Los ministros de Relaciones Exteriores de Rusia y Estados Unidos mantuvieron el lunes conversaciones telefónicas para coordinar los preparativos de la cumbre entre los presidentes Vladímir Putin y Donald Trump que se celebrará en Budapest, anunciaron ambos gobiernos.

El canciller ruso Serguei Lavrov y el secretario de Estado estadounidense Marco Rubio sostuvieron “un debate constructivo sobre los posibles pasos concretos” para implementar los acuerdos alcanzados durante la conversación telefónica del 16 de octubre entre Putin y Trump, en la que se acordó realizar el encuentro en la capital húngara, informó el Ministerio de Exteriores ruso en un comunicado.

Rubio “enfatizó la importancia de los próximos encuentros como una oportunidad para que Moscú y Washington colaboren en el avance de una solución duradera a la guerra entre Rusia y Ucrania, en consonancia con la visión del presidente Trump”, según un breve comunicado del Departamento de Estado difundido por el portavoz adjunto principal Tommy Pigott.

Lavrov y Rubio se reunirán próximamente para concretar la agenda y la fecha de la cumbre, que debería tener lugar en el plazo aproximado de dos semanas, según adelantó Trump. Será el primer encuentro presencial entre ambos diplomáticos desde que se vieron por última vez a mediados de agosto en Alaska.

El viceministro de Exteriores ruso, Serguéi Riabkov, admitió que aún se desconoce dónde tendrá lugar la reunión entre Lavrov y Rubio. “Lo más importante ahora es transmitir a los estadounidenses que Anchorage estableció el marco en el que hay que trabajar”, dijo Riabkov, refiriéndose a la capital de Alaska donde se realizaron las conversaciones previas.

El presidente ucraniano Volodimir Zelensky declaró el lunes que está dispuesto a participar en la cumbre de Budapest si es invitado, aunque ni Moscú ni Washington lo mencionaron en sus comunicados. El Kremlin dijo anteriormente que no tenía “detalles” sobre si Zelensky asistiría.

“Si soy invitado a Budapest, ya sea en un formato donde nos reunamos los tres o, como se llama, diplomacia de lanzadera, donde el presidente Trump se reúne con Putin y el presidente Trump se reúne conmigo, entonces en un formato u otro, llegaremos a un acuerdo”, dijo Zelensky a periodistas.

El líder ucraniano también criticó a Hungría como lugar de encuentro, señalando que el país es el socio más cercano de Moscú en la Unión Europea. Zelensky recordó que los países occidentales alentaron a Ucrania a renunciar a su arsenal nuclear en una cumbre celebrada en Budapest en 1994, un momento que muchos ucranianos ahora consideran una traición. “Otro escenario de ‘Budapest’ tampoco sería positivo”, afirmó.

Los esfuerzos diplomáticos para poner fin a la invasión rusa, que cumple tres años y medio, se han estancado desde que Trump y Putin se reunieron para conversaciones de paz en Alaska en agosto.

El presidente francés Emmanuel Macron dio la bienvenida el lunes a la cumbre planificada, pero dijo que ucranianos y europeos deberían estar incluidos.

Tanto Ucrania como la Unión Europea consideran que la cumbre de Alaska sirvió para que Putin ganara tiempo y temen que en Budapest se repita el mismo escenario.

El Kremlin negó que Rusia haya cambiado su postura respecto a sus principales demandas. Putin exige que Kiev retire sus tropas de las cuatro regiones anexionadas por Moscú y renuncie al ingreso en la OTAN antes de comenzar a negociar.

Medios internacionales informaron que Putin se mostró dispuesto el jueves pasado, durante su conversación telefónica con Trump, a detener el avance en las regiones de Kherson y Zaporizhzhia si Kiev ordenaba el repliegue de sus tropas en el Donbás, que incluye Donetsk y Lugansk.

“La postura de Rusia y el presidente Putin es coherente y bien conocida”, dijo Dmitri Peskov, portavoz presidencial, en su rueda de prensa telefónica diaria.

Moscú y Kiev mantienen diferencias fundamentales sobre el proceso: el primero quiere consensuar una hoja de ruta para la paz antes de declarar un alto el fuego, mientras el segundo demanda que primero cesen los combates para después abordar las condiciones de un acuerdo definitivo.

The thieves who brazenly robbed the Louvre Museum in Paris and stole priceless jewelry in one of the most daring museum heists in recent memory may have been hired by a private collector, officials said.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau told local media that investigators believe the robbers, who carried out the raid in just seven minutes in broad daylight Sunday, may have been commissioned by a collector or purely motivated by the value of the jewels and precious metals, Reuters reported.

«We’re looking at the hypothesis of organized crime,» Beccuau told BFM TV, noting that the thieves could be professionals operating on spec for a buyer.  

Beccuau added that if a collector did commission the heist, there is hope that the stolen pieces will remain intact and well-preserved until recovered, the outlet reported. If the thieves acted independently, they may have targeted the jewels for their potential use in laundering criminal proceeds.

