News of the World
Yesterday, 09:01 AM
Royal Scandal Special Edition
THE ARREST
Quote:The arrest of the ex-Prince Andrew on Thursday marks the first time a senior British royal has been taken into custody in 400 years — and the last time it ended in beheading.
King Charles I was forced from the throne and put on trial — then convicted in 1649 of waging a ruthless civil war against his own people.
Charles I was exposed as a “tyrant, traitor, murderer, and public enemy,” a court ruled at the time. He was then publicly executed in London on Jan. 30, 1649 at age 48.
Andrew, 66, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was arrested on his birthday by Thames Valley police and accused of sharing official secrets with longtime pal Jeffrey Epstein, is the little brother of King Charles III, who took the name when he took the throne in 2022.
Previously, Charles III and Andrew’s sister, Princess Anne became the first royal to be convicted of a criminal offense in modern history.
She was convicted under the UK’s Dangerous Dogs Act in 2002 after her bull terrier bit two children in Windsor’s Great Park in April of that year and was fined $670 for the attack and ordered to pay $330 in compensation.
She was not arrested in the case.
Quote:UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer had warned Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor that “nobody is above the law” just hours before the disgraced ex-royal was arrested Thursday.
Starmer gave the seemingly prescient warning in an interview with the BBC early Thursday when asked if the king’s brother should dish on what he knows about his late friend, notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
“Anybody who has any information should testify,” said Starmer, whose own position as leader has been tested by the latest Epstein files.
“So whether it’s Andrew or anybody else, anybody who has got relevant information should come forward to whatever the relevant body is, in this particular case we’re talking about Epstein, but there are plenty of other cases.”
Starmer said “everyone is equal under the law” and “nobody is above the law.”
“That is the principle. It’s a long-standing principle, it’s a very important principle of our country, our society, and it applies, and it has to apply in this case, in the same way as it would apply in any other case,” he added.
Starmer said anyone who may have details about violence against women and girls has a “duty to come forward” – regardless of status.
Andrew was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office after it emerged he allegedly forwarded trade docs to his pedophile pal Epstein while serving as a UK trade envoy.
If convicted, he could face life in prison.
Andrew has always denied wrongdoing over his links to Epstein.
Quote:The former Prince Andrew is accused of betraying the UK by sharing confidential information with Jeffrey Epstein and his pals — and files that were recently released by the US Justice Department culminated in his arrest Thursday.
In one of the emails from October 2010, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor forwarded official reports to Epstein, sharing the details of his visits to mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam with the disgraced financier.
On Christmas Eve 2010, he also messaged Epstein and sent him a confidential briefing about investment opportunities in Afghanistan, where the UK government was funding reconstruction in Helmand Province, the emails released by the DOJ show.
“Attached is a confidential brief produced by the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Helmand Province for International Investment Opportunities,” the email reportedly from Andrew to Epstein reads.
“I am going to offer this elsewhere in my network (including Abu Dhabi) but would be very interested in your comments, views or ideas as to whom I could also usefully show this to attract some interest,” the email continues.
“I have sadly found out that Gates Foundation doesn’t do anything in Afghanistan,” he concluded, referencing the nonprofit set up by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who has also come under renewed fire over his ties to Epstein.
At the time, Andrew was a trade envoy who had a duty to keep trade secrets confidential, according to government rules.
Andrew and Epstein also planned to launch a business together in China during his time as trade envoy — after Epstein had been convicted of child sex crimes, other emails appear to show.
Business discussions between the pair, conducted through a liaison called David Stern, appeared to continue for more than five years after Epstein’s release from prison.
Andrew previously claimed in an infamous BBC interview that he had cut off ties with Epstein in December 2010.
In July 2010, Stern sent an email to Epstein discussing setting up a private wealth management company with offices in London and Beijing.
“We very discreetly make PA [Prince Andrew] part of it and use his ‘aura and access,'” the email states.
Andrew also allegedly used his trade envoy position to send confidential information to his close friend Jonathan Rowland, former chief executive of Luxembourg’s Banque Havilland.
Quote:King Charles III promised “full and wholehearted support” to the investigation into his disgraced brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, while stressing that “the law must take its course.”
