President Donald Trump is preparing to walk away from negotiations aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, according to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Speaking after a summit in Paris, Rubio said the administration would decide “in a matter of days” whether a deal is realistically possible. If not, the U.S. will stop pursuing talks and shift its focus elsewhere.
What to Know:
- Rubio says Trump will pull out of peace talks “within days” if no progress is made.
- The U.S. will not commit “weeks or months” to stalled negotiations.
- Thursday’s Paris meeting included officials from Ukraine, Germany, the UK, and France.
- Trump believes the talks cannot “drag on” without clear signs of success.
- Ukraine has agreed to a preliminary resource-sharing deal with the U.S., a key White House demand.
- Another round of talks is expected in London next week to gauge Russia’s position.
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People protesting against US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) outside of the US Department of Labor near the US Capitol in Washington, DC, February 5, 2025. People protesting against US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) outside of the US Department of Labor near the US Capitol in Washington, DC, February 5, 2025. DREW ANGERER/AFP/GETTY
On Thursday, District Judge Ellen Hollander imposed a preliminary injunction heavily restricting access to Americans’ government-held Social Security data from Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Newsweek contacted Musk for comment on Friday outside of regular office hours via emails sent to the Tesla and SpaceX press offices.
Following his inauguration on January 20, President Donald Trump launched DOGE, which, despite its name, isn’t a full government department, under Musk’s leadership to slash what they regard as wasteful federal spending.
DOGE has since battled to access sensitive data, including Treasury records which it argues is necessary for its work. However, critics have raised privacy concerns and filled a series of lawsuits seeking to keep certain data restricted.
Thursday’s ruling by Hollander was in response to a case brought against DOGE by a coalition of labor unions and retirees who argued giving the new body access to Social Security data breached privacy and was a security risk. Hollander had already imposed a temporary restraining order limiting DOGE access in March.
Under the terms of the preliminary injunction, DOGE employees can only access Social Security system data if its been redacted to remove anything personally identifiable, and if they have received training and passed background checks.
Read the full story by James Bickerton on Newsweek.
