INTERNACIONAL
North Korea slams Rubio’s ‘rogue state’ label as ‘nonsense,’ vows to push back against Trump administration
North Korea is criticizing Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s description of the country as a «rogue state,» calling it «nonsense» while vowing to take «tough counteraction» to any provocations from the Trump administration.
Rubio made the remark last week during an appearance on «The Megyn Kelly Show,» where he was speaking about the goals of U.S. foreign policy.
«It’s not normal for the world to simply have a unipolar power. That was not – that was an anomaly. It was a product of the end of the Cold War, but eventually you were going to reach back to a point where you had a multipolar world, multi-great powers in different parts of the planet. We face that now with China and to some extent Russia, and then you have rogue states like Iran and North Korea you have to deal with,» Rubio said, according to the State Department.
North Korea’s foreign ministry said in response that Rubio «talked nonsense by terming the DPRK a ‘rogue state’ while enumerating the foreign policy of the new U.S. administration.»
TRUMP’S ‘DENUCLEARIZATION’ SUGGESTION WITH RUSSIA AND CHINA: HOW WOULD IT WORK?
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
«The Foreign Ministry of the DPRK deems the U.S. State Secretary’s hostile remarks to thoughtlessly tarnish the image of a sovereign state as a grave political provocation totally contrary to the principle of international law which regards respect for sovereignty and non-interference in other’s internal affairs as its core and strongly denounces and rejects it,» read a statement published by North Korean state media.
«Rubio’s coarse and nonsensical remarks only show directly the incorrect view of the new U.S. administration on the DPRK and will never help promote the U.S. interests as he wishes,» the statement added, taking a swipe at the Trump administration.
NORTH KOREAN SOLDIERS IN RUSSIA RESORT TO SUICIDE AMID CAPTURE OF FIRST POWS BY UKRAINE
President Donald Trump, right, met with Kim Jong Un in Singapore in June 2018 during Trump’s first term as president. (AP/Evan Vucci)
«We will never tolerate any provocation of the U.S., which has been always hostile to the DPRK and will be hostile to it in the future, too, but will take tough counteraction corresponding to it as usual,» it concluded.
Rubio said during the interview that «now more than ever, we need to remember that foreign policy should always be about furthering the national interest of the United States and doing so, to the extent possible, avoiding war and armed conflict, which we have seen two times in the last century be very costly.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, waves after being welcomed by Panama’s Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha, left, upon his arrival at the presidential palace in Panama City on Sunday, Feb. 2. Panama is Rubio’s first trip abroad as secretary of State. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
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«They’re celebrating the 80th anniversary this year of the end of the Second World War. That – I think if you look at the scale and scope of destruction and loss of life that occurred, it would be far worse if we had a global conflict now. It may end life on the planet,» he also said. «And it sounds like hyperbole, but that’s – you have multiple countries now who have the capability to end life on Earth. And so we need to really work hard to avoid armed conflict as much as possible, but never at the expense of our national interest. So that’s the tricky balance.»
Hamas agreed Friday to release Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli-American, will be released along with the bodies of four other hostages, according to a deal offered by mediators. As of Friday, Alexander has been held captive for 525 days, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.
The bodies that will be released are of dual-national hostages, the Associated Press reported. It’s unclear when the transfer will happen, but it comes as talks are ongoing in Qatar to establish the next phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, the first phase of which ended on March 1.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Friday that he will convene his ministerial team on Saturday to receive a detailed report from negotiators and decide on the next steps for the release of the hostages.
MEET EDAN ALEXANDER, THE LAST LIVING AMERICAN HOSTAGE IN HAMAS CAPTIVITY
Edan Alexander, born in Tel Aviv and raised in New Jersey, is currently being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. (Hostage Family Forum)
Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East, presented to Israel and Hamas a U.S. proposal for extending the ceasefire by several weeks in exchange for more hostage releases from Hamas and the resumption of humanitarian aid into the war-torn Gaza Strip, Axios reported Thursday, citing sources with direct knowledge of the plan.
«While Israel has accepted the Witkoff proposal, Hamas remains firm in its refusal and has not moved an inch,» Netanayhu said Friday. «At the same time, it continues to employ manipulations and psychological warfare.»
Last week, Witkoff told reporters outside the White House that «Edan Alexander is very important to us as all the hostages are.»
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Fox News on Friday that «a delegation from the Hamas movement’s leadership received a proposal from mediators yesterday to resume negotiations, and responded responsibly and positively.
«The movement submitted its response early this morning, agreeing to release… Edan Alexander, who holds U.S. citizenship, along with the remains of four others with dual citizenship,» Naim added. «We reaffirm our full readiness to engage in negotiations and reach a comprehensive agreement on the issues of the second phase, and call for obligating the occupation to fully implement its commitments.»
Though he spent most of his life in New Jersey, Alexander was born in Israel a few months before his parents moved to the U.S., according to the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
After graduating from high school, Alexander decided he would enlist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) rather than enroll in college.