The British monarch released a statement soon after the former Prince Andrew was taken into custody on Thursday — his 66th birthday — on suspicion of misconduct in public office and allegations he shared confidential material with Jeffrey Epstein.
“I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office,” King Charles said in a statement.
“What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities,” the statement continued.
“In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation,” King Charles said, adding that “the law must take its course.”
Neither the King nor Buckingham Palace was informed in advance of Andrew’s arrest, according to BBC News.
Prince William and Kate Middleton have also expressed their support for the king’s statement, the outlet added.
Police carried out searches of Andrew’s home on the King’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, eastern England, on Wednesday morning.
Searches were then carried out at his former address at the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, west of London.
Andrew has previously denied any wrongdoing in relation to the late financier and pedophile Epstein.
This is the first time the shamed royal — who has faced numerous allegations over his links to Epstein — has been arrested.
Wednesday’s arrest is unrelated to Virginia Giuffre, the Epstein victim who alleged that she was trafficked to have sex with Andrew — claims the former royal has strenuously denied.
The arrest relates to Andrew’s time as a British trade envoy and is believed to be tied to the Department of Justice’s release of 3 million documents as part of the Epstein Files.
Quote:The family of ex-Prince Andrew’s longtime accuser Virginia Giuffre had a scathing response to his arrest on Thursday: “He was never a prince.”
The family heralded the bust of King Charles III’s little brother — even though it was not related to the allegations that he had sex with Giuffre as 17-year-old sex trafficking victim.
“At last,” Guiffre’s two siblings said in a statement soon after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was hauled away by cops in the UK.
“Today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty.
“On behalf of our sister, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, we extend our gratitude to the UK’s Thames Valley Police for their investigation, and the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The statement concluded: “For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.”
Giuffre, who died by suicide last April, had for years said that pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his madam, Ghislaine Maxwell, made her have sex with Andrew at least three times, starting when she was 17.
The then-prince, who was 41 at the time of the alleged misconduct, vehemently denied her allegations, which ultimately led to him losing his royal titles and even his home.
Andrew eventually shelled out more than $12 million in Feb 2022 to settle a sexual abuse lawsuit filed in New York by Giuffre, while still claiming it was not an admission of wrongdoing.
Andrew carried on a relationship for years after he claimed he cut off contact — and long after Epstein was copped to child sex trafficking in 2008.
The charges Andrew faces involve his alleged disclosure of government trade secrets to Epstein and his pals while he was an official envoy for the government.
Giuffre recounted being trafficked to Prince Andrew in detail in lawsuits, police reports and a memoir that was published after her death.
Before they had sex for the first time in 2001, he commented, “My daughters are just a little younger than you,” according to the book.
Princess Eugene would have been 10 at the time, and Princess Beatrice would have been 12.
Giuffre added that they went out to a club and that Andrew “was sort of a bumbling dancer, and I remember he sweated profusely.”
That particular allegation led to Prince Andrew famously and bizarrely claiming that he could not sweat because he had a medical condition as a result of his service in the Falklands War.
Quote:The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Thursday over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein is “a huge blow” to the royal family, according to experts — who say the British government must move fast to remove him from being in line for the throne.
“Removing Andrew from the line of succession needs to be speeded up,” said Robert Jobson, author of “The Windsor Legacy: A Royal Dynasty of Secrets, Scandal and Survival.”
This comes after Andrew was arrested on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in public office while he was a British trade envoy.
Andrew has denied all allegations against him.
King Charles III stripped his 66-year-old brother — formerly Prince Andrew, Duke of York — of all royal titles last year amid revelations of his association with billionaire pedophile Epstein. But Andrew still remains eighth in line to the throne, currently behind Charles’s children and grandchildren.
“The easiest thing to do this would be for him [Andrew] to renounce” his position, said Jobson.
But Lady Colin Campbell, who has written numerous books about the royal family, does not expect that to happen because it could appear to be “an indication of guilt.”
If Andrew refuses, a change to the line of succession would need to be done as an act of parliament in each country where the king is the head of state, Jobson explained.
