Trump updates: US president says Russia’s Putin wants Ukraine war ‘settled’

Thank you for joining Al Jazeera for coverage of day 47 of President Donald Trump’s second term.

For more information about Trump’s threats to sanction Russia, check out our coverage here. You can also learn about the president’s negotiations with Iran with this article.

And to explore Trump’s tariffs against the US’s neighbours Mexico and Canada, get the latest here.

We hope to see you again soon.

• United States President Donald Trump has warned Russia on social media that it could face “large scale” sanctions and tariffs for its attacks on Ukraine.
• But in an in-person appearance, Trump struck a more conciliatory tone, framing Russia’s overnight aerial attacks on Ukraine’s power and energy infrastructure as normal: “Anybody in that position would be doing that right now.”
• Critics have blamed the US’s decision to stop sharing intelligence with Ukraine for limiting its ability to shield against the attack, which wounded at least 10 people.
• The US has also “temporarily suspended” Ukraine’s ability to use government-purchased commercial satellite imagery, further weakening its defences.
• Trump, meanwhile, accused Ukraine of being “more difficult” to work with than Russia, which initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
• The Republican leader hosted a cryptocurrency summit at the White House, touting his policy of industry deregulation.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee is one of the latest civil rights organisations to issue a warning about an impending travel ban from the Trump administration.

“While no travel ban is yet in effect, it is important to take precautionary steps to protect yourself,” the committee said in an emailed travel advisory sent on Friday afternoon.

“Preliminary reports indicate that the newest version of the upcoming ban may include the following countries: Afghanistan, Haiti, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Palestine/Gaza, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, and/or additional countries.”

It also noted that Caribbean countries beyond Haiti could be affected.

During his first term, Trump sought to bar travel from multiple Muslim-majority countries, as well as Cuba and Venezuela.

Media reports indicate that his latest plans would renew and expand what critics came to call a “Muslim ban”.

The New York Times has published a report that a recent Trump cabinet meeting erupted into an argument between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and adviser Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Citing anonymous sources, the Times said Musk accused Rubio of firing “nobody” from the State Department. When Rubio pointed out that more than 1,500 employees took buyouts, Musk indicated it was not enough.

Musk also reportedly clashed with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who said that DOGE staffers had attempted to fire air traffic controllers at a time of great need. According to the Times, Musk called that assertion a “lie”.

There have long been rumours of tensions fuelled by Musk’s prominent role in Trump’s government.

At the first cabinet meeting of his new term, in February, reporters questioned whether Trump had heard such complaints.

“Is anybody unhappy with Elon?” Trump asked to polite chuckles. “If you are, we’ll throw him out of here.”

More recently, on Thursday, Trump announced he would have cabinet secretaries lead future layoffs. “If they can cut, it’s better. And if they don’t cut, then Elon will do the cutting.”

Trump has spent part of his Friday hosting Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, at the White House, inviting the football official to join him at his public appearances.

Both at a cryptocurrency summit and an executive order signing ceremony, Trump allowed Infantino – whom he describes as a friend – to show off a new trophy for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which will be played in the US.

Traditionally, there have been two trophies awarded at the World Cup: the Jules Rimet trophy, a 20th-century version that features the winged goddess Nike, and the most recent trophy, which featured a golden model of the Earth, held up by two figures.

The 2025 redesign appears flat like a plate, until it is opened with a key. Then, its rings unfurl like an orrery, a model of the solar system.

FIFA has said it was inspired by the design of the golden records that flew on NASA’s Voyager spacecraft.

In a statement on Friday afternoon, the State Department has announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio touched base with his French counterpart, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.

They spoke about ongoing negotiations to arrange a ceasefire in Ukraine, where Russia has been conducting a full-scale invasion since February 2022.

“The secretary emphasised President Trump’s determination to achieve, through negotiations, a just and lasting peace, and stressed the United States will continue working with France towards this end,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

Trump has sought to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, though he has been accused of offering concessions to Russia and pressuring the war-torn country to accept an unfavourable deal.

Canada has unveiled billions of dollars in aid and other forms of support to businesses and people expected to be directly affected by the Trump administration’s tariffs on Canadian goods.

