President Donald Trump lashed out angrily at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after he accused him of living in a Russian “disinformation space.”
The president called Zelensky a “dictator” and “modestly successful comedian” who has done a “terrible job” in leading his country through the fight while receiving billions of dollars in aid in a Truth Social post Wednesday.
That row erupted after Trump sparked alarm by saying at a Mar-a-Lago press conference on Tuesday that Ukraine “should never have started” the conflict, even though its territory was invaded by Russian troops acting on Vladimir Putin’s orders, not vice versa.
The president is also set to sign another round of executive orders this evening while on board Air Force One, according to the White House.
Also on Tuesday, the president and “first buddy” Elon Musk took part in a primetime sitdown with Fox News on Tuesday in which host Sean Hannity mused it was like “interviewing two brothers”.
The duo insisted the media was “trying to drive us apart” and offered a show of unity as they defended the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)’s cost-cutting actions and mass firings.
Key Points
- Donald Trump attending Saudi-backed conference in Miami
- Trump fires back at ‘modestly successful comedian’ Zelensky in explosive rant against ‘war that couldn’t be won’
- Key moments from Trump and Musk’s interview
- Analysis: Trump and Musk get Sean Hannity’s primetime propaganda for their constitutional wrecking ball
- Trump administration moves to end NYC's congestion pricing
UK PM Starmer expresses support for Ukraine's Zelensky
20:40
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Reuters
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday and expressed his support for Ukraine's leader.
“The Prime Minister spoke to President Zelenskyy this evening and stressed the need for everyone to work together,” a statement issued by Starmer's office after the call said.
“The Prime Minister expressed his support for President Zelenskyy as Ukraine's democratically elected leader and said that it was perfectly reasonable to suspend elections during war time as the UK did during World War II.
“The Prime Minister reiterated his support for the US-led efforts to get a lasting peace in Ukraine that deterred Russia from any future aggression.”
Watch: JD Vance mocked by CNN panelist after Trump-Musk interview
20:28
,
Oliver O'Connell
Trump administration orders budget cuts at Pentagon
20:19
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Katie Hawkinson
Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered Pentagon leaders to develop plans to cut eight percent from the defense budget each year for the next five years, according to The Washington Post.
The proposed cuts are due by February 24. However, several categories are exempt from cuts, the Post reports, including border operations, nuclear weapon modernization and missile defense.
Donald Trump declares himself ‘king’ after striking down New York congestion pricing
20:14
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Alex Woodward
Days after suggesting he is above the law, Donald Trump declared himself “king” following his administration’s push to strike down new tolls for Manhattan drivers to raise funds for the city’s aging mass transit system.
“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”
The White House’s X account then shared his statement, with a mock cover of Time magazine featuring a portrait of the president wearing a crown with the caption “long live the king.”
Keep reading:
Even Republicans are calling for DOGE to ‘slow down’ after embarrassing mistake firings
19:40
,
Katie Hawkinson
Several Republicans are calling for the Department of Government Efficiency to take a breather after making a series of “mistakes.”
Elon Musk and a team with little to no government experience in recent weeks have led efforts to overhaul the federal government through massive staff cuts and steps to shutter agencies. Now, members of President Donald Trump’s own party are urging DOGE to stop moving so quickly, citing recent accidental terminations in crucial positions.
Maine Senator Susan Collins told the HuffPost that she believes DOGE needs to slow down because “they're making mistakes.”
Read more:
US sets scene for seismic shift in Russian relations with first talks on Ukraine war
19:20
,
Sam Kiley
The US and Russia held talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday that set the scene for a seismic shift in relations – and a potential turning point for the Ukraine war after three bloody years.
Keep reading:
Watch: Zelensky hits back at Trump misinformation
19:00
,
Katie Hawkinson
Boris Johnson attacks Trump over claims Ukraine started war with Putin
18:40
,
Millie Cooke
Boris Johnson has hit out at Donald Trump’s claims that Ukraine started the war with Russia, dismissing them as inaccurate.