King Charles is the monarch for 15 countries known as the Commonwealth realms — including Canada, Australia and Jamaica, which has already been making moves to break free. Each of those countries would have to pass their own acts of parliament to remove Andrew from the line of succession, Jobson told The Post.
“He absolutely should [renounce] to spare his brother and give him a break. This is a huge blow to the royal family,” said Jobson, who nonetheless does not think it will end the monarchy.
And even if eighth in line is a long way from being king, it’s the symbolism that matters, experts told The Post.
Quote:Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor has been released under investigation after his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office, Thames Valley Police said, signaling that the inquiry will continue even as the former prince remains uncharged.
What to Know
- "I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office," King Charles said. "What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities.
- Police arrested a man in his 60s on suspicion of misconduct in public office; under British law, suspects cannot be named at this stage.
- Mountbatten-Windsor was escorted from his Sandringham residence as officers searched properties in Berkshire and Norfolk.
- The arrest follows weeks of renewed attention on Andrew’s past friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
- Mountbatten-Windsor has denied wrongdoing and previously settled a civil lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre without admitting liability.
- Police are investigating whether Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential documents with Epstein while serving as a trade envoy in 2010.
- The Giuffre family issued a statement saying the arrest shows “no one is above the law.”
- Buckingham Palace was not informed ahead of time about the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor, according to a spokesperson for King Charles III.
- The FBI declined to comment to Newsweek on the arrest of Mountbatten-Windsor.
UK
Quote:The UK is blocking President Trump from using its military air bases for a possible attack on Iran — because the lefty government believes such strikes could violate international law and doesn’t want Britain implicated, according to a new report.
Trump has already hit back by slamming the UK prime minister’s plan to resolve a long-running dispute over a strategically crucial chain of islands in the Indian Ocean.
The White House is drawing up plans for a possible military strike on Iran that involves the use of the Royal Air Force base Fairford in England — which is a forward operating base for America’s heavy bombers, the Times reported.
Trump reportedly spoke with Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the plans Tuesday night, and UK officials were worried that giving the US permission to use the RAF bases for a military attack could breach international law, according to the Times.
Trump made a direct reference to the UK base in Diego Garcia — part of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean nearly 6,000 miles from Britain — plus RAF Fairford.
He said the military facilities were necessary to attack Iran if the Islamic Republic fails to reach a nuclear deal with the US.
“Should Iran decide not to make a Deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the Airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday.
“An attack that would potentially be made on the United Kingdom, as well as other friendly countries. We will always be ready, willing, and able to fight for the U.K., but they have to remain strong in the face of Wokeism, and other problems put before them,” he added.
Britain’s reluctance is reportedly the driving force behind Trump’s sudden U-turn on a deal that would see the UK cede control over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
The deal is an attempt to resolve long-running colonial tensions over its control of the islands — but it would allow the UK to keep control of Diego Garcia and its strategically important air base with a 99-year lease.
The US uses Diego Garcia as one of its most far-flung outposts for bombers and other aircraft operating in both the Middle East and Asia.
Trump previously hailed the complex deal as the “best” version for Starmer earlier this month, with the Department of State backing it on Tuesday.
But the president withdrew his support on Wednesday following his reported conversation with the British leader.
“Our relationship with the United Kingdom is a strong and powerful one, and it has been for many years, but prime minister Starmer is losing control of this important island by claims of entities never known of before. In our opinion, they are fictitious in nature,” Trump wrote.
USA
Quote:President Trump kicked off a campaign rally in Georgia with a fiery defense of his tariff policy, arguing he has the “right,” as president, to set them.
The Supreme Court could rule as soon as Friday on the legality of Trump’s tariff agenda.
“I have to wait for this decision. I’ve been waiting forever, forever, and the language is clear that I have the right to do it as President, I have the right to put tariffs on for national security,” Trump said.
He argued the tariffs against countries like China and Canada were targeting nations that have “ripped us off for years.”
Trump visited a steel factory in Georgia to defend his economic record ahead of the midterm election.
The administration is trying to tout all its done to keep the cost of living at affordable levels in order to keep Republican control of Congress.
Coosa Steel President Andrew Saville, whose company manufactures rack storage products, argued that the president’s tariffs have been a “game-changer” for his business.
