President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine, hosted the president of South Africa at the White House and threatened more stringent tariffs against the European Union this week. 

During South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Oval Office visit on Wednesday, Trump got into a testy exchange with the South African leader about the treatment of White farmers there. Specifically, Trump aired a video that showed white crosses that Trump said were approximately 1,000 burial sites of White Afrikaner South African farmers. 

Trump has repeatedly asserted these farmers are being killed and pushed off of their land.

TRUMP TO MEET LEADER OF ‘OUT OF CONTROL' SOUTH AFRICA AT WHITE HOUSE

Trump told Ramaphosa at the White House that the burial sites by the side of the road are visited by those who want to "pay respects to their family member who was killed." 

"Now this is very bad. These are burial sites right here. Burial sites — over a thousand — of White farmers. And those cars are lined up to pay love on a Sunday morning. Each one of those white things you see is a cross. And there is approximately a thousand of them," Trump said. "They're all White farmers. The family of White farmers. And those cars aren't driving, they are stopped there to pay respects to their family member who was killed. And it's a terrible sight. I've never seen anything like it. On both sides of the road, you have crosses. Those people are all killed."

"Have they told you where that is, Mr. President?" Ramaphosa said. "I'd like to know where that is. Because this I've never seen." 

"I mean, it’s in South Africa, that’s where," Trump said. 

"We need to find out," Ramaphosa said.

The White House defended showing the clip and said that the video was "substantiated," following reports that emerged after the encounter that said the crosses were from a memorial demonstration following the murder of a White farming couple, not actual burial sites.

Here’s what also happened this week:

Trump and Putin spoke over the phone on Monday to advance peace negotiations ending the war between Moscow and Kyiv. The call occurred just days after Russia and Ukraine met in Turkey to conduct their first peace talks since 2022. 

After the call, Trump said both countries would move toward a ceasefire and push discussions to end the war. But, Trump indicated that the U.S. would let Moscow and Kyiv take the lead on negotiations after his call with Putin. 

"The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know the details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of," Trump said in a Monday post on Truth Social. 

TRUMP SAYS HE COULD ‘WALK AWAY’ FROM RUSSIA-UKRAINE TALKS, CITES ‘TREMENDOUS HATRED’ ON BOTH SIDES

Additionally, Trump has continued to distance the U.S. from the conflict this week, describing the conflict as a "European situation." 

"Big egos involved, but I think something's going to happen," Trump told reporters on Monday. "And if it doesn't, I'll just back away and they'll have to keep going. This was a European situation. It should have remained a European situation."

Trump expressed similar sentiments on Wednesday when Ramaphosa visited and stated: "It's not our people, it's not our soldiers… it's Ukraine and it's Russia." 

The White House condemned the fatal attack against two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, labeling that incident an act of antisemitism. 

A gunman opened fire and killed Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim as they were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. The two were planning to get engaged next week in Jerusalem, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing.

Authorities arrested a pro-Palestinian man identified as 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago in connection with the attack, according to officials.

In response, Trump and other leaders of his administration said attacks like these must stop and said that those responsible will face justice. 

WHITE HOUSE DECRIES ‘EVILS OF ANTISEMITISM,’ VOWS JUSTICE AFTER FATAL SHOOTING OF ISRAELI EMBASSY STAFFERS

"These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!" Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. "Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!"

Leavitt later told reporters she’d spoken with Attorney General Pam Bondi and that those who conducted the attack would face prosecution. 

"The evil of antisemitism must be eradicated from our society," Leavitt told reporters on Thursday. "I spoke to the attorney general this morning. The Department of Justice will be prosecuting the perpetrator responsible for this to the fullest extent of the law. Hatred has no place in the United States of America under President Donald Trump."

Trump threatened to slap a 50% tariff on imports from the European Union on Friday amid ongoing trade negotiations and after locking down a trade deal with the U.K. 

The deal with the U.K. is the first historic trade negotiation signed following Liberation Day, when Trump announced widespread tariffs for multiple countries on April 2 at a range of rates. 

The administration later adjusted its initial proposal and announced on April 9 it would immediately impose a 145% tariff on Chinese goods, while reducing reciprocal tariffs on other countries and the EU to a baseline of 10% for 90 days. 

