President Donald Trump is to hold talks on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin as he looks to get buy-in on a U.S. ceasefire proposal he hopes can create a pathway to ending Russia’s devastating war on Ukraine
The Latest: Trump and Putin to hold call to discuss ceasefire in UkraineBy The Associated PressThe Associated Press
President Donald Trump is to hold talks on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin as he looks to get buy-in on a U.S. ceasefire proposal he hopes can create a pathway to ending Russia’s devastating war on Ukraine.
The White House is optimistic that peace is within reach even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains skeptical that Putin is doing much beyond paying lip service to Trump.
Here’s the latest:
Trump administration set to release a trove of JFK files with no redactions
Shortly after taking office, Trump directed his national intelligence director and attorney general to come up with a plan to release the sought-after records related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The killing has spawned countless conspiracy theories.
Trump said Monday that some 80,000 files will be released, but it wasn’t clear how many of them are among the millions of JFK records that have already been made public.
He said his instructions to his staff were, “don’t redact.”
Trump hangs a copy of Declaration of Independence in Oval Office
Trump has hung a copy of the Declaration of Independence in the Oval Office, according to images he shared on social media.
The Republican president’s official account on X showed two images Monday of a framed copy of the historical document hanging on the wall not far from the president’s desk.
It was not immediately clear where the copy came from and when it was installed.
“The Nationals Archives delivered the Declaration of Independence to the White House at the President’s request. It is displayed in the Oval Office where it will be carefully protected and preserved,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
The original version of the Declaration of Independence is very faded and displayed in the Archives’ building. On the version hanging in the White House, according to the images posted, the words are clear and legible.
The White House and National Archives did not respond to messages inquiring what version of the document was in the White House.
▶ Read more about Trump’s new Oval Office decor
Vance to speak at American Dynamism Summit
Vice President JD Vance’s speech will focus on support for American industry and workers, according to his office.
The summit is taking place at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington. It used to be a Trump hotel when Trump was president the first time.
Tuesday’s White House schedule
According to the White House press office, Trump plans to sign executive orders in the Oval Office at 3:30 p.m. ET.
The White House has also confirmed Trump and Russian President Vladamir Putin will hold a call to discuss a ceasefire in Ukraine on Tuesday, which is expected to happen between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. ET.
Trump administration guts board of US Institute of Peace. Group says DOGE arrives
The Trump administration fired most of the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace and sent its new leader into the Washington headquarters of the independent organization on Monday, in its latest effort targeting agencies tied to foreign assistance work.
The remaining three members of the group’s board — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Defense University President Peter Garvin — fired President and CEO George Moose on Friday, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.
An executive order that President Donald Trump signed last month targeted the organization, which was created by Congress over 40 years ago, and others for reductions.
Current USIP employees said staffers from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency entered the building despite protests that the institute is not part of the executive branch. USIP called the police, whose vehicles were outside the building Monday evening.
▶ Read more about the gutting of USIP
Judge questions Trump administration on whether it ignored order to turn around deportation flights
District Judge James E. Boasberg was incredulous over the administration’s contentions that his verbal directions did not count, that only his written order needed to be followed, that it couldn’t apply to flights that had left the U.S. and that the administration could not answer his questions about the deportations due to national security issues.
“That’s one heck of a stretch, I think,” Boasberg replied, noting that the administration knew as the planes were departing that he was about to decide whether to briefly halt deportations being made under a rarely used 18th century law invoked by Trump about an hour earlier.
Deputy Associate Attorney General Abhishek Kambli contended that only Boasberg’s short written order, issued about 45 minutes after he made the verbal demand, counted. It did not contain any demands to reverse planes, and Kambli added that it was too late to redirect two planes that had left the U.S. by that time.
▶ Read more about the Trump deportation flights
Trump and Putin get ready to discuss ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
The leaders are scheduled to speak between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. ET, a spokesperson for Putin said.
The talks are part of Trump’s effort to push the two sides into ending the three-year conflict by getting Putin to agree to a U.S. plan for a 30-day ceasefire that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accepted last week.
Zelenskyy said late Monday in his nightly video address that Putin is the one who is dragging out the war.
Trump said Washington and Moscow have begun discussing “dividing up certain assets” between Ukraine and Russia as part of the conflict-ending deal.
