INTERNACIONAL
Trump’s peace through strength in 2025: where wars stopped and rivals came to the table
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Donald Trump entered 2025 pledging to end wars and reorient U.S. foreign policy around what he repeatedly described as «peace through strength.»
Throughout the year, Trump has cast his diplomacy as peace-focused, telling reporters, «We think we have a way of getting peace,» and publicly arguing that his record merited a Nobel Peace Prize. The U.S. State Department echoed that framing in its year-end summary of diplomatic efforts, highlighting initiatives it said aimed to «secure peace around the world.»
By the close of 2025, several conflicts saw impressive diplomatic progress, while others were still experiencing issues after years of hatred and violence.
‘IT TOOK 3,000 YEARS’: TRUMP HERALDS ‘GOLDEN AGE OF THE MIDDLE EAST’ IN SPEECHES TO ARAB LEADERS, ISRAEL
U.S. President Donald Trump holds the signed agreement of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, Oct. 13, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
Gaza (Israel–Hamas)
The most consequential diplomatic development of the year came in early October, when the Trump administration helped broker a ceasefire framework between Israel and Hamas. The agreement halted large-scale fighting after months of intense combat and enabled the release of all remaining hostages from Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, except for the body of Ron Gvili, which remains held captive by Hamas terrorists.
The administration later cited the ceasefire as a central element of its 2025 diplomatic record. While the truce largely held through the end of the year, core issues including Gaza’s long-term governance, demilitarization and enforcement mechanisms remained unresolved, as well as rebuilding the enclave after the massive destruction and displacement. U.S. officials continued working with regional partners on next steps as fighting paused, as Israel’s Netanyahu is expected to meet with President Trump next week for talks on Gaza and other issues.
US President Donald Trump (C), Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (L) and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan display the agreement they signed in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 8, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
Armenia–Azerbaijan
In August, Trump hosted the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the White House for a U.S.-brokered peace declaration aimed at addressing decades of conflict tied to Nagorno-Karabakh. The agreement focused on transit routes, economic cooperation and regional connectivity and was promoted by the administration as a historic step.
While the historic declaration was signed, implementation and deeper reconciliation is still ongoing.
President Donald Trump (R) greets Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) as he arrives at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on Aug. 15, 2025, in Anchorage, Alaska. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Ukraine–Russia war
Ukraine remained the most ambitious and elusive peace target of Trump’s 2025 agenda. The year opened with Trump insisting the war could be ended through direct U.S. engagement and leverage over both Kyiv and Moscow. Diplomacy intensified in August, when Trump hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, a summit framed by the White House as a test of whether personal diplomacy could unlock a settlement.
In parallel, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was received at the White House, where Trump reiterated U.S. support for Ukraine while signaling that any peace would require difficult compromises. U.S. officials explored security guarantees and economic incentives, while avoiding public commitments on borders or NATO membership.
MOMENTUM BUILDS IN UKRAINE PEACE PUSH, BUT EXPERTS FEAR PUTIN WON’T BUDGE
Ukrainian servicemen of the 44th artillery brigade fire a 2s22 Bohdana self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions at the frontline in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (Danylo Antoniuk/AP Photo)
By December, talks accelerated. Ukraine entered new rounds of U.S.-led negotiations, and Trump told reporters the sides were «getting close to something.» On Christmas Zelenskyy said talks with U.S. officials had produced a 20-point plan and accompanying documents that include security guarantees involving Ukraine, the United States and European partners. He acknowledged the framework was not flawless but described it as a tangible step forward. Zelenskyy is reportedly readying a visit to meet with President Trump, possibly as soon as Sunday.
Bloomberg reported that Russia views the 20-point plan agreed to between Ukraine and the U.S. as only a starting point. According to a person close to the Kremlin, Moscow intends to seek key changes, including additional restrictions on Ukraine’s military, arguing that the proposal lacks provisions important to Russia and leaves many questions unanswered.
VENEZUELAN DISSIDENT MACHADO CREDITS TRUMP FOR ADVANCING FREEDOM MOVEMENT, DEDICATES NOBEL TO HIM
President Donald Trump arrives for a signing ceremony with Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame and Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Democratic Republic of Congo–Rwanda
In early December, Trump hosted the signing of the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. The agreement reaffirmed commitments to end decades of conflict and expand economic cooperation through a regional integration framework.
