INTERNACIONAL
Is Putin stringing Trump along to sidestep US sanctions while bombing Ukraine?
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Russia isn’t backing off from attacking Ukraine and pummeled it with missiles and drones Thursday — just weeks after President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, in an attempt to advance a peace deal.
The attack could be a signal Putin is utilizing diplomacy to buy himself more time to advance his goals and continue to attack Ukraine, all while avoiding secondary sanctions that the Trump administration has threatened to impose, according to experts.
The time to act is now, according to Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on cyber issues.
«Putin is stringing President Trump along and the added time is helping Russia to continue the bombing campaign against Ukrainian cities,» Bacon said in a Friday statement to Fox News Digital. «The longer Trump refuses to impose secondary sanctions against Russia and send high-end weapons to Ukraine, the more he looks like a simp for Putin. It is beyond time for Trump to have moral clarity and come in strong to help the democracy that is being attacked by the Russian thug.»
RUSSIA LAUNCHES LARGEST ATTACK ON UKRAINE THIS MONTH FOLLOWING TRUMP’S MEETINGS WITH PUTIN, ZELENSKYY
The time to act is now, according to Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on cyber issues. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Bacon, a retired Air Force brigadier general who is not seeking reelection in 2026, said that discussions with Putin have proven futile and have indicated Putin isn’t serious about a deal.
«We’ve seen zero results from the talks as far as Putin being willing to compromise,» Bacon said. «Although I think seeking negotiations was worthwhile initially, it showed Putin does not want peace.»
The White House has maintained that Trump has made more progress in two weeks to resolve the conflict than his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, did in more than three years, and pointed to Trump’s meeting with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy within days of each other.
«President Trump’s national security team continue to engage with Russian and Ukrainian officials toward a bilateral meeting to stop the killing and end the war,» White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a Friday statement to Fox News Digital.
Trump announced July 14 that he would sign off on «severe tariffs» against Russia if Moscow failed to agree to a peace deal within 50 days. He then dramatically reduced the deadline to only 10–12 days — which ended Aug. 8. But rather than lay on additional sanctions against Russia, Trump met with Putin a week later in Alaska and hailed the meeting a great success.
Still, progress stemming from the meeting appears limited. Russia did not agree to a ceasefire, and while Trump initially said a trilateral meeting with both Putin and Zelenskyy was in the works, Russia has shown disinterest in such a meeting.
RUSSIAN DRONE STRIKES KILL 7 IN KHARKIV DURING ZELENSKYY’S WHITE HOUSE MEETING WITH TRUMP
President Donald Trump, right, greets Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, as he arrives at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richards Aug. 15, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with NBC News Aug. 22 that no meeting had been scheduled and Putin would only agree to one if certain terms were approved beforehand. That’s not the case, he said.
«Putin is ready to meet with Zelenskyy when the agenda is ready for a summit, and this agenda is not ready at all,» Lavrov said.
Meanwhile, Russia launched a massive attack employing nearly 600 drones and decoys against Kyiv Thursday, killing more than 20 people. In response, the U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Friday, per the urging of Ukraine and several other European allies.
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Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia during former President Barack Obama’s administration, said in a post on X that Putin has only escalated attacks against Ukraine following the Alaska meeting, and said Putin is «openly mocking» Trump.
«I hope Mr. Trump and his team understand how Putin is spitting in their faces,» McFaul said in a Thursday post on X.
Additionally, Putin is onto the fact he can bypass economic consequences, and won’t seriously negotiate a deal unless he must, according to Steven Pifer, who previously served as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine during former President Bill Clinton’s administration.
«I think that Putin is, in fact, stringing the president along,» Pifer told Fox News Digital. «Putin still believes he can achieve his goals, vis a vis Ukraine, on the battlefield. And we’re not going to see a serious negotiating attempt by the Russians until Putin is convinced he cannot win on the battlefield, and that continuing to try is only going to mean greater and greater cost — first and foremost, a lot more dead Russian soldiers.»
