Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy heads into a high-stakes White House meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday, as Washington considers security guarantees for Kyiv and debate intensifies over whether land concessions to Russia could end the war.

Zelenskyy will be flanked by key European allies at the White House, a diplomatic overture that signals Europe’s determination to rally behind Ukraine.

Over the weekend, the Ukrainian leader acknowledged his last White House visit – cut short by a shouting match between Trump and Vice President JD Vance – and told reporters in Brussels he hopes Monday’s meeting ‘will be productive’ rather than a repeat of February’s encounter.

The upcoming meeting comes on the heels of Trump’s summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Anchorage on Friday, where the U.S. leader shifted from demanding a ceasefire to calling for a final peace deal.

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN that Putin agreed to allow the U.S. to provide Ukraine ‘robust security guarantees.’ 

‘We got to an agreement that the United States and other European nations could effectively offer Article 5-like language to cover a security guarantee,’ in reference to the critical NATO provision,’ Witkoff said, referencing the military alliance’s mutual defense clause, known as Article 5.

NATO’s Article 5 – the cornerstone of the alliance – stipulates that an attack on one member is an assault on all, obligating allies to come to each other’s defense. The proposed security guarantees for Ukraine would not come through NATO, but rather from select European allies in the event of a Russia-Ukraine peace deal.

Zelenskyy welcomed the revelation during a Sunday press conference alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

‘It’s important that America agrees to work with Europe to provide security guarantees for Ukraine, and we are very thankful to the United States under the president for such a signal,’ Zelenskyy said.

‘This is a significant change, but there are no details about how it will work and what America’s role will be, what Europe’s role will be and what the EU can do,’ he added.

‘Impossible to give up territory or trade land’

Over the weekend, Zelenskyy reiterated that his war-weary nation will not surrender any territory to Russia as the Kremlin’s three-and-a-half-year conflict grinds on.

‘The constitution of Ukraine makes it impossible to give up territory or trade land,’ Zelenskyy said during a press conference at the EU Commission on Sunday. 

He added that Russia has repeatedly tried and failed to seize the entirety of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine for a period of 12 years. 

The area, which includes Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, is an industrial hub where coal mining and steel production remain central to Ukraine’s economy. In short, control of Donbas’s mines and factories would hand Moscow powerful leverage over Kyiv’s financial survival.

‘Since the territorial issue is so important, it should be discussed only by the leaders of Ukraine and Russia at the trilateral Ukraine, United States, Russia,’ Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian leader, who spoke alongside von der Leyen, said that so far the Kremlin has ‘given no sign that the trilateral will happen.’ 

‘With regards to any territorial questions in Ukraine, our position is clear: international borders cannot be changed by force. These are decisions to be made by Ukraine and Ukraine alone, and these decisions cannot be taken without Ukraine at the table,’ von der Leyen said.

Following the meeting with the Russian leader, Trump signaled that Zelenskyy should take Putin’s deal to end the war because ‘Russia is a very big power’ and Ukraine is not. Still, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to play down speculation that Trump could push Zelenskyy to give up Ukrainian land to Russia as part of a deal to end the war.

‘The president has said that in terms of territories, these are things that Zelenskyy is going to have to decide on,’ Rubio told Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’ ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’

‘All the president is trying to do here is narrow down the open issues,’ Rubio said, adding that Trump is focused on ending the Kremlin’s full-throttle assault on Ukraine.

To paraphrase President Ronald Reagan, I think it’s time to ask: do you honestly feel better off today than you were at the beginning of the year?  

In the past few weeks, President Donald Trump cheated at golf in Scotland on the taxpayer dime, announced a $200 million White House ballroom to host his rich donors, finalized a Qatari grift for his new Air Force One, waddled around the White House roof like a lost old man, and talked about how his old pedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein ‘stole’ a 16-year-old spa worker from Mar-a-Lago. 

How much of that time did he spend actually focusing on the economy? 

On jobs?  

On bringing prices down, like he promised to do on day one?  

Look, for years, the Trump Industrial Complex has been ruthlessly effective at painting Democrats every which way. I’ll admit, we didn’t do nearly enough to define ourselves before allowing them to define us. In fact, we did some research the other month and found the number one word associated with the Democratic Party was ‘weak.’  

Now, I know that’s not the case. We’re the party of the working class, the small business, the farmer. Before leading the DNC, I headed up the Minnesota DFL – and you know what DFL stands for? Democratic-Farmer-Labor.   

We’re the party that says, we don’t want to dismantle the VA or fire vets from their jobs, we want the men and women who put their lives on the line for our freedom to be able to find an affordable home or get care after they’ve served. We’re the party that promises, if you’re going to work your butt off for decades, then you shouldn’t have to worry about some snake oil salesman blowing up your Social Security. And now it seems we’re the only party that still believes the Constitution matters.  