By the end of the year, Reuters and the Associated Press reported that armed groups remained active in eastern Congo, underscoring the fragility of the accord, though both sides seemed to be invested in a long-term peace.
Indian army officers stand guard near Pahalgam in south Kashmir after assailants indiscriminately opened fire at tourists visiting Pahalgam, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Dar Yasin/AP Photo)
India–Pakistan
After a terrorist attack in Kashmir and retaliatory strikes raised fears of escalation, U.S. officials engaged in emergency diplomacy. Trump announced a ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed rivals, with a potentially catastrophic escalation between the two nuclear powers avoided.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet shake hands following the signing of a Cambodia-Thailand peace deal as U.S. President Donald Trump reacts at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on October 26, 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Cambodia–Thailand border dispute
On the sidelines of an ASEAN summit, Trump helped mediate a ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand following months of border clashes.
Diplomatic efforts led by ASEAN and supported by external parties are ongoing, but fresh clashes and mutual recriminations between Thailand and Cambodia continue to challenge peace prospects and have led to large-scale displacement and civilian harm. Following the recent flare-ups, and with offers for mediation from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a new ceasefire was agreed upon on Saturday to end weeks of fighting on the border.
B-2s carried out strike on Iranian nuclear sites in June. (U.S. Air Force photo by Bobbie Garcia/Maxar Technologies via AP)
Iran–Israel confrontation
Following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, the Trump administration focused on containing escalation and reinforcing deterrence. No diplomatic agreement followed, but the confrontation did not expand into a broader regional war by year’s end.
ISRAELI HOSTAGES FREED, IRAN HIT, CEASEFIRE HELD — 2025 SHATTERED IDEA THAT US WAS EXITING THE MIDDLE EAST
Recently Israel warned that Iran might use its ballistic missile drills as a cover for a surprise attack.
Armed men salute the governor of Sudan’s Red Sea State Mustafa Mahmud in Port Sudan in the war-torn country on July 24, 2024. Sudan has been gripped by war since April 2023, when fighting erupted between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. The conflict in the country of 48 million has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. (AFP via Getty Images)
Sudan
Sudan remained one of the world’s deadliest conflicts. U.S. diplomacy has focused primarily on efforts to halt fighting and expand humanitarian access rather than brokering a comprehensive peace.
In December, Saudi Arabia and the United States presented Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan with a three-point proposal aimed at ending the war, facilitating aid delivery and transferring power to civilians, according to Sudan Tribune.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro holds a ceremonial sword said to have belonged to independence hero Simon Bolivar, during a government-organized civic-military march in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)
Venezuela
As the year closed, Venezuela emerged as the United States’ clearest point of direct confrontation. The administration framed its posture as an extension of its broader «peace through strength» doctrine, even as the risk of escalation lingered.
While the White House pursued de-escalation and negotiated arrangements elsewhere, its approach toward Nicolás Maduro relied almost entirely on pressure, not talks. Trump continued to cast Maduro as a criminal threat tied to drug trafficking, accusing him of rejecting the results of Venezuela’s last election and stealing the presidency.
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With no diplomatic channel open, the U.S. maintained sweeping sanctions and stepped up efforts against cartel networks linked to the regime. There was no peace process in sight, but some opposition figures and U.S. allies argued that sustained pressure could still force political change in 2026, and ultimately hasten the end of Maduro’s rule.
donald trump,europe,israel,hamas,africa,ukraine,russia,state department
INTERNACIONAL
How did Jeffrey Epstein get rich? Meet Les Wexner, the ex-Victoria’s Secret CEO who once worked with him
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An 88-year-old billionaire businessman and former Victoria’s Secret chief is the latest person to fall within the House Oversight Committee’s investigative crosshairs in the Jeffrey Epstein case, as he is scheduled to appear before the panel in Ohio on Wednesday morning.
The crimes of the late accused sex trafficker Epstein are well-known, having gained new media attention in recent months after Congress forced the Department of Justice (DOJ) to disclose millions of pages of documents.
But less is known about the figures who operated within Epstein’s orbit and how they helped him get the vast international sphere of influence he enjoyed before finding himself in a Manhattan jail awaiting trial, where he killed himself in 2019.
