President Donald Trump said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to reach an agreement to end the war in Ukraine, even as Moscow warned Wednesday that Western troops deployed to enforce any eventual peace deal would become Russian military targets.

«I say, ‘Vladimir, it’s time for you to stop. It’s time for this war to end,’» Trump told Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst in an interview released Tuesday. 

Trump said he believed Putin was «ready to make a deal» to end the fighting.

ANOTHER NATO ALLY SIGNS ONTO EUROPEAN NUCLEAR UMBRELLA AS CONTINENT BOOSTS SELF-DEFENSE

Meanwhile, fighting continued across Ukraine and Russian-occupied territory. 

The intensifying drone war has forced both militaries to search for additional ways to intercept unmanned aircraft, sometimes using weapons designed decades before modern drones emerged.

A video supplied by East2West shows a Russian soldier apparently losing control of a Soviet-era YakB-12.7 rotary machine gun mounted on an improvised ground platform.

The weapon begins spinning violently, dragging the service member around before throwing him several yards from the mounting. Another soldier ducks as the gun swings in his direction. 

East2West reported that no one was injured, though Fox News Digital has not independently verified the location, date or circumstances of the footage.

The four-barrel machine gun was originally developed for use aboard the Soviet-designed Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter. Russian forces have reportedly attempted to repurpose such weapons as ground-based defenses against Ukrainian drones, East2West news reported.

TRUMP SAYS US WILL LET UKRAINE MAKE PATRIOT MISSILES IN MAJOR POLICY SHIFT

An explosion lights up the sky over the city during a Russian missile and drone strike amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine in Kyiv July 2, 2026. (Gleb Garanich/Reuters)

On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said any multinational force deployed by Ukraine’s allies after a ceasefire would be unacceptable to Moscow.

«We would regard such units as legitimate military targets,» Zakharova said, according to a Reuters report published Wednesday.

Members of the Western «coalition of the willing» reaffirmed at a meeting in Paris this week that they intend to deploy a multinational force after hostilities end. The proposed force would seek to reassure Ukraine and help Kyiv rebuild its military.

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Ukraine’s military said Wednesday that its forces struck the Balaklava thermal power station in Russian-occupied Crimea, a facility that accounts for nearly half of the peninsula’s electricity generation, according to Reuters. 

Russia, meanwhile, launched another major drone and missile attack against Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, killing three people, regional Governor Oleh Kiper said. He said civilian, industrial and port infrastructure had been targeted during five consecutive days of Russian attacks.

Emergency services personnel work to extinguish a vehicle fire after a Russian drone attack in the Kyiv region, Ukraine, May 5, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service/AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said Wednesday that Ukraine expects to develop the technical capability to manufacture missiles for U.S.-made Patriot air-defense systems by the end of 2026.

Reuters contributed to this story.

Un flujo constante de peatones y vehículos cruzaba este miércoles la frontera entre España y el pequeño enclave británico de Gibraltar, tras la entrada en vigor a medianoche del acuerdo que permite la libre circulación a través de la línea fronteriza.

Era el último muro fronterizo en Europa occidental.

Poco antes de medianoche, el ministro principal de Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, y tres de sus predecesores retiraron la última parte de la verja, un gesto simbólico que marcó el fin de los controles fronterizos.

El acuerdo entre el Reino Unido y la Unión Europea se firmó finalmente el martes en Bruselas, tras años de complejas negociaciones después de la salida del Reino Unido del bloque.

El pacto alinea a Gibraltar con las reglas del espacio Schengen de libre circulación de la Unión Europea.

El Reino Unido abandonó la UE sin que se resolviera el vínculo entre el bloque y Gibraltar, una base militar británica estratégica por su ubicación en la entrada del mar Mediterráneo.

Libre flujo de tránsito

Enseguida, las personas que se habían congregado para presenciar el acontecimiento -muchas con sus teléfonos celulares en la mano para captar este momento histórico-, pudieron cruzar libremente entre la localidad española de La Línea de la Concepción y Gibraltar, en ambas direcciones.

La circulación volvió a intensificarse en la hora punta de la mañana del miércoles, cuando los trabajadores suelen ir desde La Línea hacia Gibraltar.

“Me levanté esta mañana y ya no tenía que llevar el DNI”, dijo a María Jesús Walda, una ingeniera civil de 34 años que se dirigía a Gibraltar.

“Ese es el cambio, en principio. Ahora vamos a ver la evolución”, agregó.

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Con apenas unos 40.000 habitantes, este pequeño territorio británico situado en el extremo sur de la península ibérica depende de los 15.500 trabajadores transfronterizos que llegan cada día desde España, y que representan casi la mitad de su mano de obra.

En el pasado solían formarse largas colas en la frontera terrestre mientras se comprobaban los documentos, especialmente en los periodos de tensión en las relaciones entre Reino Unido y España por la soberanía de Gibraltar, también conocido como el Peñón.

El dictador español Francisco Franco (1939-1975) cerró esta frontera en 1969, después de que Gibraltar decidiera en referéndum, por gran mayoría, continuar bajo dominio británico.

El cierre, que duró 13 años, interrumpió el tráfico diario de trabajadores desde España hacia Gibraltar y separó a familias.

“Cambio drástico”

“Durante décadas la verja (fronteriza) ha sido exactamente eso, una herida abierta para los miles de trabajadores que cruzaban cada día”, afirmó este miércoles el presidente del gobierno español, Pedro Sánchez, en La Línea de la Concepción, poco después de que una grúa retirara las puertas metálicas que durante mucho tiempo separaron ambos territorios.

“Va a ser un cambio drástico, yo creo que para bien. Porque ya no vamos a tener que depender de que si hay cola, si no hay cola para entrar, para salir”, consideró Paul Cutthroat, un agente de aduanas gibraltareño de 60 años.

