Two foreign nationals have been charged for their role in a scheme to smuggle U.S. military equipment and technology — including missiles — into China, according to the U.S. Justice Department. 

The charges come as President Donald Trump and his administration have launched multiple efforts to beef up the vetting process for foreigners seeking visas in the U.S., particularly those from China. 

Cui Guanghai, 43, of China, and John Miller, 63, of the United Kingdom, were charged with interstate stalking and conspiracy to commit interstate stalking, conspiracy, smuggling and violating the Arms Export Control Act, the Justice Department announced Friday. 

Prosecutors believe that Cui was working on behalf of the Chinese government, according to court documents. 

CHINA TARGETS US MILITARY MEMBERS IN OVERSEAS SPY OPERATIONS, FORMER CIA STATION CHIEF WARNS

Court documents allege that Cui, who is based in China, and Miller, who is a permanent resident in the U.S., sought to procure military equipment including missiles, an air defense radar, drones and cryptographic devices starting in November 2023. The two allegedly coordinated with two other individuals, who, unbeknownst to Cui and Miller, were working on behalf of the FBI, on ways to export the cryptographic device to China.

Cui and Miller allegedly discussed how to hide the cryptographic device in a blender, other small electronics or a motor starter — or ship the device to Hong Kong first — to avoid detection. They paid $10,000 as part of a deposit for the cryptographic device, court documents say. 

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Additionally, Cui and Miller allegedly recruited two people to help them conduct a scheme that sought to silence an unnamed U.S. citizen from speaking out against Chinese President Xi Jinping’s appearance at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November 2023, court documents say. 

Specifically, both Cui and Miller allegedly orchestrated a plot to surveil the U.S. citizen, install a tracking device on his or her car, slash the car’s tires, and purchase and destroy a pair of statues the U.S. citizen created of Xi and Xi’s wife. 

However, the individuals that Cui and Miller allegedly recruited were actually working in coordination with the FBI, according to court documents. 

US INVESTIGATING WHETHER CHINESE CITIZEN CHARGED WITH FLYING DRONE OVER BASE COMMITTED ‘MORE SERIOUS OFFENSES’

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement, «The defendants targeted a U.S. resident for exercising his constitutional right to free speech and conspired to traffic sensitive American military technology to the Chinese regime.»  (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

«The defendants targeted a U.S. resident for exercising his constitutional right to free speech and conspired to traffic sensitive American military technology to the Chinese regime,» Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement Friday. «This is a blatant assault on both our national security and our democratic values. This Justice Department will not tolerate foreign repression on U.S. soil, nor will we allow hostile nations to infiltrate or exploit our defense systems.»

Cui and Miller were arrested by Serbian law enforcement officials in April at the request of the U.S. government and are currently detained in Serbia. The Justice Department said it is working with the Serbian government regarding their pending extraditions. 

If convicted, Cui and Miller face up to five years in a U.S. prison for conspiracy, up to five years for interstate stalking, up to 10 years for smuggling, and up to 20 years for violating the Arms Export Control Act. 

The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the U.S. did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told Fox News Digital that it is providing consular assistance to Miller following his arrest and «are in touch with the local authorities and his family.» 

Separately, the State Department has unveiled a series of initiatives aimed at bolstering the screening process for various visa applicants seeking to come to the U.S. For example, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in May that the agency was planning to «revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications» for those originating from China and Hong Kong. 

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT FROM CHINA SHIPPED WEAPONS TO NORTH KOREA FROM CALIFORNIA: DOJ

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in May that the agency was planning to «revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications» for those originating from China and Hong Kong.  (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Sin grandes avances para declarar un alto el fuego, Rusia y Ucrania acordaron este lunes intercambiar a todos los prisioneros de guerra heridos o enfermos de gravedad y a los cautivos de entre 18 y 25 años.

Así lo decidieron ambas partes en guerra en su segunda reunión en Estambul en poco más de dos semanas, en la que tanto Ucrania como Estados Unidos dejaron la puerta abierta a una cumbre cuatripartita que incluya a Rusia y Turquía, como anfitrión.