Les Wexner, founder of L Brands, the former chief of Victoria’s Secret, is one of those figures, having been named a co-conspirator of Epstein in a recently uncovered FBI document from 2019.
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Leslie Wexner, former CEO of Victoria’s Secret and other fashion brands, is named numerous times in the DOJ files on Jeffrey Epstein. (Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Fragrance Foundation; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Victoria’s Secret; Neil Rasmus/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Wexner is the founder of L Brands, formerly known as The Limited, which included Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, and Pink. He also helped found Abercrombie & Fitch, a clothing brand that was once popular among teens in the U.S.
Wexner has never been charged with crimes related to the late financier, and a spokesperson for the mogul told Fox News Digital that the «Assistant U.S. Attorney told Mr. Wexner’s legal counsel in 2019 that Mr. Wexner was neither a co-conspirator nor target in any respect.»
But documents released by the DOJ allege that Wexner was one of the key players in how Epstein built his wealth and later ran his illicit empire.
One file from 2013 that appears to have been in the possession of the Southern District of New York (SDNY) titled «Jeffrey Epstein Source of Wealth,» said Wexner «became a well-known client» of Epstein’s financial management firm in 1987.
At the time, Wexner was identified as the founder and chairman of the Ohio-based women’s clothing brand The Limited.
«Since all but one of his financial clients are anonymous, it has been speculated that much of Epstein’s lavish lifestyle was once financed by Wexner,» reads the document, which appears to be an email. Wexner’s spokesperson declined to comment on the allegations.
That paper also noted that Wexner sold his massive Manhattan townhouse — reported to be the largest private residence in the New York City borough — to Epstein.
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A 2019 FBI witness statement from a man who purported to be Wexner’s bodyguard from 1991 to 1992 said Wexner «sold his mansion in New York to Epstein for $20.»
The same witness statement alleged that «Epstein got all of his money from Wexner.»
A 1998 document obtained by Fox News Digital, however, shows Wexner sold his home to Epstein for a $20 million price tag. Half was paid via cashier’s check, while the other half was covered by a promissory note, the record shows.
Epstein’s Manhattan mansion was raided by the FBI in July 2019 as part of the federal sex trafficking investigation. There, law enforcement officials found vast troves of evidence, including photos of partially or fully nude women and girls, including ones who appeared to be minors.
A residence belonging to Jeffrey Epstein at East 71st Street is seen on the Upper East Side of Manhattan on July 8, 2019, in New York City. (Kevin Hagen/Getty Images)
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The DOJ’s unsealed indictment against Epstein also said it was one of the places where he «enticed and recruited, and caused to be enticed and recruited, dozens of minor girls… to engage in sex acts with him, after which he would give the victims hundreds of dollars in cash.»
Wexner reportedly bought the mansion in 1989 for $13.2 million before selling it to a corporation partially controlled by Epstein for an «undisclosed amount,» according to Business Insider. It was then reportedly transferred to a U.S. Virgin Islands-based company controlled by Epstein for $0 in 2011.
The home was reportedly valued at $77 million at the time of the raid, making it a massive portion of Epstein’s wealth.
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A heavily redacted email chain from July 2025 that appears to show witness statement summaries, with the subject line, «RE: Epstein – Cellmate Interview,» also said, «Steve Scully stated Wexner was #1 on Epstein’s speed dial.»
Steve Scully appears to be a reference to a former IT contractor who lived and worked on Epstein’s private island of Little St. James from 1999 through 2005. Wexner’s spokesperson declined to comment on Scully’s claim.
Wexner even signed a document in 1991 giving Epstein vast control over his finances via power of attorney, according to the New York Times. That document gave Epstein the power to sign checks, borrow money, and buy or sell real estate on Wexner’s behalf, the report said.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., speaks to reporters after a closed-door deposition with Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend and confidante of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 9, 2026. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
A letter Wexner wrote to his nonprofit, the Wexner Foundation, in August 2019 said that while he did give power of attorney to Epstein, their relationship ended soon after the 2007 federal investigation first began into the late financier in Florida.
«[B]y early fall 2007, it was agreed that he should step back from the management of our personal finances. In that process, we discovered that he had misappropriated vast sums of money from me and my family. This was, frankly, a tremendous shock, even though it clearly pales in comparison to the unthinkable allegations against him now,» the letter said.