These relief measures involve more than $4.52bn (6.5 billion Canadian) in financial aid to help companies tap new international markets, absorb the impact of losses, access easy loans and prevent layoffs, a team of ministers said.

Trump imposed 25-percent tariffs on imports from Canada earlier this week before announcing a temporary exemption on Thursday for goods covered under the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.

“We are moving ahead with these changes despite yesterday’s pause because businesses and workers need assurances right now,” Canadian Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon told reporters.

Exporters hurt by tariffs can access funding from a pool of $3.48bn (5 billion Canadian) this year and in 2026 to help them diversify to new global markets and absorb losses, the government said in a statement.

Another $700m (1 billion Canadian) is being offered to reduce financial barriers for the Canadian agriculture and food industry, it said, adding that $348m (500 million Canadian) has been set aside for low-interest loans.

Washington has “temporarily suspended” Ukraine’s access to US government-purchased commercial satellite imagery, a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency spokesperson says.

US aerospace firm Maxar Technologies confirmed that access to its satellite imagery was disabled for Ukraine, just days after the Trump administration also suspended intelligence sharing with Kyiv.

In a statement, Maxar said it has contracts with the US government and dozens of allied and partner nations, and “each customer makes their own decisions on how they use and share that data”.

The company said one of those contracts is called GEGD – the Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery programme, a US government programme providing access to commercial satellite imagery collected by the United States.

“The US government has decided to temporarily suspend Ukrainian accounts in GEGD,” Maxar said.

With signs illustrated with beakers and slogans like “Time to react!”, thousands of protesters converged on the National Mall in Washington, DC, for a “Stand Up for Science” rally.

They were joined by government officials like Senator Chris Van Hollen and pop-culture personalities, including TV presenter Bill Nye, known as “The Science Guy”.

Together, they denounced cuts to federal spending that affected research, as well as staff reductions to agencies and bureaus involved in science, healthcare and related fields.

They also warned of potential political interference in the data collected as part of such research.

“We are gathered to insist our lawmakers stand up for science,” Nye said. “Science is part of the American story. If the United States is to lead the world, science cannot be suppressed.”

Francis Collins, a former head of the National Institutes of Health, also expressed concern: “ I’m a patriot. I love my country, and I’m worried about my country right now.”

A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked a new policy that would strip millions of dollars in grants to cover the “indirect” costs of studying diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s.

Trump is pushing to slash public spending and implement tariffs on countries around the world, straining diplomatic relations.

He, together with billionaire Elon Musk, is also gutting the federal government and purging its workforce.

What impact will these measures have on US citizens? And how will they affect the country’s global standing?

Marc Lamont Hill, host of Al Jazeera’s UpFront, speaks with economist Richard Wolff about Trump’s economic policies and their impact on the US’s international standing.

At a White House cryptocurrency summit, Trump has signalled a shift away from the regulations of his predecessor Joe Biden when it comes to digital currencies.

Advocates in the cryptocurrency industry have long accused Biden of over-regulation, in a campaign they have informally dubbed “Operation Choke Point 2.0”.

That name is a reference to a previous initiative under President Barack Obama to investigate banks that are suspected of fraud or other misdealings.

Since taking office, Trump has moved to close investigations into at least seven financial firms with dealings in digital currency. He has also named a “crypto tsar”, David Sacks, to build up the government’s investments.

On Friday, Trump slammed Biden for Operation Choke Point 2.0 – though no such initiative was ever opened under Biden’s administration.

“They strong-armed banks into closing the accounts of crypto businesses and entrepreneurs, effectively blocking some money transfers to and from exchanges, and they weaponised government against the entire industry,” Trump said.

“I know that feeling also, maybe better than you do. All of that will soon be over, and we are ending Operation Choke Point 2.0.”

At a hearing for the House Committee on Financial Services last month, Representative Al Green described Operation Choke Point 2.0 as a “fake programme, never initiated by the Biden administration”.

“The Biden administration did not prohibit banks from dealing with cryptocurrency companies,” Green said. “Regulators asking banks to consider the risks associated with the cryptocurrency industry does not amount to de-banking.”

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed has stressed that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine should end peacefully through negotiations, voicing support for the US push to broker talks between the two sides.