The former prime minister said the US president’s statements on Ukraine - which were the latest in a series of controversial interventions by the Trump administration - “are not intended to be historically accurate, but to shock Europeans into action.”
Trump caused outrage when he wrongly claimed Kyiv started the war, as well as claiming Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky’s approval rating stands at 4 percent and the country should hold an election.
Keep reading:
NASA employees spared as White House reverses layoffs decision at the last minute, report says
18:20
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James Liddell
The White House is believed to have made a last-minute decision to pause mass firings at NASA after fears that up to 10 percent of its 18,000 federal staff were to be let go by the end of Tuesday.
Hundreds of space agency employees were braced Tuesday as reports loomed of mass layoffs for probationary staff as Donald Trump attempts to trim the federal workforce and slash trillions from government spending through Elon Musk-lead Department of Government Efficiency.
But in the 11th hour, the Trump administration reportedly spared the station’s federal staff from the latest round of cost-cutting measures – which was predicted to have shrunk the agency’s workforce to the lowest level since 1961.
Continue reading:
Trump administration pulls approval for NYC congestion pricing
18:00
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Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump’s administration pulled approval for New York City’s congestion pricing, the New York Post reports.
The US Department of Transportation notified Governor Kathy Hochul they are ending approval for the program in a letter Wednesday.
“New York State’s congestion pricing plan is a slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, according to the Post.
Read more about prior Republican opposition to congestion pricing from The Independent’s Ariana Baio:
Senate confirms Trump's pick to lead Small Business Administration
17:52
,
Katie Hawkinson
The Senate has confirmed former senator Kelly Loeffler to run the Small Business Administration in a 52-46 vote.
“Kelly will bring her experience in business and Washington to reduce red tape, and unleash opportunity for our Small Businesses to grow, innovate, and thrive,” Trump said of the former Georgia senator. “She will focus on ensuring that SBA is accountable to Taxpayers by cracking down on waste, fraud, and regulatory overreach.”
DC prosecutor announces ‘Operation Whirlwind’ to protect DOGE workers
17:35
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Joe Sommerlad
Ed Martin, interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, has fired out an office-wide email vowing to protect workers in Elon Musk’s DOGE outfit, according to Bloomberg Law and NBC News, which obtained copies of the mail.
“It is despicable that these men and women are being threatened,” Martin writes, saying the problem of threats being made against Musk’s government efficiency operations was first reported to him by a DOGE staffer.
He names his initiative “Operation Whirlwind” and claims to have already personally launched an investigation into Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer over the matter.
“We are the DC US Attorney’s office; we are the guardians of federal workers,” Martin wrote.
“You and I must do whatever possible to assure government work is safe for all involved.
“We must protect our cops, our prosecutors, our DOGE workers, the President, and all other government employees from threats against our nation.”
CNN panelists mock JD Vance after Musk and Trump’s chummy Fox interview: ‘I’d be day drinking at this point’
17:15
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Joe Sommerlad
Following the bromance between Donald Trump and “first buddy” Elon Musk on Trump confidant Sean Hannity’s show last night, a “concerned” Vice President JD Vance could be driven to the point of “day drinking” over the chummy relationship, a CNN panel joked on Wednesday.
Schumer condemns Trump’s ‘disgusting’ remarks on Ukraine
16:55
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Joe Sommerlad
Here’s a new statement from the Senate Minority Leader:
“In a Fox News interview released last night, President Trump spoke about the war in Ukraine and some of his comments sounded straight from a Russian propaganda playbook.
“Rather than speak the truth, rather than acknowledge Vladimir Putin’s role in starting this war, President Trump, amazingly, blamed Ukraine for Putin’s invasion.
“To quote the president: ‘You should have never started it,’ he said. He was saying that to President Zelensky.