“We saw the tire rack industry really dropping off around 2010 … the tire rack industry was going to China. There were no tariffs. They were bringing them in and they were decimating the tire rack business in America,” Saville explained, with Trump standing on stage nearby.
“Your first term, we saw some things come back,” the businessman continued.
“The second term, about July, quotes, the orders … I couldn’t keep up. They were coming nonstop.”
Last October, Saville’s company landed its biggest deal in the last 10 years, which he attributed to Trump’s tariffs.
“This is going to keep our racks department busy for two shifts a day, six days a week.”
“Mr. President, what you’ve done for these guys down front, what you’ve for our entire economy, what you’ve done for all of America couldn’t be done without your favorite word: tariffs,” the CEO said.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has gone more than three months without issuing a decision on tariffs.
Trump’s frustration was evident.
“I have to be in the United States Supreme Court for many, many months waiting for a decision on tariffs,” he said. “Without tariffs, this country would be in such trouble right now.”
Trump further claimed “people that are China-oriented,” with business interests in the communist country, were responsible for the lawsuit attempting to strike down his tariff policy.
Later in his remarks, he lamented again about the delay.
Quote:TUCSON, Ariz. — The hunt for Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother, Nancy, has been doomed by Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos’ ego and his vendetta against the FBI, according to a rising chorus of critics.
The high-profile case has seen missteps like leaving Nancy Guthrie’s house unguarded in the hours after the crime, baffling press interviews and a protracted investigation that so far has yielded no clear suspects or strong leads after more than two weeks.
The FBI is desperate to take over the investigation, but cannot unless the Guthrie family specifically asks, multiple law enforcement sources told The Post.
“It is a common belief in this agency that this case has become an ego case for Sheriff Nanos,” said Sgt. Aaron Cross, president of the Pima County Deputies Organization.
Doomed from the start
From the moment the “Today” show co-host’s mom was reported missing from her million-dollar Tucson home, Nanos — the top cop in Arizona’s second-most populous county — took center stage hosting press briefings with a charming, down-to-earth demeanor.
Nanos has been the primary source of information in the case, granting multiple interviews to news outlets across the country, and continuing to hold court with rambling press briefings in the aftermath of Nancy’s Feb. 1 disappearance.
His decision to move away from general briefings to cozy chit-chats with individual journalists has led to conflicting reports, confusion and a general sense that the sheriff is more interested in “damage control” than in clarity, as one law enforcement source put it to The Post.
“The sheriff turned a serious investigation into a rolling spectacle, from questionable decisions to shifting narratives and a disastrous media cleanup tour that raised more questions than it answered,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Leadership in moments like this requires discipline, not damage control,” the source added.
Betsy Brantner Smith from the National Policing Association said Nanos’ failure to provide regular press briefings has added to the confusion.
“This is Public Information Officer 101. I used to teach these classes. As a law enforcement organization, you have to communicate with the media,” she said.
“You can’t just stop talking to them or piecemeal out information.”
Quote:The reward for information about Nancy Guthrie’s assumed abduction has more than doubled to $202,500 after a mystery donor matched the initial $100,000 as the desperate search continues for a 19th day Thursday.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department announced Wednesday that the local attorney’s office tip line, 88-CRIME, received the six-figure donation — dramatically increasing the paltry $2,500 reward that was being offered by local officials, according to a press release obtained by the Independent.
The FBI, which is also assisting in the investigation, last week doubled its own separate reward to $100,000 “for information leading to the location of Nancy Guthrie and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance,” making for a total of $202,500.
The 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie is believed to have been kidnapped from her home in Tucson, Arizona while she slept during the early morning hours of Feb. 1.
The Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday that it had uncovered new “biological evidence” that does not belong to Guthrie during a search of the Catalina Foothills house, and DNA profiles are under lab analysis.
It’s not clear what the evidence is, when exactly it was discovered, or whether it has been shared with the FBI.
Despite thousands of tips from the public and video footage of a masked, armed suspect at her front door the night she disappeared, investigators have yet to identify any suspects three weeks into the frantic search for the missing woman.
Quote:A convicted felon has confirmed being briefly detained with his mother in a SWAT raid over Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance — while denying any connection to the suspected abduction.
