President Donald Trump said Friday he wants an “immediate” ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine and warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make peace or lose American support.
Trump says he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched the invasion of Ukraine three years ago, is ready for a peace deal.
The statement comes after Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelenskyy for being “disrespectful” in an extraordinary Oval Office meeting, then abruptly called off the signing of a minerals deal with the U.S.
In a Fox News interview, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine won’t enter peace talks with Russia until it has security guarantees against another offensive.
Here's the latest:
What they said: Trump, Zelenskyy and Vance’s heated argument in the Oval Office
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Friday berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the war in Ukraine, accusing him of not showing gratitude after he challenged Vance on the question of diplomacy with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
The argument in the Oval Office was broadcast globally. It led to the rest of Zelenskyy’s White House visit being canceled and called into question how much the U.S. will still support Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion.
▶ Read a transcript of the key moments of the exchange
FBI to return personal papers of Trump’s it seized while searching for classified records
The FBI is returning some personal papers of Trump’s that it seized during a search for classified records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2022, the White House says.
FBI agents seized documents with top-secret information during that search, along with personal papers Trump took with him after he left the White House after his first term.
White House counselor Alina Habba said the material being returned included Trump’s “personal” property.
Oregon Democrat skipping Trump address for town hall
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden says he’ll skip Trump’s primetime address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday and instead hold an online town hall.
“In this unprecedented time in American history, my top priority is making sure Oregonians from every corner of our state can keep weighing in directly with me,” he said in a statement Friday.
On the social media site Bluesky this week, Wyden shared a news article outlining wariness from some House Republicans about hosting town halls and facing constituents angry with the administration.
“Cowards, every single one of them,” Wyden wrote.
Wyden has joined with other Democrats in criticism of actions taken by the Trump administration, including recent firings of federal workers.
House Democratic leader says US-Ukraine relationship must be salvaged ‘for the good of the free world’
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the U.S.-Ukraine relationship “has to be salvaged for the good of the free world.”
Jeffries said American support for Ukraine is anchored in the country’s own national security interests.
“America is stronger when Russia is weaker,” he said on CNN. “We cannot allow Russia to succeed here.”
Jeffries of New York dismissed the idea of boycotting Trump’s joint address to Congress next week, saying lawmakers want to hear from the president.
“That’s our House. It’s the people’s House. It’s the House of Representatives. And so it’s certainly my view that you’re going to see significant presence of House Democrats on the floor of the House to hear what the president has to say,” Jeffries said.
Nearly 2 dozen states demand a court order Trump administration to release millions in FEMA funds
In January, U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell granted a temporary restraining order halting the broader freeze on federal grants and loans, but he has yet to make a decision on a more prolonged preliminary injunction. Earlier this month, he also demanded the agencies comply with the temporary restraining order — after states complained funds were still being held up.
The states claim in a motion filed Friday that Federal Emergency Management Agency funds remain frozen in at least 16 states for everything from flood plain mitigation to firefighter grants. The states demanded in the motion that McConnell either order the agency to release the funds or get FEMA to explain how they are complying with the order.
“These grants comprise millions of dollars in essential health, safety and welfare funds for wildfire prevention response, flood mitigation, and emergency management that are not timely flowing to the States,” the states wrote.
Social Security Administration says it plans to cut 7,000 jobs
The agency sent a news release Friday afternoon stating that it plans to cut 7,000 jobs from its payroll of roughly 57,000 workers.
“Rumor of a 50 percent reduction is false,” the release says.
On Thursday evening, the agency sent out a news release outlining plans for “significant workforce reductions,” employee reassignments from “non-mission critical positions to mission critical direct service positions,” and an offer of voluntary separation agreements.
The agency said in its letter to workers that reassignments “may be involuntary and may require retraining for new workloads.”
It’s unclear how the layoffs will directly impact the 72.5 million Social Security beneficiaries, which include retirees and children. However, advocates and Democratic lawmakers warn layoffs will reduce the agency’s ability to serve recipients in a timely manner.
Trump administration approves major nearly $3 billion arms sale to Israel
The Trump administration has approved a major nearly $3 billion arms sale to Israel, bypassing a normal congressional review to provide the country with more of the 2,000-pound bombs that it has used in its war against Hamas in Gaza.
In a series of notifications sent to Congress late Friday, the State Department said it had signed off on the sale of more than 35,500 MK 84 and BLU-117 bombs and 4,000 Predator warheads worth $2.04 billion.
Deliveries are set to begin next year, it said.
