INTERNACIONAL
Ukraine’s ex-foreign minister backs Trump on defense spending, warns diplomacy with Putin is nearly exhausted
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
EXCLUSIVE – NATO members committed Wednesday to increase defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product by 2035, heeding President Donald Trump’s calls for the transatlantic military alliance to take more steps to bolster its security.
Ukraine’s former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Fox News Digital the move is a big, immediate win for Trump and would be a significant win for Europe’s future if it takes the increase in defense spending seriously and begins to deliver on the commitment.
«This is a serious lesson that Europe will have to learn. Not only investing, but also spending. Spending in a way that will allow them to show to the public that they’re making a good investment in their security and their economies and to send a message to their enemy: do not dare to attack us because we are ready, we are prepared to strike back,» he said.
NATO SECRETARY GENERAL SAYS EUROPEAN COUNTRIES HAVE TO DO ‘MUCH, MUCH MORE’ TO INCREASE DEFENSE SPENDING
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba takes part in a press conference on the Fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen on June 18, 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News Digital, Kuleba bluntly assessed the state of Russia-Ukraine peace talks, arguing the current diplomatic process is «dead.»
Russian President Vladimir Putin has escalated attacks on Ukraine in recent months, targeting Kyiv with large-scale missile and drone attacks.
The Russian strongman has refused to agree to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire proposed by the United States and its European allies earlier this year.
At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in mid-June, Putin said he considers the Russian and Ukrainian peoples to be one. «In this sense, all of Ukraine is ours,» he told attendees to applause.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during the plenary session of the 28th Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum SPIEF 2025 onJune 20, 2025 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Getty Images)
Trump has held off on imposing additional sanctions on Moscow, preferring to wait and see if his diplomatic efforts will bear fruit.
«Putin does not feel any pressure. And therefore, he does not really get why he should change his behavior,» said Kuleba. «I’m afraid diplomacy has zero chance to succeed at this stage under these circumstances, which means that there will be more killings and more destruction.»
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Putin’s goals remain clear: «He wants all of Ukraine.»
Zelenskyy attended the G7 summit in Canada last week, meeting with world leaders and securing nearly $2 billion in aid from Prime Minister Mark Carney. His meeting with Trump was canceled after the U.S. president left Kananaskis early, citing escalating tensions in the Middle East due to the Israel-Iran conflict.
(L/R) European Council President Antonio Costa, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, US President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Union President Ursula von der Leyen at the G7 summit in Canada (Government of Canada / Pool /Anadolu via Getty Images)
The two met on the sidelines of the NATO summit on Wednesday and discussed the purchase of American air defense systems.
Kuleba told Fox News Digital that Trump is well-positioned to end Russia’s war. «His disruptive approach, his readiness to make rapid and strong action — these are the things that are needed to bring two sides to first, [the] negotiating table, and then to an agreement.»
The Ukrainian diplomat explained that the U.S. needs to reshuffle three things to revitalize the negotiating process: sticks, carrots and the pressure of time.
Kuleba said Trump created the pressure of time by stating he could end the war in 24 hours and calling on both sides to sit down and negotiate.
U.S. President Donald Trump held a press conference after the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in The Hague, Netherlands on Jun. 25, 2025. (Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images)
«What happened next is that all sticks went to Ukraine and all carrots went to Russia. It has never worked like this centuries ago in the history of diplomacy. It doesn’t work like this, and it’s not going to work like this, OK, because the right way to do it is to create a pressure of time to avoid endless deliberations and to find the right balance of sticks and carrots for each side,» he told Fox News Digital.
RUSSIA BOMBARDS UKRAINE WITH DRONES HOURS AFTER TRUMP ANNOUNCES TALKS WITH PUTIN
Trump and Putin recently spoke by phone on June 14 after Israel struck Iran’s nuclear facilities. The Russian leader said he was ready to continue negotiations with the Ukrainians after June 22, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Peace talks in Istanbul have failed to produce much other than prisoner of war exchanges as Putin doubles down on his maximalist demands.