Yael Alexander, the mother of hostage Edan Alexander, speaks during The ‘Run for Their Lives’ rally and run in Central Park on the 100th day since the October 7 attack by Hamas, on Jan. 14, 2024 in New York City. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
On Oct. 7, Alexander, who was serving in the IDF’s Golani Brigade, an infantry unit, was patrolling near Gaza when Hamas’ attacks on Israel began. The attacks ended with 1,200 Israelis dead and 251 hostages taken, including Alexander.
Yael Alexander, Edan’s mother, recounted the day he was taken hostage in a recent interview with AJC’s «People of the Pod.» Yael was in Israel in early October 2023, visiting her family and hoping to see Edan. On the morning of Oct. 7, she spoke with Edan, who said that he was seeing «terrible stuff,» but he assured her that he was safe. Then he was taken hostage.
On Nov. 30, 2024, more than a year after Alexander was captured, Hamas released a video of Alexander speaking in Hebrew and Arabic. Alexander, like other hostages forced to make propaganda videos, delivered messages about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-President-elect Donald Trump.
AFTER TRUMP THREAT, HAMAS REFUSES TO RELEASE MORE HOSTAGES WITHOUT PHASE 2 CEASEFIRE DEAL
Donald Trump, is shown photos of Edan Alexander by his mother Yael Alexander at Ohel Chabad Lubavitch on Oct. 7, 2024 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
A few days after the video’s release, Adi Alexander, Edan’s father, spoke with «Fox & Friends First,» calling the film «very emotional» and «disturbing.» He said it was the first time they had seen a sign of life from their son since he was taken hostage.
Trump warned Hamas earlier this month to «Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you.»
«A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!» Trump said.
Donald Trump is seen posing with a photo of Edan Alexander on Oct. 7, 2024 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Friday that it «wholeheartedly welcomes the return of every hostage — whether they come home for rehabilitation or burial.»
«The return of any number of hostages must only be the beginning of an immediate and comprehensive deal to secure the release of ‘all hostages,’» it added. «As President Trump has assured our families and the world, and as he has stated time and again, the return of all hostages is a top priority for his adminsitration. His commitment to bringing our loved ones home has given us hope during this darkest of times.
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«As of today, 59 hostages remain,» the group also said. «We pray every single day for a deal that brings every one of them home, immediately.»
Fox News’ Yael Rotem-Kuriel, Trey Yingst, Rachel Wolf and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
Entonces, ¿qué va a pasar?
INTERNACIONAL
Zelenskyy accuses Putin of trying to stall ceasefire talks, pushes Trump for tougher sanctions
As Russian and U.S. officials prepared to speak about the 30-day ceasefire proposal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of looking to prolong the war.
«Putin is afraid to tell President Trump directly that he wants to continue this war and keep killing Ukrainians,» Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X. «That’s why, in Moscow, they are surrounding the ceasefire idea with such preconditions that it either fails or gets dragged out for as long as possible.»
Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Sputnik/Alexei Danichev/Pool via REUTERS/Leah Millis/Alina Smutko)
TRUMP ‘HOPES’ PUTIN AGREES TO CEASEFIRE AS MOSCOW SIGNALS NO TRUCE YET
After Ukraine agreed to the U.S. ceasefire proposal earlier this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio put the onus on Russia and told reporters that the «ball is now in [Russia’s] court.»
«As we have always said, the only one stalling, the only one being unconstructive, is Russia. They need this war. Putin has stolen years of peace and continues this war day after day,» Zelenskyy added.
Now, Zelenskyy says tougher sanctions are necessary to push Putin towards making a deal and ending the bloody three-year war. While President Donald Trump told reporters he wanted peace, not sanctions, he acknowledged that the U.S. could make financial moves that are «very bad for Russia.»
«In a financial sense, yeah, we could do things, very bad for Russia. It would be devastating for Russia,» Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday while meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. «But I don’t want to do that because I want to see peace.»
U.S. President Donald Trump reacts as he meets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz sitting next to him, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., March 13, 2025. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)
PUTIN THANKS TRUMP FOR PRINCIPLES OF CEASEFIRE PUSH, BUT DOES NOT SAY YES
On Thursday, Putin said he agreed with the U.S. plan for a 30-day ceasefire in «principle,» but signaled that Russia would not be signing onto the agreement in its current form. Ukraine agreed to the plan following talks with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia, as long as Russia commits to the plan.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Rostelecom, Russia’s largest telecommunications provider, president at the Kremlin in Moscow on June 7, 2023. (GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)
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Trump said on Thursday that if Russia does not come to the table and agree to the ceasefire, «it’ll be a very disappointing moment for the world.» The president vowed throughout his campaign to end the Russia-Ukraine war, saying that if he had remained in office in 2020 the war, which began with Russia’s 2021 invasion of Ukraine, would not have started.
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