▶ Read more about the arms sale to Israel
Zelenskyy says Ukrainians distrust Putin, won’t discuss peace without security guarantees
Zelenskyy says Ukraine won’t enter peace talks with Russia until it has security guarantees against another offensive.
Responding to Trump’s claim that Zelenskyy isn’t interested in peace, the Ukrainian leader told Fox News host Bret Baier that nobody wants to finish the war more than Ukrainians. But even if he gave an order to stop fighting, Zelenskyy said, “nobody will just stop” because everyone is afraid “Putin will come back tomorrow.”
“We want just and lasting peace,” Zelenskyy said.
He said the Oval Office spat with Trump was “not good for both sides” but he believes his relationship with Trump can be salvaged.
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This item has been updated to correct that the spelling of the Fox News host's name is Bret Baier, not Brett.
Firings at US weather and oceans agency risk lives and economy, former agency heads warn
The federal weather and oceans agency touches people’s daily lives in unnoticed ways, so massive firings there will likely cause needless deaths and a big hit to America’s economy, according to the people who ran it.
The first round of firings started Thursday at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a government agency that monitors the oceans, the atmosphere where storms roam and space, and puts out hundreds of “products” daily. Those products generally save lives and money, experts say.
NOAA’s 301 billion weather forecasts every year reach 96% of American households.
The firings are “going to affect safety of flight, safety of shipping, safety of everyday Americans,” Admiral Tim Gallaudet told The Associated Press Friday. Trump appointed Gallaudet as acting NOAA chief during his last administration. “Lives are at risk for sure.”
Elon Musk has repeatedly defended federal workforce cuts by his Department of Government Efficiency as “common sense.”
▶ Read more about the firings at NOAA
Trump says he wants ‘immediate’ ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine
Trump said Friday that he wants an “immediate” ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine and warned Zelenskyy to make peace or lose U.S. support.
Trump continued his pressure on the Ukrainian leader in comments to reporters before he left the White House for his home in Florida.
“I want it to end immediately,” Trump said. “I want a ceasefire now.”
He repeated his earlier comments that Ukraine has a weak hand, saying “you can’t embolden somebody that doesn’t have the cards.” Without U.S. support, he said, Ukraine will lose.
“You saw what I saw today,” Trump said. “This is a man that wants to get us signed up and keep fighting. We’re not doing that.”
European leaders pledge to stand by Ukraine after confrontational Oval Office meeting with Trump
European leaders pledged late Friday to stand by Ukraine in the wake of the contentious Oval Office meeting between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Zelenskyy, with their statements in support of their neighbor on the continent ensuring a deepening transatlantic rift.
European leaders already were shaken by Vance’s speech to the Munich Security Conference two weeks ago in which he lectured them about the state of their democracy. As prime ministers and presidents across the continent scrambled to respond, they have held a series of emergency summits to discuss security.
Another major summit is scheduled for Sunday in London.
▶ Read more about Europe’s response to the Oval Office blowup
FBI to return property taken from Trump during classified document search, White House says
The White House says the FBI is returning property to Trump that was taken during a search for classified records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2022.
It was not immediately clear exactly what materials were being returned to him.
FBI agents seized documents with top-secret information during that search, and Trump was ultimately indicted on charges of hoarding classified records and obstructing the FBI’s efforts to recover files that he took with him after he left the White House at the end of his first term.
The case was dismissed last summer by a Trump-appointed judge who concluded that special counsel Jack Smith’s appointment was illegal. It was later withdrawn by Smith following Trump’s election win in November.
Spokesperson Steven Cheung says the White House is “taking possession of the boxes today and loading them onto Air Force One.”
British prime minister speaks with Trump and Zelenskyy after their Oval Office meeting
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with both Trump and Zelenskyy after their meeting Friday and maintained his strong support for Ukraine, his office said in a statement.
“He retains unwavering support for Ukraine, and is doing all he can to find a path forward to a lasting peace based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine,” the statement said.
Starmer, who had a good rapport with Trump during a meeting at the White House on Thursday, is hosting a summit of European leaders Sunday in London to discuss support for Ukraine and the security of the continent.
He plans to meet with Zelenskyy in advance of the meeting.
14 Democratic governors release statement of solidarity with Ukraine
The statement was signed by more than half of the party’s 23 governors. In it, they said Trump and Vance used the Oval Office to “berate” Zelenskyy “for not trusting Vladimir Putin’s word.”
“Americans must protect our strong democratic values on the world stage instead of undermining President Zelensky’s work to fight for his nation and the freedom of his people after being invaded by Russia,” they said.
