Vance solidifies dominance driving European foreign policy ahead of Greenland trip
Vice President JD Vance refuses to mince his words with European allies. From blasting European nations on censorship issues, to publicly urging Ukrainian Vice President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to express gratitude for U.S. support during its conflict with Russia, Vance has secured his spot as a vocal advocate and messenger for the Trump administration’s “America First” agenda. Now Vance has another opportunity to deliver the Trump administration’s gospel. He will be visiting Greenland Friday amid efforts from President Donald Trump to check off another foreign policy win for his administration and acquire the Danish territory. While, historically, vice presidents have resorted to the wings and allowed the president to take center stage on foreign policy issues, that is not the case for Vance. He is in the foreign policy spotlight now. JD VANCE STEPS INTO SPOTLIGHT DEFENDING TRUMP’S FOREIGN POLICY IN OVAL OFFICE DUSTUP WITH ZELENSKYY “He’s someone who’s not going to just sit by and stand back like Mike Pence did a lot of the times,” a GOP source familiar with Trump’s “America First” agenda told Fox News Digital on Thursday. “He’s really taking the charge.” Vance and second lady Usha Vance, along with National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, are poised to visit Pituffik Space Base in Greenland Friday, the Department of Defense’s northernmost military installation that houses Space Force’s 821st Space Base Group to conduct missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations. Vance’s departure from his predecessors and involvement in the foreign policy theater stems from a generational shift following the Global War on Terror, according to Republican Rep. Brian Mast of Florida. While former vice presidents Mike Pence and Joe Biden had no direct military experience, that’s not the case for the current cohort of foreign policy leaders at the White House. Vance, who served for four years in the Marine Corps and completed a deployment to Iraq, and Waltz, a former Army Green Beret who served four deployments to Afghanistan, are now calling the shots on foreign policy initiatives for the White House’s agenda. “Like myself, Mike Waltz, and others, he served in the Global War on Terror and saw firsthand the damage of bad foreign policy,” Mast, a combat veteran who lost both his legs during a deployment to Afghanistan, said in a Thursday statement to Fox News Digital. “Unlike other vice presidents, JD’s not afraid to go out there and talk about what he cares about — and what he cares about is putting America First.” VANCE EVISCERATES ‘SOVIET’-STYLE EUROPEAN CENSORSHIP IN ADDRESS TO MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE The Trump administration has accused Denmark of neglecting Greenland, and Trump has said that acquiring Greenland is critical for national security purposes as a strategic area in the Arctic. But leaders in Denmark and Greenland remain unequivocally opposed to Greenland becoming part of the U.S., although Greenland’s prime minister has called for independence from Copenhagen. Meanwhile, Denmark has come under scrutiny for its treatment of indigenous people from Greenland. A group of indigenous women from Greenland sued the Danish government in May 2024 and accused Danish health officials of fitting them with intrauterine devices without their knowledge between the 1960s and 1970s. Denmark and Greenland launched an investigation into the matter in 2022, and the report is expected for release this year. A senior White House official said in a statement to Fox News Digital that Denmark’s treatment of the people of Greenland will be a prominent aspect of the visit. “Unfortunately, Danish leaders have spent decades mistreating the Greenlandic people, treating them like second-class citizens and allowing infrastructure on the island to fall into disrepair. Expect the Vice President to emphasize these points as well,” the official said. Greenland is rich in natural resources, including oil and natural gas, and both Russia and China have bolstered their presence in the region in recent years. HEGSETH SAYS HE AND VANCE ARE ‘ON THE SAME PAGE’ DESPITE VP’S REMARK ON US TROOPS IN UKRAINE Mast also pointed out how European countries are now vowing to bolster defense spending as an example of Vance’s leadership. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen put forth an $841 billion proposal March 4 for European Union nations to enhance defense spending. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged in February to boost his country’s defense spending to 2.5% of its gross domestic value. That is an increase from the 2.3% the U.K. currently spends, and amounts to a nearly $17 billion increase. As a result, Mast said that Vance’s approach is proving successful in lighting a fire under European allies to take action. “He wants to make sure America is not being taken advantage of, or being taken for granted,” Mast said. “We need a Europe that steps up and is an equal partner, because if you are not a partner, then you are a dependent. Europe needs to hear this tough talk, and it’s already working.” Vance’s tough stance on Europe emerged recently when messages from a group chat discussing strikes against Yemen leaked on Monday, according to a report from the Atlantic. The group chat, which included White House officials like Waltz and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, outlined plans to strike Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Vance initially remained skeptical of the strikes, and in one message, he said: “I just hate bailing out the Europeans again.” Vance has signaled such views publicly as well in recent appearances. At the Munich Security Conference in February, he laid out the Trump administration’s stance that Europe “step up in a big way to provide for its own defense,” while also cautioning that Russia and China don’t jeopardize as great a threat to European nations as the “threat from within,” in regard to issues like censorship and illegal immigration. European leaders decried the statements, and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he interpreted the remarks as a comparison to “conditions in parts of Europe with those in authoritarian regimes.” When Zelenskyy visited the White House in February, Vance also didn’t shy away from
Moment Israeli strike flattens Beirut building
NewsFeed Video captured the moment an Israeli air attack levelled a multi-storey building in Beirut. Israel’s military carried out a series of bombings in Lebanon’s capital on Friday after accusing Hezbollah of firing rockets. Published On 28 Mar 202528 Mar 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Real Madrid coach Ancelotti to go on trial for alleged tax fraud
Prosecutors seek jail term for Italian, who has won football’s Champions League title on a record five occasions. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti will go on trial next week for allegedly failing to declare income to Spain’s tax office. Prosecutors are seeking a jail term of four years and nine months for the 65-year-old Italian, accusing him of costing Spain’s treasury more than $1.1m in undeclared earnings from image rights in 2014 and 2015. The trial will begin on Wednesday and is expected to last two days, a spokesman for the court said on Friday. Ancelotti, who as a coach has won a record five Champions League trophies including three with Real Madrid, must be present for the hearings, the spokesman added. Prosecutors accuse him of only declaring in his tax returns the personal remuneration received from Real Madrid during those two years even though he declared himself to be a tax resident in Spain and indicated his home was in Madrid. They accuse Ancelotti of allegedly setting up a “confusing” and “complex” system of shell companies to hide his extra earnings from his image rights as well as from other sources such as real estate. Advertisement Ancelotti earned $1.33m in 2014 from the sale of his image rights and $3.19m in 2015, according to prosecutors. Ancelotti, right, added French superstar Kylian Mbappe to his Real Madrid squad that lifted the LaLiga and Champions League double last season [Susana Vera/Reuters] A Spanish court in 2023 ordered Ancelotti to stand trial over the affair but did not set a date. Ancelotti dismissed the affair last year as “an old story that I hope will be resolved soon” when he was asked about the case. He took over at Real Madrid in 2013, leaving in May 2015, before being appointed by Bayern Munich the following year. The former Italy international midfielder, who as a player won the European Cup twice with AC Milan, later managed Napoli and Everton before returning to Real Madrid in 2021. Aside from his success in the Champions League, he has won domestic league titles with Madrid and Milan, in England with Chelsea, in Germany with Bayern Munich and in France with Paris Saint-Germain. Spain has cracked down in recent years on top football players who have not paid their dues. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were both found guilty of tax evasion and received prison sentences that were waived for being first-time offenders. Former Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho received a one-year suspended sentence after reaching a guilty plea for tax fraud in 2019. Colombian superstar artist Shakira in 2023 agreed to receive a three-year suspended sentence and pay $7.86m in fines to settle a tax fraud case and avoid trial. Advertisement Prosecutors had accused the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer of defrauding the Spanish state of 14.5 million euros ($15.6m) on income earned between 2012 and 2014, charges Shakira denied, saying she only moved to Spain full-time in 2015. Adblock test (Why?)