“This is disgusting, after how this man has fought so hard and so valiantly. And it deliberately distorts the truth.
“It’s just awful to see an American president turn against one of our friends and openly side with a thug like Vladimir Putin.
“It is shameful to hear the president repeat Putin’s propaganda while laying the groundwork for negotiations that favor Russia at Ukraine’s expense.
“The people of Ukraine did not start this war, Vladimir Putin did.
“Ukrainians have fought and died on the battlefield to defend their home.
“The suffering and destruction the Ukrainian country and the Ukrainian people have endured is staggering, all because of Vladimir Putin.
“And let’s not forget, America: maybe there are some who say enough already. But if we give into Putin now, America will inevitably pay the price later. That’s what history has shown. When you give in to thugs, when you give in to dictators, you pay the price. Hasn’t Donald Trump and his allies learned the lessons of history?
“This is not just about the security of another nation – this struggle is in every way about the ultimate security of the American people.
“Make no mistake, right now the Kremlin is overjoyed by what Donald Trump is saying and what he’s doing.
“Every single Republican must be put on the record for President Trump’s dangerous and false statements about the war in Ukraine. We have an obligation in the Senate to take a stand for the truth and to take a stand against autocrats, and we will do it shortly.
“The American people deserve to know: will Republicans take a stand for democracy and freedom around the world, or will they cater to Putin and Russia, like President Trump is doing with ultimately bad consequences for all of us?”
Trump unleashes unhinged tirade against ‘dictator’ Zelensky, claiming Ukraine only went to war to get US aid
16:40
,
Joe Sommerlad
Here’s Andrew Feinberg’s report on the president’s wild attack on the Ukrainian leader a short while ago.
Trump Media sues Brazilian Supreme Court judge who sparred with Musk
16:25
,
Joe Sommerlad
The president’s Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) has joined the video sharing platform Rumble in suing Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes in a U.S. federal court in Tampa, Florida, accusing the judge of illegally attempting to censor a “well-known politically outspoken user” of Rumble with orders to suspend that user’s U.S.-based accounts.
Moraes happens to have clashed with Elon Musk last year in a battle that led to the temporary shutdown of X in his country.
TMTG is weighing into the matter, according to the lawsuit, because Truth Social “relies on Rumble’s cloud-based hosting and video streaming infrastructure to deliver multimedia content to its user base.”
“If Rumble were to be shut down, that shut down would necessarily interfere with Truth Social’s operations, as well,” it adds.
The suit also comes a day after Brazil’s prosecutor-general charged the country’s former president, Trump ally Jair Bolsonaro, with orchestrating an attempted coup as he tried to remain in office following his 2022 election loss.
DOGE claimed they had saved $8 billion by slashing one contract. The actual number was $8 million
16:10
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Joe Sommerlad
The Department of Government Efficiency claimed they had saved $8 billion by cutting a single contract – but the actual value was $8 million.
Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team, tasked with gutting the federal government, claims it has saved a total of $55 billion, but a recently published list of contracts it has canceled so far only accounts for $16.6 billion, Bloomberg reports.
DOGE, upon further inspection, appears to have overstated the value of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency contract, which has since been corrected.
Rhian Lubin has more.
Trump fires back at ‘modestly successful comedian’ Zelensky in explosive rant against ‘war that couldn’t be won’
15:56
,
Joe Sommerlad
Here’s the president’s angry Truth Social response to his Ukrainian counterpart after he accused him of being taken in by Russian “disinformation” earlier, in which he even goes so far as to refer to him as a “dictator” and accuse him of presiding over a corrupt regime embezzling defense donations:
“Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and “TRUMP,” will never be able to settle. The United States has spent $200 Billion Dollars more than Europe, and Europe’s money is guaranteed, while the United States will get nothing back. Why didn’t Sleepy Joe Biden demand Equalization, in that this War is far more important to Europe than it is to us — We have a big, beautiful Ocean as separation. On top of this, Zelenskyy admits that half of the money we sent him is “MISSING.” He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden “like a fiddle.” A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left. In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only “TRUMP,” and the Trump Administration, can do. Biden never tried, Europe has failed to bring Peace, and Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the “gravy train” going. I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died – And so it continues…..”
