First lady Melania Trump praised for ‘unwavering commitment’ to battle-scarred victims

First lady Melania Trump announced Thursday that a third round of Ukrainian children have returned to their families as part of a Russia-Ukraine youth reunification initiative.

“I appreciate that Russia and Ukraine are dedicated to bringing back the children who have been displaced because of the circumstances surrounding this conflict,” wrote the first lady in a statement.

“Although all parties are cooperating and our communications remain robust, I urge Russia and Ukraine to intensify their efforts to ensure the safe return of every child to their families and guardians,” said Mrs. Trump.

THE ONE WORD MELANIA TRUMP INSISTED ON ADDING TO THE PRESIDENT’S INAUGURATION SPEECH

She added, “Today marks the third reunification since I have been working strategically with both nations. I have no doubt more progress will come.”

Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev announced on X that six children were unified, sharing comment from Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights.

“I thank the First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump, for her unwavering commitment and engagement in efforts to reunite children with their families,” said Lvova-Belova. 

Mrs. Trump has made her passion for the well-being of children across the globe a central focus of her role as first lady of the United States. 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

At the end of last year, Mrs. Trump reunited 15 children with their families in October and December.

The first lady previously wrote a “peace letter” to Russian President Vladimir Putin. telling him “it is time” to protect children and future generations around the globe, Fox News Digital reported in August.

President Donald Trump then hand-delivered that message to the Russian leader before their summit in Alaska that month.

The announcement Thursday comes just after Mrs. Trump continued her Valentine’s Day tradition of visiting the Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, on Wednesday.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Mrs. Trump met with children, families and NIH staff involved in clinical trials. Children and the first lady participated in arts and crafts — making valentines.

NIH director Jayanta Bhattacharya, Children’s Inn CEO Jennie Lucca and Vice Chair Scott Royal were also present.

“Love reveals itself in many forms, especially in the hardest moments of care and compassion,” said Mrs. Trump.

“The Children’s Inn provides important support to children who have been diagnosed with rare and serious diseases,” she added. 

“Returning to The Children’s Inn at NIH is a special reminder of [the] warmth that exists here year-round thanks to the profound resilience of these young people and the dedication of those working to provide comfort, hope and support during clinical trials. I wish them all a very happy Valentine’s Day.”

The first lady previously visited the Children’s Inn in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

MELANIA TRUMP CALLS FOR NATIONAL UNITY AS MINNEAPOLIS TENSIONS REMAIN HIGH FOLLOWING FEDERAL SHOOTINGS

One patient asked Mrs. Trump how she should be addressed — and she responded, “Melania.”

In her recently launched film, “MELANIA,” viewers get an inside look into the life of the first lady, showcasing her passion for helping children.

A scene shows Mrs. Trump speaking French during a discussion of the “Be Best” initiative with the first lady of France, Brigitte Macron.

Mrs. Trump ultimately secured a $25 million investment in foster youth to be included in the president’s 2026 fiscal year budget.

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

She is also shown in the film meeting with Queen Victoria of Spain at Mar-a-Lago to discuss their various children’s initiatives.

Zelenskyy rips IOC after Ukrainian athlete gets disqualified over helmet honoring victims of Russian war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ripped the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday after an athlete was disqualified for wearing a helmet to honor victims in the war with Russia.

The IOC said Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych’s decision to continue to wear the helmet that paid tribute to more than 20 athletes and coaches who died in the war violated the organization’s policy against making political statements on the field of play.

The ruling caused massive backlash among Ukrainian athletes.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

“Sport shouldn’t mean amnesia, and the Olympic movement should help stop wars, not play into the hands of aggressors,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “Unfortunately, the decision of the International Olympic Committee to disqualify Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych says otherwise. This is certainly not about the principles of Olympism, which are founded on fairness and the support of peace.

“I thank our athlete for his clear stance. His helmet, bearing the portraits of fallen Ukrainian athletes, is about honor and remembrance. It is a reminder to the whole world of what Russian aggression is and the cost of fighting for independence. And in this, no rule has been broken.”

Zelenskyy pinned the blame on Russia for violating “Olympic principles” with its continued wars on neighboring nations, including his own.

Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to compete under a neutral flag in the Olympics.

