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Putin ally warns ‘titanic efforts’ are underway to sink Trump summit over Ukraine war

Putin ally warns ‘titanic efforts’ are underway to sink Trump summit over Ukraine war

A senior member of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle warned that multiple countries are mounting “titanic efforts” to undermine the upcoming summit between the Russian leader and U.S. President Donald Trump. The two leaders are scheduled to meet in Alaska on Aug. 15, though Trump’s announcement, made via a Truth Social post on Friday, offered few additional details about the summit. It is also unclear if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be invited to join the talks as the Kremlin’s unprovoked war stretches into its fourth year.  ZELENSKYY WON’T CEDE TERRITORY FOR PEACE DEAL AHEAD OF TRUMP‑PUTIN SUMMIT AS TRILATERAL MEETING TEASED “Undoubtedly, a number of countries interested in continuing the conflict will make titanic efforts to disrupt the planned meeting between President Putin and President Trump,” wrote Russia’s investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, in a Telegram post on Saturday, referencing the Kremlin’s ongoing war in Ukraine. While Dmitriev did not name specific countries, he warned that critics of the upcoming talks could seek to sabotage the summit through diplomatic maneuvers or media-driven provocations. Several NATO countries in Europe have been openly skeptical of any deal that rewards Russian aggression in the three-year-old war. Dmitriev, who met with Trump administration officials in Washington in April, has been dubbed Putin’s “shadow foreign minister” for his behind-the-scenes role in shaping Russia’s global diplomacy.  As head of the Kremlin’s sovereign wealth fund and a recently appointed special envoy, he has often acted as an informal bridge between Moscow and Washington. Meanwhile, the Kremlin said in a statement on Saturday that Trump and Putin are expected to “focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian crisis.” “This will evidently be a challenging process, but we will engage in it actively and energetically,” the statement added. Trump has previously said that Putin and Zelenskyy were close to a ceasefire deal but suggested that Kyiv would have to concede significant territory, an outcome that Ukrainians and many European allies oppose. 

Trump border wall materials sold by Biden may soon find their way back to the feds, auctioneer claims

Trump border wall materials sold by Biden may soon find their way back to the feds, auctioneer claims