TRUMP SIGNALS CHINA ‘VERY MUCH’ INTERESTED IN SECURING TRADE DEAL AHEAD OF SWITZERLAND NEGOTIATIONS 

"Their powerful Trade Barriers, Vat Taxes, ridiculous Corporate Penalties, Non-Monetary Trade Barriers, Monetary Manipulations, unfair and unjustified lawsuits against Americans Companies, and more, have led to a Trade Deficit with the U.S. of more than $250,000,000 a year, a number which is totally unacceptable," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Friday about the EU. 

"Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025," he said. 

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later said in an interview with Fox News he hoped the warning would "light a fire under the EU" and signaled Trump’s threats stemmed from frustration negotiating with European countries on trade deals. 

"EU proposals have not been of the same quality that we’ve seen from our other important trading partners," Bessent said. 

Fox News Digital's Greg Norman contributed to this report. 

• Aerobavovna, a Ukrainian startup, is making helium-filled balloons to aid Ukraine's drone attacks.
• Its balloons help to keep drones on the grid when they're on the ground or flying low.
• Aerobavovna's CEO told BI that 50 aerostats are deployed along the frontline.

Against the backdrop of Ukraine's drone-packed skies, one startup is offering a surprisingly low-tech solution to a modern problem.

Aerobavovna, which was founded in 2023, is supplying Ukraine's military with tethered, helium-filled balloons equipped with airborne radio repeaters, extending the range and effectiveness of the country's drones.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has been defined by drone warfare, but drone operators have faced a number of challenges, including line-of-sight obstacles, which can cause drones to lose contact if radio signals are disrupted, and electronic warfare systems, which can jam communications.

That's where Aerobavovna comes in.

The company's aerostats are designed for surveillance, communication, and first-person-view (FPV) drone signal transmission, and help establish stable communication signals in the battlefield's tricky conditions.

Fitted with antennas and radio repeaters, Aerobavovna's aerostats anchor high over the battlefield to help Ukrainian drones continue operating in spite of obstacles and to maintain comms over much greater distances.

You need "some kind of airborne radio repeater that allows drones to fly closer to the ground," Yuriy Vysoven, Aerobavovna's CEO, told Business Insider.

"For ground drones, it's crucial because their ground-to-ground signal would only reach the first hill; beyond that, you lose direct line of sight and, consequently, the connection," he said, adding that about 50 balloons were deployed "all around the front line" in Ukraine.

While aerostats aren't new technology, Aerobavovna's products have been designed to meet the demands of the modern battlefield, allowing for rapid deployment times.

Aerobavovna's balloons, which the firm says can be deployed in five to 25 minutes, are made with lightweight polymers and can remain airborne for up to seven days. They can lift repeater systems up to a height of 1 km (about 0.6 miles) and carry a payload of up to 25 kg (around 55 lbs), the company said.

The company, which says it produces around 10 to 20 balloons per month, recently announced that it had developed a new aerostat capable of carrying more advanced equipment.

In an interview with the Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi, engineers from Aerobavovna said they had created a new model that can hold a payload of up to 66 lbs, enabling it to carry more powerful equipment such as electronic warfare systems.

While the company has found success supplying tethered aerostats to the Ukrainian military, it continues to grapple with technical and structural hurdles as it scales.

One persistent challenge is maintaining stability and precision in airborne conditions, especially critical for payloads like FPV drone radio repeaters, which require highly accurate antenna positioning.

"Stability is a big problem," Vysoven said. "For FPV drone radio repeaters, you need to position the antennas really, really precisely," but wind and turbulence make that very hard.

Funding also remains a major constraint.

Despite strong demand and a battlefield-proven product, capital is scarce for Ukrainian hardware startups.

Vysoven said the company has received investment offers in the range of $40 million, but considers that far below what's needed and called that figure "a shame."

"In California, you can raise that with just a pitch deck and a latte. I have a real product, 30 engineers building it, and it's already deployed," he said.

"And we still struggle to raise enough to scale," he added.

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• A German brigade has started operations in Lithuania, a NATO state that borders part of Russia.
• It's the first time Germany has put troops in another country on a long-term basis since World War II.
• Both countries describe it as a step to protect Europe and NATO.