The governor’s who signed the statement were: Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Tony Evers of Wisconsin, Bob Ferguson of Washington, Maura Healey of Massachusetts, Kathy Hochul of New York, Laura Kelly of Kansas, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Janet Mills of Maine, Phil Murphy of New Jersey, JB Pritzker of Illinois, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Josh Stein of North Carolina, Tim Walz of Minnesota and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.
RFK Jr. says nation’s health agency is supplying vaccines in Texas measles outbreak
Kennedy laid out the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ response to a West Texas outbreak that’s infected 146 people and killed a child, two days after he dismissed the epidemic as “not unusual.”
“My heart goes out to the families impacted by the current measles outbreak in TX,” Kennedy said in a Friday afternoon post on X. “I recognize the serious impact of this outbreak on families, children, and healthcare workers.”
Kennedy, a vaccine critic, said the federal agency has helped dispense 2,000 doses of the MMR vaccine and will “continue to fund” the state’s immunization program.
Regional officials in Ukraine express support for Zelenskyy
Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv region which borders Russia, praised President Zelenskyy after his tense exchange with Trump and Vance in the Oval Office.
“Our leader, despite the pressure, stands firm in defending the interests of Ukraine and Ukrainians,” Syniehubov said.
From the Donetsk region, which has seen the most intense fighting, regional head Vadym Filashkin said victory for Ukraine was “victory for all democracies and the entire civilized world.”
And regional head Oleksandr Prokudin from the the southern Kherson region, which was mostly occupied in 2022 and then partially liberated by Ukrainian forces, acknowledged the support from other European nations, adding that three years of war had hardened Ukrainians.
“We know what pressure is—on the front lines, in politics, in daily struggle,” Prokudin said. “It has made us stronger. It has made the President stronger. Determination is the force that drives us forward. And I am confident that we will endure this time as well.”
Italy’s premier proposes ‘immediate summit’ between the US and Europe
Giorgia Meloni says she wants leaders to be able “to speak frankly about how we intend to face today’s great challenges, starting with Ukraine.”
In a statement following the open clash between Trump and Zelenskyy, Meloni urged the West to stay united.
“Every division of the West makes us all weaker and favors those who would like to see the decline of our civilization,” she said. “A division would not benefit anyone.”
Zelenskyy says ‘thank you’ to European leaders on X
European leaders across the continent echoed their loyalty to Ukraine in posts on X, prompting Zelenskyy to reply “thank you for your support” to each — likely a dig at the Trump administration.
During the extraordinary meeting Friday in Washington, Trump chided Zelenskyy after Vance, one of the administration’s most skeptical voices on Ukraine, said Zelenskyy was being disrespectful for debating Trump in the Oval Office in front of the American media.
“Have you said ‘thank you’ once?” Vance asked Zelenskyy.
Canadian foreign minister addresses ‘unpredictability’ and ‘chaos’
“We believe in supporting Ukraine,” Mélanie Joly said. “Clearly the Russians are noting the interaction that happened today. Our goal is to make sure we can continue to support Ukrainians and keep strong G-7 unity amidst all this unpredictability and sometimes even chaos.”
Hungarian prime minister praises Trump for his conduct in the Oval Office
Viktor Orbán also cast Zelenskyy as working against peace in his own country.
“Strong men make peace, weak men make war,” Orbán wrote on X. “Today President Donald Trump stood bravely for peace. Even if it was difficult for many to digest. Thank you, Mr. President!”
Orbán is a consistent backer of the Kremlin and has been outspokenly antagonistic against neighboring Ukraine. After winning the last Hungarian elections in 2022, less than six weeks after Russia’s full-scale invasion, he cited Zelenskyy as one of the opponents he had defeated in the campaign.
Zelenskyy cancels think tank appearance after tumultuous meeting with Trump
Zelenskyy canceled a planned appearance at a Washington think tank after his tumultuous meeting with Trump.
An audience of diplomats, journalists and others already had filed in at the Hudson Institute when the research center’s executive vice president, Joel Scanlon, announced that Ukrainian officials were cancelling. Scanlon soon after took a call on speaker saying the Ukrainians were “wavering” about appearing after all, but announced a half-hour later Zelenskyy’s appearance was definitely off.
Placards on the seats indicated Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, was among those expected to attend.
US treasury secretary criticizes Zelenskyy after heated meeting
Speaking to Bloomberg, Scott Bessent, who took a lead role in negotiating the critical minerals deal the two leaders were set to sign on Friday before Trump directed Zelenskyy to be shown the door early, claimed Zelenskyy showed “disrespect of the American people.”