That rocket comes as special envoy Keith Kellogg meets with Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, in Kyiv.
Watch: Ex-Trump ambassador claims more people jailed in UK for free speech than Russia
15:45
,
Joe Sommerlad
Trump attending Saudi-backed conference in Miami
15:32
,
Joe Sommerlad
The president will attend a meeting hosted by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund in Miami, Florida, today before making a belated return to Washington, D.C.
Trump will join global financiers and tech executives for a conference that will reportedly focus on U.S. investments and business, according to a White House official.
The president is expected to deliver an address at the gathering following his call in January for Riyadh to invest $1 trillion in the United States but also follows the country objecting to his proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza as part of an American-led rebuilding plan.
This was Trump a short while ago en route to the event:
Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration from firing 11 CIA agents over DEI
15:15
,
Joe Sommerlad
Federal Judge Anthony J Trenga has temporarily blocked the president’s move to force the dismissal of 11 CIA agents briefly assigned to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs within the agency.
The ruling comes after a group of anonymous intelligence officers, who had been temporarily reassigned to roles implementing DEI initiatives, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the CIA – now occupied by Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe – to oppose their ousting.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, names ODNI, the CIA, and their respective heads as defendants.
The plaintiffs, identified only as “John Does 1-6” and “Jane Does 1-5,” argue they are being unfairly targeted, with Judge Trenga agreeing and granting an administrative stay, meaning those concerned will remain on leave with full pay and benefits until the court rules further on the matter.
Trump urges House and Senate Republicans to snub Lindsey Graham on 'America First' bill
15:00
,
Joe Sommerlad
Here’s the president using his bully pulpit to hustle Congress into passing his preferred version of an upcoming reconciliation bill combining all of his “America First” initiatives, issuing a very public smackdown to the South Carolina senator in the process for daring to defy him.
The House and Senate are doing a SPECTACULAR job of working together as one unified, and unbeatable, TEAM, however, unlike the Lindsey Graham version of the very important Legislation currently being discussed, the House Resolution implements my FULL America First Agenda,…
— Trump Posts on (@trump_repost) February 19, 2025
Musk claims he was almost hospitalized after Covid-19 vaccine ‘hit him like a truck’
14:40
,
Joe Sommerlad
Over on X, Elon, as is his way, has meandered into a fairly random conversation about vaccines, commenting on an old clip of Joe Rogan interviewing JD Vance in which the vice president describes being hard hit by the coronavirus jab.
Fortunately, Musk concludes his anecdote about a similar experience by offering his non-expert opinion that “research should continue”.
I had a similar experience.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 19, 2025
Covid itself was nothing. I got the OG Wuhan strain before vaccines were out.
J&J vaccine hurt my arm, but otherwise nothing.
But the mRNA booster hit extremely hard. Massive chest pain. Felt like I got hit by a truck. Almost went to hospital.… https://t.co/MUfj5H03on
On the same subject, new public health czar Robert F Kennedy Jr has performed a major U-turn on childhood vaccine schedules, saying he will have them “examined” after previously promising the Senate he would not makes any changes.
Watch: Musk claims Nasa astronauts are stuck in space because of Biden
14:20
,
Joe Sommerlad
Former Social Security commissioner blasts DOGE’s ‘19-year-old nitwits’
14:00
,
Joe Sommerlad
Martin O’Malley, the former commissioner of the Social Security Administration, ripped into “co-presidents” Trump and Musk on Tuesday, along with DOGE’s band of “19-year-old nitwits,” calling them the “biggest threat” to the continued existence of the 90-year-old program so critical to millions of Americans.