TRUMP AND PUTIN’S RELATIONSHIP TURNS SOUR AS PRESIDENT PUSHES FOR RESOLUTION WITH UKRAINE
President Donald Trump, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, hold a meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Aug. 15, 2025, in Anchorage, Alaska. ( Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
«I just don’t see any really serious steps the administration has taken to inflict any punishment on Putin,» Pifer said. «I think Putin’s figured that out, and until Putin is disabused of that notion, he’s going to keep missing deadlines.»
Historically, Russia’s demands for a peace deal have included barring Ukraine from ever joining NATO, along with concessions on some of the borders that previously were Ukraine’s.
Peter Rough, a senior fellow and director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute think tank, said that because Putin knows the U.S. is eager to end the war, Putin’s peace deal requirements are an attempt to turn up the heat on Ukraine.
Following Trump’s meeting with Putin and ahead of his meeting days later with Zelenskyy, the U.S. president put the onus on Ukraine to end the war – and said that Ukraine could end the war immediately if it agreed to cede Crimea to Russia, and abandon its bid for NATO membership.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump participate in a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Aug. 18, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
«Putin managed to sidestep U.S. sanctions in Alaska and is content slogging away in Ukraine,» Rough told Fox News Digital Monday. «But he also recognizes that the U.S. wants this war to come to an end, so he has put forward a proposal intended to appeal to Washington in the hopes that the U.S. will put pressure on Ukraine to accept its terms. If he can divide the transatlantic alliance along the way, all the better. At the very least, it helps him stave off additional U.S. sanctions.»
John Hardie, Russia program deputy director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that Putin isn’t interested in agreeing to a deal unless his terms are included in it. In the meantime, Putin is utilizing diplomacy to avoid economic consequences, Hardie said.
«I think Putin does want a deal — but only if it’s on his terms,» Hardie told Fox News Digital Monday. «Until that happens, he’s bent on continuing the war, and Russia seeks to use diplomacy to forestall tougher U.S. economic pressure and redirect Trump’s ire from Moscow to Kyiv.»
white house,donald trump,vladimir putin,volodymyr zelenskyy,russia
INTERNACIONAL
Zelensky se reúne en Londres con la Coalición de Voluntarios para reforzar apoyo militar a Ucrania y aumentar la presión sobre Rusia
El presidente de Ucrania, Volodimir Zelensky, participa este viernes en Londres en una reunión de la Coalición de Voluntarios, formada sobre todo por países europeos, para analizar cómo reforzar el apoyo militar y económico a Ucrania y aumentar la presión sobre Rusia para poner fin a la guerra.
El primer ministro británico, Keir Starmer, presidirá la cita presencial y telemática en el Ministerio de Exteriores, a la que también asistirán en persona los primeros ministros de Dinamarca, Mette Frederiksen, y Países Bajos, Dick Schoof, así como el secretario general de la OTAN, Mark Rutte, mientras que otros veinte líderes se unirán a distancia.
Starmer urgirá a los socios a tomar medidas para eliminar el petróleo y el gas rusos del mercado, usar los activos rusos confiscados para financiar la defensa ucraniana y enviar armamento de largo alcance, según un comunicado difundido por Downing Street.
El líder laborista afirmó que “el único que no quiere detener la guerra es Putin” y añadió: “Una y otra vez le ofrecemos la oportunidad de poner fin a su invasión innecesaria, detener las matanzas y retirar las tropas, pero él rechaza repetidamente estas propuestas y cualquier posibilidad de paz”.
La Coalición, creada en marzo pasado por el Reino Unido y Francia para coordinar la ayuda a Ucrania y planear su seguridad tras la guerra, usará esta reunión para «fijar prioridades prácticas de cara al invierno“, ante la intensificación de los ataques rusos contra objetivos civiles e infraestructuras críticas.