Luke Daley, 37, and his 77-year-old mom were whisked away on Feb. 13 when FBI agents and a local SWAT team swarmed their home just two miles from where Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mom is believed to have been kidnapped from her bed in Tucson, Arizona.
Daley was subject to two warrants, one on his mother’s house and another on his Range Rover, according to his attorney, Chris Scileppi, who insisted the pair had “no link” to Guthrie’s disappearance.
“Mr. Daley and his mother were both detained by law enforcement while the search warrants were being executed. Neither Mr. Daley nor his mother were arrested in connection to this case or any other,” Scileppi told 12 News.
“Mr. Daley has no link whatsoever to Nancy Guthrie and has no information related to her kidnapping.
“Like the entire Tucson community, both Mr. Daley and his mother are hopeful that Nancy will be returned to her family unharmed,” the attorney added.
Daley was likely known to law enforcement in the area, having served 18 months in prison between 2019 and 2020 after he was convicted of solicitation of drugs, criminal damage and flight from law enforcement convictions, 12 News reported.
He was arrested again in 2022 and later convicted for selling drugs and sentenced to four years of probation.
Daley was also arrested again early last year in Marana, a city northwest of Tucson, for possession of fentanyl and a gun. The state moved to revoke his probation, but a judge allowed him to remain in public, according to the outlet.
Quote:President Trump slammed the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance Thursday, but told reporters it’s time to pay attention to“other subjects” after weeks of national fixation on the apparent kidnapping.
Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing since Feb. 1, when a masked man was filmed at her Tucson-area home’s front door.
Trump said he was perplexed by the fact that authorities told the media they were flying a Pima County Sheriff’s Department helicopter equipped with an FBI Bluetooth “sniffer” to detect Guthrie’s pacemaker.
“I didn’t like when they talked about going after the pacemaker before they even started going after it,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Georgia.
“If in fact they could do it that way, the person would say, ‘Well, I’m not going to let that happen’… I can’t imagine why they would have done that, just in terms of strategy.”
Trump added: “We have to start reporting on other subjects also and see what happens. It’s a very sad situation.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has faced significant criticism as the trail goes cold, including for using a private lab in Florida to test a glove found near Guthrie’s home, rather than to a potentially faster FBI lab. The glove contained an unknown individual’s DNA.
“It is a common belief in this agency that this case has become an ego case for Sheriff Nanos,” said Sgt. Aaron Cross, president of the Pima County Deputies Organization, a labor union that represents employees of the sheriff’s office.
The FBI has assisted in the case but has not commandeered the investigation, which would require their assertion that a federal offense may have been committed.
It’s unclear whether local or federal law enforcement leaked the use of the Bluetooth “sniffer,” which was first reported Saturday by Fox News. An FBI official subsequently told NewsNation that “sophisticated FBI technology” was being used.
Trump told The Post Monday that he wants Guthrie’s captors to face the death penalty if she is not returned alive.
Quote:Steven Spielberg, phone home!
The legendary “E.T.” director and California resident has moved to Manhattan amid a billionaire exodus from the Golden State — as voters eye a controversial wealth tax.
But the move, first reported by the LA Times, allegedly had nothing to do with the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act.
“Steven’s move to the East Coast is both long-planned and driven purely by his and Kate Capshaw’s desire to be closer to their New York-based children and grandchildren,” spokeswoman Terry Press said.
Press did not answer queries about Spielberg’s stance on the proposed tax, which would slap a one-time 5% tax on individual fortunes exceeding $1 billion.
The tax, if approved by voters in November, would apply retroactively to the beginning of this year.
Proponents argue it will raise tens of billions of dollars to go toward the state’s health care shortfalls, while opponents — including Gavin Newsom — argue it’ll force skinflint billionaires to leave the state.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin wants to kill the tax. He’s funding an effort to build more opponents by appealing to California’s voting masses, who so far overwhelmingly back the tax.
Brin’s group, Building a Better California, has raised $35 million in its effort to protect billionaires from the tax man.
At the same time, he, other billionaires and tech titans are preemptively moving out of California — and also spending top dollar in real estate to protect their bottom lines.