FIRST ON FOX: The global government-surplus auction house that listed unused components of President Donald Trump’s border wall under the Biden administration told Fox News Digital on Friday that it plans to coordinate with the Trump administration to return some of the materials to the federal government. In January 2021, President Joe Biden set in motion the chain of events that would eventually lead to the sale of unconstructed border wall components and implements. “Like every nation, the United States has a right and a duty to secure its borders and protect its people against threats. But building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border is not a serious policy solution,” Biden said in an executive order halting construction. Until Friday, the ultimate fate of the unused border wall materials – originally estimated to be worth between $260 million and $350 million – remained largely unclear. A contentious court battle in Texas last December resulted in a 30-day freeze on the auctions, but little has publicly transpired since. BORDER WALL CONSTRUCTION SURGES AHEAD AS ILLEGAL CROSSINGS PLUMMET TO HISTORIC LOWS In a statement to Fox News Digital, GovPlanet – an auction clearinghouse for public-sector and government surplus – announced Friday they have reached a breakthrough deal with the Trump administration. “GovPlanet has reached an agreement, working with the Office of the Border Czar, to return border wall materials that were previously deemed surplus and sourced by the federal government to GovPlanet via existing contracts,” said the company, a subsidiary of an Illinois-founded, British Columbia-based international operation called Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers-RB Global. “A third-party firm that has been contracted for construction of the border wall will take receipt of the materials over the next 90 days,” GovPlanet added. GovPlanet officials said they were pleased to work with the administration to return the materials “at-cost” to the feds and “protect the millions of dollars that U.S. taxpayers had already invested in this initiative.” “We are expediting the transfer of these materials to support the administration’s border protection plans. We value our longstanding partnership with the U.S. government and look forward to continuing to support America’s federal agencies.” TRUMP’S BORDER WALL EXPANSION MOVES FORWARD IN SEVERAL CRITICAL AREAS: ‘CRISIS IS NOT YET OVER’ Asked about the claim from the auction house, a White House official told Fox News Digital the Trump administration is “grateful for all third parties who are interested in helping keep America’s borders safe and secure.” After Biden’s order freezing construction, which ultimately led to the erstwhile auctions, Sens. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said taxpayer money was being spent by the Pentagon to guard the materials as they languished in the New Mexico desert. A 2023 release from Fischer cited a $130,000-per-day figure for the storage and security of the panels in New Mexico and Arizona. A provision in the annual 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) required the Pentagon to submit a plan for transfer or sale of the materials. About 60% of the border wall components were transferred to southwestern states like Texas and California as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told Fox News at the time that Texas purchased about $12 million from an auction. Tens of thousands of bollards, panels and components, including structural tubing, were later put up for auction on GovPlanet. Dozens of lots of materials were listed for auction by August 2023, according to the New York Post. The paper cited a $154,200 payday for 729 “hollow beams,” in one example. Screenshots on ABC-15 Phoenix’s website showed 33-foot by 8-foot steel wall panels being sold for $1 apiece in sets of five. Ernst lambasted the administration upon the news, saying that materials purchased with hard-earned taxpayer funds were being sold for “pennies on the dollar.” By that time, a total of $498,000 had been paid for the overall materials, according to Newsweek. The outlet cited the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in confirming the implements were being marketed in accordance with federal acquisition regulations. REPUBLICAN AGS VISIT US-MEXICO BORDER WALL AS TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ CLEARS EXPANSION FUNDING But, the trail began to go cold after that hot summer, as Lt. Gov. Patrick informed Hearst Newspapers in December he had been told that any further sales would be frozen until after Trump’s second inauguration. Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham argued in court that the Biden administration was ignoring prior court orders by selling off the components, according to the Houston Chronicle. GovPlanet appeared to de-list the items around that time. In a Dec. 27 ruling, Texas federal Judge Drew Tipton barred the selling of wall materials for 30 days, according to Law & Crime. The outlet added, citing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, that Tipton further asked the Biden administration to explain whether it violated a prior ruling in Texas’ favor that required certain funds be spent on border wall construction.  Texas had claimed Biden’s auctions were netting buyers wall components at a rate that would have added up to about a half-mile per day, if constructed as Trump originally intended. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP There appeared to have been little movement on the sales since the 30-day moratorium expired in January, until Fox News Digital contacted GovPlanet on Friday. Several reports said the federal government no longer owns the border wall components the Biden administration set for auction, and that GovPlanet/RBGlobal legally possesses them. Art del Cueto, a Border Patrol union official, told ABC-15 that the stock cited in reports on the sales could “pretty much be utilized.” “They could put down footing, pick it back up and use it,” he said. “When you have to start with the new administration, wanting to rebuild it, what are we going to have to do, you’re going to have to use more taxpayer-funded money, which is insane to me,” del Cueto added. Fox News Digital reached out to Patrick’s office and DHS for comment.