But it doesn’t matter what I know. It matters what people think. Between now and the midterm elections, our job – my job – is to make the case why your life would be better with Democrats in charge.  

Now, you know what else Trump Republicans in D.C. are ruthlessly effective at?  

Ruining the country.  

Trump thinks the best way to show leadership is through bumper-sticker politics. But while you read his catchy slogans, he drives the car into oncoming traffic.  

When he wants to appear tough, he sends the military into U.S. cities.  

When he wants to make the economy seem better than it is, he fires economists and pumps fake trade deals.  

When he wants to avoid his friendship with the most notorious sex criminal in modern history, he whips up BS scandals about Democrats.   

Meanwhile, the latest labor report shows the past three months as the weakest stretch for jobs since COVID-19. America’s small business backbone is being ground into dust. Farmers are shutting down operations. Families are paying more, getting less, and sitting up at night wondering if their job will be there for them next week.  

It’s almost as though, since coming into power, Trump and his allies in Congress have done everything possible to stop America from being great.  

They caused unnecessary economic tariff chaos and then, with their debt-ballooning budget, followed it up by ripping healthcare and food from those who need basic lifelines to make it through tough times. All to give lucrative tax windfalls to the most extreme elites. The richest of the richest of the rich.  

They attacked construction jobs, rural hospitals and nursing homes. They’re raising energy prices, grocery prices, clothing prices, car prices – the list goes on.  

And Trump said foreign countries would eat the tariff costs. Nope. You’re eating the costs. No press conference or talking point or billionaire-controlled AI bot can convince your bank account of something that’s not true.  

Trump thinks the best way to show leadership is through bumper-sticker politics. But while you read his catchy slogans, he drives the car into oncoming traffic.  

The thing is, we all want America to be great.  

But Democrats measure greatness by how many people have healthcare, how many families can find childcare that doesn’t break the bank, how many young couples can get keys to their first home, how many people with amazing ideas can turn those ideas into businesses. 

Let’s not forget, the Republican Party some of us still remember did big things. We didn’t always agree, and we fought bitterly at times, but at least they tried. They actually invested in stuff that matters to people, like building the interstate highway system, creating NASA, and knocking out polio. Hell, even President Richard Nixon created the EPA to make sure air is clean and water is safe. Now, the Trump administration is greenlighting forever chemicals in your water. These are the people who ran on ‘Make America Healthy Again.’  

Nobody should feel like they have to cover for Trump anymore. You deserve better. Plus, he already has a cartoon villain squad covering up for him every day with the Epstein files. 

If you’re disillusioned by politics, think that this government is captured by the ultra-elites, or believe the system is broken and screwing you over – you’re right.  

If you’re sick of the status quo, looking to break from the establishment, and end rigged games that protect powerful people, then I’m going to break it to you – you should vote Democrat.  

As Democrats, our job isn’t to help Jeff Bezos pay for his $50 million European wedding. It’s to make sure the economy allows you to afford your own wedding, or raise a kid, or get care for aging relatives, or pay the summer A/C bill.  

Don’t you wish Republicans in Washington cared about those things too? 

They attacked construction jobs, rural hospitals and nursing homes. They’re raising energy prices, grocery prices, clothing prices, car prices – the list goes on.  

Look, it’s a damn shame that some people don’t feel like Democrats fight for them anymore. 

Here’s my admission: we can’t say to voters that we’re going to fight for them, fight for their families, fight for working people, and then when given the power, do nothing with it. 

That has to change. It is changing.  

I like to say you don’t need a miracle to grow a spine. You just need a willingness to do what’s right.  

I know politics these days feels like a sport. Good guys and bad guys. Winners and losers.  

But whether or not families can make it in this country isn’t a sport.  

It’s the most serious thing in the world.  

Trump doesn’t take that responsibility seriously. I promise, Democrats do.  

Former Attorney General Bill Barr will appear before House investigators on Monday as part of the House GOP’s probe into Jeffrey Epstein.

He was one of the many officials subpoenaed by House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., earlier this month to appear before the panel and is part of a broader, bipartisan push in the House to uncover more information on the late financier and convicted pedophile.

Barr served as attorney general during President Donald Trump’s first term and helmed the Justice Department when Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City after being indicted on charges of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.

He became embroiled in investigations into Epstein’s death in August 2019 in the immediate aftermath, given that the Department of Justice (DOJ) oversees the Bureau of Prisons.

‘I can understand people who immediately, whose minds went to sort of the worst-case scenario because it was a perfect storm of screw-ups,’ Barr told the AP in 2019.

Fox News Digital reached out to Barr for comment ahead of his testimony.

Flash forward over six years later, and interest in the case, particularly over the Trump administration’s handling of it, has reignited a public and political firestorm.

The renewed interest stemmed from a memo from the FBI released last month when the agency revealed it would not release new documents from the case and that their review of it was closed.