El Gobierno británico aprovechará la cita para anunciar la entrega anticipada de 140 misiles ligeros multirrol a Kiev, dentro de un contrato de 1.600 millones de libras (1.800 millones de euros) suscrito en marzo que contempla un total de más de 5.000 unidades. Starmer también dijo que se acelerará un programa de fabricación de misiles de defensa aérea, con el objetivo de suministrar más de 5.000 armas.
La reunión se produce después de que Estados Unidos anunciara el miércoles sanciones contra las petroleras rusas Rosneft y Lukoil, “ante la falta de compromiso de Rusia con un proceso de paz”.
Por su parte, la Unión Europea aprobó el jueves el decimonoveno paquete de sanciones contra Rusia, que avanza a 2027, un año antes de lo previsto, incluyendo el veto al transporte del gas natural licuado (GNL).
Starmer instó a aprovechar “el acto decisivo” del presidente estadounidense, Donald Trump, al sancionar a Moscú, y “aumentar la presión sobre Rusia para que se siente a negociar”. Por su parte, Zelensky ha solicitado durante semanas más armas de largo alcance, esperando capitalizar la creciente presión de Trump sobre Putin, tras un reciente viaje a Washington en el que no logró obtener misiles Tomahawk, pese a sus múltiples pedidos.
El Reino Unido y Francia ya suministran a Ucrania misiles Storm Shadow y Scalp, mientras que Ucrania produce sus propios misiles Flamingo y Neptuno. Kiev también ha mostrado interés en los misiles alemanes Taurus, aunque Berlín ha resistido debido a posibles tensiones con Rusia.
Zelensky también destacó la importancia de financiar la defensa ucraniana a largo plazo. La UE encargó a la Comisión Europea que avance con opciones para financiar Ucrania durante dos años, dejando abierta la posibilidad de un préstamo de 140.000 millones de euros respaldado por activos rusos congelados.
El presidente del Consejo Europeo, Antonio Costa, afirmó que el bloque “se compromete a asegurar que las necesidades financieras de Ucrania estarán cubiertas durante los próximos dos años” y advirtió a Rusia: “Ucrania tendrá los recursos financieros que necesita para defenderse”.
La cita de Londres busca fortalecer la cooperación internacional y coordinar la entrega de armamento, sanciones económicas y apoyo financiero para Ucrania, en un momento en que la guerra entra en su cuarto invierno y Moscú continúa atacando infraestructuras críticas del país con misiles y drones.
(Con información de AFP, EFE y EP)
Europe,Military Conflicts
INTERNACIONAL
Winsome Sears blasts Virginia Dems’ surprise redistricting session as a ‘stunt’ to pull her off the trail
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Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears lambasted Virginia Democrats after they signaled a plan to suddenly call the legislature back in a last-minute special session to address potential redistricting before the election.
Virginia’s state redistricting commission is statutorily charged with crafting new congressional maps after every decennial census, but state Democrats appear poised to try to do an end-round around that process, potentially via the constitutional amendment process.
«In a desperate political stunt, Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly are calling for a special session to drag Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears off the campaign trail,» the Earle-Sears campaign said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
NEW POLL IN KEY SHOWDOWN FOR VIRGINIA GOVERNOR INDICATES SINGLE-DIGIT RACE
As lieutenant governor, Earle-Sears is the presiding officer over the otherwise Democratic-majority state Senate.
«The same politicians who marched in ‘No Kings’ protests are now trying to crown themselves as the rulers of Virginia politics, abusing their offices to rig the calendar because they can’t win on ideas,» the campaign said.
Earle-Sears spokesperson Peyton Vogel said the activity is «what panic looks like» for a party that is out of fresh ideas and is relying on such «stunts,» and suggested Democratic challenger Abigail Spanberger – a former congresswoman – was in some way involved in the plan.
«[S]he’s leading the charge on cheap political stunts to slow down Winsome Earle-Sears’ momentum. It’s pathetic. Voters see through it. They know Winsome Earle-Sears is a Marine, a mom, and a fighter for Virginia every day — while Abigail Spanberger is a career politician using Washington-style dirty tricks to protect her power and her friends,» Vogel said.