Brin is shopping for a Miami home, as is his fellow Google co-founder Larry Page.
UKRAINE WAR
Quote:Russia changed up its roster of representatives for the latest round of trilateral talks with Ukraine and the US in Geneva Tuesday — as fresh airstrikes by Moscow underscored the steep challenges facing negotiators.
While all parties deemed the first two rounds of discussion “constructive” — in large part because of the focus on military over political issues — Russia drafted in top Vladimir Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky as lead negotiator this time around, a move one US official complained was “not a step toward a solution.”
By contrast, both the American and Ukrainian delegations remained the same.
Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich of US European Command, and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll represented the Trump administration, while former Kyiv defense minister and current secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov led the Ukrainians.
Umerov struck a cautious tone going into the negotiations, saying Kyiv was “working constructively, focused and without excessive expectations” to resolve disputes over territory, security guarantees and implementation mechanisms, and adding that discussions would include “humantiarian issues.”
“We have the frameworks approved by the President of Ukraine and a clear mandate,” he wrote in a post to X. “Our task is to maximally advance those solutions that can bring sustainable peace closer.”
The talks come days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s 2022 invasion and amid a push for a rapid settlement to overcome deeply entrenched positions — particularly Moscow’s demand that Ukraine surrender remaining territory in the eastern Donetsk region, which Kyiv has rejected.
Over the past two months, Russia has lost more troops than it has been able to replace, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio estimating Moscow’s losses at roughly 35,000 in December and 30,000 in January — more than the US lost during the entire Vietnam War.
Ukrainian losses estimated to be far fewer — with units across the battlefield reporting casualty ratios ranging from five to 20 Russians per Ukrainian.
Still, Moscow has shown no signs of giving up its fight — launching 29 missiles and 400 drones at targets across Ukraine just hours before negotiations began, damaging energy infrastructure and leaving tens of thousands without power and heat, officials said.
Quote:The latest round of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia ended after only two hours without any sign of a breakthrough as President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of “dragging out” the US-led negotiations.
Zelensky described the ongoing talks at Geneva as “difficult,” with the Ukrainian president alleging that the negotiations concluded quickly on Tuesday because Moscow was eager to keep the fighting going as the war approached its fourth anniversary.
“We can state that Russia is trying to drag out negotiations that could already have reached the final stage,” he wrote on X.
Despite mounting pressure from President Trump to secure a deal, the talks ended without any resolution or set schedule for future negotiations.
“As of today, we cannot say that the outcome of the meetings in Geneva is sufficient,” Zelensky said, suggesting that future talks could take later this month.
The talks have remained stuck on Moscow’s demands for Ukraine to cede all control of the Donetsk fortress belt region, which has successfully fended off Russia’s invasion force for years.
Zelensky has said the Ukrainian people, who would have to vote on any major land concessions, would not allow him to give up such critical territory to Russia.
Both sides have also failed to agree upon the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, which is currently controlled by Russia.
Moscow has demanded full control of the plant, rejecting a Ukrainian proposition for Washington and Kyiv to take over operations.
Trump has said that it’s up to Ukraine to secure a deal quickly, drawing criticism from Zelensky who claimed it was “not fair” for the US to demand Kyiv to make absolute concessions while demanding little of Russia, which started the war.
“Emotionally, people will never forgive this. Never. They will not forgive … me, they will not forgive [the US],” Zelensky said if he were forced to give up Donetsk.
Quote:Volodymyr Zelensky declared Wednesday that he has “trust” in President Trump and his ability to negotiate an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine, but at the same time doesn’t under the commander-in-chief’s “painful” relationship with Vladimir Putin.
“I trust him [Trump] … he really wants to end this war, and I trust that he really can end this war,” the Ukrainian president said during an interview with “Piers Morgan Uncensored” posted on YouTube.
“But I don’t know, to speak about his relationship with Putin,” Zelensky added.
The Ukrainian leader explained that he couldn’t “really estimate or understand” Trump’s relationship with the Russian strongman but that it’s not a “question of trust or not.”
“[T]hey have some relations, I’m sure and that’s why for me, sometimes it’s very, very painful that his attitude to Putin is sometimes, to put it, more good than Putin deserves,” Zelensky said.