In the memo, the FBI found there was ‘no incriminating ‘client list,’’ nor was there ‘credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.’

‘We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties,’ the agency stated.

Though Barr was a prominent figure at the time, he is not the main target of Comer and the committee. Several others, including former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were also subpoenaed by Comer to appear before the committee.

‘Everybody in America wants to know what went on in Epstein Island, and we’ve all heard reports that Bill Clinton was a frequent visitor there, so he’s a prime suspect to be deposed by the House Oversight Committee,’ Comer told Newsmax.

Comer’s decision to subpoena the Barr and the Clintons, along with former FBI directors James Comey and Robert Mueller, ex-Attorneys General Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Jeff Sessions, and Alberto Gonzales, came after the Oversight panel voted to compel people with possible links to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former associate, to testify.

Along with the list of former officials, Comer also subpoenaed the DOJ for records related to Epstein’s case. 

President Donald Trump’s foreign policy agenda is set to take center stage again this week, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visiting the White House on Monday as Washington continues efforts to broker peace between Moscow and Kyiv.

The upcoming meeting comes on the heels of Trump’s summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Anchorage on Friday, where the U.S. leader shifted from demanding a ceasefire to calling for a final peace deal. Trump discussed some of the details of his meeting with Putin during a phone call with Zelenskyy from Air Force One.

The White House has yet to release details of the meeting but has acknowledged that key European allies will accompany Zelenskyy.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finnish President Alexander Stubb all confirmed their plans to attend.

Over the weekend, Zelenskyy acknowledged his last White House visit — cut short by a shouting match with both Trump and Vice President JD Vance — and told reporters in Brussels he hopes Monday’s meeting ‘will be productive’ rather than a repeat of February’s encounter.

Trump’s back-to-back meetings with both former Soviet republics could set the stage for a trilateral summit with the U.S., Russia and Ukraine.

Over the weekend, Zelenskyy said that, so far, Russia has ‘given no sign that the trilateral will happen.’ The Ukrainian leader also said over the weekend that he would use his meetings in Washington to stress that Kyiv will reject any peace deal with Moscow that undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Trump signaled that Putin could agree to end the war if Zelenskyy ceded the entirety of the hotly-contested Donbas region to Russia. 

The area, which includes Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, is an industrial hub where coal mining and steel production remain central to Ukraine’s economy. Control of Donbas’s mines and factories would hand Moscow powerful leverage over Kyiv’s post-war financial survival.

‘The constitution of Ukraine makes it impossible to give up territory or trade land,’ Zelenskyy said during a press conference at the EU Commission on Sunday. 

‘Since the territorial issue is so important, it should be discussed only by the leaders of Ukraine and Russia at the trilateral Ukraine, United States, Russia,’ Zelenskyy said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed reports that Trump supports Russia’s conditions for peace.

‘The president has said that in terms of territories, these are things that Zelenskyy is going to have to decide on,’ Rubio told Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’ ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’

‘All the president is trying to do here is narrow down the open issues,’ Rubio said, adding that Trump remains focused on ending the Kremlin’s three-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday outlined firm conditions for a ‘real peace’ ahead of a high-stakes meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday.

Zelenskyy posted to X following his call with Trump and then with European leaders, after Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Alaska to try and bring about an end to the 3 ½ year war.

‘The positions are clear. A real peace must be achieved, one that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions,’ Zelenskyy wrote.

‘Killings must stop as soon as possible, the fire must cease both on the battlefield and in the sky, as well as against our port infrastructure. All Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians must be released and the children abducted by Russia must be returned.’

Zelenskyy wrote that thousands of Ukrainians remain in captivity and must all be released, while adding that pressure on Russia must be maintained while the ‘aggression and occupation continue.’

In a follow-up post, Zelenskyy warned of Russian ‘treachery’ that could lead to attacks in order to gain leverage amid ongoing negotiations.  

‘Based on the political and diplomatic situation around Ukraine, and knowing Russia’s treachery, we anticipate that in the coming days the Russian army may try to increase pressure and strikes against Ukrainian positions in order to create more favorable political circumstances for talks with global actors,’ he wrote. 

Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with Trump in the White House on Monday as the three nations try and bring an end to the bloodshed.

Trump wrote on Truth Social following the Putin meeting that he felt a peace agreement, rather than a ceasefire, was ultimately the best way to solve the war. Trump had been calling for a ceasefire ahead of his meeting with Putin. 

‘It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up,’ Trump wrote.

He said if Monday’s meeting with Zelenskyy also goes well, a meeting will be scheduled with Putin and ‘potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved.’

Zelenskyy’s visit will mark his first return to the Oval Office since February, when Trump berated him publicly for being ‘disrespectful’ during a remarkable press briefing, which led to the collapse of a U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal.