Kuleba said the best thing for Europe to do as negotiations stall is to continue producing and buying weapons, not only for Ukraine, but also for itself.
People watch the clearing of rubble in a destroyed five-story residential building on Jun. 24, 2025, in Kyiv, Ukraine. Rescuers have finished clearing the rubble at the site of a Russian missile strike on a five-story residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kyiv. (Andrew Kravchenko/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
«For decades, Europe was relying on the United States and was going back and forth with Washington, checking every decision they were going to make, but it’s just not sustainable anymore,» he explained. «They have to learn how to take care of themselves, sorry to say it. The sooner they do it, the better for them, us and everyone else.»
«You cannot build your life knowing that America is paying for my security, Russian gas is paying for my cheap energy prices and [the] socialism that I’m building. And Chinese minerals [are] allowing me to — are paying for my industrial growths. It’s not sustainable. You cannot depend on one player in the most critical fundamentals for your life,» he added.
The European Union proposed an 18th sanctions package against Russia in June, targeting its energy and banking sectors.
EU Commission vice-president, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas (L) and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (R) talk to the media. (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)
«We want peace for Ukraine. Despite weeks of diplomatic attempts, despite President Zelenskyy’s offer of an unconditional ceasefire, Russia continues to bring death and destruction to Ukraine,» said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas in a joint statement.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
«Russia’s goal is not peace, it is to impose the rule of might. Therefore, we are ramping up pressure on Russia. Because strength is the only language that Russia will understand.»
INTERNACIONAL
Nancy Pelosi says sex changes for trans kids is something she’s working for ‘at the national level’
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that sex changes for transgender children is something she’s working for «at the national level.»
Earlier in the day, Pelosi toured the San Francisco VA Medical Center to review health-system upgrades, research initiatives and—according to a press release from her staff—the threat that House Republicans might slash core veterans’ services.
While speaking with reporters, she was asked how her office was responding to pauses to «gender-affirming care» in California.
«That is something I’m working for at the national level, and we are hoping we can have gender-affirming care for our trans kids,» Pelosi said. «It’s a sad thing for us… I don’t know what effect we can have nationally with what we have going on in the White House and in Congress.»
DEMOCRATIC STATES SUE TRUMP ADMIN OVER ENDING SEX CHANGE SURGERIES FOR MINORS
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi told a reporter on Aug. 7, 2025, that she was working at the national level to get sex changes for transgender children. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
She called the situation «really sad, adding that a transgender-pride flag—five horizontal stripes of light blue, pink and white—hangs outside her office. Pelosi also said several colleagues display the same flag.
She acknowledged that many Republicans on Capitol Hill oppose medical transition for transgender youth.
Still, she is not alone in her stance on sex changes for kids.
CHILDREN’S NATIONAL HOSPITAL IN DC TO END GENDER TRANSITION MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS
FILE – Protesters for and against sex changes for transgender minors demonstrate outside the Supreme Court on Dec. 4, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
Earlier this month, over a dozen officials from Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from blocking access to sex change procedures and treatments for people under the age of 19.
The complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, argues that the Trump administration wants to impose a nationwide ban on sex change procedures by threatening providers with «baseless criminal charges» and investigations.
The lawsuit names President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department as defendants. It challenges Trump’s Jan. 28 executive order barring government support for sex change operations and treatments and two memos by Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate.
Pelosi’s office told Fox News Digital the Democrat was referring to this lawsuit when she spoke about supporting sex changes for children.
TRUMP’S JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TARGETS DOCTORS, CLINICS WHO PROVIDE SEX CHANGE PROCEDURES TO MINORS
A protester waves a transgender pride flag outside of the U.S. Supreme Court Building on June 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Bondi’s memo directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate and prosecute those who offer sex-change treatments to minors. Shumate’s memo directs prosecutors to prioritize investigations against doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies that perform such procedures.