2 SOUTH KOREAN SKIERS DISQUALIFIED FROM OLYMPICS OVER BANNED SUBSTANCE ON EQUIPMENT

“And now, in 2026, despite repeated calls for a ceasefire during the Winter Olympics, Russia shows complete disregard, increasing missile and drone strikes on our energy infrastructure and our people,” Zelenskyy continued.

“660 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed by Russia since the full-scale invasion began. Hundreds of our athletes will never again be able to take part in the Olympic Games or any other international competitions. And yet, 13 Russians are currently in Italy competing at the Olympics. They compete under ‘neutral’ flags at the Games, while in real life publicly supporting Russian aggression against Ukraine and the occupation of our territories. And they are the ones who deserve disqualification.

“We are proud of Vladyslav and of what he did. Having courage is worth more than any medal.”

Heraskevych met with IOC President Kirsty Coventry before he was set to compete in the first official run in skeleton. He said they couldn’t “find common ground.”

Heraskevych received word from the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (IBSF), saying the helmet was “inconsistent with the Olympic Charter and Guidelines on Athlete Expression.” The IOC offered concessions to him, including wearing a black armband or the ability to display the helmet off the ice.

“I believe, deeply, the IBSF and IOC understand that I’m not violating any rules,” Heraskevych said. “Also, I would say (it’s) painful that it really looks like discrimination because many athletes already were expressing themselves…. They didn’t face the same things. So, suddenly, just the Ukrainian athlete in this Olympic Games will be disqualified for the helmet.”

The IOC expressed “regret” over the decision.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“As you’ve all seen over the last few days, we’ve allowed for Vladyslav to use his helmet in training,” said Coventry, who at times shed tears while speaking to reporters. “No one, no one — especially me — is disagreeing with the messaging. The messaging is a powerful message. It’s a message of remembrance. It’s a message of memory and no one is disagreeing with that. The challenge that we are facing is that we wanted to ask or come up with a solution for just the field of play.”

Ukrainian Olympian out of Winter Games over helmet honoring fallen countrymen

Ukrainian Olympian Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the men’s skeleton event on Thursday after he refused to use any other helmet other than the one honoring his country’s athletes who were killed in the war with Russia.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Heraskevych locked horns over the last three days about the helmet, which the organization said it bans due to rules against making political statements on the field of play. IOC President Kirsty Coventry even met with Heraskevych to try to change his mind before the event began, but to no avail.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

“We didn’t find common ground in this regard,” Heraskevych said.

Heraskevych received word from the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (IBSF), saying the helmet was “inconsistent with the Olympic Charter and Guidelines on Athlete Expression.” The IOC offered concessions to him, including wearing a black armband or the ability to display the helmet off the ice.

“I believe, deeply, the IBSF and IOC understand that I’m not violating any rules,” Heraskevych said. “Also, I would say (it’s) painful that it really looks like discrimination because many athletes already were expressing themselves. … They didn’t face the same things. So, suddenly, just the Ukrainian athlete in this Olympic Games will be disqualified for the helmet.”

OLYMPICS COMPETITION BRIEFLY PAUSED AFTER CHINESE SNOWBOARDER LIU JIAYU IS INJURED IN DRAMATIC HALFPIPE CRASH

The IOC expressed “regret” over the decision.

“As you’ve all seen over the last few days, we’ve allowed for Vladyslav to use his helmet in training,” said Coventry, who at times shed tears while speaking to reporters. “No one, no one — especially me — is disagreeing with the messaging. The messaging is a powerful message. It’s a message of remembrance. It’s a message of memory and no one is disagreeing with that. The challenge that we are facing is that we wanted to ask or come up with a solution for just the field of play.”

The helmet included more than 20 Ukrainian athletes and coaches who were killed in the war.

Heraskevych didn’t exactly feel for Coventry, saying “In Ukraine now we also have a lot of tears.” He added that the decision “plays along with Russian propaganda.”

“Disqualified. I think that’s enough to understand what the modern IOC really is and how it disgraces the idea of the Olympic movement,” Ukrainian skier Kateryna Kostar wrote in a post on Instagram. “Vladyslav Heraskevych, for us and for the whole world, you’re a champion. Even without starting.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Heraskevych was a favorite to be in the top three in his event. After competing in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the war with Russia broke out, and he helped deliver food and supplies to his fellow Ukrainians.