Voices from Gaza: Protests demand an end to war and suffering
Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza – For the third consecutive day, Hassan Saad, 38, and hundreds of others took to the streets in Beit Lahiya, demanding an end to their suffering and a halt to the war on Gaza. Saad is one of the protest coordinators, working with 14 others who he says came together spontaneously to organise the demonstrations. The main trigger, Saad explains, was a Facebook discussion after new Israeli eviction orders were issued last Monday. “The nightmare of displacement once again was the primary reason that pushed us to do something to demand an end to the war on Gaza,” Saad told Al Jazeera by phone from Beit Lahiya on Thursday. “The idea of taking to the streets in protests, holding signs calling for an immediate end to the war, was born.” Saad was forced to flee Beit Lahiya two months into Israel’s war on Gaza. On January 27, when hundreds of thousands of displaced residents were allowed back to northern Gaza, he returned to the rubble of his home. Going back to bombings and eviction notices from the Israeli army was more than the Facebook group’s members could bear, Saad added. Advertisement He attributes the response to the sense of abandonment felt by Palestinians, as the world, in his words, has left them to face displacement, starvation, killing, bombardment, and arrests alone. On Tuesday, videos began to appear on social media of hundreds of people in Gaza, particularly in Beit Lahiya, chanting against the war and calling for Hamas to step down. ‘We raise our children, only to lose them’ The demand for Hamas to relinquish power was not an official goal, Saad clarified, rather, the call came spontaneously from protesters. “It’s difficult to control people’s opinions during protests, especially when they are exhausted and deeply frustrated,” Saad added. “The people’s demands stem from an unbearable reality … If ending the war requires Hamas to step aside, then so be it.” However, Saad added, he rejects any political exploitation of the protests to attack Hamas and the Palestinian resistance. “Whether we agree or disagree with Hamas, they’re ultimately part of our people … They’re not from another planet,” he added. Commenting on the protests, Hamas Political Bureau member Basem Naim said on Facebook: “Everyone has the right to cry out in pain and raise their voice against the aggression against our people and the betrayal of our nation. “Whether our people have taken to the streets or not, we are part of them and they are part of us,” he continued, denouncing any exploitation of the situation, “whether to advance dubious political agendas or to deflect responsibility from the criminal aggressor, the occupation and its army.” Hisham al-Barawi protested in Beit Lahiya, Gaza, on March 26, 2025 [Abdelhakim Abu Riash, Al Jazeera] As images of the demonstrations in Beit Lahiya circulated, commentators inside and outside Gaza offered differing interpretations. Advertisement Some see them as a natural expression of the majority’s demands – an end to Israel’s war of extermination against Gaza. Others focused on the call for Hamas to relinquish control of the Strip and allow a restructuring to facilitate an end to the war. Munthir al-Hayek, Gaza spokesperson for Fatah – Hamas’s political rival that dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA) – wrote on Facebook, urging Hamas to “heed the people’s voice” and step down, enabling the PA and the Palestine Liberation Organization to assume responsibility. On the Israeli side, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee expressed support for the protests, framing them as wholly anti-Hamas. In Gaza, these varying framings have sown confusion about the demonstrations’ motivations, but organisers – and al-Barawi – insist that the core demand is ending the war. Hisham al-Barawi, 52, a protest participant, told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that, contrary to media claims, they were not “led” into the streets by any external forces. “We’re here to say: ‘enough oppression and death.’ Every two years, we go through wars. We raise our children for years, only to lose them. “We build our homes, only for them to be bombed in seconds. We’re exhausted … we’re only human!” al-Barawi shouted. “Hamas … we do not hate them. But I call on them to step down. Their 18 years of rule were filled with wars and escalations. We want to live in peace.” Mahmoud Jihad Al-Haj Ahmed, 34, a doctor at Kamal Adwan Hospital, joins the protest calls for an end to the war on March 26, 2025 [Abdelhakim Abu Riash, Al Jazeera] ‘We just want to live’ Marching near al-Barawi was Mahmoud Jihad al-Haj Ahmed, 34, a doctor at Kamal Adwan Hospital. Advertisement “Our protests are independent. We want the war to stop. We refuse to have our lives gambled with any further,” he said. “We need humanitarian aid. We need border crossings to open. We need a dignified life.” Al-Haj Ahmed recounted Israel