In July, Kaiser Permanente announced that it would pause sex change surgeries for patients under 19 beginning Aug. 29 in response to the Trump administration’s efforts on the matter. The same month, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles shuttered its Center for Trans Youth Health and Development, one of the nation’s largest clinics for transgender young people.
The Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., also announced that it will no longer provide gender transition-related medical interventions.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Many states have laws restricting or banning sex change surgeries for children. The states named in the lawsuit – California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin. – allow such procedures.
Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
nancy pelosi,legislation,washington dc,republicans
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Israel’s Security Cabinet early Friday approved a plan to occupy Gaza City, marking an escalation in Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas.
The announcement comes after an all-night meeting of the security cabinet, following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that Israel planned to retake control over the entire territory and eventually hand it off to friendly Arab forces opposed to Hamas.
Israel’s Security Cabinet early Friday approved a plan to occupy Gaza City, marking an escalation in the nearly two-year war between Israel and Hamas. (Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Israel has bombarded Gaza City repeatedly since Oct. 7, 2023 in addition to carrying out numerous raids. Today, it is one of the few areas of Gaza that hasn’t been turned into an Israeli buffer zone or placed under evacuation orders.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
israel,middle east,world,conflicts
INTERNACIONAL
Fuertes críticas y abucheos al presidente Arce y su vice en el Congreso en el acto por el Bicentenario en Bolivia
A poco más de una semana para las elecciones nacionales con dos candidatos de derecha como favoritos, los legisladores bolivianos abuchearon al vicepresidente y criticaron a los gritos la política económica del presidente Luis Arce, quien en los actos por el Bicentenario hizo un discurso de autoelogio y sin autocríticas en medio de una crisis nacional que paraliza a Bolivia.
El vicepresidente de Bolivia, David Choquehuanca, desató una nueva polémica en medio del clima electoral rumbo a los comicios del 17 de agosto, tras afirmar en su mensaje por los 200 años de la fundación política del país que en el Altiplano “persiste el caudillismo”, lo que alimenta el autoritarismo de los líderes partidarios y el fanatismo de sus seguidores.
“¡Ya se van, ya se van!”, le gritaron en su réplica a Choquehuanca desde los palcos en medio de su discurso en el que también habló de manipulación electoral.
Las elecciones se presentan muy desfavorables para el oficialismo ya que ninguno de los tres candidatos cercanos a sus filas figuran con posibilidades de pasar a la segunda vuelta. Al contrario, el empresario de derecha Samuel Doria Median lidera todos los sondeos (entre 20 y 22% de votos) seguido de cerca por el ex presidente conservador, Jorge Tuto Quiroga. Los otros postulantes se hallan muy lejos por debajo del 10%.
Durante la sesión de honor de la Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional en la Casa de la Libertad de Sucre, Choquehuanca —que concluirá su mandato el 8 de noviembre junto al presidente s Arce— sostuvo que el Estado Plurinacional representa un sistema nuevo de autogobierno, pero reconoció que aún enfrenta serias limitaciones en un escenario político complejo y polarizado.
“Estamos en un escenario preelectoral donde se fabrican encuestas y se manipulan datos de la realidad, mientras el pueblo queda fracturado sin haber elegido”, denunció. Choquehuanca insistió en que el país necesita unidad, acuerdos y comprensión de los errores. “Para unos, la solución será seguir peleando; otros elegirán la fuga ante promesas incumplidas”, reflexionó, en lo que varios analistas interpretan como una crítica velada a las fracturas internas del Movimiento Al Socialismo (MAS), partido al que pertenece y que está en el poder desde hace 20 años.
El discurso de Choquehuanca se suma a la controversia generada por la intervención del presidente Arce, quien también fue cuestionado por evitar la autocrítica y centrarse solo en la defensa del llamado “proceso de cambio” y sus 20 años de reformas, como la nacionalización de los hidrocarburos o la industrialización con sustitución de importaciones. Sin embargo, para los economistas Gonzalo Chávez y Armando Ortuño, el mandatario desaprovechó una ocasión histórica para hablarle al país con visión de futuro, reconocer la crisis y llamar a la unidad nacional.
