President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 14, 2025. (Pool via AP)
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The Big Story
Trump says ‘nobody’s playing me’ as clock ticks on Russia-Ukraine talks
President Trump on Friday was adamant he was not being “played” in talks to end the war in Ukraine after his top diplomat indicated the clock was ticking on negotiations.
“We’re going to get it stopped, ideally. Now, if for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say ‘you’re foolish, you’re fools, you’re horrible people and we’re just going to take a pass.’ But hopefully we won’t have to do that,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“I think we have a good chance of solving the problem, however,” Trump added, later saying talks are “coming to a head right now.”
Asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin was stalling, as many skeptics have argued, Trump said he hoped not. Trump also brushed back a question about whether he was being played by Russia, saying, “nobody’s playing me.”
Trump refused to say whether he would continue to provide support to Ukraine if ceasefire talks failed.
Rubio said earlier Friday after talks in Paris that the U.S. was reaching a point where it had to decide whether a resolution was possible.
“Because if it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on,” Rubio said.
Trump has for months been pressing for a ceasefire in Ukraine, where fighting has been underway since Russian forces invaded in February 2022 after amassing troops near the border. He said on the campaign trail he would be able to end the war before even taking office.
Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.
The Marine Corps has identified the two U.S. service members killed in a vehicle crash earlier this week in New Mexico along the southern border. Lance Cpl. Albert Aguilera, 22, of Riverside, Calif., and Lance Cpl. Marcelino Gamino, 28, of Fresno, Calif., were killed Tuesday after their nontactical vehicle crashed around 8:50 a.m. local time during a convoy movement from Santa Teresa, New Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, the 1st …
President Trump announced Thursday that he has picked Fox News contributor Mark Levin, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) and other conservative allies to serve on a “revamped” Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC). “Under Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s leadership, HSAC will work hard on developing new Policies and Strategies that will help us secure our Border, deport Illegal Criminal …
U.S. forces on Thursday hit a major fuel port in western Yemen used to supply Houthi rebels, the first such airstrike publicly announced since Washington began an air campaign against the militant group in March. “Today, U.S. forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue,” read a statement from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees U.S. …
Secretary of State Marco Rubio returns to Washington, D.C., today after high-level talks in Paris discussing Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
Steve Witkoff, the Trump administration’s special envoy to the Middle East, will participate in talks with Iranian negotiators over Tehran’s nuclear program, held tomorrow in Rome.
Vice President Vance is in Italy to meet with government officials before traveling on to visit India with his wife.
The House and Senate are in recess until Monday, April 28.
In Other News
Branch out with a different read from The Hill:
House Democrat requests congressional delegation visit Salvadoran prison
Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) has requested a congressional delegation to visit a prison in El Salvador where the Trump administration has sent numerous people it has deported. In a Wednesday letter addressed to House Homeland Security Committee Chair Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), Ramirez asked “that …
The Foundation for Defense of Democracieswill discuss “The Trajectory of U.S. Economic Statecraft,” with Laura Taylor-Kale, former assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy, at 12:00 p.m.
The annual joint Balikatan war games between American and Filipino forces will begin and run until May 9 in the Philippines.
What We’re Reading
News we’ve flagged from other outlets:
This company is spending millions to profit off veterans’ benefits. Why won’t lawmakers stop it? (The War Horse)
Top enlisted leader at Air Force Special Operations Command fired, facing investigation (Military.com)
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele took to social media late Thursday to mock Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s (D-Md.) meeting with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who … Read more
The Trump administration’s argument that the mistakenly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a member of MS-13 is based largely on a confidential tip long … Read more
Opinion in The Hill
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