Russian attack on Kharkiv wipes out young family, leaving pregnant mother as sole survivor

A Russian drone strike Tuesday night in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region wiped out a young family, killing a father and his three small children, leaving a pregnant mother as the sole survivor.

Oleg Synegubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, said on Telegram that the attack on the town of Bohodukhiv claimed the lives of 34-year-old Grigory and his three children — 2-year-old twin boys, Ivan and Vladyslav, and their 1-year-old sister Myroslava.

The family had just evacuated from Zolochiv, a front-line town about 25 miles from the Russian border, in an effort to escape persistent shelling.

They were spending their first night in their new home when the strike occurred, Synegubov said.

‘ONLY TRUMP CAN STOP RUSSIA’: MILLIONS FACE FREEZING WINTER, UKRAINE ENERGY EXECUTIVE WARNS

Olga, the children’s 35-year-old mother who is 35 weeks pregnant, survived with injuries and minor burns and was later discharged from the hospital after receiving medical care.

“The Russian army once again targeted an ordinary residential building in the middle of the night,” said Synegubov. “Another terrorist act of the state fighting against the civilian population – against small children, pregnant women, elderly people.”

The Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office said preliminary data indicates that a “Geran-2” drone was used in the attack.

RUSSIAN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE OFFICIAL SHOT IN MOSCOW: REPORT

The Geran-2 is the Russian designation for an Iranian-designed Shahed-136, a one-way attack drone that detonates on impact and has been widely used by Moscow to strike Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

KENYA DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM RUSSIA OVER RECRUITMENT OF CITIZENS TO FIGHT IN UKRAINE WAR

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday in a post on X that Russian forces carried out additional strikes across border and frontline regions, including launching 470 attack drones at Kherson in a single day.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“Gas supply restoration is ongoing in the Donetsk region – also following a Russian strike. There were strikes on infrastructure in the Dnipro region, in the Synelnykove district,” he wrote. “Some consumers are currently without electricity in Zaporizhzhia after ‘shahed’ strikes – restoration work is underway.”

Zelenskyy said he directed military and community leaders to develop additional measures to strengthen protection for critical infrastructure.

Zelenskyy plans major announcement on presidential election, referendum: report

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is reportedly planning to announce a presidential election and a referendum on a potential peace deal to end the war with Russia, with the declaration expected on Feb. 24, the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion.

The Financial Times, citing Ukrainian and European officials involved in the planning, reported on Wednesday that both a presidential vote, in which Zelenskyy would seek re-election, and a nationwide referendum could be held by May 15.

The outlet said Kyiv could risk losing proposed U.S. security guarantees if it does not hold both votes by that date.

The Financial Times noted that although earlier U.S.-imposed deadlines have come and gone, American officials are this time applying heavier pressure on Ukraine as the November midterm elections loom.

ZELENSKYY READY TO PRESENT NEW PEACE PROPOSALS TO US AND RUSSIA AFTER WORKING WITH EUROPEAN TALKS

It added that the timeline could also be complicated by the wide gap between Moscow and Kyiv on key territorial issues, including control of the Donbas region and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, as well as the need for parliament to amend legislation because martial law currently bars national elections during wartime.

Zelenskyy previously stressed that the timing and format of any elections are matters solely for Ukraine and its citizens, rejecting any suggestion that the Kremlin could dictate the process. 

In several lengthy posts on X in December, he argued that two key factors would determine whether voting is possible: security and legislation.

ZELENSKYY SAYS US SECURITY GUARANTEES DOCUMENT IS ‘100% READY’ FOR SIGNING

Zelenskyy said voting can only take place on Ukrainian-controlled territory and must ensure the participation of soldiers defending the country. Elections cannot be held in Russian-occupied areas, he explained, because of concerns over how they would be conducted.

He also suggested that a ceasefire, at least for the duration of an election or referendum, may be necessary to guarantee secure conditions, including protected airspace and the presence of international observers.

The reported deadline from the Trump administration comes after The Associated Press reported that Washington is aiming for the war to end by June.

Trilateral talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine were held in Abu Dhabi in early February, where the sides met twice but emerged with only a limited breakthrough — agreeing to a 314-person prisoner exchange, the first such swap in five months.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington and Moscow agreed to reestablish a military-to-military dialogue, calling the channel “crucial to achieving and maintaining peace.”

He said trilateral discussions would continue in the coming weeks after the delegations report back to their respective capitals.

