation of strikes on civilian infrastructure by Russia, as proof of its willingness to end this war, can bring peace closer.”
According to the Kremlin, Putin declared his “key condition” for reaching peace with Ukraine is a complete halt to military and intelligence support for Ukraine from other countries, the New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/world/europe/trump-putin-call-russia-ukraine-war.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.

President Of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Visits Turkey

Zelensky Says ‘Civilian Infrastructure’ Hit By Russian Drones After Trump-Putin Call

Ceasefire

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set today to discuss peace and “dividing up assets” with Ukraine. Trump pushes ahead with deporting violent gang members, despite legal efforts to bring them back to the United States. And new reports show both British and German intelligence believed COVID-19 was created in a lab, but chose to suppress those findings.
It’s Tuesday, March 18, and this is news you need to know to start your day. If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trump-putin-phone-call-covid-lab-leak-coverup-3-18-25/id1576594336?i=1000699614850" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2> Putin/Trump Face-off</h2>
<div id="attachment_893213" style="width: 927px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-893213" class="wp-image-893213 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Putin-vs-Trump-917x576.jpg" alt="" width="917" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Putin-vs-Trump-917x576.jpg 917w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Putin-vs-Trump-300x188.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Putin-vs-Trump-768x483.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Putin-vs-Trump-1536x965.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Putin-vs-Trump-2048x1287.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 917px) 100vw, 917px" />(Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)</div>
Topline: President Donald Trump is set to hold a potentially pivotal phone call with Russia’s Vladimir Putin today as the two sides move closer to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Last week, the Trump administration proposed a 30-day pause in the fighting to allow for formal peace negotiations to kick off. The Ukrainians accepted that deal, prompting the United States to renew weapons shipments to Kyiv, but the Russians were more hesitant to agree on a ceasefire. At the moment, it seems that Putin will only agree to the deal if he has assurances that the United States would pause new weapons shipments to Ukraine and that Ukraine would not be allowed to mobilize new forces during the 30 days.
Over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters that &#8220;the Russians say &#8216;We support a ceasefire, but …&#8217; And then after the &#8216;but,&#8217; they start coming with various details to delay the process.” He says Putin is well aware that Western support for Ukraine is starting to dwindle and wants to drag out the ceasefire process to allow his forces to gain as much territory as possible ahead of negotiations, so he’ll have more leverage.
To that point, Moscow has recently launched a counteroffensive in the Kursk region — a territory in Russia that had fallen into Ukrainian hands last summer after a surprise incursion. Putin claims thousands of Ukrainian troops there are currently surrounded — he called on them to “lay down their arms and surrender” in exchange for their lives. The longer a ceasefire is delayed, the more time Putin will have to close in on those troops. For that reason, among others, Zelensky is calling on Trump to exert pressure on Moscow to accept the ceasefire. Over the weekend, he issued a plea for &#8220;maximum additional sanctions&#8221; on Russia if they continue to stall — for his part, Trump said “we can” do that, but “I hope it’s not necessary.”
The Terms: Putin has shown a clear willingness to continually throw Russians into the frontlines and is unlikely to end the war if it means coming back empty-handed. Specifically, he wants to formally retain control of Crimea and the Donbas region in Eastern Ukraine. Zelensky has insisted that he’ll never cede land to Putin, but at this stage, it’s all but guaranteed he’ll have to agree to some land being lost in order to end the war.
The potential deployment of peacekeeping forces to Ukraine will likely be another point of contention in negotiations. Putin has made clear from day one that he will never agree to a deal that includes NATO membership for Ukraine — Europe and the United States seem to have conceded that point. As an alternative, Ukraine has pushed for European peacekeepers within its borders after the war. European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, have already agreed to provide boots on the ground, although it remains unclear if Putin will accept a European-backed security guarantee.
<h2>Trump Deports Illegal Gang Members</h2>
<div id="attachment_892595" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-892595" class="size-large wp-image-892595" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2204881261-864x576.jpg" alt="SAN SALVADOR, EL SALVADOR - MARCH 16: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY - MANDATORY CREDIT - 'EL SALVADOR PRESIDENCY / HANDOUT' - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the US in San Salvador, El Salvador on March 16, 2025. El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country's infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2204881261-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2204881261-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2204881261-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2204881261.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images</div>
Topline: A showdown over a planeload of suspected Tren de Aragua gang members has pitted immigrant activists against Trump. The administration is moving forward with the deportation of more than 250 individuals despite legal moves from the ACLU.