“You don’t do a negotiation with the President of the United States in public like this,” Bessent said, saying Zelenskyy could have raised issues of disagreement in private with Trump over a planned lunch. “He chose to let things go into a downward spiral on worldwide television.”
“We’ll see if there’s any coming back” for Zelenskyy, Bessent added.
Cheney: Trump and Vance ‘abandoned all we stand for’
“Today, Donald Trump and JD Vance attacked Zelenskyy and pressured him to surrender the freedom of his people to the KGB war criminal who invaded Ukraine,” former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney wrote on X, referencing Putin’s early career as a Soviet intelligence officer. “History will remember this day— when an American President and Vice President abandoned all we stand for.”
Cheney famously lost her seat in Congress to a Trump-backed challenger after she was fiercely critical of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Top Democrat on House Foreign Affairs Committee calls Trump a ‘laughingstock’
Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York also said the president was “an existential danger” following his testy exchange with Zelenskyy in the White House.
“He is both a petulant child that demands displays of loyalty in court, and a tyrant with sympathies for autocrats and dictators, so long as they stroke his ego or enrich him and his family,” Meeks said in a statement.
“Trump’s actions today undermined U.S. leadership, emboldened our adversaries, humiliated both himself and his Republican Party, and insulted the generations of Americans who fought and died to build America’s standing in the world,” he said.
Russian lawmaker calls outcome of meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy ‘brilliant’
Longtime Russian lawmaker Andrei Klishas hailed the outcome of the contentious Oval Office meeting as “a brilliant result” in a social media post on Friday.
Klishas called Zelenskyy a “clown” in the post on the messaging app Telegram, a derogatory term Russian officials often use in regards to Ukraine’s president, and said he “played his role of a ‘president’ poorly in the White House and was thrown out for bad behavior and disrespect towards the U.S.”
Another lawmaker, Alexei Zhuravlev, told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti that while Zelenskyy “may have lost the trust of the United States completely, ... this doesn’t mean that the war will end.”
‘Without real security guarantees, war will return,’ Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff says
Ukraine’s head of the President’s Office who is part of the Ukrainian delegation in the U.S. said that “security is more than just a word — without real guarantees, war will return.”
“Security is not just a word. It means life, a future without sirens, without losses, without fear for our loved ones,” Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram.
He added that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues to fight for those defending a just and lasting peace. Yermak also thanked those who recognize that Ukraine is more than just a point on the map.
“We are deeply grateful to the American people for their support. It brings us closer to the day when war will be just a memory,” he wrote.
Russian drone attacks target multiple regions across Ukraine
Russian strikes continue across Ukraine, with multiple regions affected.
Ukraine’s Air Force has warned of a Russian strike drone operating over the country’s northern, eastern, and southern regions. In Mykolaiv, local officials reported explosions in the city, while in Odesa, the mayor urged residents to take shelter.
Russian drones attack Ukrainian cities every night, hitting areas across the country.
European leaders pledge to stand by Ukraine in the wake of the contentious Oval Office meeting
Prime ministers, presidents and foreign ministers across the continent issued statements or took to social platform X to express their support for Zelenskyy and Ukraine.
The strongest comments so far have come from French President Emmanuel Macron, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and the foreign minister from Estonia, which borders Russia.
“The only obstacle to peace is the decision by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to continue his war of aggression,” Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a statement. “If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no Ukraine. Estonia’s support for Ukraine remains unwavering. It is time for Europe to step up. We do not need to wait for something else to happen; Europe has enough resources, including Russia’s frozen assets, to enable Ukraine to continue fighting.”
Officials from Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany and Poland also offered their support to Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister: ‘Zelenskyy has the bravery and strength to stand up for what Is right’
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted on X that “President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has the bravery and strength to stand up for what is right.”
“He stands up for Ukraine and the goal of a just and lasting peace. We have always been and will continue to be grateful to America for its support,” he wrote.
Sen. Lindsay Graham questions whether the US can continue to work with Zelenskyy
“What I saw in the Oval office was disrespectful and I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelenskyy again,” Graham told reporters outside the West Wing.
He said Zelenskyy has “made it almost impossible to sell to the American people that he’s a good investment.”
Graham called the meeting a “complete, utter disaster” and said he’s “never been more proud” of Trump.
Asked whether Zelenskyy should step aside, Graham responded: “He either needs to resign or send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change.”