Germany has stationed troops abroad on a long-term basis for the first time since World War II, with a new brigade starting operations in Lithuania on Thursday.

The inauguration ceremony for Germany's 45th Armoured Brigade "Lithuania" took place in Vilnius, Lithuania's capital. Lithuania's defense ministry said it marked "the official beginning of this military unit's operations in Lithuania."

The move has been framed by both Lithuania and Germany as one intended to protect Europe and NATO at large, particularly against Russia.

Some have warned that Russia might not stop at Ukraine, and could attack elsewhere in Europe.

Dovilė Šakalienė, Lithuania's defense minister, said in a statement on Thursday that Germany's troops "are here to defend freedom as well as the entire alliance."

She also called Germany's deployment of its troops "a historic example of leadership."

Brig. Gen. Christoph Huber, the commander of the 45th Armored Brigade, said in April that it was being created "for the alliance, for Lithuania, for Europe's security."

The move is a notable one for Germany, which has leaned away from heavy defense actions and spending since World War II.

But Germany's defense spending has grown since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz said this month that his government will provide resources to make its army the "strongest conventional army in Europe."

Lithuania, a NATO member state that borders the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, as well as Russian ally Belarus, has been one of Ukraine's most vocal allies since Russia launched its invasion.

It is also one of NATO's biggest defense spenders as a proportion of its GDP, and one of the countries warning the loudest about future Russian aggression.

Lithuania's defense ministry said on Thursday that there are already around 500 soldiers from Germany in the country, and that the German brigade will now be permanently relocated to Lithuania, including three manoeuvre battalions and all of its combat support and logistics.

The brigade aims to be at full capacity by the end of 2027, which would mean 5,000 German soldiers and civilians operating there.

Šakalienė said that Lithuania "will continue to do everything to create all the infrastructure on time, to provide the necessary host nation support, and to ensure that the German soldiers feel at home."

US troops are also serving in Lithuania, something Šakalienė told BI in February she hoped would continue, even as President Donald Trump distances himself from longtime allies in Europe.

Šakalienė said her country wanted US troops to stay and said she expected the US could see "eye to eye" with countries that pay enough on defense.

Šakalienė also told BI that Europe "needs to up our defense spending very fast and very significantly," and that Europe's defense production needs to increase to match Russia's.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has sparked a flurry of defense agreements between countries, and a boost in military spending and production across Europe.

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Vice President JD Vance's suggestion this week that the U.S. could walk away from supporting Ukraine if peace talks with Russia stagnate could serve as catnip for the Kremlin, according to experts who say Russian President Vladimir Putin might choose to smother progress in hopes of getting America to wash "its hands of the war."

While President Donald Trump has indicated that the U.S. may disengage from the negotiations as a last resort if they prove futile, Vance has taken the rhetoric a step further by saying the U.S. is definitely open to doing so. 

"We’re more than open to walking away," Vance told reporters on board Air Force Two on Monday, just moments before a high-stakes phone call between Trump and Putin. "The United States is not going to spin its wheels here. We want to see outcomes."

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautioned that no one wins if the U.S. steps aside from the talks, except for Russia. 

"It is crucial for all of us that the United States does not distance itself from the talks and the pursuit of peace because the only one who benefits from that is Putin," Zelenskyy wrote in a Monday post on X.

Vance's remark about abandoning mediation between the two countries would only embolden Russia, even though a lack of U.S. involvement still wouldn't give Putin everything he wants, according to John Hardie, the deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Russia program, a nonprofit research institute based in Washington.

For the moment, Moscow still benefits from U.S. involvement in the talks because the Kremlin wants the U.S. to help advance a deal that benefits Russia and alleviates sanctions, Hardie said.

"But, for the Kremlin, the United States washing its hands of the war would be the next best outcome if it means an end or reduction to U.S. support for Ukraine, especially since President Trump may well move to normalize relations with Russia anyhow," Hardie told Fox News Digital. "So the administration’s threat to walk away risks perversely incentivizing Kremlin intransigence. A better approach would be to ramp up the economic and military pressure on Russia if Putin continues to reject compromise."

