Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 13, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2025 B4 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS I WORLD Trump says he and Putin agree on talks to end war in Ukraine W ASHINGTON — President Donald Trump upended three years of U.S. policy toward Ukraine on Wednesday, saying that he and Russian leader Vladimir Putin had agreed to begin negotiations on ending the war following a sudden prisoner swap. Trump said he spent more than an hour on the phone with Putin and “I think we’re on the way to getting peace.” He noted that he later spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelen- skyy, but was noncommittal about whether Ukraine would be an equal participant in U.S. negotiations with Russia. “I think President Putin wants peace and President Zelenskyy wants peace and I want peace,” Trump told repor- ters in the Oval Office. “I just want to see people stop being killed.” Of his conversation with Putin, Trump said, “People didn’t really know what President Putin’s thoughts were. But I think I can say with great confi- dence, he wants to see it ended also, so that’s good — and we’re going to work toward getting it ended and as fast as possible.” Trump noted that he would “prob- ably” meet in person with Putin in the near term, suggesting that could hap- pen in Saudi Arabia. Trump speaking to Putin sent a pot- entially dramatic signal that Washing- ton and Moscow could work to hammer out a deal to end fighting in Ukraine by going around that country’s govern- ment. Doing so would break with the Biden administration, which steadfastly in- sisted Kyiv would be a full participant in any decisions made. Asked specifically about Ukraine being an equal member in the peace process, Trump responded, “Interest- ing question. I think they have to make peace.” In another blow to Ukraine’s West- ern-leaning aspirations, Defence Sec- retary Pete Hegseth said at NATO headquarters in Brussels that NATO membership was unrealistic for Ukraine. “I don’t think it’s practical to have it, personally,” Trump said later about NATO membership for Ukraine. He added that Hegseth had said “it’s un- likely or impractical. I think probably that’s true.” After Russia invaded Ukraine in Feb- ruary 2022, the Biden administration joined other NATO members in vowing that membership in the Western mil- itary alliance was “inevitable.” Trump said Wednesday of Russia: “I think long before President Putin, they said there’s no way they’d allow that.” ”They’ve been saying that for a long time that Ukraine cannot go into NATO,” Trump said. “And I’m OK with that.” Despite all that, Zelenskyy sought to put a brave face on what many in Ukraine will see as a major disappoint- ment. In a social media post, he said he had “a meaningful conversation” with Trump that included discussion of “opportunities to achieve peace” and Kyiv’s “readiness to work together at the team level.” “I am grateful to President Trump,” Zelenskyy said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the conversation between Trump and Putin covered a good deal of ground, including the Middle East and Iran, but that Ukraine was the main focus. Peskov said Trump called for a quick cessation of hostilities and a peaceful settlement, and that “President Putin, in his turn, emphasized the need to re- move the root causes of the conflict and agreed with Trump that a long-term settlement could be achieved through peace talks.” “The Russian president supported one of the main theses of the U.S. presi- dent that the time has come for our two countries to work together,” Peskov told reporters. “The Russian president in- vited the U.S. president to visit Moscow and expressed readiness to host U.S. officials in Russia for issues of mutual interest, naturally including Ukraine, the Ukrainian settlement.” In the meantime, Ukraine has of- fered to strike a deal with Trump for continued American military aid in ex- change for developing Ukraine’s min- eral industry — which could provide a valuable source of the rare earth ele- ments that are essential for many kinds of technology. Trump suggested that aid would con- tinue to flow but that Treasury Sec- retary Scott Bessent was in Ukraine working to get written assurances that the U.S. would get access to its rare earth elements and oil and gas. “We’re asking for security on our money,” Trump said, noting of Ukraine: “They’ve agreed to it.” Zelenskyy tweeted earlier about the meeting with Bessent, saying “we value our partnership with the United States” and “strive to expand our joint capabil- ities.” Asked about Trump’s views on Rus- sia and Putin, White House press sec- retary Karoline Leavitt said, “I believe this nation views Putin and Russia as a great competitor in the region. At times, an adversary.” But she also noted of Trump: “At times, he enjoys having good diplomat- ic relationships with leaders around the world.” Working more closely with Putin on Ukraine defies the long-held stance of Biden, who, together with his top national security aides, repeatedly in- sisted, “Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.” Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s spe- cial Russia-Ukraine envoy, retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, will all be in Germany this week for the annual Munich Secur- ity Conference, which Zelenskyy also will attend. Wednesday’s Trump-Putin call, and the resulting policy sea change, fol- lowed a prisoner swap that resulted in Russia releasing Pennsylvania school- teacher Marc Fogel after more than three years of detention in return for convicted Russian criminal Alexander Vinnik. The White House described the pris- oner swap as evidence of a diplomatic thaw that could advance negotiations to end the fighting in Ukraine. In a social media post detailing his call with Putin, Trump wrote, “We each talked about the strengths of our re- spective Nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together.” Trump also noted they “agreed to have our respective teams start negoti- ations immediately.” The president appointed Rubio, CIA director John Ratcliffe, national secur- ity adviser Michael Waltz and his spe- cial Mideast envoy Steven Witkoff to lead those talks. Fogel, who was deemed wrongfully detained by Russia, was arrested in Au- gust 2021 for possession of marijuana and was serving a 14-year prison sen- tence. He had been left out of previous prisoner swaps with Russia that were negotiated by the Biden administration. Vinnik — the other person involved, according to two U.S. officials — was arrested in 2017 in Greece at the re- quest of the U.S. on cryptocurrency fraud charges and was later extradited to the United States, where he pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to com- mit money laundering. He is in custody in California await- ing transport to Russia, the officials said. The Kremlin confirmed that a Russian citizen was freed in the United States in exchange for Fogel but re- fused to identify him until he arrives in Russia. Trump welcomed Fogel at the White House on Tuesday evening after his return to the U.S. on Witkoff’s personal plane. — The Associated Press MATTHEW LEE, WILL WEISSERT AND ZEKE MILLER U.S. president says he spoke to Russian president on phone for more than an hour ALEX BRANDON / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS President Donald Trump speaks with American teacher Marc Fogel in the White House. Fogel was freed from a Russian prison after spending more than three years of detention. Judge removes key legal hurdle for Trump’s plan to trim federal workforce WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Wednesday removed a key legal hurdle stalling U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to downsize the federal workforce with a deferred resignation program. The Boston-based judge’s order in the challenge filed by a group of labour unions was a significant legal victory for the Republican president after a string of courtroom setbacks. “This goes to show that lawfare will not ultimately prevail over the will of 77 million Americans who supported President Trump and his priorities,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Another group of unions filed a law- suit in Washington, D.C. late Wednes- day, though its potential impacts were not immediately clear. It’s unclear how many federal work- ers accepted the offer to quit in return for being paid until Sept. 30, but the White House said there were 65,000 as of Friday. McLaurine Pinover, a spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Manage- ment, said the deferred resignation program was now closed to additional workers. She said it “provides generous benefits so federal workers can plan for their futures.” American Federation of Government Employees National President Ever- ett Kelley said in a statement that the union’s lawyers are assessing the next steps. “Today’s ruling is a setback in the fight for dignity and fairness for pub- lic servants,” Kelley said. “But it’s not the end of that fight. Importantly, this decision did not address the underlying lawfulness of the program.” The union continues to maintain that it’s illegal to force American citizens to make a decision, in a few short days, without adequate information, about “whether to uproot their families and leave their careers for what amounts to an unfunded IOU from Elon Musk,” the statement said. U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr. in Boston found that the unions weren’t directly affected, so they didn’t have legal standing to challenge the program, commonly described as a