O’Malley, a former governor of Maryland who ran the agency during the last year of the Biden administration, mocked Musk’s claims that millions of “zombies” from the age of 100 to 159 are collecting Social Security benefits.
“He has no idea what he’s talking about,” he told CNN anchor Boris Sanchez.
“There is not like a zombie apocalypse of people, cadavers running around with Social Security checks coming out of their pockets.”
DOGE accidentally fired federal staff who were working to contain bird flu outbreak, report says
13:40
,
Joe Sommerlad
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has forced the U.S. Department of Agriculture into an embarrassing walkback after it was revealed that staffers who were working on combatting the current bird flu epidemic were mistakenly fired.
Madeline Sherratt has this report.
Musk weighs public $5k ‘dividends’ with DOGE savings he hasn’t proven
13:20
,
Joe Sommerlad
The tech billionaire is considering paying $5,000 in “dividends” in the form of tax refunds to American households, using Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) savings he has yet to prove exist.
The plan, which Musk responded to in a post on X on Tuesday, was quickly mocked by critics on social media as way “premature.”
One called the shaky offer an attempt to make the public “complicit in destroying our own government and country.”
It’s unclear if Musk’s DOGE will ever have any “dividends” or if it will ultimately make any real inroads in the federal government’s costs, given its crippling $36 trillion debt, and the massive $4.5 trillion tax cut Republicans are now considering.
The entire annual budget for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which Musk shuttered through DOGE, was a fraction of the possible future annual tax cut alone.
Mary Papenfuss reports.
Trump’s full remarks to reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Ukraine
13:00
,
Joe Sommerlad
Here’s James Liddell with a look back at the president’s shocking comments about the war yesterday, which will have been met with delight in the Kremlin, if not Kyiv.
Team from Musk’s SpaceX will help overhaul U.S. air traffic control
12:40
,
Joe Sommerlad
The move to bring in more experts from within Musk’s circle follows the Trump administration’s decision to fire hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration personnel.
SpaceX already holds billions in government contracts.
Its staff visited Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Virginia onMonday, according to Transport Secretary Sean Duffy, who said that Trump has “ordered” him to “deliver a new, world-class air traffic control system that will be the envy of the world.”
Here’s the latest from Rhian Lubin.
Judge torches Trump lawyers over ban on trans service members and pronouns: ‘Frankly ridiculous’
12:20
,
Joe Sommerlad
A federal judge eviscerated language in Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order targeting transgender service members in the U.S. military and “radical gender ideology” and the use of pronouns.
During Tuesday’s hearing in Washington, D.C., where lawyers for trans service members are challenging Trump’s order that has triggered Department of Defense policy blocking gender-affirming healthcare and new trans recruits, a furious District Judge Ana Reyes interrogated Trump’s “demeaning,” “biologically inaccurate” and “frankly ridiculous” language.
Alex Woodward has the story.
Watch: Outrage as White House flaunts ‘cuffs and shackles’ deportation of illegal migrants in viral video
12:00
,
Joe Sommerlad
Trump threatens 25% tax on cars, microchips and drugs starting in April
11:40
,
Joe Sommerlad
Also at Mar-a-Lago yesterday, the president said he would unilaterally impose 25 percent import taxes on American purchases of automobiles, pharmaceuticals and microchips as early as April 1 despite fears that doing so would supercharge inflation rates he promised to tame during his campaign for the presidency last year.
Andrew Feinberg reports.
Zelensky hits back at Trump ‘disinformation space’ after blaming Kyiv for Russian invasion
11:20
,
Joe Sommerlad
The U.S. president is living in a “disinformation space” with discord sowed by Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said this morning.
Responding to Trump’s claim that his approval rating is at 4 per cent, Zelensky said the American is surrounded by a “misinformation circle”, adding that he will send the real figures to the president.
As we’ve seen, Zelensky is due to meet later today with the Trump administration’s Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg.
You can follow all the very latest on the war below with Alex Croft.