Russia still desires normalization with the U.S., which can only happen if the war ends swiftly and relatively amicably, said Peter Rough, a senior fellow and director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute think tank. 

"That reset in relations is a giant carrot the administration is dangling in front of the Kremlin," Rough told Fox News Digital. "If the U.S. walks away because Russia will not make peace, however, then that carrot disappears as well."

Rough noted that other administration officials besides Vance, including Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have mentioned the possibility of walking away from a deal, so Vance's comments don't necessarily reflect a huge change in policy. And it's unclear right now what exactly stepping aside would mean.

"The purpose of those comments has been to impress on the Kremlin that U.S. patience is not limitless," Rough said. 

Vance hasn't shied away from issuing bold foreign policy statements since becoming vice president. From sparring with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office in February to appearing to counter Trump when Vance remarked in May that the war in Ukraine was far from over after Trump indicated a deal might emerge soon, Vance has been outspoken in a way most vice presidents haven't been.

When asked for comment or if there were any concerns about Vance's Monday statement, the White House referred Fox News Digital to Vance’s office. Vance’s office declined to provide comment when asked if his remarks would encourage Russia to sit the negotiations out and continue its attacks.

WHY ZELENSKYY KEEPS PUSHING NATO MEMBERSHIP EVEN THOUGH TRUMP SAYS IT'S NOT HAPPENING 

Vance has adopted an outspoken approach as vice president, starting off with his fiery February statements at the Munich Security Council in which he asserted that Europe needed to "step up in a big way to provide for its own defense." 

That boldness has carried over into the Russia-Ukraine negotiations, where Vance has taken a proactive approach, at times appearing to be forging his own path.  

Vance and Rubio engaged in discussions to end the conflict in Ukraine with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Rome on Sunday, among other issues. Vance and Rubio also discussed the Trump administration's efforts to end the war with Vatican prelate Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher on Monday. 

Aboard Air Force Two on Monday, Vance said the negotiations had reached "a bit of [an] impasse" between the two countries and that the conflict is not the Trump administration’s war to wage but rather belongs to former President Joe Biden and Putin. 

"There is fundamental mistrust between Russia and the West. It's one of the things the president thinks is, frankly, stupid, that we should be able to move beyond," Vance told reporters. "The mistakes that have been made in the past, but ... that takes two to tango."

"I know the president's willing to do that, but if Russia's not willing to do that, then we're eventually just going to have to say ... this is not our war," Vance said. "It's Joe Biden's war, it's Vladimir Putin's war. It's not our war. We're going to try to end it, but if we can't end it, we're eventually going to say, 'You know what? That was worth a try, but we're not doing it anymore.'"

TRUMP INSISTS UKRAINE-RUSSIA PEACE DEAL IS CLOSE, BUT MISTRUST IN PUTIN LEAVES EXPERTS SKEPTICAL

Vance's Monday statement came just before Trump was scheduled to speak with Putin, seemingly undercutting the high-leverage telephone call and also underscoring Vance's influence over foreign policy matters in the White House. 

Specifically on Ukraine negotiations, Vance has remained outspoken, engaging in confrontation when Zelenskyy visited the White House in February. 

In that exchange, Vance accused Zelenskyy of being "disrespectful" after Zelenskyy pointed out that Putin has a track record of breaking agreements and countered Vance’s statements that the path forward was through diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine. 

"Do you think that it's respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?" Vance asked at the Oval Office meeting. 

Almost immediately after the U.S. signed a minerals deal with Ukraine on May 1, Vance said the war in Ukraine wouldn't end in the near future, despite the fact that Trump indicated the previous week that an agreement was on the horizon. 

"It’s not going anywhere," Vance told Fox News on May 1. "It’s not going to end anytime soon." 

Still, he characterized the agreement as "good progress" in the negotiations. 

Trump and Putin spoke over the phone Monday to advance peace negotiations to halt the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv, just days after Russia and Ukraine met in Turkey to conduct their first peace talks since 2022. 

After the call, Trump said both countries would move toward a ceasefire and advance talks to end the war. 