“If you look at the recent efforts that President Trump is doing … I believe this is the right direction, the right path forward,” Sheikh Mohammed said in the interview with American commentator Tucker Carlson.

US officials met with a Russian delegation with Saudi Arabia last month, and Trump administration representatives are set to meet with Ukrainian officials next week in the Saudi city of Jeddah.

A day after signing an executive order announcing the government would establish a digital currency reserve, Trump held a meeting he dubbed the ” first-ever White House Digital Assets Summit.”

“Last year I promised to make America the Bitcoin superpower of the world and the crypto capital of the planet, and we’re taking historic action to deliver on that promise,” Trump said.

He also explained that the US would acquire more cryptocurrency, which would be managed by the Treasury.

“This will be a virtual Fort Knox for digital gold to be housed within the United States Treasury. That’s a big thing,” Trump said.

Officials involved in diversity, equality, inclusion and accessibility programmes at the office have been ordered to resign or be fired, the lawyer for two of the officials has said.

Lawyer Kevin Carroll said he did not know how many other Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) officials had received the directive beyond his clients.

Unlike the CIA, ODNI was giving those who received the order a chance to appeal, Carroll said.

An ODNI spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Reuters news agency.

As we’ve been reporting, the Trump administration has launched a sweeping campaign to slash government spending and jobs. The Republican leader has also attacked DEI programmes, ordering them to be rescinded.

The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) has raised concerns about media reports that the Trump administration is preparing to announce a new policy that could bar people from several countries, including Afghanistan, from entering the US.

The New York Times reported on Friday that “a draft recommendation circulating inside the executive branch proposes a ‘red’ list of countries whose citizens” Trump could prohibit from reaching the US.

During his first term, Trump put in place a so-called “Muslim ban” to prevent entry to people from several Muslim-majority countries.

In a statement, IRAP official Laurie Ball Cooper said a new travel ban would lead to “immediate and lasting harm” for refugees and their families, including those who have been waiting years for their US visas to be processed.

“While we do not yet know the full scope of who could be impacted, reports indicate that Afghan refugees targeted by the Taliban, including Special Immigrant Visa holders and others who supported the US mission in Afghanistan, could all be subjected to this unlawful ban,” she said.

“It is shameful that the Trump administration is abandoning America’s promise to protect Afghan allies and other forcibly displaced people around the world.”

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has warned that an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities could spark a regional war that would affect US interests across the Middle East.

“Do we expect from any country to get attacked and to stay silent? There will be a reaction,” Sheikh Mohammed told US commentator Tucker Carlson.

“Those reactions and retaliations, where [are they] going to be? Are they going to reach thousands of miles away? They are going to be in the region. And basically every country in the region [is] concerned from such a step because it will affect our security.”

The Qatari prime minister also noted that the US has a “big stake” in the region, including military bases.

“There is no way that Qatar would support any kind of military step in the region. And we will not give up until we see a diplomatic solution between the US and Iran,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

The Qatari leader’s remarks come after Trump – as we reported earlier – told reporters today that the US is at the “final moments” with Iran and stressed that he will not allow Tehran to acquire a nuclear weapon.

John Fetterman, a staunchly pro-Israel Democrat, has welcomed the Trump administration’s decision to cancel $400m in funding to Columbia University over pro-Palestine student protests.

Fetterman claimed that Columbia, which deployed officers to forcibly disperse the demonstrations last year, let anti-Semitism “run amok to cater to lunatic fringe”.

In a social media post, the senator also asserted without evidence that some of the protesters were “paid provocateurs” and used an expletive to describe the activists.

“Now, Columbia pays for its failure and I support that,” he wrote.

Congressman Al Green has been formally rebuked by his House colleagues for interrupting Trump’s speech at the Capitol earlier this week, but he says he did what his conscience and convictions demanded.

“I would do it again,” Green told US news outlet Democracy Now!

The Democratic lawmaker noted that Trump referred to Democrats in his speech as “lunatics”, saying that the US president uses “incivility” to take advantage of his political rival’s “civility”.

Ten Democrats joined the thin Republican House majority in voting to censure Green yesterday.

The congressman said he may also be stripped of his committee assignments for his protests.

“I will stand on what I have done. I’m not ashamed of what I have done,” he said.