Kenya demands answers from Russia over recruitment of citizens to fight in Ukraine war

Kenya will press Russia for answers after reports emerged that its citizens are being recruited to fight in Ukraine, the country’s foreign minister said.

Musalia Mudavadi told the BBC in an interview on Tuesday that the recruitment was “unacceptable and clandestine.”

He said the government has shut down illegal recruiters and would urge Moscow to sign an agreement barring the conscription of Kenyan citizens. 

Nairobi estimates that about 200 nationals have been recruited to fight for Russia, and Mudavadi explained that families have struggled to recover the bodies of loved ones killed in the conflict.

NEW FOOTAGE SHOWS NORTH KOREAN TROOPS CLEARING DANGEROUS MINES FOR RUSSIA IN WAR ZONE

“It is difficult because, remember, it depends on where the body has been found,” the foreign minister told the BBC. “There some have been found in Ukraine – we are also working with the government of Ukraine to try and get the remains of those people repatriated.”

In a November post on X, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv estimates that at least 1,436 foreign nationals from 36 African countries have been recruited to fight for Russia in its war against Ukraine, warning the true number may be higher.

Sybiha said Russia uses a range of tactics to recruit foreigners, including financial incentives, deception and coercion.

US ACCUSES RUSSIA OF ‘DANGEROUS AND INEXPLICABLE ESCALATION’ IN UKRAINE WAR DURING PEACE NEGOTIATIONS

“Signing a contract is equivalent to signing a death sentence,” he wrote. “Foreign citizens in the Russian army have a sad fate. Most of them are immediately sent to the so-called ‘meat assaults,’ where they are quickly killed.”

Mudavadi said in December that the government had received multiple emails and urgent communications from Kenyans in distress at military camps in Russia.

AS UKRAINE WAR DRAGS ON, TRUMP HITS PUTIN BY SQUEEZING RUSSIA’S PROXIES

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“Several of them have reported injuries among our nationals and others stranded, following attempted recruitment into the violent conflicts,” he told the Kenya News Agency, the country’s state-run news service.

Mudavadi said the government has since tightened recruitment regulations, deregistering more than 600 non-compliant agencies and strengthening job verification through the Diaspora Placement Agency to curb exploitation.

As Ukraine war drags on, Trump hits Putin by squeezing Russia’s proxies

President Donald Trump vowed to impose “very severe consequences” on Russia in 2025 if it didn’t commit to a deal to end its war on Ukraine.

As the war nears its four-year anniversary in late February, national security experts tell Fox News Digital that Russia is facing tangible consequences for the war. Those are through its network of proxy countries that have directly endured the might of the U.S. military and subsequently left Russia with fewer streams of revenue and resources, they say. 

“The president’s moves as it pertains to Russia are really strategic,” Morgan Murphy, who previously served as the senior public diplomacy advisor to the president’s special envoy to Ukraine in 2025, told Fox News Digital. “So if you look at what he’s done with Iran and with Venezuela, these are two Russian proxies, right? Iran is a close ally of Russia.”

“They sell a lot of drones to Russia,” Murphy, who is running as a GOP Senate candidate to represent Alabama, continued. “Venezuela was again a proxy of Russia here in our hemisphere, and Trump is in the process of taking Iran off the table. He’s certainly taken Venezuela off the chessboard, and that that has to change Putin’s calculus, because he sees in President Trump a president who follows what he says he’s going to do.” 

ZELENSKYY ANNOUNCES NEXT ROUND OF TALKS WITH US, RUSSIA AS UKRAINE AIMS FOR ‘REAL AND DIGNIFIED END TO THE WAR

Russia’s war on Ukraine has persisted since Feb. 24, 2022, about a year after Trump’s first administration ended and during President Joe Biden’s presidency. Trump campaigned on ending the war upon his second inauguration in 2025, but ending the war has proven more difficult than anticipated as the U.S. continues negotiations. 

A White House official who spoke to Fox Digital said Trump is driven by humanitarian concerns and wants the conflict ended to stop the needless loss of life. The official added that in recent months his team has made major headway toward a settlement, pointing to Trump’s own remarks that “very good things” are developing between Ukraine and Russia.

