Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 59F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..
Tonight
Rain showers this evening with clearing overnight. Low 49F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Russia has condemned U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and urged an immediate stop to the campaign and a return to diplomacy. In a Telegram post on Saturday, Russia's Foreign Ministry called the strikes preplanned and unprovoked aggression against a U.N. member state. It said the United States and Israel used Iran's nuclear program as a cover. It claimed they are really seeking regime change. Russia warned the attacks could spark humanitarian and economic disaster. It also warned of a possible radiological catastrophe, saying strikes on safeguarded nuclear sites are unacceptable. It said Moscow is ready to help broker peace.
Russia's top diplomat says that Moscow will observe the limits of the last nuclear arms pact with the United States that expired last week as long as it sees that Washington does the same. The New START treaty expired Feb. 5, leaving no restrictions on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century and fueling fears of an unconstrained nuclear arms race. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that even though the U.S. hasn't responded to President Vladimir Putin's offer to maintain New START's caps for another year, Moscow will respect the treaty's limits if the U.S. observes them too.
As tensions simmered between the United States and Europe over President Donald Trump's push to acquire Greenland, Russian officials, state-backed media and pro-Kremlin bloggers watched with a mixture of glee, gloating and wariness. Some touted Trump's move as historic, while others said it weakens the European Union and NATO — something that Moscow would seem to welcome — and that it pushes Russia's war in Ukraine to the sidelines for the West. Some noted the Arctic island held security and economic concerns for the U.S. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also drew parallels between Trump's bid for Greenland and the annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, which many nations do not recognize as legal.
By AAMER MADHANI, REGINA GARCIA CANO and EMMA BURROWS Associated Press
President Donald Trump is gathering with top national security officials. Monday's meeting comes as the U.S. Coast Guard is stepping up efforts to interdict oil tankers in the Caribbean Sea as part of an escalating pressure campaign on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's government. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and others are scheduled to join Trump, who is vacationing at his Mar-a-Lago resort, for what the White House calls a "major announcement." Trump is expected to announce plans to build a new, large warship that Trump is calling a "battleship" as part of a larger vision to create a "Golden Fleet." That's according to people familiar with the matter who were not authorized comment publicly.
By AAMER MADHANI, ISOBEL KOSHIW and KONSTANTIN TOROPIN Associated Press
President Donald Trump says his plan to end the war in Ukraine has been "fine-tuned." He said Tuesday that he is sending envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with the Russian president and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to meet with Ukrainian officials. Trump suggested he might meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy once negotiations progress. Talks have been ongoing, with U.S. and Ukrainian officials meeting in Geneva. French President Emmanuel Macron says peace efforts are at a crucial juncture. Meanwhile, Russia launched attacks on Kyiv, and Ukraine responded with drone strikes on Russia. European leaders warn the road to peace will be long.
By MATTHEW LEE and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press
Plans are on hold for President Donald Trump to sit down with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to talk about resolving the war in Ukraine. That's according to a U.S. official who wasn't authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The meeting had been announced last week. It was supposed to take place in Budapest, Hungary, although a date had not been set. The decision was made following a call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
By AAMER MADHANI and DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press
Updated
President Donald Trump started the week declaring a diplomatic breakthrough in his bid to get Russia and Ukraine closer to making peace, announcing he had begun arranging for direct talks between Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Four days later, the Republican president's optimism has diminished. Russia's top diplomat, Sergey Lavrov, made clear Friday that Putin won't meet with Zelenskyy until the Ukrainians agree to some of Moscow's long-standing demands to end the conflict. Trump said he'd make a decision on his next actions in two weeks if direct talks aren't scheduled. He raised the possibility of imposing new sanctions or tariffs on Russia, a threat he's previously floated but not followed through on.
NATO defense chiefs have discussed potential security guarantees for Ukraine to help end Russia's three-year war. Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone said 32 defense chiefs held a video conference and had a "candid discussion" amid a U.S.-led diplomatic push for peace. Ukraine is seeking military assurances against the threat of future Russian invasions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized the talks for excluding Moscow. An alliance official said U.S. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's supreme allied commander Europe, took part in the virtual talks Wednesday. U.S. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also met with European military chiefs Tuesday evening in Washington .
By VASILISA STEPANENKO and LORNE COOK Associated Press
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed gratitude for U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to send more weapons to Ukraine, particularly Patriot air defense missile systems. But Ukrainians remain skeptical about how much impact Washington's decision will have on their three-year fight against Russia's invasion. Trump also has delayed for 50 days the "very severe" sanctions he had planned for Russia for failing to reach a deal to end the fighting. That move has sparked criticism from Ukrainians and European leaders who see the delay as too long. Moscow saw the postponement as a reprieve.
By VASILISA STEPANENKO and HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press
Ukrainian officials say that Russia pounded the capital with yet another major missile and drone attack. At least least two people were killed in the attack overnight into Thursday. The strikes caused fires across Kyiv a day after the heaviest aerial attack of the war so far. An official in Kyiv said at least 22 people were wounded in the latest barrage. Russia has recently sought to overwhelm Ukraine's air defenses with major attacks that include increasing numbers of decoy drones. The pressure has caused alarm among Ukrainian officials who are uncertain about continuing vital military aid from the United States and U.S. President Donald Trump's policy toward Russia.