killing his parents and sister, but he did not have time to grieve as his work at the hospital consumed him until the day the Israeli army forced everyone inside to leave. “We have so many children and youngsters who are amputees … so many wounded people who need to travel for treatment, but they’re blocked from leaving,” he said. “It’s dire.” Regarding the calls for Hamas to relinquish power, al-Haj Ahmed said that if Hamas stepping down would alleviate people’s suffering, he would support that without hesitation. “This requires prioritising the greater public interest. The suffering is unbearable,” he said. Saed Falafel, 60, a resident of Beit Lahiya, takes part in the protest on March 26, 2025 [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera] “I believe the solution is a completely independent local administration with no political affiliations to govern Gaza and lead us out of this crisis. “I urge our brothers in Hamas to give others a chance to govern Gaza. The next leadership does not have to be against Hamas, we have many competent national figures who can manage the Strip.” Saed Falafel, 60, has also been protesting,
Yogi government gears up to run ‘special campaigns’ in Uttar Pradesh starting from THIS date, it aims to…
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government is gearing up to run special campaigns across the state, starting from April 1.
‘Are you truly an Indian’?: Mamata Banerjee refutes prediction of India becoming world’s largest economy, draws flak from BJP
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, during her official visit to the United Kingdom, disagreed with a prediction that India would become the world’s largest economy by 2060, drawing flak from the BJP.
HUD chief puts illegal aliens living in government-funded housing on notice: Americans are ‘our only priority’
PHILADELPHIA — Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner warned illegal immigrants living in government-funded housing, telling Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that HUD is prioritizing only Americans under the Trump administration. “Those that are here illegally, that are living in HUD-funded public housing, we’re putting (them) on notice this is not acceptable,” Turner told Fox News Digital from Philadelphia, as he toured the city’s recent HUD successes and met with local housing and business leaders. “We will not have it anymore,” “At HUD, we only serve one out of four Americans that we should be serving, and that has to come to an end,” Turner continued. “And so we’re not only making it a priority, but we are making that our only priority, that American citizens will benefit from hard-working American taxpayer dollars.” The HUD secretary has been on an immigration blitz, including joining forces with Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to form a new interagency initiative aimed at ensuring that federal housing funds do not go to illegal immigrants. The pair of Trump officials signed a Memorandum of Understanding Monday that solidified the partnership in its effort to end “wasteful misappropriation” of taxpayer-funded public housing resources that previously benefited illegal immigrants who flooded the nation under the Biden administration. HUD ENDS FHA MORTGAGES FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: ‘SHOULD BENEFIT AMERICANS WHO PLAY BY THE RULES’ “American tax dollars should be used for the benefit of American citizens, especially when it comes to an issue as pressing as our nation’s housing crisis,” Turner said Monday. “This new agreement will leverage resources, including technology and personnel, to ensure American people are the only priority when it comes to public housing. We will continue to work closely with DHS to maximize our resources and put American citizens first.” On Wednesday, Turner announced that his department had axed taxpayer-backed Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgages for illegal immigrants. Turner said after announcing the change that HUD-backed mortgages should benefit Americans “who play by the rules and work hard, not those who enter our country illegally.” HUD JOINS FORCES WITH DHS TO ENSURE FEDERAL HOUSING RESOURCES GO TO US CITIZENS, NOT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Turner told Fox News Digital Thursday that the Biden administration rolled out “harmful” immigration policies that worsened homelessness across the U.S. and prioritized illegal immigrants over U.S. citizens in need of housing. “We have a homelessness and we have a housing affordability crisis,” he said. “During the Biden administration, there were very harmful, irresponsible border security and immigration policies. They prioritized illegal aliens over American citizens.” HUD TERMINATES OBAMA-ERA HOUSING RULE THAT TRUMP WARNED WOULD ‘DESTROY’ HOME VALUES Turner highlighted to Fox News Digital that “government is not the answer” to issues related to America’s housing crisis, homelessness, drug addiction and