According to the official, recent negotiations in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, were substantive and constructive, with U.S., Ukrainian and Russian delegations agreeing to a 314-person prisoner exchange — the first in five months. While more work is ahead, the official argued that breakthroughs like this show sustained diplomacy is producing real, measurable progress toward ending the war.

Trump launched a series of strikes on Iran in June 2025 that hobbled the country’s covert nuclear program. Massive protests swept Iran in December 2025 as citizens spoke out against the government and its cratering economy. 

Iran violently cracked down on the nationwide protests, with thousands of citizens reportedly killed and the Trump administration warning Iran that it would face U.S. military action if the executions and killings continued. 

The U.S. and Iran held discussions in Oman Friday as Tehran, Iran, continues to obscure its nuclear ambitions, with military intervention on the table as the U.S. seeks to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons capabilities. 

Iran and Russia have grown into a tighter wartime partnership in recent years, with U.S. and allied officials citing Iran’s supply of armed drones and other defense cooperation that has helped power Russia’s attacks in Ukraine — drawing the two heavily sanctioned regimes closer economically and militarily.

Ret. Air Force Gen. Bruce Carlson pointed to the Trump administration’s actions on Iran and Venezuela as evidence of how Trump is strategically pressuring Russia via its proxies to end the war in Ukraine. 

“In any campaign, you don’t just target command centers — you cut supply lines and logistics,” Carlson said. “Pressuring Russian proxies does exactly that. Venezuela, Iran, and the shadow fleet are key arteries feeding Russia’s war in Ukraine. Additionally, by pressing Europe to increase NATO spending and move off Russian oil and gas, we are directly altering Moscow’s decision-making.”

WITKOFF SAYS TALKS WITH RUSSIAN ENVOY WERE ‘PRODUCTIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE’ AMID TRUMP ADMIN’S PEACE PUSH

Carlson argued that, strategically, the trend lines are moving against Moscow as the U.S. ramps up pressure on Russia’s partners — leaving Putin with fewer backers, tighter resources and less flexibility, and undermining any assumption that dragging out the war comes without a cost. 

The retired Air Force general added that Putin and his proxies operate as a single ecosystem: Russia’s campaign relies on outside suppliers and sanctions-busting networks, so hitting any link in that chain can weaken Russia’s revenue and its ability to sustain attacks on Ukrainian civilians.

“But ensuring a lasting and fair peace is not solely about pressuring Russia. As the cold winter continues in Ukraine, there are increasing concerns on Ukraine’s energy needs and air defense systems. U.S. and European support remain vital,” he added. 

UKRAINE RACES TO BOLSTER AIR DEFENSES AS PUTIN’S STRIKE PAUSE NEARS END

As tensions with Iran heighten, the Trump administration successfully captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro on sweeping narco-trafficking charges in January. 

Venezuela is another Russian ally, publicly backing Moscow and maintaining high-level diplomatic ties, while giving Russia a Western Hemisphere foothold through military-technical cooperation and deep dependence on Russian arms — a relationship that has triggered U.S. sanctions actions tied to Venezuela’s oil sector and Russian-linked firms.

“The removal of Maduro stripped Moscow of a key client in our hemisphere, and the increased pressure on Iran threatens the weapons and drone supply chain that Russia uses against Ukrainian civilians,” Carrie Filipetti, executive director of foreign policy group the Vandenberg Coalition, told Fox News Digital. “This is how we have to change Putin’s long-term calculus.”

TRUMP SAYS PUTIN AGREED TO HALT KYIV STRIKES FOR ONE WEEK AMID BRUTAL COLD

“For the first time, the United States has used the power of American diplomacy to bring Ukraine and Russia into trilateral diplomatic talks,” Filipetti added. “Combined with the threat of additional sanctions reliance and increased pressure on the countries that buy Russian energy, these steps are critical to shaking Russia’s assumption that time is on its side.” 

Ret. Air Force Lt. Gen. Richard Newton told Fox News Digital that when Trump warned Russia of severe consequences in 2025 if Moscow did not end the war, the threat was followed by tangible consequences that reverberated through the Kremlin. 

“Deterrence and leverage requires our adversaries (to) believe we will act,” Newton said. “President Trump is doing just that by disrupting the systems that fund and sustain Putin’s war. The capture of Maduro and the just announced trade deal with India’s Prime Minister Modi — that forces India off of Russian oil — is a major blow to Russia’s war machine.”