Trump has engaged directly with Putin throughout his second term in an effort to end the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II.
The pair have held several phone calls and met in Alaska last October for talks that failed to materialize in a peace deal.
Their engagement resulted in a one-week cease-fire earlier this year that Putin appeared to violate just days into the truce — with a barbaric attack against a Ukrainian energy plant amid bitter cold in the region.
However, Trump argued that Putin “kept his word” and did not violate the terms of the deal.
“People are tired, yes, people want to finish with this tragedy… to end this war, as quickly as possible of course, but in the right way not to loose dignity in any way,” Zelensky said of the mood in Ukraine as the four-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion approaches.
Zelensky noted that the next round of trilateral negotiations will take place in Switzerland, the site of the previous round, which is important to him.
“If the war is in Europe … Europeans, they have to feel that this is aggression against us and Europe … this why peace negotiations have to be in Europe,” he said.
The sides are “closer” on what the terms would be for monitoring a potential cease-fire, but have differing views on whether Ukrainian territory in the eastern parts of the country should be divided up.
MIDDLE EAST
Quote:Iran carried out joint military drills with Russia on Thursday in an apparent show of force as the U.S. continues to flood the Middle East with advanced jets and warships, leaving the door open to direct attacks on Iran.
As part of the drills, Russian and Iranian sailors rehearsed rescue operations from a hijacked vessel in the waters off southern Iran and the Indian Ocean, state-linked media reported. Among the forces deployed by Iran were "missile-launching warships," at least one Iranian destroyer, helicopters and special operations teams.
Tehran and Moscow—along with Beijing—have carried out joint exercises off Iran's southern coast for several years, but this week's drills are also seen as a response to U.S. military pressure in the region, along with defiant statements from Iran.
Iran carried out separate exercises earlier this week, briefly closing the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. The waterway separating Iran and Oman is vital for global oil supplies.
The U.S. has said it wants to clinch a diplomatic agreement with Iran over the country's nuclear program but has repeatedly alluded to possible military action against Tehran after talks in Geneva this week failed to produce a deal.
But negotiators made some progress, U.S. and Iranian officials indicated, although President Donald Trump's administration said wide gulfs remain between the two delegations. Iran is expected to come back to U.S. teams with revised points in the coming weeks.
Trump has not yet made a decision on whether to use military force against Iran, several U.S. outlets reported on Thursday, but senior administration figures have pointed to the president's track record of using the armed forces when diplomatic efforts stall.
Although deploying more assets to the region isn't necessarily an omen of an attack, a vast military build-up in the Caribbean preceded the U.S. capture of then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January. It is easier to carry out sustained operations against a target when deployed closer to the area.
The U.S. also previously struck three Iranian nuclear sites during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel last summer.
The U.S. has deployed two of the world's largest aircraft carriers, as well as missile-carrying warships and dozens of sophisticated fighter jets, to the region, according to open-source intelligence, flight tracking data and analysts. The White House is thought to have amassed enough firepower in the Middle East to carry out a military operation as early as this weekend.
Satellite imagery suggests Iran has placed a concrete shield over part of a facility linked to its nuclear program near Tehran amid work on several nuclear sites, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, referencing U.S. forces deployed close to Iran, said even the world's "strongest military" could "be struck so hard that it cannot even get back on its feet."
Quote:LONDON, Feb 19 (Reuters) – British foreign minister Yvette Cooper on Thursday condemned as “totally unjustifiable” the 10-year sentence given to a British couple in Iran for spying, saying the government would continue to press for their release.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman had been charged with espionage after Iran accused them of gathering information in several parts of the country.
“We will pursue this case relentlessly with the Iranian government until we see Craig and Lindsay Foreman safely returned to the UK and reunited with their family,” Cooper said in a statement.
The Foremans were arrested on January 3 of last year while traveling through Iran on a global motorcycle journey. Iranian state media announced their detention the following month over espionage charges and they have now been held for more than 13 months.
TRIAL WITHOUT DEFENSE
Joe Bennett, Lindsay’s son, said in a separate statement the couple had appeared at a three-hour trial on October 27, in which they were not allowed to present a defense.