Meanwhile, Trump has suggested continued U.S. involvement may not be a viable option moving forward, but he has been reticent about specifics on what would actually prompt him to walk away from the talks. For example, Trump said on May 8 in an interview with NBC News that he believes peace is possible but that the U.S. wouldn't act as a mediator forever.

"Well, there will be a time when I will say, 'OK, keep going, keep being stupid," Trump said in the interview. 

"Maybe it's not possible to do," he said. "There's tremendous hatred."

Still, Trump signaled that the U.S. would take a backseat in the negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv after his call with Putin. 

"The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know the details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of," Trump said in a Monday post on Truth Social. 

Trump has continued to distance the U.S. from the conflict, and he later described the conflict as a "European situation." 

"Big egos involved, but I think something's going to happen," Trump told reporters on Monday. "And if it doesn't, I'll just back away and they'll have to keep going. This was a European situation. It should have remained a European situation."

Trump also doubled down on extracting the U.S. from the war, claiming it didn't involve U.S. personnel. 

"It's not our people, it's not our soldiers … it's Ukraine and it's Russia," Trump said in the Oval Office on Wednesday while hosting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

TRUMP SAYS HE COULD ‘WALK AWAY’ FROM RUSSIA-UKRAINE TALKS, CITES ‘TREMENDOUS HATRED’ ON BOTH SIDES

According to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, sanctions against Russia could ramp up in the event Russia fails to cooperate. 

"President Trump has made it very clear that if President Putin does not negotiate in good faith that the United States will not hesitate to up the Russia sanctions along with our European partners," Bessent said Sunday in an interview with NBC. 

Vance has previously said the concessions that Russia is seeking from Ukraine to end the conflict are too stringent but believes there is a viable path to peace and wants both to find common ground. 

"The step that we would like to make right now is we would like both the Russians and the Ukrainians to actually agree on some basic guidelines for sitting down and talking to one another," Vance said at the Munich Leaders Meeting in Washington on May 7.

Russia's demands include Ukraine never joining NATO and preventing foreign peacekeeper troops from deploying to Ukraine after the conflict. Russia is also seeking to adjust some of the borders that previously were Ukraine's.

President Donald Trump appeared to distance the U.S. from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine — just two days after speaking over the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Trump, who called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Monday before speaking to Putin and after with European leaders, told reporters Wednesday that the conflict didn’t involve the U.S., despite the fact that the U.S. has adopted the role of mediator between the two countries since Trump came into the White House in January. 

"It's not our people, it's not our soldiers … it's Ukraine and it's Russia," Trump said in the Oval Office Wednesday while hosting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. 

Trump also mentioned speaking with Zelenskyy while the Ukrainian president was traveling to South Africa. Zelenskyy visited Ramaphosa in April, but cut his trip short amid attacks from Russia against Kyiv. 

"I called Zelensky and they said, he's in South Africa. I said, what the hell is he doing in South Africa?" Trump said. 

Ramaphosa responded that Zelenskyy was talking with South Africa speaking with him about securing peace. 

"He's trying to make peace," he said. 

Trump also said Wednesday he believed he "made a lot of progress" with Putin in his Monday call, during which both countries ultimately agreed to a ceasefire and to advance peace talks. However, Trump also indicated that both Moscow and Kyiv would need to take the lead on future talks. 

"The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know the details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of," Trump said in a Monday post on Truth Social. 

Later Monday, Trump told reporters that he was willing to walk away from the talks if a breakthrough didn't occur. He also echoed similar sentiments creating space between the U.S. from the conflict, labeling the matter a uniquely "European situation." 

"Big egos involved, but I think something's going to happen," Trump told reporters Monday. "And if it doesn't, I'll just back away and they'll have to keep going. This was a European situation. It should have remained a European situation."

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that Trump was growing "frustrated" with both Russia and Ukraine amid the conflict and ongoing negotiations. 

Trump and other members of his administration have signaled in recent weeks that the U.S. is willing to step aside from peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv. For example, Vice President JD Vance said Monday that the discussions between the two had reached a bit of an "impasse" and that the U.S. was "more than willing" to step aside from the talks. 