En la nueva cumbre, Kiev pidió un cese el fuego de al menos 30 días, pero Moscú condicionó cualquier acuerdo a que Ucrania retire sus tropas de las cuatro regiones del país que el Kremlin reivindica como anexionadas.

Leé también: Así fue el ataque ucraniano a gran escala contra bases aéreas en Rusia

Según el memorando ruso transmitido el lunes a Kiev y publicado por agencias de prensa rusas, Moscú quiere un “repliegue total” de las tropas ucranianas en las regiones parcialmente ocupadas de Donetsk y Lugansk, en el este, así como de Zaporiyia y Jersón, en el sur, antes de la “implementación de un cese el fuego de 30 días”.

Además, exige a Ucrania la renuncia al ingreso en bloques militares como la OTAN y que ponga límites al número de efectivos de sus fuerzas armadas

Cómo fueron las nuevas negociaciones en Estambul

El primero en hablar al término de la reunión fue el ministro de Defensa ucraniano, Rustem Umérov, que, como ya hizo el 16 de mayo en la anterior reunión en Turquía, volvió a encabezar la delegación de Kiev.

Además de anunciar el acuerdo de los intercambios, que también fue confirmado por la delegación rusa, Umérov explicó que la parte ucraniana necesitará una semana para estudiar los documentos presentados con las condiciones rusas para un alto el fuego y para un fin negociado del conflicto.

Ucrania había pedido recibir los documentos con anterioridad para asegurarse de que la reunión diera frutos concretos con respecto del alto el fuego, pero Rusia no accedió a facilitarlos de antemano.

“Hemos entregado un memorándum que tiene dos partes (…) La segunda incluye los pasos para un posible y total alto el fuego”, dijo Vladímir Medinski, asesor del presidente ruso, Vladímir Putin, y jefe de la delegación rusa en los contactos de Estambul.

Intercambios de cadáveres

Una de las propuestas rusas anunciadas por Medinski consiste en declarar treguas de dos o tres días en ciertos sectores del frente “para que los comandantes puedan recoger los cadáveres de sus soldados”.

“Esto será ahora tratado por nuestros especialistas militares con los ucranianos”, expuso el emisario ruso, que advirtió de que en algunas zonas existe “peligro de epidemia” al no poder enterrarse los cuerpos de los caídos por las hostilidades.

Leé también: Mataron en un atentado suicida al responsable de los bombardeos rusos contra la ciudad ucraniana de Mariúpol

Umérov anunció un intercambio de 6000 cadáveres de soldados enemigos que cada uno de los dos bandos tiene en su poder como otra muestra de buena voluntad para avanzar en las negociaciones.

Medinski también se refirió a esta cuestión, pero afirmó que la parte rusa entregará la próxima semana de forma unilateral 6000 cadáveres de combatientes ucranianos que están en sus manos. “No sé si ellos tienen algún cuerpo. Nosotros también los aceptaremos”, declaró.

La cuestión de los menores

Ambos negociadores anunciaron asimismo la entrega por parte de Ucrania de una lista con centenares de nombres de menores ucranianos trasladados por Rusia de las zonas que ocupa en Ucrania.

Umérov se refirió a estos niños como secuestrados por Rusia, mientras que Medinski habló de “niños salvados y sacados de zonas de combate” que son devueltos a sus familias cuando éstas se encuentran, y explicó que la lista contiene 339 nombres.

Reunión Zelenski-Trump-Putin

Según reveló Umérov, la delegación ucraniana volvió a proponer un encuentro a tres bandas entre los presidentes Volodímir Zelenski, Vladímir Putin y Donald Trump para dar impulso a las negociaciones de paz. Ucrania propuso que la reunión, a la que ha mostrado interés en sumarse el presidente turco, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, se celebre entre el 20 y el 30 de junio.

“Mi mayor deseo para ambas partes es juntar a Zelenski y a Putin en Estambul o Ankara”, dijo Erdogan al término de la reunión. “El señor Trump también puede venir y, si me aceptan, yo también participaría”, declaró el presidente turco.