“We have seen no evidence to support the charge of espionage,” he said, adding that the family was deeply concerned about the couple’s welfare and the lack of transparency in the judicial process.
Bennett called on the British government to “act decisively and use every available avenue” to secure their release.
The Iranian embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the sentencing.
According to a family statement, the couple have been held for extended periods without being able to communicate. They have had limited or delayed access to legal representation, periods of solitary confinement and delays in receiving funds for basic necessities. They also reported disrupted or cancelled consular visits.
Cooper, whose office did not comment on the disruption, said they would continue to provide consular assistance.
Quote:The head of the United Nations atomic watchdog agency said the US must secure a nuclear deal with Iran as soon as possible, warning that the Islamic Republic’s enriched materials are still intact and in need of monitoring.
Despite America and Israel’s joint airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities last year, Tehran still has access to highly enriched uranium, warned Rafael Grossi, the director general of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
US intelligence has repeatedly cautioned that if Iran’s uranium, currently enriched at 60%, reaches the 90% weapons-grade threshold, it would only take a few weeks to use the materials to complete an atomic weapon.
Grossi, who attended the talks between Washington and Tehran in Geneva this week, urged America to close the deal and rein in Iran’s nuclear program before war can break out.
“The problem is, we don’t have much time,” he told the French outlet TF1.
“Most of the material that Iran had accumulated up until June of last year, despite the bombings and the attacks, is still there, in large quantities, where it was at the time of the strikes,” Grossi said.
“Some of it may be less accessible, but the material is still there. From a non-proliferation standpoint, the material remains,” he added.
“That is why there is so much interest — I would say urgency — in reaching an agreement that would prevent new military action in the region.”
The IAEA chief said that war cannot be allowed to break out, warning that the conflict would throw the Middle East into chaos and make it that much more difficult to monitor Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump has said he would never allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons, and has threatened a looming attack on Iran that could come within the next week if the Islamic Republic fails to make a deal.
“If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. But bad things will happen if it doesn’t,” Trump said Thursday. “Maybe we’re going to make a deal. You are going to be finding out over the next, probably, 10 days.”
The president’s threats come as the US continues to build up its military forces in the Middle East, with a second aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, en route to the region.
LITTLE ROCKET MAN
Quote:SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Thursday leader Kim Jong Un held a ceremony to unveil the deployment of 50 new launch vehicles for nuclear-capable short-range missiles threatening rival South Korea as he flaunted his expanding military capabilities ahead of a major ruling party congress.
In a separate statement, Kim’s sister, who is a key foreign policy official, acknowledged a South Korean minister’s apology regarding alleged civilian drone incursions, but said the North is bolstering border security against the “enemy” South.
North Korea has suspended nearly all talks and cooperation with the South since 2019, when Kim’s nuclear diplomacy with U.S. President Trump derailed over U.S.-led sanctions.
Relations worsened in recent years as Kim discarded the North’s long-standing goal of peaceful reunification and declared a hostile “two-state” system on the Korean Peninsula, a stance he may further institutionalize in the Workers’ Party’s constitution during the upcoming congress.
State media photos showed rows of launcher trucks lined up near the April 25th House of Culture, the venue of party congresses in 2016 and 2021.
The Korean Central News Agency said the vehicles support the country’s 600-millimeter multiplier rocket launcher systems.
Experts say North Korea’s large artillery rockets blur the distinction between artillery systems and short-range ballistic missiles because they can create their own thrust and are guided during delivery.
They are part of Kim’s growing collection of nuclear-capable short-range weapons that are designed to overwhelm missile defenses in South Korea.
Kim, in a speech, said the “wonderful” rocket launchers are equipped with artificial intelligence and advanced guiding technologies tailored to carry out a “strategic mission,” a term that implies nuclear purpose.
He said the upcoming congress will issue new plans to expand the capabilities of his nuclear-armed military, which already has various systems targeting U.S. allies in Asia and long-range missiles potentially capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.
In her statement, Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, said she “highly assesses” an apology made by South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young over the alleged drone flights but reiterated that the North would respond with force if such flights recur.
She said the country’s military would strengthen surveillance across the border with the South.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
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My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