‘BRAZEN’ LOUVRE THIEVES MADE TARGETED HEIST, JEWELS COULD BE MELTED DOWN: EXPERT

«Nowadays, anything can be linked to drug trafficking, given the significant sums of money obtained from drug trafficking,» Beccuau said, according to Reuters.

Investigators are keeping all leads open, but foreign interference has reportedly been largely ruled out in the case.

LOUVRE MUSEUM CLOSED AFTER ROBBERY, FRENCH OFFICIAL SAYS

Former jewel thief Larry Lawton, who now assists police on such investigations, told Fox News that the operation «had to be an inside job» or the thieves must have «had inside information.»

«How did they know how thick the glass was, whether there was an alarm on there?» Lawton asked. 

Lawton added that if he were the thieves, he would not immediately sell the items to avoid detection.

«I might put them and stash them somewhere no one knows, wait a year or two,» Lawton said, adding that companies would eventually give out a reward «with no questions asked.» 

«They’ll put up a million dollars for this … obviously they want their jewels back,» he said.

MUSEUM’S ANCIENT BRACELET THEFT JOINS LIST OF OTHER PRICELESS ARTIFACTS STOLEN AND DESTROYED WORLDWIDE

The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum, announced it would remain closed on Monday following Sunday’s daring theft.

Masked thieves disguised as construction workers struck in front of visitors and staff Sunday morning, a period described as one of the museum’s most chaotic, authorities said. Officials said thieves extended a basket lift to a window and smashed it open with an angle grinder. They reportedly used a disc cutter to slice through glass panes protecting the jewels. 

Thieves executed a daytime heist at the Louvre Museum, stealing French crown jewels. (Thibault Camus : AP)

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A total of nine objects were targeted, eight of which were stolen, officials said. The thieves failed to take the ninth item, the crown of Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugenie, during their escape. 

The crown alone is worth tens of millions of euros, though experts say it is not the most significant piece.

Authorities have not yet identified the robbers, who made their escape on motorbikes.

With the November election just 15 days out, the Republican nominee in one of the nation’s only two races for governor this year is feeling confident.

«The energy across the state is electric. The reception in minority communities has been great, and on being endorsed by prominent Democrats, that tells you all you need to know in terms of the people of New Jersey wanting change. And that’s what this election is all about. Change,» Jack Ciattarelli said this weekend in an interview on «Fox News Sunday.»

Ciattarelli, who’s making his third straight run for Garden State governor and who nearly upset Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy four years ago, has good reason to be optimistic he can pull off victory in blue-leaning New Jersey.

In a state where registered Democrats still outnumber Republicans despite a GOP surge in registration this decade, three public opinion polls released last week — from Fox News, Quinnipiac University and Fairleigh Dickinson University — indicated Ciattarelli narrowing the gap with Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill in the race to succeed the term-limited Murphy.

THE POLITICAL BOMB TRUMP EXPLODED IN THE NEW JERSEY SHOWDOWN FOR GOVERNOR

The Fox News poll conducted Oct. 10 – 14, put Sherrill at 50% support among likely voters, with Ciattarelli at 45%. Sherrill’s 5-point advantage was down from an 8-point lead in Fox News’ September survey in New Jersey.

New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states to hold gubernatorial showdowns in the year after a presidential election, and the contests traditionally grab outsized attention and are viewed as political barometers ahead of the following year’s midterm elections.

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And this year, they’re being viewed, in part, as ballot-box referendums on President Donald Trump’s unprecedented and combustible second-term agenda.

While Democrats have long dominated federal and state legislative elections in blue-leaning New Jersey, Republicans are very competitive in gubernatorial contests, winning five out of the past 10 elections.

President Donald Trump, seen speaking during a campaign event at Wildwood Beach in Wildwood, New Jersey, May 11, 2024, will headline a tele-rally for Jack Ciattarelli, the 2025 Republican gubernatorial nominee in the Garden State. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

And Trump made major gains in New Jersey in last year’s presidential election, losing the state by only six percentage points, a major improvement over his 16-point deficit four years earlier.

Ciattarelli, interviewed by Fox News Digital last week in Bayonne, New Jersey, noted that he «made big gains» in his 2021 showing «in Hudson County and Passaic County,» two long-time Democratic Party strongholds.

«And the President did very, very well in ’24 in those very same counties. And if you take a look at who’s been endorsing me, including some very prominent Democrats here in Hudson County, people want change,» Ciattarelli emphasized.

But Ciattarelli is also aiming to energize Republican base voters in what’s likely to be a low-turnout election.

Multiple sources confirmed to Fox News that Trump will hold a tele-rally with Ciattarelli ahead of Election Day. Trump’s teaming up with Ciattarelli may help energize MAGA supporters, many of whom are low propensity voters who often skip casting ballots in non-presidential election years.