Ukraine says it hit Russian oil refinery in drone exchanges; key talks loom

Ukraine says it hit Russian oil refinery in drone exchanges; key talks loom

Ukraine’s military has said it struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Saratov region in an overnight drone attack, causing explosions and destruction, according to an army statement, as daily aerial exchanges intensify with diplomatic momentum to end the war in play. Saratov’s governor said on Sunday that one person was killed and several residential apartments and an industrial facility were damaged, but did not mention the oil refinery being struck. “[Ukrainian] drones are targeting … deeper into Russian territory [than] in the past, where previous attacks have been focused on the line of contact in the south and the western parts of Russia,” said Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid, reporting from Moscow. It is still unclear whether Ukraine’s claims that it hit a refinery are true, he added. Ukraine’s military also said on Sunday that it had taken back a village in the Sumy region from the Russian army, which has made significant recent gains there. Ukrainian troops have “liberated and completely cleared” Russian forces from Bezsalivka, the military general staff said in a Telegram post. It said 18 Russian troops had been “eliminated” in the fighting. Russia’s war in Ukraine is now into its fourth year, as European leaders have welcomed plans by United States President Donald Trump to hold direct talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on ending the conflict. In Ukraine, three swimmers were killed by unexploded objects in the country’s southern Odesa region at two beaches where swimming has been banned, regional officials said on Sunday. The Black Sea region has long been a popular summer destination, but authorities have urged caution since Russia’s full-scale invasion left mines scattered near its coast. Advertisement “All of them were blown up by explosive objects while swimming in prohibited recreational zones,” Regional governor Oleh Kiper said in a statement. On Saturday, Russia launched a drone attack on a bus in Ukraine’s Kherson region, killing at least two people and wounding 16 others, according to Ukrainian officials. Another drone hit the bus as the police were responding to the attack, injuring three officers, the police added. Russian attacks on Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region also killed two people travelling in a car in the Bilenkivska community on Saturday, as well as a 61-year-old woman who was in her home in the Vasylivka district, a local official reported. Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 16 of the 47 Russian drones launched overnight, while 31 drones hit targets across 15 different locations. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 97 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the Black Sea overnight and 21 more on Saturday morning. Europe stresses support for Ukraine ahead of Trump-Putin talks Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected any suggestion of land concessions to Russia as international efforts to end the war continue. Trump, who had promised to end the war within 24 hours of reentering the White House in January, plans to meet Putin in Alaska on Friday, saying the parties were close to a deal that could resolve the conflict. Trump is reportedly open to inviting Zelenskyy to Alaska, but there has been no confirmation as of yet. Putin has insisted the conditions must be right for him and the Ukrainian leader to meet in person. The leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Finland, together with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, on Sunday issued a joint statement welcoming Trump’s efforts, while stressing the need to maintain support for Ukraine and pressure on Russia. “The emphasis [of the European statement was] … that this is a war that is in Ukraine, but is in Europe too, and has huge potential ramifications for European security,” said Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford, reporting from Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv. The Wall Street Journal also reported that European officials who met US Vice President JD Vance in the UK on Saturday had presented a counterproposal for peace, which included demands that a ceasefire must take place before any other steps are taken. The proposal also said that any territory exchanges must be reciprocal, with firm security guarantees. Adblock test (Why?)

Jordan to host meeting with Syria, US on Syrian reconstruction

Jordan to host meeting with Syria, US on Syrian reconstruction

President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s new government is trying to attract foreign investment as Syria’s economy lies in ruins. Jordan will host a Jordanian-Syrian-American meeting on Tuesday to discuss ways to support the rebuilding of Syria, its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates says, as Damascus seeks investment deals with international companies to revive its war-ravaged economy. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and United States envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack are expected to attend, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s fledgling government has been grappling with the fallout from sectarian violence between Bedouin and Druze fighters in the southern province of Suwayda as well as Israeli strikes on Syrian soldiers and the capital, Damascus. Syria’s economy remains in tatters after nearly 14 years of war and the ouster of longtime President Bashar al-Assad in December. Jordan made its announcement after Damascus signed 12 agreements worth $14bn on Wednesday, including a $4bn agreement with Qatar’s UCC Holding to build a new airport and a $2bn deal to establish a subway in Damascus with the national investment corporation of the United Arab Emirates. The projects “will extend across Syria and represent a qualitative shift in infrastructure and economic life”, Talal al-Hilali, head of the Syrian Investment Authority, said during a ceremony at the presidential palace in Damascus. He described the agreements as “a turning point” for Syria’s future. Al-Sharaa and Barrack were both present at the signing ceremony, according to Syria’s official SANA news agency. Advertisement The United Nations has put Syria’s post-war reconstruction costs at more than $400bn. Syria’s new authorities have worked to attract investment for the reconstruction of infrastructure across the country after the US and the European Union lifted sanctions on Syria in the wake of al-Assad’s ouster. Other major developments on the investment front include the $2bn Damascus Towers project for residential high rises, signed with the Italian-based company UBAKO; a $500m deal for the Baramkeh Towers project, also in Damascus; and another $60m agreement for Baramkeh Mall. Last month, Saudi Arabia said it would invest about $3bn in real estate and infrastructure projects in Syria. In May, Damascus signed a $7bn energy deal with a consortium of Qatari, Turkish and US companies as it seeks to revive its crippled power sector. Adblock test (Why?)