On Friday night, President Trump signed an executive order invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allowed suspected gang members in the country illegally to be deported without a judicial hearing. The signing wasn’t promoted, but the media caught wind of it on Saturday morning. The ACLU quickly filed a lawsuit trying to stop the deportations &#8212; a court order issued by federal Judge James Boasberg temporarily barred the Trump administration from deporting illegals under the 18th-century statute. By Saturday afternoon, however, the planes were already in the air, having departed from Texas to El Salvador, where the deported were to be housed in a prison for gang members. The Trump administration claims that by the time Judge James Boasberg’s order was issued, the flight was already outside United States airspace.
Border czar Tom Homan dismissed Judge Boasberg’s order, saying he and Trump will not stop until America is safe. “Every day, the men and women of ICE are going to be out there arresting criminal illegal aliens,” Homan said. “I don’t care what the judges think. I don’t care what the Left thinks. We’re coming.”
The Trump DOJ filed a response to Boasberg’s order contesting the authority of a single judge to halt national policy efforts. “Plaintiffs cannot use these proceedings to interfere with the President’s national-security and foreign-affairs authority.” One senior official told Axios that there were discussions in the administration about whether the planes needed to turn back, but after meeting with legal counsel, they decided they could proceed with the deportations.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that “if the Democrats want to argue in favor of turning a plane full of rapists, murderers, and gangsters back to the United States, that&#8217;s a fight we are more than happy to take.” Trump and his team are testing the limits of executive power and likely expect this to be settled by the Supreme Court.
Judge Boasberg told the DOJ to provide details on the flights in a sworn declaration by noon ET today.
The Numbers: In the first 50 days of the Trump administration, ICE made more than 32,000 enforcement arrests, just a hair shy of the total number of arrests made in all of fiscal year 2024. Nearly half of those arrested were convicted criminals and about a third had pending criminal charges, meaning 75% of those arrested were accused or convicted criminals. Illegal border crossings also fell by 94% in February compared to the previous year, and illegal encounters at the Del Rio Sector declined by 99% since 2023.
<h2>Covid Lab Leak Proof</h2>
<div id="attachment_893205" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-893205" class="wp-image-893205 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Lab-Leak-Image-1024x540.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="540" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Lab-Leak-Image-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Lab-Leak-Image-300x158.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Lab-Leak-Image-768x405.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Lab-Leak-Image-1536x810.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Lab-Leak-Image-2048x1080.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />(Photo by Kobus Louw via Getty Images)</div>
Topline: We learned this week that the former head of the U.K.&#8217;s foreign intelligence agency told the British prime minister in early 2020 that COVID-19 escaped from the infamous Wuhan lab. The revelation follows reports out of Germany showing that its government allegedly had similar information, as did the United States and China.
This week, a memo sent by the former head of MI6 to then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed that as early as 2020, British intelligence believed that COVID was leaked from a Chinese lab and that the Chinese government was conducting an international disinformation campaign to avoid taking responsibility for an outbreak that would go on to kill millions of people.
The memo says, beyond a reasonable doubt, “the Wuhan Institute of Virology retro-engineered a bat virus in January 2020. We surmise that this was done to align with COVID-19 to sustain the natural causation narrative.”
The German Connection: A few days before the British announcement, two major newspapers in Germany revealed that the German foreign intelligence service, their version of the CIA, had also believed that there was an 80 to 90 percent chance that the coronavirus had leaked from a Chinese lab.
“The implications of this conspiracy &#8212; I think it&#8217;s the correct word in this case &#8212; are pretty significant,” independent journalist Michael Shellenberger told Morning Wire. “It would suggest that the U.S., U.K., Chinese, and German governments all knew that the virus escaped from the lab, arguably as early as January, and we had reported that the U.S. intelligence community had known, in fact, the names of the first three people to be infected by the Covid virus, and that didn&#8217;t come out.”
Congressional investigations <a href="https://www.congress.gov/117/meeting/house/114270/documents/HHRG-117-GO24-20211201-SD004.pdf">found</a> that the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where COVID-19 is thought to have originated, received funding for gain-of-function research on coronaviruses from the American National Institute of Health.
Shellenberger told Morning Wire that the memo “obviously implicates a number of senior American officials, including Anthony Fauci, but it may have meant that our response to the virus may have been different had we known that it had come from a lab.” Fauci was issued a preemptive pardon by former President Joe Biden shortly before President Trump took office. Trump has argued that Fauci’s blanket pardon is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-declares-pardons-biden-gave-during-his-final-days-in-office-void">“void”</a> because it was signed with an autopen.