The White House said in February that it struck with India to increase U.S. energy imports and stop buying Russian oil. The U.S. tops the world in daily oil production, with Saudi Arabia and Russia following behind. 

Filipetti argued that peace in Ukraine is only obtained by forcing Russia to face “real consequences.”

“Vladimir Putin is responsible for a war of aggression marked by atrocities against Ukrainian civilians, and any lasting peace must impose real consequences on Russia itself. And weakening Russia’s proxies and isolating Putin is one of the most effective ways to reduce his ability to wage war,” Filipetti said.

“When it comes to China, North Korea, and Iran — without question these authoritarians are facing a very different calculus than just a few months ago,” she said. 

RUSSIA, UKRAINE TO DISCUSS TERRITORY AS TRUMP SAYS BOTH SIDES ‘WANT TO MAKE A DEAL’

While Newton pointed to a shadow-fleet sanctions package and another sanctions package that are moving through Congress, along with higher NATO spending and a tougher allied military posture, as key pressure points he says could help drive a peace deal.

Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is promoting a sweeping Russia sanctions bill that would tighten the screws on Moscow by punishing countries and companies that keep buying Russian energy with secondary sanctions and tariffs, while a separate bipartisan “shadow fleet” package would target the tankers, insurers and shell networks Russia uses to move oil and evade sanctions.

Murphy argued that Trump already has sketched what he sees as a realistic off-ramp for Moscow — one he says even some Democrats would recognize as the best deal Putin is likely to get — including restoring Russia’s seat at the top diplomatic table, reopening some Western commercial access, and acknowledging Russia’s current occupation of Ukrainian territory without formally recognizing sovereignty. 

ZELENSKYY HOLDING UP RUSSIA-UKRAINE PEACE PROCESS, TRUMP SAYS

Murphy likened that offer to a “golden bridge” for Putin to exit the war, but said the Kremlin has so far declined it, making the next move ultimately Russia’s choice — and raising the question of how many more casualties Moscow is willing to absorb with no clear endpoint in sight.

The war underscores a Russian worldview U.S. negotiators often misread through a Western lens, Murphy said, explaining Russia is shaped by catastrophic losses in World War I and World War II and a deep-seated suspicion that invasion is a recurring threat. He said that unpredictability is why the U.S. military has long used the “Crazy Ivan” moniker for Russian behavior. 

Trump is meanwhile putting himself in the Russians’ shoes, Murphy argued, and meeting the moment with a clearer-eyed read of Moscow’s mindset and history. 

“It is a decision that the Russians are going to have to make. How many more lives do they want to feed into this meat grinder? How many more deaths are they willing to endure?” Murphy said. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters in February that the U.S. set a June deadline for Moscow and Kyiv to strike an agreement to end the war, teeing up heightened tensions ahead of the U.S. midterms in November. 

Whispering death: Army’s new M1E3 Abrams tank is a hybrid-drive silent killer

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has his “Arsenal of Freedom Tour” in full swing, visiting the nuclear submarine production floor at Newport News, Virginia, and Blue Origin’s space launch at Cape Canaveral, Florida. His goal: restore American industrial prowess and secure freedom for generations to come.

You’ll never guess which program is moving fastest of all: it’s the Army’s new M1E3 Abrams tank.

Get this: the M1E3 Abrams is five years ahead of schedule. Yes, five years. And it’s a hybrid.

While Golden Dome missile defense, the battleship design and other programs are on the drawing board, the Army has accelerated the M1E3 Abrams to wartime pace.

HEGSETH SAYS DEPARTMENT OF WAR ‘WILL BE PREPARED TO DELIVER’ WHATEVER TRUMP WANTS FOLLOWING IRAN WARNING

Credit Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll. It’s part of their push to accelerate top programs like the MV-75 air assault tilt-rotor plane. In the case of the tank, the Army had been studying upgrades and watching the Ukraine war. George and his science advisor Dr. Alex Miller were told they would not see the tank until 2032. “We said no,” Miller recalled.

The result: the M1E3 prototype rolled out at the Detroit Auto Show in January. The first platoon of the M1E3 will be ready for testing by soldiers in 2028.

