• In a radio interview with Fox News, US President Donald Trump has said his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy has “no cards” to play to end the war in Ukraine.
  • US envoy Keith Kellogg nevertheless has praised Zelenskyy as a “embattled and courageous leader of a nation at war”, offering a stark departure from Trump’s harsh rhetoric.
  • In a meeting with state governors, Trump once again pledged to dismantle the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and clashed with Maine’s governor over transgender rights.
  • Trump loyalist Kash Patel has been sworn in as the new director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), pledging that any “deviation” from his high standards would “not be tolerated”.