JAPAN-G20-SUMMIT

Morning Brief: Trump And Putin Talk Terms, Deportations Continue, And The Lab Leak Gets More Proof

Communist China

COVID

Deportations

Illegal Immigration

The United States will resume providing military aid and intelligence to Ukraine after it agreed to a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in the war against Russia.
Ukraine agreed to the Trump administration&#8217;s proposal during talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, this week. Secretary of State Marco Rubio led negotiations for the United States, and the two sides issued a <a href="https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/spilna-zayava-za-pidsumkami-zustrichi-delegacij-ukrayini-ta-96553" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joint statement</a> afterward that said the proposal would be presented to Moscow.
“We’re going to tell them this is what’s on the table: Ukraine is ready to stop shooting and start talking. And now it&#8217;ll be up to them to say yes or no,” Rubio said after the talks, according to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/03/11/nx-s1-5324651/ukraine-us-saudi-arabia-talks-russia-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NPR</a>. “I hope they’re going to say yes. And if they do, then I think we’ve made great progress. If they say no, then we’ll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here.”
The negotiations in Jeddah also touched on other topics, such as humanitarian assistance and an exchange of prisoners.
“The delegations also discussed the importance of humanitarian relief efforts as part of the peace process, particularly during the abovementioned ceasefire, including the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children,” The joint statement said.
“[B]oth countries’ presidents agreed to conclude as soon as possible a comprehensive agreement for developing Ukraine’s critical mineral resources to expand Ukraine’s economy and guarantee Ukraine’s long-term prosperity and security,” the statement said.
The United States cut off assistance to Ukraine after a White House meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ended in a chaotic argument between the two leaders and U.S. Vice President JD Vance. Zelensky traveled to D.C. and met with Trump on February 28 under the auspices of signing a minerals agreement.
Zelensky pushed Trump to offer security guarantees to Ukraine during a press conference with reporters, leading to a chaotic end to the meeting and Zelensky returning to Ukraine empty handed.
Amid fallout from the meeting, the Ukrainian president days later said he was willing to sign the minerals deal without other preconditions.

Mike Waltz, Marco Rubio

United States To Resume Military, Intelligence Assistance To Ukraine After Peace Talks

Vice President JD Vance fired back on Saturday, responding to the pro-Ukraine protesters he said had followed him around, harassing him and his three-year-old daughter while they were out for a walk.
Vance shared the story from his personal X account on Saturday afternoon, saying, &#8220;Today while walking my 3 year old daughter a group of &#8216;Slava Ukraini&#8217; protesters followed us around and shouted as my daughter grew increasingly anxious and scared.&#8221;
&#8220;I decided to speak with the protesters in the hopes that I could trade a few minutes of conversation for them leaving my toddler alone,&#8221; Vance continued. &#8220;(Nearly all of them agreed.) It was a mostly respectful conversation, but if you’re chasing a 3-year-old as part of a political protest, you’re a s*** person.&#8221;
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Today while walking my 3 year old daughter a group of “Slava Ukraini” protesters followed us around and shouted as my daughter grew increasingly anxious and scared. 
I decided to speak with the protesters in the hopes that I could trade a few minutes of conversation for them…
&mdash; JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/1898471709662916636?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The Trump administration has been involved since the inauguration in helping to craft a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, but negotiations have been rocky — in particular since an explosive meeting between Vance, President Donald Trump, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
While Zelensky has since signaled a willingness to come back to the table and work with the Trump administration, pro-Ukraine protesters have been critical of both Trump and Vance over the administration&#8217;s willingness to negotiate with both sides in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Pro-Ukrainian protesters were also spotted outside the vice president&#8217;s Cincinnati home, where he was spending the weekend, according to local news reports.
Protesters also dogged Vance last weekend as he took his family to Vermont to go skiing. The protests were organized by a group called Indivisible Mad River Valley, and member Judy Daly explained that the White House meeting with Zelensky was the reason so many people came out to make a statement: &#8220;I think [Friday&#8217;s] performance at the White House has probably galvanized even more people to come out today.&#8221;

61st Munich Security Conference

JD Vance Fires Back After Pro-Ukraine Protesters Harass His 3-Year-Old

U.S.

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