Republican gubernatorial candidate in Ohio Vivek Ramaswamy headlines a campaign event for New Jersey GOP nominee for governor Jack Ciattarelli, on Oct. 15, 2025, in Saddle Brook, N.J. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

And last week, Ciattarelli was joined at a jam-packed diner stop in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, by Vivek Ramaswamy, the MAGA rock star who is running for governor next year in his home state of Ohio.

Ramaswamy, the multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and conservative commentator who pushed an «America First 2.0» platform as he ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination before ending his bid and becoming one of Trump’s top supporters and surrogates, told Fox News Digital that a Ciattarelli win this year would «set the table for even bigger and more decisive victories, hopefully in places like Ohio next year.»

And this week another well-known Republican politician in MAGA world is headed to New Jersey.

Fox News has learned the Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, a top House ally of the president who has Trump’s backing as he runs next year for Florida governor, will team up with Ciattarelli on Wednesday.

ONLY ON FOX: RAMASWAMY SAYS GOP VICTORIES IN THE 2025 ELECTIONS WOULD ‘SET THE TABLE’ FOR BIGGER WINS IN 2026

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, commenting on why Republicans feel bullish about the New Jersey showdown, raised concerns.

«New Jersey is the best place, probably, for Donald Trump to actually stop the Democratic momentum — or at least minimize the Democratic momentum that we’ve seen throughout this year,» Martin said in a Politico interview. 

But the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) forecasts a Sherrill victory in two weeks.

«As numerous polls show her holding a strong lead and earning more than 50% of the vote, Mikie Sherrill is rising to meet the moment in this incredibly competitive race,» DGA spokesperson Izzi Levy told Fox News. «It’s clear that Mikie has the momentum, and that New Jersey voters are all-in to reject Ciattarelli for a third time this November.»

Sherrill had plenty of company on the campaign trail this weekend from major Democratic Party surrogates, including two of the biggest names in the party — Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Wes Moore of Maryland.

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie of New Jersey, left, teams up on the campaign trail with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, in Newark, N.J., on Oct. 19, 2025. (Mikie Sherrill campaign )

«From Maryland to New Jersey, we’re united with one goal – making sure every voice is heard at the ballot box,» Moore wrote on social media. «Proud to stand with @MikieSherrill and community members in Newark to get out the vote. Let’s finish strong this November!»

And former President Barack Obama endorsed Sherrill and starred in a new ad for the party’s nominee.

CIATTARELLI WELCOMES TRUMP’S HELP IN FINAL STRETCH IN BATTLE FOR NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR

While Trump isn’t on the ballot, he’s loomed large over the New Jersey gubernatorial election.

At the second and final debate two weeks ago, Sherrill charged that her GOP rival had «shown zero signs of standing up to this president. In fact, the president himself called Jack 100% MAGA, and he’s shown every sign of being that.»

New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill, right, and Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli, on the stage moments at the start of their second and final debate, on Oct. 8, 2025, in New Brunswick, N.J. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News Digital)

Asked whether he considered himself part of the MAGA movement, Ciattarelli said he was «part of a New Jersey movement.»

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When asked to grade the president’s performance so far during his second term, Ciattarelli said, «I’d certainly give the president an A. I think he’s right about everything that he’s doing.»

«I think that tells us all we need to know about who Jack Ciattarelli’s supporting. I give him an F right now,» Sherrill responded, as she pointed to New Jersey’s high cost of living.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in New Jersey, takes questions from reporters following a debate on Oct. 8, 2025, in New Brunswick, N.J. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

The race in New Jersey was rocked a couple of weeks ago by a report that the National Personnel Records Center, which is a branch of the National Archives and Records Administration, mistakenly released Sherrill’s improperly redacted military personnel files, which included private information like her Social Security number, to a Ciattarelli ally. 

But Sherrill’s military records indicated that the United States Naval Academy blocked her from taking part in her 1994 graduation amid a cheating scandal.

The showdown was jolted again two weeks ago after Sherrill’s allegations that Ciattarelli was «complicit» with pharmaceutical companies in the opioid deaths of tens of thousands of New Jerseyans, as she pointed to the medical publishing company he owned that pushed content promoting the use of opioids as a low-risk treatment for chronic pain.

Last week, Trump set off a political hand grenade in the race, as he «terminated» billions of federal dollars for the Gateway Project, which is funding a new train tunnel under the Hudson River connecting New Jersey and New York.

Sherrill, holding a news conference Thursday at a major commuter rail station just a few miles from the site of the tunnels in one of the busiest train corridors in the nation, called the project «critical» as she took aim at Trump and Ciattarelli.

«I’m fighting for the people of New Jersey. He’s fighting to excuse Trump. It’s unacceptable,» Sherrill charged.

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New Jersey traditionally elects a governor from the party out of power in the White House, which this year favors the Democrats.

But Garden State voters haven’t elected a governor from the same party in three straight elections in over a half century, which would favor the Republicans.

One of those political trends will be busted in next month’s election.