Trump targets law firm Paul Weiss, restricting government access

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump is hosting United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House on Thursday.

The two leaders will hold a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office shortly after noon ET before a press conference in the East Room slated for 2 p.m. ET.

Senior administration officials told reporters that much of the conversations between Trump and Starmer will focus on a peaceful resolution for the Russia-Ukraine war.

The meeting comes after Europe was left out of talks between the U.S. and Russia on how to end Russian President Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, which recently stretched into its fourth year.

Trump has since said Europe will have to bear primary responsibility for any security guarantees for Ukraine, as nations such as France and the United Kingdom urge the U.S. to support peacekeeping efforts post-conflict.

“Well, I’m not going to make security guarantees beyond very much,” Trump said at his first Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. “We’re going to have Europe do that because it’s in, you know, we’re talking about Europe is the next-door neighbor, but we’re going to make sure everything goes well.”

Trump also implied the mineral resource deal between the U.S. and Ukraine would be “automatic security,” because the U.S. will be investing in the nation and that would serve as a barrier to Russia.

Starmer has said he will ensure the United Kingdom is a “leading country” in European nations stepping up to support Ukraine, but said there needs to be a U.S. “backstop” to deter Putin.

“I don’t believe it will be a guarantee if there isn’t the U.S. backstop behind those security guarantees,” Starmer said after European leaders held an emergency meeting in Paris on Ukraine last week as Trump officials gathered with Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia.

Administration officials said the U.S. has been in constant contact with European partners and providing updates on negotiations regarding an agreement to end the war.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to travel to Washington, D.C., on Friday.

Ukraine is working to win a U.S. security agreement as part of the proposed minerals deal, Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to travel to Washington, D.C., on Friday.

Ukraine is working to win a U.S. security agreement as part of the proposed minerals deal, Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv on Wednesday.

“I would say that there’s a balance between the size of the force needed and the strength of the diplomacy that backstops that, that secures it,” an official said.

“If that conflict level, as we want, is dialed down to a functional ceasefire, they would have fewer concerns … So the type of force depends very much on the political self settlement that is made to end the war,” the official continued. “And I think that trade off is what the leaders today, part of what the leaders today are going to be discussing.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine, which started three years ago when Putin’s forces launched a full-scale invasion.

“I just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia,” Trump wrote in a lengthy post on his conservative social media platform. “We discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, Energy, Artificial Intelligence, the power of the Dollar, and various other subjects.”

On Ukraine, Trump said he and Putin “agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations.”

“We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now,” Trump said. A source confirmed to ABC News that Trump and Zelenskyy were speaking by phone.

Trump added, “President Putin even used my very strong Campaign motto of, “COMMON SENSE.” We both believe very strongly in it.”

The discussion between Trump and Putin lasted an hour and a half, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

“President Trump spoke in favor of an early end to hostilities and a peaceful solution to the problem. President Putin, for his part, mentioned the need to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and agreed with Trump that a long-term settlement can be achieved through peaceful negotiations,” Peskov told reporters.

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy has demanded full territorial liberation, and earlier this week signaled a willingness to swap territory with Russia.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier Wednesday that a return to Ukraine’s pre-war borders is an “unrealistic objective” in peace talks, as was NATO membership for Ukraine.

The comments were made at his first meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a coalition of countries working to support Kyiv, in Brussels.

“President Trump has been clear with the American people — and with many of your leaders — that stopping the fighting and reaching an enduring peace is a top priority,” Hegseth told leaders.

Trump has long maintained, and repeated in his post Wednesday, that the war in Ukraine would never have happened had he been president.

He also thanked Putin for the release of Marc Fogel, an American teacher who had been serving a 14-year prison sentence in Russia after being arrested on drug charges in 2021. Fogel arrived at the White House late Tuesday night.

ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — President-elect Donald Trump said his inauguration will move indoors Monday and he’ll be sworn in inside the Capitol Rotunda due to the freezing weather expected in Washington, D.C.

“The various Dignitaries and Guests will be brought into the Capitol,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This will be a very beautiful experience for all, and especially for the large TV audience!”

“We will open Capital One Arena on Monday for LIVE viewing of this Historic event, and to host the Presidential Parade,” Trump said. “I will join the crowd at Capital One, after my Swearing In.”

This inauguration is forecast to be the coldest in 40 years.

A quick-moving storm could bring some snow to D.C. on Sunday afternoon.

When Trump is sworn in at noon on Monday, the temperature will be about 18 or 19 degrees. Due to the wind, the wind chill — what temperature it feels like — will be between 5 and 10 degrees.

President Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985 was also moved inside due to the weather.

The temperature that morning fell to a low of 4 degrees below zero. The temperature was just 7 degrees at noon, marking the coldest January Inauguration Day on record. Reagan’s parade was also canceled.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.