Though a peace agreement was not decided upon during the meeting on Friday, Trump described it as a successful meeting with ‘a lot of progress’ made. Putin expressed similar sentiments, adding the summit was a ‘constructive atmosphere of mutual respect.’

After his meeting with Putin, Trump also spoke to European leaders, who said they back Trump’s peace push but insist Ukraine must have ‘ironclad’ security guarantees to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The European leaders did not address whether a peace deal was preferable to a ceasefire.

‘It will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory. International borders must not be changed by force,’ a statement signed by various leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

‘No limitations should be placed on Ukraine’s armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries. Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine‘s pathway to EU and NATO.’

During an interview with Fox News before returning to Washington, Trump insisted the onus going forward might be on Zelenskyy ‘to get it done,’ but said there would also be some involvement from European nations.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Pritchett and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump closed out his 30th week in office of his second term with a high-stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday in Anchorage, Alaska, in an attempt to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. 

The two did not reach a peace agreement, but Trump said that the meeting was a success and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit the White House in Washington Monday. 

‘It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up,’ Trump said in a Saturday post on Truth Social. 

If the meeting in Washington with Zelenskyy goes well, Trump said that a trilateral meeting between the U.S., Russia and Ukraine will be scheduled. 

Trump described the meeting with Putin as ‘very warm,’ and said that he believed a deal was imminent. 

‘I can tell you, the meeting was a very warm meeting,’ Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an exclusive interview. ‘You know, he’s a strong guy, he’s tough as hell on all of that, but the meeting was a very warm meeting between two very important countries, and it’s very good when they get along. I think we’re pretty close to a deal. Now look, Ukraine has to agree to it.’

Here’s what also happened this week: 

Crime crackdown 

On Monday, Trump announced he would activate approximately 800 National Guard troops and would take over the Metropolitan Police Department to address crime in Washington. The move came after Trump already bolstered federal law enforcement presence in the nation’s capital Saturday. 

‘I’m deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law, order and public safety in Washington, D.C.,’ Trump told reporters at a Monday press conference. ‘And they’re going to be allowed to do their job properly.’

Trump initially suggested federalizing Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department and dispatching National Guard troops to address crime in Washington Aug. 6 in response to the assault of a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer. 

Although a temporary federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department is warranted for emergency situations, Washington officials filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s move Friday. 

‘By illegally declaring a takeover of MPD, the Administration is abusing its temporary, limited authority under the law,’ Washington Attorney General Brian Schwalb wrote in a Friday X post. ‘This is the gravest threat to Home Rule DC has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it.’

Smithsonian review

The White House sent a letter to the Smithsonian Tuesday, announcing it would conduct a review of its museums and exhibits leading up to the 250th birthday of the United States in 2025.

‘We want the museums to treat our country fairly,’ Trump told reporters Thursday. ‘We want their museums to talk about the history of our country in a fair manner, not in a woke manner or in a racist manner, which is what many of them, not all of them, but many of them are doing.’

‘Our museums have an obligation to represent what happened in our country over the years. Good and bad,’ Trump said. ‘But what happened over the years in an accurate way.’ 

The White House said in a letter Tuesday the review would involve examining social media, exhibition text and educational materials to ‘assess tone, historical framing, and alignment with American ideals.’ 

‘This initiative aims to ensure alignment with the President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions,’ the letter said.

The Smithsonian told Fox News Digital it would coordinate with the White House, Congress and its governing Board of Regents on the matter. 

‘The Smithsonian’s work is grounded in a deep commitment to scholarly excellence, rigorous research and the accurate, factual presentation of history,’ the Smithsonian said in a statement.

The State Department announced on Saturday that it was halting all visitor visas to individuals from Gaza while it reviews the issuing process.

‘All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are being stopped while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days,’ a post on X from the State Department read.

Neither the State Department nor Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented on what triggered the sudden review.

In June, the Trump administration began cracking down on vetting for visa applicants. This involved the introduction of a ‘comprehensive and thorough’ review of all applicants’ ‘online presence.’

‘Every visa adjudication is a national security decision. The United States must be vigilant during the visa issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests, and that all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission,’ the State Department said at the time.

Earlier this month, France suspended evacuations from Gaza after a Palestinian student allegedly shared a social media post with an image of Adolf Hitler that called for killing Jews.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told France Info radio that the woman ‘must leave the country’ and that she ‘has no place’ in France.

‘No evacuation of any kind will take place until we have drawn the necessary conclusions from this investigation,’ Barrot said in the interview. He also vowed there would be a probe into how the Palestinian woman was able to get a student visa.

The student, later identified as Nour Attaalah, left France for Qatar after the incident.

As of Jan. 1, 2025, the population in Gaza had dropped by 6% since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, according to Reuters, which cited the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). The outlet noted that this includes approximately 100,000 Palestinians who fled the enclave.

Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department.