A pesar de que la mayoría de trabajadores transfronterizos son españoles, gente de diferentes nacionalidades realiza diariamente estos trayectos, entre ellos unos 1600 británicos que viven en el lado español atraídos por el menor costo de las viviendas.

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El enclave contará a partir de ahora con más cámaras de seguridad, tecnología de reconocimiento facial y cámaras de análisis automático de matrículas, prometió Picardo.

“Hoy la verja ya no tiene puertas. Es una verja digital y será más segura que nunca”, consideró el ministro principal en la televisión gibraltareña GBC.

En el referéndum sobre el Brexit de 2016, Gibraltar votó en un 96% a favor de seguir en la Unión Europea. A finales de 2020, Madrid y Londres alcanzaron “in extremis” un acuerdo provisional que permitió mantener la libre circulación, pero la firma de un pacto definitivo tardó en materializarse.

España cedió Gibraltar a la corona británica en 1713 como parte del Tratado de Utrecht, pero nunca dejó de reclamar su soberanía sobre el Peñón, lo que generó tensiones recurrentes entre Madrid y Londres.

(Con información de AFP)

Former Vice President Kamala Harris blasted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tuesday after agents fatally shot a Colombian national during a Maine operation, sparking criticism from opponents who contrasted her response with her silence on high-profile murders committed by illegal immigrants.

Harris called for «an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation» into the death of 26-year-old Joan Sebastian Guerrero.

Guerrero was shot Monday after attempting to flee ICE officers in a vehicle during an operation targeting an illegal immigrant with a final order of removal, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

«Joan Sebastian Guerrero should still be alive,» Harris wrote Tuesday on X. «This is the second time in a week that ICE agents have killed someone who — by their own admission — was not the subject of their operation. Now Sebastian is dead, his killing witnessed by his three-year-old daughter wearing her Bluey pajamas.»

MAINE ICE SHOOTING VICTIM WAS NOT TARGET OF ARREST WARRANT, SEN. KING’S OFFICE SAYS AFTER EARLIER DHS ACCOUNT

«This cannot be acceptable in America,» Harris continued. «Anyone responsible for wrongdoing must be held accountable.»

Harris’ comments quickly sparked criticism online, with many users pointing to her role overseeing the Biden administration’s efforts to address the root causes of migration from Central America, a position Republicans frequently referred to as the administration’s «border czar.» 

During the Biden administration, federal officials estimated that roughly 2 million known «gotaways» entered the U.S. after crossing the border illegally and avoiding capture.

ICE officers were conducting surveillance Monday morning at the last known address of an illegal immigrant with a final order of removal in Biddeford, Maine, when Guerrero allegedly fled in a vehicle after officers attempted to make contact, according to Homeland Security. 

«The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon,» the department said in a statement. «The driver of the vehicle was struck, and emergency services were immediately contacted. He passed away from his injuries.»

An eyewitness told Maine’s Portland Press Herald that Guerrero appeared to drive toward federal agents before shots were fired.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said that Guerrero was not the intended target of the operation.

However, the department said in a statement to Fox News Digital that Guerrero had illegally crossed the border under the Biden administration in September 2023. It is unknown if he was awaiting asylum, but he was granted a work permit in May 2025.

«To be clear, work authorization does not confer legal status in the United States,» the spokesperson said in a statement.

ICE AGENTS INSTRUCTED TO END MOST VEHICLE STOPS IN MAJOR POLICY SHIFT

The victim of a fatal shooting that involved U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents is visible at the scene near the car he was driving when agents shot through the windshield, in Biddeford, Maine, July 13, 2026. (Gregory Rec / Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)

Many commentators also argued Harris and other leading Democrats have been far less vocal in publicly mourning Americans killed by illegal immigrants than in condemning ICE enforcement actions. 

Some critics cited the 2024 death of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, who was killed by Venezuelan illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra after he illegally entered the U.S. Others referenced Maryland mother Rachel Morin, who was raped and murdered by Salvadoran illegal immigrant Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez.

«I will start giving a f–k about the illegals killed by ICE when Democrats start giving a f–k about Americans killed by illegals,» one X user wrote.

Unlike in the killing of Guerrero, Harris did not make a social media post paying tribute to Riley or Morin’s death. Harris did not publicly acknowledge the death of those young women at the hands of illegal immigrants until pressed by Fox News host Bret Baier in an Oct. 24, 2024, interview.

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«First of all, those are tragic cases,» Harris said after Baier asked whether the Biden administration bore any responsibility for the deaths. «There’s no question about that. I can’t imagine the pain that the families of those victims have experienced for a loss that should not have occurred.»

The deaths of Riley and Morin became a flashpoint issue for Republicans during the 2024 presidential campaign and throughout the Trump administration’s push to tighten immigration enforcement.

Social media users also pointed to angel families, who are relatives of Americans killed by illegal immigrants who have become prominent advocates for stronger border security and immigration enforcement. The families frequently have appeared alongside President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers at campaign events, the White House and on Capitol Hill to highlight crimes committed by people in the country illegally.

People demonstrate against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Biddeford, Maine, July 13, 2026, following a fatal shooting involving agency personnel. (Jessica Rinaldi / The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Harris’ statement follows another July post she made after a separate fatal ICE shooting in Houston involving Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, whom the Department of Homeland Security also said attempted to ram federal officers with his vehicle during a traffic stop.

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«Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s family called him ‘El mundo entero’ — the whole world,» Harris wrote Thursday. «Doug and my prayers are with Lorenzo’s wife, his three sons, and all those who loved and knew him. I join his son Ronaldo in calling for an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation.»

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Harris for comment.