"There is fundamental mistrust between Russia and the West. It's one of the things the president thinks is, frankly, stupid," Vance told reporters Monday. "That we should be able to move beyond. The mistakes that have been made in the past, but ... That takes two to tango." 

"I know the president's willing to do that, but if Russia's not willing to that then we're eventually just going to have to say... This is not our war," Vance said. "It's Joe Biden's war, it's Vladimir Putin's war. It's not our war. We're going to try to end it, but if we can't end it we're eventually going to say, you know what? That was worth a try, but we're not doing it anymore."

Separately, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said sanctions against Russia could increase if Russia fails to cooperate. 

"President Trump has made it very clear that if President Putin does not negotiate in good faith that the United States will not hesitate to up the Russia sanctions along with our European partners," Bessent said Sunday in an interview with NBC. 

Mud crabs are favored for their large claws and sweet, meaty flesh. As demand for these crabs skyrockets across Asia, and especially in Singapore, where chili crab is an iconic dish, overfishing and habitat loss are also putting them at risk. At Kampoeng Kepiting (Crab Village) in Bali, local fishermen are blending old-school techniques like hand-catching and using bamboo traps with innovative methods like "crab apartments" to cultivate and protect both the crabs and the disappearing mangroves they rely on to survive.

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• Trump has officially unveiled his plan for the Golden Dome missile defense system.
• He told reporters on Tuesday that it would likely cost $175 billion and take three years to complete.
• Much of the cost is expected to come from an ambitious constellation of space-based interceptors.

President Donald Trump officially announced his plans on Tuesday for a Golden Dome system that focuses on countering potential missile threats from China and Russia.

The plan is ambitious, with the system meant to officially put American anti-missile weapons in space for the first time.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump estimated that the Golden Dome would be completed within three years and cost about $175 billion.

He's requested an initial $25 billion "to help construction get underway" through a tax break bill that Congress is deliberating.

"That's the initial sort of down, deposit," Trump said of the first tranche. "And we have, probably, you're talking about $175 billion total cost when this is completed."

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated in early May that it could cost between $161 billion and $542 billion to launch and operate a full constellation of space-based interceptors — the core aspect of the Golden Dome — for 20 years.

These satellite weapons would be designed to shoot down intercontinental ballistic missiles from orbit, and the congressional cost projection varies so much because it depends on how many interceptors would be purchased.

That answer would largely rely on how many interceptors the US thinks it needs to counter China and Russia, which Trump outlined in his January executive order as one of the Golden Dome's priorities.

"This design for the Golden Dome will integrate with our existing defense capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term," Trump told reporters. "So we'll have it done in about three years."

Overall, the Golden Dome is envisioned as a multi-layered shield, meaning it would mix both space and ground capabilities. Trump initially called it an Iron Dome, inspired by Israel's missile defense, but renamed it in February.

The system would be built to detect enemy strikes before they launch and destroy the missile before it can get in the air. If that fails, it would try to down the missile in mid- or early flight.

A final stopgap would be aimed at intercepting the missile just before it reached its target.

"It will be capable of intercepting missiles launched from the other side of the world," Trump said. "Even if they're launched from space."

Countering China and Russia from space

The president has repeatedly emphasized space warfare as a centerpiece for the Golden Dome. To that end, he also announced that Gen. Michael Guetlein, the Space Force's vice chief of space operations, would lead the project.

"While we have been focused on keeping the peace overseas, our adversaries have been quickly modernizing their nuclear forces," Guetlein said at Tuesday's announcement, warning that US rivals were "building space weapons."

Russia was reported last year to be building a nuclear space-based weapon, though it was unclear if this meant the asset was nuclear-armed or nuclear-powered. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, of which Russia is a signatory, prohibits nuclear weapons or "weapons of mass destruction" from being put into space.

Guetlein also mentioned hypersonic missiles, which China has been developing in recent years. In 2021, Beijing startled the US with a successful test of a nuclear-capable missile that uses a hypersonic glide vehicle to travel faster than five times the speed of sound and potentially strike anywhere on the planet.

The missile also demonstrated an ability to exit and drop back into Earth's atmosphere during flight, also known as fractional orbital bombardment. This means that it can be fired from an unexpected direction and be even harder to detect or intercept.

