U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that there will be “very severe consequences” if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t agree to stop his war in Ukraine after their Friday summit in Alaska, though he did not say what those consequences might be.
Trump’s comment came after attending a virtual meeting with European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who told the group that Putin “is bluffing” about seeking peace. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the European leaders had a “constructive and good” discussion with Trump.
Other news we’re following today:
National Guard arrives in DC: The troops arrived in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, ramping up after the White House ordered federal forces to take over the city’s police department and reduce crime in what the president called — without substantiation — a lawless city. The law lets Trump control the police department for a month, but how aggressive the federal presence will be remains unclear.White House orders review of Smithsonian exhibits: Ahead of the country’s 250th birthday, the White House is seeking to ensure the institution’s content aligns with Trump’s interpretation of American history. The examination will look at all public-facing content, such as social media, exhibition text and educational materials, to “assess tone, historical framing, and alignment with American ideals.”National debt reaches record $37 trillion: The national debt eclipsed $37 trillion years sooner than prepandemic projections. The Congressional Budget Office’s January 2020 projections predicted the U.S. reaching the milestone after fiscal year 2030. But the debt grew faster than expected as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of the U.S. economy and the Trump and Biden administrations borrowed heavily to stabilize the national economy.