As seen in Detroit, the new M1E3 is a sleek change from earlier Abrams models. Gone is the top turret position. Now the three-man crew side by side in the hull where armor is strongest. External cameras, sensors, heat-detecting thermal sights and laser-range finders feed into gaming-inspired cockpit displays. Their remote? It’s not for changing channels. An M1E3 tank crew can remotely fire a Javelin anti-tank missile with a 2.5-mile range and a range of other weapons, including loitering munitions.

US MILITARY DETAILS TIMELINE OF OPERATION TO CAPTURE MADURO, REVEALING MORE THAN 150 AIRCRAFT INVOLVED

Here are five killer attributes of the M1E3 Abrams.

• Formula One Cockpit. The M1E3 tank has a driver interface that “looks like an Xbox controller,” said George. Just as important, the tank uses a modular, “plug-and-play” open systems software backbone. Soldiers can plug in new apps and upgrade it at a point in the vehicle software where all the things that make the vehicle run are protected.
• Quiet mode. It’s a hybrid. No, the Army isn’t going eco-friendly. The M1E3 will have a Caterpillar diesel engine and a SAPA transmission that allows it to switch into electric mode. The hybrid electric drive is all about silent stalking. Iraqis facing the Abrams in 1991 called it Whispering Death, but the new Abrams takes the silent mode into a new realm when the tank is running on electric. Add in heat signature reduction and electronic jammers. The new Abrams takes silent lethality to a new level.

HEGSETH TO HIGHLIGHT REBUILDING THE ‘ARSENAL OF FREEDOM’ IN SPEECH AT REAGAN NATIONAL DEFENSE FORUM

• Active Protection. Shoot at an Abrams and “active protection” will detect, target and obliterate you. This is the Army’s term for a system that can sort out a whole range of incoming threats, from recoilless rifles to anti-tank guided missiles, rockets, tank rounds and rocket-propelled grenades. And of course, drones. The best part is the detection system nails the location of the enemy shooter so the Abrams crew can destroy it.
• Reactive Armor. Already an Abrams standard, tiles fitted on the tank hull prevent penetration by RPGs and deflect blast downward or outwards, depending on the tactical situation. The Army really doesn’t like to talk about this secretive system, but guarantee you, the M1E3 will improve on it.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

• Great Guns.  With lessons drawn from the Ukraine battlefield, a .30-mm chain gun replaces both the .50-caliber and the loader’s gun. The .30-mm can hit light-armor vehicles like the Russian BMP. It can also chew up drones. Remember, remote control permits the crew to fire without popping the hatch.

By the way, this is a tank on a diet. Older Abrams models weigh close to 80 tons. Expect the M1E3 to weigh in at about 60 tons, after shedding top turret armor. Lighter weight yields about 40% greater fuel efficiency. It also allows the M1E3 tank to access 30% more bridge crossings in Poland and other NATO Eastern front-line countries facing Russia.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Why a new tank? To deter Russia. The Ukraine war could stop tomorrow, and Putin’s Russia would still be a long-term threat. Russia has lost over 3,000 tanks in Ukraine but can still produce 1,500 tanks per year, according to Gen. Christopher Cavoli, former NATO supreme allied commander.

In the end, it is the tank that deters the taking of territory. Just ask the soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, who wrapped up an armored live-fire exercise in Poland during Operation Winter Falcon last month. Polish and U.S. forces fired their M1A2 Abrams tanks side by side. “We train to be ready for anything that might happen in the future… you’ve [got to] do that in the place you may have to defend,” said U.S. Army Col. Matthew Kelley, commander, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM REBECCA GRANT

Russia to ‘interrogate’ two suspects in attempted assassination of top military general

Russia said it plans to “interrogate” two suspects in the attempted assassination of a top military intelligence official who was ambushed in Moscow Friday, according to a Russian newspaper.

The Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that two suspects in the shooting of Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev “will soon be interrogated,” citing a source close to the investigation.

After questioning, the suspects are expected to be charged, the report said, according to Reuters. 

Alekseyev, the deputy head of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, was shot three times in his Moscow apartment building Friday and rushed to a hospital.

ZELENSKYY CLAIMS US GAVE UKRAINE AND RUSSIA A DEADLINE TO REACH PEACE AGREEMENT

The Associated Press reported that the business daily Kommersant said the shooter posed as a delivery person and shot Alekseyev twice in the stairway of his apartment building, injuring him in the foot and arm. Alekseyev reportedly attempted to wrest the weapon away and was shot again in the chest before the attacker fled, the report said.