El presidente ucraniano manifestó su apoyo a la propuesta. “Le dije (a Erdogan) que apoyo una reunión de líderes, porque tengo la impresión de que no habrá un alto el fuego sin que nos reunamos”, dijo.

También Trump aceptó la propuesta. “El presidente ha dicho que está abierto a ello llegado el caso, pero quiere que ambos líderes y ambas partes se sienten a la mesa de negociaciones juntos”, declaró la portavoz Karoline Leavitt.

(Con información de EFE)

The second round of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey once again did not yield any ceasefire results on Monday and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated his demand that Russian President Vladimir Putin «must not receive any reward for [his] war.»

Despite an apparent memorandum of terms given to Ukraine by the Russian delegation, Moscow once again refused to agree to an unconditional ceasefire defined by a U.S. proposal and already agreed to by Kyiv. 

Following the talks – which appeared to last for less than three hours, though some reporting noted they lasted for less than one hour – the head of the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, said his Russian counterparts not only refused ceasefire terms, but also to a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.

UKRAINE, RUSSIA MEET FOR PEACE TALKS IN ISTANBUL AFTER EXPLOSIVE WEEKEND

A massive 6,000 to 6,000 prisoner exchange was agreed to and will secure the release of sick, seriously injured prisoners and those under the age of 25.

Ukraine also handed over a list containing the names of several hundred children that Russia illegally deported and relocated from occupied territories of Ukraine, though it is unclear if Russian authorities have agreed to return any of the children, many of whom have been «adopted» by Russian parents.

«The key to lasting peace is clear – the aggressor must not receive any reward for war. Putin must get nothing that would justify his aggression,» Zelenskyy said in a post to X following his address at a NATO security summit in Lithuania.  «Any reward would only show him that war pays off.»

Zelenskyy’s comments and the peace talks came just one day after a surprise drone strike dubbed «Operation Spiderweb» by Ukraine inside Russia in which Moscow’s military complex was targeted, and roughly a third of it’s cruise missile carriers were apparently destroyed.

Zelenskyy said the attack «seriously weakened their military» and «showed what modern war really looks like and [that’s] why it’s so important to stay ahead with technology.»

ZELENSKYY SPEAKS WITH TRUMP, ALLIES AFTER RUSSIA PEACE TALKS BROKER NO CEASEFIRE

This image taken from video released Jun. 1, 2025, by a source in the Ukrainian Security Service shows a Ukrainian drone striking Russian planes deep in Russia’s territory. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

The Ukrainian president did not comment further on the substance of the talks. Ukraine has been given one week to review Russia’s terms for a ceasefire.

Ukraine’s terms first call for a 30-day land, air and sea-based ceasefire before Kyiv, alongside Washington and European allies, would then begin further negotiations with Moscow, according to a report by Reuters, which apparently obtained a copy of the conditions.

The document also reportedly states that the current location of the front line will be the starting point for negotiations about territory, and calls for no restrictions on Ukraine’s military, reparations for Ukraine and a refusal by the international community to acknowledge Russian sovereignty over the illegally occupied lands. 

Zelenskyy also reiterated his position on Monday that Putin should not be allowed to dictate which countries are allowed to enter the NATO alliance, which Russia has repeatedly said is one of its demands over Ukraine.

Granting Ukraine NATO access would all but officially bar Russia from ever re-invading Ukraine as it would grant Kyiv Article 5 protections, which confirm an attack on one NATO ally will be treated as an attack on all NATO allies and responded to accordingly.

(L-R) Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda, Poland’s President Andrzej Duda and Romania’s President Nicusor Dan attend a joint press conference during a summit with the leaders of NATO’s eastern and Nordic members (B9 and Nordic countries) on Jun. 2, 2025, in Vilnius, Lithuania.  (PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP via Getty Images)

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«If Putin is allowed to decide who joins NATO, where NATO infrastructure can or can’t be, then Russia’s appetite for war will only grow. Our shared goal is the opposite – to completely end Russia’s hunger for aggression,» Zelenskyy said. 

«Strong decisions are needed. Decisions for Europe, not for Putin. We all need to work together to make this really happen. And it’s doable,» he added. 

A future meeting between Ukraine and Russia has yet to be announced.