Senator insists ‘strong bipartisan coalition’ in Congress stands with Ukraine
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who was among about 10 senators meeting with Zelenskyy earlier Friday morning, remained hopeful the situation at the White House wouldn’t derail U.S. support for the ally as it battles the Russian invasion.
“My strong and passionate hope is that the talks can be resumed or restored, and this event won’t derail continued support,” the senator told The Associated Press.
The morning meeting with Republican and Democratic senators, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, was “enthusiastically positive and upbeat,” he said. They even spoke about a potential U.S. treaty or memorandum of understanding of U.S. support for Ukraine, he said.
“I have very strong hopes that the coalition we have in Congress — and it is a very strong bipartisan coalition — will be persuasive to the administration and others that we have a long-term national security interest in Ukraine prevailing over Putin’s brazen aggression.”
After Oval Office meeting, an attempt was made to get things back on track, official says
After the contentious meeting, Zelenskyy and his delegation moved to a different room and the Ukrainian leader made an effort to try to reset and get the visit back on track, according to a White House official.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversations, said National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio communicated to the Ukrainians that Trump wanted Zelenskyy to leave the White House immediately.
— Zeke Miller
Some Republican supporters of Ukraine lamented his meeting with Trump descending into open debate
In a statement, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said it was “A bad day for America’s foreign policy.”
“Ukraine wants independence, free markets and rule of law. It wants to be part of the West. Russia hates us and our Western values. We should be clear that we stand for freedom,” Bacon said.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., called the meeting “a missed opportunity for both the United States and Ukraine” on X and added that “Having this spill out into public view was a disaster — especially for Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy had met with a bipartisan group of senators before his White House meeting, including GOP Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Neither immediately commented on the Oval Office meeting.
Zelenskyy: ‘Thank you America’
Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to the American people but did not directly address his meeting with Trump and Vance in a post on X.
“Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people,” Zelenskyy wrote. “Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”
Senior Russian official says Zelenskyy got a ‘fierce scolding’ by Trump
The deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, said Zelenskyy got a “fierce scolding” in the Oval Office, adding that Russia “must stop military aid” being given to Ukraine.
Journalists for Russian state television appeared shocked by the breakdown in diplomacy between Trump and Zelenskyy but pleased with Trump’s comments. The meeting between Zelenskyy, Trump and Vance “stopped observing the limits of decency” and will “probably go down in history,” Russian state news anchor Alexander Kareevsky said on evening broadcasts, adding nothing similar has been seen in “diplomatic history.”
A correspondent for the Russia 24 state news channel said after the meeting that “it is clear that there can be no talk of any deliveries or further weapons,” to Ukraine and Zelenskyy “is leaving with nothing.” Kareevsky responded by saying Zelenskyy “went to buy himself a jacket after all,” referring to Trump’s comment where he asked the Ukrainian leader why he wasn’t wearing a suit.
Several Republican senators rally to Trump after tense Oval Office meeting with Zelenskyy
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, thanked Trump for “standing up for OUR COUNTRY and putting America first” in a post on X.
Other GOP senators who voiced clear support for Trump shortly after the interaction on social media include Florida Sen. Rick Scott, Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, Missouri Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt, Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty and West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice.
Elon Musk: ‘Zelenskyy destroyed himself in the eyes of the American people’
Musk was weighing in on X about the contentious White House meeting with Trump.
Starlink, the satellite communications network owned by Musk-led SpaceX, has been crucial to Ukraine’s defense. Musk has also been in regular contact with Putin.
French President Emmanuel Macron reacts to Oval Office blow up between Trump and Zelenskyy
Macron said he believes “we all were right to have helped Ukraine and sanctioned Russia three years ago, and to continue to do so.”
“There’s an aggressor, which is Russia, and a people attacked, which is Ukraine,” Macron told reporters as he was on a state visit to Portugal.
He added: “We must thank all those who helped and respect those who have been fighting since the beginning.”
In Ukraine, much of the immediate reaction to the meeting with Trump was supportive of Zelenskyy
“Unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s interests and devotion to his country. This is what we saw today in the United States. Support for the President of Ukraine,” Vice Prime Minister for the Reconstruction of Ukraine and the Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, Oleksii Kuleba, wrote on Telegram on Friday.
Leaders of regions across the country also took to social media to back Zelenskyy.
“In the fight for the fate of the country — fundamentally unshakable. Unquestioning support for Volodymyr Zelensky. Endurance to our leader. We believe in the President! We believe in Ukraine,” Serhii Lysak, head of Ukraine’s eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, which sits approximately 3 miles from where Russian forces are currently advancing on the battlefield.
The Associated Press