crime, but instead must operate as a “partner” to the private sector, faith-based programs and nonprofits. “Homelessness is a big deal in our country,” he said. “It went up 18% in the last year — over 770,000 people on one single night in January of 2024 were homeless, and that’s unacceptable. With record funding coming from HUD, we still have a homelessness crisis in our country.” HUD OFFICES BECAME AS VACANT AS A ‘SPIRIT HALLOWEEN’ STORE UNDER BIDEN: ADMIN SOURCES “Public-private partnerships are vital to eradicating homelessness,” he continued. “Faith-based institutions, nonprofit institutions that are doing the work on a daily basis, we have to partner. The federal government is not the answer. The federal government is a great partner, a great facilitator. But it’s the private sector, it’s faith-based, it’s the nonprofits that really have their hands to the plow and their feet on the ground, that are doing the everyday work.” Turner cited that crime, drug use and illegal immigration have all compounded the U.S.’ housing crisis. Turner traveled to Philadelphia on Thursday to visit “Opportunity Zones” in the City of Brotherly Love. HUD’s Opportunity Zones are defined as economically distressed areas across the nation that incentivize investment and economic development through federal tax benefits to investors. LIBERAL NORTH CAROLINA CITY’S DEI PLAN FOR HURRICANE RELIEF SHUT DOWN BY HUD SECRETARY The HUD secretary previously served as the executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during the first Trump administration, and he led the Opportunity Zones Initiative to revitalize economically distressed areas with affordable housing, and the launch of new businesses — such as the creation of grocery stores in food deserts often found in inner cities. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Josh Hawley believes his bill can stop ‘resistance’ judges from ‘provoking a crisis’
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., a member of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, is confident his new bill to stop federal judges from making nationwide injunctions will stop them from “provoking a crisis.” Earlier this week, the Missouri Republican debuted a measure to “stop nationwide injunctions.” In an interview with Fox News Digital, Hawley explained, “I don’t think these judges have the authority to do that under the Constitution anyway, but they’re trying to and this legislation would make sure they can’t do it.” REPUBLICANS LOOK TO ABOLISH TSA IN FAVOR OF PRIVATE SECURITY AT AIRPORTS The bill was rolled out in response to the slew of nationwide injunctions by federal district judges halting the actions of President Donald Trump’s administration. The number of such orders levied against Trump so far this term exponentially outweighs the number his predecessors saw. The courts have hit him with roughly 15 wide-ranging orders since he took office in January, more than former Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden received during their entire tenures. SCOOP: TOP REPUBLICAN CHUCK GRASSLEY SETS PROMPT HEARING ON JUDGES BLOCKING TRUMP Hawley said he has personally urged Senate Republican leadership to take up his bill. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has not indicated any plans to do so. When asked previously by Fox News Digital if he had ideas for policy regarding the injunctions, or whether he believed Congress needed to act, Thune’s office did not provide comment. He noted to reporters earlier this week that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, was examining the issue. “At the end of the day, there is a process, and there’s an appeals process. And, you know, I suspect that’s ultimately how it’s going to be ended,” Thune said. SENATE CONFIRMS DR MARTY MAKARY AS TRUMP’S FDA CHIEF Hawley believes it should be brought to the floor even with the risk of not overcoming the legislative filibuster’s 60-vote threshold. “If their views have changed, I’d love to hear the explanation for why they have suddenly changed in the space of four months,” he said of Democrat senators, some of whom were critical of nationwide injunctions during the Biden administration. Hawley said he believed Trump would support his bill, given the president’s past public comments calling for ending nationwide injunctions. GOP SENATOR SAYS DR OZ IGNORED HIS QUESTIONS ON TRANSGENDER ISSUES, ABORTION “Unlawful Nationwide Injunctions by Radical Left Judges could very well lead to the destruction of our Country! These people are Lunatics, who do not care, even a little bit, about the repercussions from their very dangerous and incorrect Decisions and Rulings,” Trump recently wrote on Truth Social. “STOP NATIONWIDE INJUNCTIONS NOW, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” he added. Hawley slammed the judges for piling on orders, explaining “they’re just liberal judges who are fancy themselves, part of the resistance, who are willing to do whatever it takes to stop Trump.”