“Fue un discurso para la autocomplacencia. Un narcisismo macroeconómico que no abordó lo más grave: filas por pan, gasolina, dólares y empleos. No fue el discurso de los 200 años, fue el de los 20 años del populismo”, opinó Chávez durante un análisis televisivo posterior al mensaje.
Ambos economistas cuestionaron duramente la falta de autocrítica del presidente y su insistencia en atribuir los problemas económicos a factores externos. “El presidente vive en una burbuja ideológica. No reconoce el colapso del sector hidrocarburos, la caída en educación, ni el déficit fiscal crónico. Bolivia dejó de ser una potencia gasífera y ahora importa energía. Esa realidad quedó ausente”, añadió el economista paceño.
Por su parte, Ortuño lamentó la ausencia de un mensaje que inspire unidad y rescate los logros colectivos del país en dos siglos de historia. “Era una oportunidad para mirar al país como un proyecto común, hablar de nuestras potencialidades, no solo de las fracturas. No se trataba de defender un modelo, sino de construir un relato que incluya a todos”, reflexionó.
Ambos coincidieron en que, frente a una economía con serios desequilibrios fiscales, cambiarios y de abastecimiento, el presidente optó por minimizar los problemas. “Dijo que la escasez de combustibles es coyuntural, cuando en realidad refleja problemas estructurales acumulados. El próximo gobierno, sea cual sea, tendrá que enfrentarlos”, advirtió Ortuño.
Finalmente, los dos economistas lamentaron que en un momento simbólico como los 200 años de la independencia, el mensaje presidencial haya priorizado una visión polarizante de la historia construida sobre confrontaciones y no sobre acuerdos.
Bolivia,Luis Arce
Nancy Pelosi says sex changes for trans kids is something she’s working for ‘at the national level’
Israel Security Cabinet approves plan to occupy Gaza City
El mensaje de Mauricio Macri tras la confirmación de una alianza con LLA: “Pro cerró un acuerdo para acompañar el cambio”
Con diferencias, Provincias Unidas se consolida como fuerza de centro y tendrá candidatos en PBA y CABA
Juan Darthés podría pedir la nulidad del juicio y condena en su contra
Qué se le reza a San Cayetano, el patrón del pan y el trabajo
La desgarradora despedida de la familia de Mila Yankelevich luego de su trágica muerte: «Fue una ceremonia íntima»
Malas noticias para Wanda Nara: por qué la bajaron misteriosamente de MasterChef: «No va a salir este año»
Karina Milei impone condiciones y deja afuera a Jorge Macri de la negociación porteña
Javier Milei en Neura con Fantino: firmó un decreto en vivo, usó una marioneta y habló de su reelección y de Villarruel
Axel Kicillof reclamó ante la Corte Suprema $12 billones que le adeuda Nación
Sebastián Pareja justificó el armado de listas de LLA en la Provincia: “El desafío era dar una opción diferencial”
LLA vs. PJ: el cierre de las alianzas perfila una pelea de dos grandes frentes en las elecciones de octubre
>>Política 7 de agosto de 2025 23:07 14 minutos de lectura‘ El cierre del plazo para inscribir las alianzas de...
La insólita historia de los últimos ’10’ del Nápoles
Retirar un dorsal en el mundo del deporte es una cita con la eternidad. Pasarán los años y cuando alguien...
Rakitic, obligado a pedir disculpas tras felicitar a Modric por su fichaje
Ivan Rakitić, centrocampista croata recientemente retirado, no estuvo acertado en su felicitación a Luka Modrić por su fichaje con el...
CHIMENTOS2 días agoMalas noticias para Wanda Nara: por qué la bajaron misteriosamente de MasterChef: «No va a salir este año»
- POLITICA2 días ago
Axel Kicillof reclamó ante la Corte Suprema $12 billones que le adeuda Nación
- POLITICA2 días ago
Sebastián Pareja justificó el armado de listas de LLA en la Provincia: “El desafío era dar una opción diferencial”