«With his credibility and our trust in him destroyed, we immediately severed ties with him. We were able to recover some of the funds. The widely reported payments Mr. Epstein made to the charitable fund represented a portion of the returned monies. All of that money — every dollar of it — was originally Wexner family money.»
But other documents released by the DOJ allege that Epstein and Wexner’s relationship went further than financial management.
An FBI witness statement by Robert Morosky, a former executive for Wexner’s fashion brand, said, «He had information regarding the use of ‘Limited’ brand aircraft used in the 1990s to transport young girls from Mexico to the U.S.»
«Morosky did not wish to give any additional information at that time; however if someone would like to pursue this information he could be reached on his personal cellular phone,’» the statement said.
It’s unclear if the lead was ever pursued, but a spokesperson for Wexner told Fox News Digital, «The allegation is false. Mr. Morosky was terminated from the company in 1987 and therefore in no position to know anything about the use of Limited planes in the 1990s.»
GHISLAINE MAXWELL PLEADS FIFTH AMENDMENT, DODGES QUESTIONS IN HOUSE OVERSIGHT EPSTEIN PROBE
A witness statement from 2020, with the identity of the female witness redacted, said she claimed to have «often» seen Epstein and Wexner together.
She «stated that often Wexner would have models who could not have been over 18 years old do private viewings for him and Epstein. She said the models would be wearing [swimsuits] and some were in lingerie,» the document read.
Wexner’s spokesperson declined to comment on those claims and called her account of seeing the pair together «vague.»
Attorney General Pam Bondi conducts a news conference at the Department of Justice on December 4, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
The female witness said she «would help with getting people to work at parties at Wexner’s compound in catering and other positions,» and that «anyone who went to work there had to have a full background check and there were certain areas of the house where they could not go without an approved escort.»
However, there was no indication of what years or period of time her claims are focused on.
A source with knowledge of company procedures argued the situation could not have happened, however. Model fittings always involved teams of 15 to 20 professionals and Epstein was never a part of that, the source maintained.
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Wexner is scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee in Ohio on Wednesday morning.
Fox News Digital reached out to Wexner’s attorney for comment on the deposition and on the aforementioned claims.
politics,house of representatives politics,jeffrey epstein
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The Vatican will not join President Donald Trump’s newly formed Board of Peace, its top diplomatic official said Tuesday, signaling reluctance from the Holy See to take part in the post-war initiative.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the Holy See «will not participate in the Board of Peace because of its particular nature, which is evidently not that of other States,» the Vatican’s official news outlet reported.
The Board of Peace, which was chartered in January and includes nearly 20 countries, is tasked with managing recovery efforts in the Gaza Strip after the Israel-Hamas war.
While responding to questions about Italy declining to join the board, Parolin said «there are points that leave us somewhat perplexed,» adding that «there are some critical points that would need to find explanations.»
TRUMP SNUBS CANADA BY WITHDRAWING COUNTRY’S INVITE TO JOIN ‘MOST PRESTIGIOUS BOARD OF LEADERS EVER’
The Vatican announced it will not participate in President Trump’s Gaza recovery board. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
«The important thing is that an attempt is being made to provide a response,» he said. «However, for us there are certain critical issues that should be resolved.»
Parolin continued, «One concern is that, at the international level it should above all be the UN that manages these crisis situations. This is one of the points on which we have insisted.»
Pope Leo, the first U.S. pope, received an invitation to join the peace board in January.
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The Vatican declined to join a U.S.-backed board tasked with overseeing post-war efforts in Gaza. (Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP via Getty Images)
Leaders from 17 countries participated in the initial charter signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, in late January, including presidents and other senior government officials from Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Central and Southeast Asia.
Israel formally joined the board last week ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump at the White House.
Several other countries were also invited by the White House, including Russia, Belarus, France, Germany, Vietnam, Finland, Ukraine, Ireland, Greece and China.
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President Donald Trump’s newly formed Board of Peace will move forward without Vatican participation. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Poland and Italy on Wednesday said they would not join.
Trump announced Sunday that board members have pledged more than $5 billion in aid for Gaza.
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The president said the funding would be formally pledged during a meeting Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
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