Kommersant reported that Alekseyev underwent successful surgery and regained consciousness Saturday but remained under medical supervision.

Russian news outlet TASS reported the surgery was successful and that Alekseyev’s injuries were not life-threatening.

RUSSIAN GENERAL KILLED BY CAR BOMB, THIRD SENIOR MILITARY LEADER KILLED THIS YEAR

The outlet reported that the Investigative Committee launched a criminal investigation on charges of attempted murder and illicit trafficking in firearms.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Ukraine of being behind the assassination attempt, alleging — without providing evidence — that it was intended to sabotage peace talks. Ukraine denied any involvement.

Alekseyev, 64, has been under U.S. sanctions over alleged Russian cyber interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The European Union also sanctioned him over the 2018 poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The assassination attempt came as President Donald Trump’s administration has been seeking to help broker peace between Russia and Ukraine.

The warring nations agreed to a prisoner swap this week, according to readouts posted on X by U.S. special presidential envoy for peace missions Steve Witkoff and Ukraine’s national security and defense council Minister Rustem Umerov.

Zelenskyy claims US gave Ukraine and Russia a deadline to reach peace agreement

Ukraine and Russia are reportedly working on a U.S.-set deadline to reach a peace deal that would end the nearly four-year-long war.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters that the U.S. had set a June deadline for Moscow and Kyiv to strike an agreement, according to The Associated Press. The outlet noted Zelenskyy’s remarks were embargoed until Saturday morning.

“The Americans are proposing the parties end the war by the beginning of this summer and will probably put pressure on the parties precisely according to this schedule,” Zelenskyy said, according to the AP. The Ukrainian president also said that if the June deadline is not met, the Trump administration would likely put pressure on Moscow and Kyiv to meet.

“And they say that they want to do everything by June. And they will do everything to end the war. And they want a clear schedule of all events,” Zelenskyy added, the AP reported.

RUSSIA LAUNCHES RECORD MISSILE BARRAGE AGAINST UKRAINE ONE DAY BEFORE PEACE TALKS SET TO RESUME IN ABU DHABI

Zelenskyy posted a video message on X on Friday saying Ukraine’s negotiators “report on the sensitive aspects of the negotiations in Abu Dhabi that cannot be discussed over the phone.” He added that Ukraine was preparing for “next meetings,” which he said would be “trilateral.”

The Ukrainian president told reporters that the U.S. had proposed it host the trilateral talks next week, likely in Miami, and that Ukraine had already confirmed it would participate, the AP reported.

President Donald Trump on Friday expressed optimism about the Russia-Ukraine talks while speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One.

“We have very good talks going with Russia and Ukraine,” Trump said.

In a readout of the trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi that took place on Feb. 4 and 5, the U.S. described the discussions as “constructive” and said they were focused on creating “the conditions for a durable peace.” The U.S. also said that the delegations had reached an agreement under which Russia and Ukraine would each release 157 prisoners of war, noting that it would be “the first exchange in the last five months.”

US SPECIAL ENVOY WITKOFF ANNOUNCES US, UKRAINIAN AND RUSSIAN DELEGATIONS AGREE TO PRISONER SWAP

Additionally, the U.S. said it and Russia have agreed to open a new channel of communication by establishing a military-to-military dialogue, which would be led by General Alexus Grynkewich, commander of U.S. European Command. The dialogue was suspended prior to the war in Ukraine, the U.S. said, adding that it was “crucial to achieving and maintaining peace.”

Despite the apparent progress, Russia and Ukraine’s war remains ongoing, with Moscow striking Kyiv’s energy infrastructure as the nation faces a brutal winter. Zelenskyy said on Saturday that the overnight attack involved 400 drones and approximately 40 “missiles of various types.” The Ukrainian president said that an apartment building and a college administrative building had been hit.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“Every day, Russia could choose real diplomacy, but it chooses new strikes. It is crucial that everyone who supports the trilateral negotiations respond to this,” Zelenskyy said. “Moscow must be deprived of the ability to use the cold as leverage against Ukraine. This requires missiles for Patriot, NASAMS, and other systems. Every shipment helps us get through this winter.”

“I thank all our partners who understand this and are genuinely helping,” he added.

Trump previously said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to temporarily stop attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, citing the brutally cold weather.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the State Department for comment.