buyout. O’Toole was nominated by for- mer President Bill Clinton, a Democrat. The deferred resignation program has been spearheaded by Musk, who is serving as Trump’s top adviser for reducing federal spending. Under the plan, employees can stop working and get paid until Sept. 30. Labor unions argued the plan is il- legal and asked for O’Toole to keep it on hold and prevent the Office of Person- nel Management from soliciting more workers to sign up. A Justice Department lawyer has called the plan a “humane off ramp” for federal employees who may have structured their lives around working remotely and have been ordered to re- turn to government offices. — The Associated Press LINDSAY WHITEHURST, CHRIS MEGER- IAN AND MICHAEL CASEY Gabbard confirmed as director of national intelligence WASHINGTON — Tulsi Gabbard was sworn in as U.S. President Donald Trump’s director of national intelli- gence on Wednesday shortly after she was confirmed by the Senate, where Re- publicans who had initially questioned her experience and judgment fell in line behind her nomination. Gabbard is an unconventional pick to oversee and coordinate the coun- try’s 18 intelligence agencies, given her past comments sympathetic to Russia, a meeting she held with now-deposed Syrian President Bashar Assad and her previous support for government leak- er Edward Snowden. A military veteran and former Democratic congresswoman from Ha- waii, Gabbard was confirmed on Wed- nesday by a 52-48 vote, with the Sen- ate’s slim Republican majority beating back Democratic opposition. The only “no’ vote from a Republican came from Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. She is the latest high-ranking nom- inee to win Senate confirmation as the new administration works to reshape vast portions of the federal govern- ment, including the intelligence appar- atus. Staffers at the CIA and other intelli- gence agencies have received buyout offers, while lawmakers and security experts have raised concerns about Elon Musk and his Department of Gov- ernment Efficiency accessing data- bases containing information about in- telligence operations. Speaking after she was sworn in at the White House, Gabbard promised to work to “refocus” the intelligence com- munity in line with Trump’s vision. “Unfortunately, the American people have very little trust in the intelligence community, largely because they’ve seen the weaponization and politiciza- tion of an entity that is supposed to be purely focused on ensuring our nation- al security,” Gabbard said. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was created to address in- telligence failures exposed by the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Republicans have in- creasingly criticized the office, saying it has grown too large and politicized. Trump himself has long viewed the nation’s intelligence services with sus- picion. GOP sen- ators who had expressed con- cerns about Gabbard’s stance on Snow- den, Syria and Russia said they were won over by her prom- ise to refocus on the office’s core missions: coordinating federal intelligence work and serving as the president’s chief in- telligence adviser. “While I continue to have concerns about certain positions she has previ- ously taken, I appreciate her commit- ment to rein in the outsized scope of the agency,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, adding that Gabbard will bring “independent thinking” to the job. McConnell, the former GOP leader, said in a statement after the vote that in his assessment, Gabbard brings “un- necessary risk” to the position. “The nation should not have to worry that the intelligence assessments the President receives are tainted by a Director of National Intelligence with a history of alarming lapses in judg- ment,” McConnell said. At the White House, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “I think we’re greatly disappointed in any Republican who chooses willfully to vote against the president’s exceptionally qualified nominees.” McConnell also voted against con- firming Pete Hegseth for defence sec- retary. Democrats noted that Gabbard had no experience working for an intelligence agency and they said her past stances on Russia, Syria and Snowden were disqualifying. They also questioned whether she would stand up to Trump if necessary and could maintain vital intelligence sharing with American al- lies. “We simply cannot in good con- science trust our most classified se- crets to someone who echoes Russian propaganda and falls for conspiracy theories,” said Senate Democratic lead- er Chuck Schumer of New York, who accused Republicans of buckling under pressure from Trump and Musk. “Is Ms. Gabbard really who Republic- ans want to lead intelligence agencies? I’ll bet not,” Schumer said. — The Associated Press DAVID KLEPPER Tulsi Gabbard ;