Spanish court overturns ex-footballer Dani Alves’ rape conviction on appeal
Alves had been found guilty in February 2024 of raping a women in a Spanish nightclub in December 2022. Former Barcelona player Dani Alves won his appeal against a sexual assault conviction as a Spanish court overturned the ruling. Alves was found guilty in February 2024 of raping a woman in a nightclub in December 2022 and sentenced to four years, six months in prison. The former Brazil and Barcelona defender denied wrongdoing during the three-day trial. That court ruled Friday that there was “insufficient evidence” to rule out Alves’s presumption of innocence. The Alves trial was the first high-profile case since Spain overhauled its laws in 2022 to make consent central to defining a sex crime, in response to an upswell of protests after a gang-rape case during the San Fermin bull-running festival in Pamplona in 2016. The legislation popularly known as the “only yes means yes” law defines consent as an explicit expression of a person’s will, making it clear that silence or passivity do not equal consent. But the four judges of a Barcelona-based appeals court ruled unanimously to overturn the conviction. In their ruling, they wrote that the testimony of the plaintiff “differed notably” from evidence of video footage taken before the woman and Alves entered the toilet where she said he forced her to have sex without her consent. Former Brazilian footballer Dani Alves leaving the Brians 2 prison on bail in March 2024 while he appealed his rape conviction [Bruna Casas/Reuters] Alves, now 41, was kept in jail from January 20, 2023 until March 2024 when he was released after paying $1.2m for bail while awaiting his appeal. He also handed over his passports, with prosecutors having argued against releasing him on bail because of a possible flight risk. Advertisement Prosecutors wanted his prison sentence increased to nine years while the victim’s lawyer wanted him to stay behind bars for 12 years. This decision could be appealed to the Spanish Supreme Court in Madrid. Alves was one of the most successful players of his generation and won dozens of titles with elite clubs including Barcelona, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain. He also helped Brazil win two Copa Americas and an Olympic gold medal at age 38. He played at his third World Cup, the only major title he hasn’t won, in 2022. He played for Barcelona from 2008-16, helping the team win three Champions Leagues and six Spanish leagues, and briefly rejoined the club in 2022. He still has a residence near the city. He was with Mexican club Pumas when he was arrested. Pumas terminated his contract immediately. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia suffers ‘heavy losses’ in east Ukraine amid shaky limited ceasefire
Russia and Ukraine appeared to have stopped targeting each other’s energy infrastructure this week, although the details of an agreement reached on Sunday were still being worked out. “I can confirm that since this date, March 25 … there have been no attacks on energy objects. Neither Russian attacks on our energy objects, or our attacks on Russian energy objects,” Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi told the Kyiv Independent on Thursday. In reaching the partial ceasefire agreement, the United States appeared to abandon the comprehensive ceasefire proposal it agreed with Ukraine on March 11. Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected it a week later during a phone call with US President Donald Trump, and negotiated a vaguely defined ceasefire on energy and infrastructure instead, to which Ukraine was not a party. (Al Jazeera) The US brought Ukraine on board with the smaller agreement in Jeddah after shuttling between Ukrainian and Russian negotiating teams. Advertisement Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said on Sunday evening that “a ceasefire in our energy sector can begin today”. Russia earlier accused Ukraine of violating the ceasefire. “Despite Zelensky’s public statement … the [Kyiv] regime continued to strike at the energy infrastructure of the Russian Federation,” said Russia’s Ministry of Defence. It accused Ukraine of launching two attack drones over Crimea on Wednesday night targeting an underground gas storage facility, and of launching another drone against a high-tension power line in the Russian regions of Bryansk and Kursk, causing a cascade of blackouts. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces denied those attacks. “The military department of the aggressor country spreads false and groundless accusations in order to prolong the war,” they said. The governors of Crimea, Kursk and Bryansk did not report Ukrainian UAVs in their airspace, as they usually do. Russia has been on a diplomatic messaging offensive over the past 10 days, accusing Ukraine of violating ceasefires it had not agreed to. On Friday it accused Ukraine of blowing up a gas measuring station in Sudzha, in Russia’s Kursk region. (Al Jazeera) Ukraine’s General Staff said Sudzha was “shelled by the Russians themselves” in a “campaign to discredit Ukraine”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov fired back. Ukraine’s denial “shows how much one can trust the Kyiv regime”, he said. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova piled on, too. Ukraine has “already violated the truce proposed by the United States with an attack on the Russian power facility. Now the question is how Washington will continue to be managed with the ‘mad terrorist scum’.” Advertisement Sudzha is the point where a major Russian gas pipeline crosses into Ukraine. The pipeline was essentially defunct after Russia drastically reduced gas flows to Europe in 2022, and was completely shut down on December 31, when a transit contract between Russia and Ukraine expired. Ukraine had abundant opportunity to destroy or shut down Russian gas pipelines crossing its territory throughout three years of war but has not done so. Russia says Ukraine wants to ‘thwart’ peace plans Russia’s messaging on the unreliability of Ukraine has been a consistent theme during the war, and has intensified in recent days in an apparent effort to undermine Ukraine’s negotiating position. For example, after Putin rejected the comprehensive ceasefire in favour of a partial one on March 18, the Kremlin announced unilaterally that the ceasefire was immediately taking effect for 30 days, without Ukrainian agreement. Two days later, Zakharova accused Kyiv of violating the ceasefire by attacking the Engels air force base in Russia. “[Kyiv] wants to thwart peace initiatives, including those put forward by Trump, by attacking Russian energy facilities,” Zakharova said. Zelenskyy’s government “showed a complete lack of political will for peace”, she said. That attack targeted ammunition, Ukraine’s General Staff said on Thursday. It resulted in the destruction of 96 air-launched cruise missiles from secondary detonations. The missiles were to have been used in three air raids against Ukraine in March and April, the staff said. Russia’s Defence Ministry, on the other hand, admitted to striking Ukrainian energy facilities on the first night of Putin’s unilateral ceasefire, and on the following night. (Al Jazeera) One aspect of the March 18 phone call did demonstrably work – Russia and Ukraine exchanged 175 prisoners of war each, and Russia returned to Ukraine an additional 22 hospitalised soldiers. Advertisement But Russia kept up its messaging even on Sunday. As the agreement was announced, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denounced Zelenskyy in an interview with Russia’s Channel One, saying, “We cannot take this man at his word.” That same day, Russia attacked Ukraine with an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 139 Shahed drones. Ukraine shot down 78 of them and disoriented 34 electronically. But other Russian attacks were deadly. Three people were killed in a drone strike in Kyiv on Saturday, including a father and his five-year-old daughter. A family of three were killed in a drone strike in Zaporizhia on Friday. The White House did not respond to Russian assertions, spending the week in a defensive crouch after its top national security officials were revealed to have discussed operational defence plans against Yemeni Houthis on a commercial platform, and inadvertently included a journalist in that discussion. EU and US far apart on ceasefire terms Ukrainian and Russian technical teams were reportedly ironing out aspects of Sunday’s agreement, after separate Russian, Ukrainian and US statements that did not align. In addition to banning strikes on energy infrastructure, the White House said, the agreement aimed to secure safe navigation in the Black Sea and “help restore Russia’s access to the world market for agricultural and fertiliser exports”. Russia went further, saying the agreement could only come into force if sanctions were lifted against Russian shipping and agricultural machinery. Advertisement Zelenskyy denied the US and Ukrainian teams had agreed on Russian access to grain and fertiliser markets. “We believe that this is a weakening of positions and a relaxation of sanctions,” Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv on Tuesday. “This was not on our