EARLE-SEARS COMES OUT SWINGING IN HEATED DEBATE AS SPANBERGER DODGES JAY JONES QUESTIONS
A Suffolk University poll released Thursday showed Earle-Sears trailing Spanberger by about eight percentage points, while her downballot-mates John Reid and Jason Miyares were either tied or just ahead of their Democratic opponents.
Democrats are hoping to expand their two-seat majority in the House of Delegates, targeting several districts in the suburbs and exurbs of Hampton Roads and Washington, D.C., where Republicans sit on a statistical knife’s edge. No state Senate seats are up until 2027. The upper chamber also has a two-seat Democratic majority.
House Speaker Don Scott Jr., D-Portsmouth, and Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Mount Vernon, did not respond to requests for comment. However, Surovell told the New York Times that plans to reconvene the legislature in Richmond next week are intended to counter President Donald Trump’s push to pressure Republican-led states on redistricting.
Those states, like Texas, see their efforts as blunting California Democrats’ likely-successful shoehorning of a mid-decade redistricting plan through Sacramento.
VIRGINIA VOTERS SUE TO BOOT DEMOCRAT OFF BALLOT IN DISTRICT THAT COULD DECIDE STATE HOUSE MAJORITY
«We are coming back to address actions by the Trump administration,» Surovell told the Times.
On the federal level, Democrats hold six of the 11 House seats in Virginia. Some of those held by Republicans are often considered «swing» seats that volley back and forth regularly – like that of Rep. Jennifer Kiggans in Cape Charles and Hampton Roads.
Loudoun County – once reliably Republican – has trended far to the left in the past decade, and there is no longer any Republican congressperson within about 50 miles of Washington.
Rep. Yevgeny «Eugene» Vindman, D-Va., twin brother of Alexander Vindman, holds a once-swing district in Prince William County and the D.C. exurbs that has been another long-term loss for the GOP.
WINSOME EARLE-SEARS REBUKES SPANBERGER PLAN TO UNDO VIRGINIA’S ICE PACT: ‘THIS IS NOT HARD’
The Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
By contrast, Rep. Morgan Griffith’s, R-Va., district in the far southwestern end of Virginia is solidly Republican. The way neighboring Rep. Ben Cline’s district is drawn – hugging Interstate 81 and the Blue Ridge Mountains – also remains so.
But Cline’s district could be one targeted by Democrats’ redraw – as slicing up the slender district and the top of Republican John McGuire’s confines and affixing the pieces to the increasingly blue center of the state could create several new seats designed in Democrats’ favor.
Toying with the shapes of other districts like Vindman’s along I-95 and Republican Rep. Rob Wittman in the Northern Neck could also bear fruit for Democrats.
Democrats were the ones to primarily spearhead the original constitutional amendment in 2020 that birthed the commission they now want to circumvent, as it had been introduced by then-Sen. George Barker of Fairfax. Some Republicans were listed as co-signers for the resolution as well.
SPANBERGER DEFENDS ABORTION AD CRITICIZING SEARS AFTER BERNIE WARNS AGAINST HIGHLIGHTING ISSUE
The amendment was later approved by about two-thirds of Virginia voters, according to reports.
If they go the constitutional amendment route, passage before November’s election would count as one session, so Democrats – betting on holding or increasing their numbers in the legislature – would have to pass it once more in the 2026 session before it made the ballot after passage.
Whether Earle-Sears or Spanberger wins, the governor is constitutionally precluded from intervening in the process.
Working through the regular legislative process would, by contrast, allow a governor to intervene; with the outgoing Youngkin primed to veto their initial attempt.
Pennsylvania Republicans led by 2022 gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano enlisted the same process to circumvent then-Gov. Tom Wolf and end his onerous coronavirus lockdown orders, so the process has seen recent success.
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The Virginia amendment would not likely create a new map, but instead authorize a new process to commence redistricting outside the current system with the decennial commission.
Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger for comment on Earle-Sears’ claim.
virginia governor race,virginia,elections,elections state and local
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