The Golden Dome's focus on countering China and Russia marks a shift from the US's past stated goal for missile defense, which traditionally has been to prevent strikes from rogue states such as North Korea.

Washington's usual strategy for deterring nuclear strikes from Beijing and Moscow, which are designated as peer or near-peer rivals, was instead to rely on American nuclear weapons as a counterthreat.

The Congressional Budget Office has said that if the Golden Dome were to deal with Chinese and Russian missile threats, it would need a much larger constellation of advanced space-based interceptors, thereby driving up the cost.

Speaking on Tuesday, Trump said he was confident he could get Congress to approve the needed money.

"You know, some funding is tough and some is easy," he said. "When we say we're going to save everyone's lives in a crazy world, it seems to be very easy to get."

Meanwhile, China and Russia have jointly condemned the Golden Dome as an "unconstrained, global and multi-tier missile defense system," saying on May 8 that it had a "deeply destabilizing character."

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the U.S. will soon begin construction of a "Golden Dome" missile defense system they say will be a next-generation "game changer" protecting the American homeland from outside adversaries.

A similar system, the Iron Dome, has already been developed in Israel with U.S. assistance and has proven effective in repelling missile attacks. Now. Trump says a bigger, more technologically advanced, multi-layered dome system will soon be installed in America.  

The president announced the "one big beautiful" budget bill being discussed in Congress will include $25 billion in initial funding for the project, which he expects will cost $175 billion overall. He said he expects a major phase of the dome will be complete in under three years and that it will be "fully operational before the end of my term."

He noted there is significant support for the project in Congress, quipping, "It's amazing how easy this one is to fund."

HEGSETH REVEALS PLANS TO COUNTER CHINA, STAY AHEAD IN ARMS RACE AS PENTAGON PIVOTS TO INDO-PACIFIC

"In the campaign, I promised the American people that I would build a cutting-edge missile defense shield to protect our homeland from the threat of foreign missile attack. And that's what we're doing today," he said, adding that the Golden Dome "will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from the other side of the world and even if they are launched from space."

Trump also announced he is placing Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein in charge of the project, saying, "No one is more qualified for this job."

Hegseth called the Golden Dome a "bold initiative" and another addition to Trump’s "long and growing list of promises made and promises kept."

He said investing in the new system is essential to respond to growing threats from countries like Russia and China.

"Ultimately, this right here, the Golden Dome for America, is a game changer," said Hegseth. "It's a generational investment in the security of America and Americans."

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Addressing Trump, Hegseth said, "Mr. President, you said we’re going to secure our southern border and get 100% operational control after the previous administration allowed an invasion of people into our country. President Reagan 40 years ago cast the vision for it. The technology wasn't there. Now it is, and you're following through to say we will protect the homeland from cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, drones, whether they're conventional or nuclear."

Guetlein indicated the Golden Dome is necessary to preserve the safety, security and the quality of life Americans are used to.

"We owe it to our children and our children's children to protect them and afford them a quality of life that we have all grown up enjoying. Golden dome will afford that," said Guetlein.

MARCO RUBIO: WE SHOULD BE HAPPY WE HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO SEEKS PEACE

The general said "our adversaries have become very capable and very intent on holding the homeland at risk."

"While we have been focused on keeping the peace overseas, our adversaries have been quickly modernizing their nuclear forces, building up ballistic missiles capable of hosting multiple warheads, building out hypersonic missiles capable of attacking the United States within an hour and traveling at 6,000 miles an hour, building cruise missiles that can navigate around our radar and our defenses, building submarines that can sneak up on our shores and, worse yet, building space weapons," Guetlein said. 

"It is time that we change that equation and start doubling down on the protection of the homeland."

The U.S. is awaiting a proposal from Russian President Vladimir Putin that may lead to a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, Secretary Marco Rubio announced Tuesday. 

"He says he's going, they're going to submit a proposal that would lead to a ceasefire, that would then lead to a broader negotiation," Rubio told lawmakers during a Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing. "I think we will know from the context of that proposal where their mindset is and where they stand."

Asked if he believed Russia was ready to cut a deal, the secretary and interim national security advisor said, "I think Putin will always cut a deal he thinks is in the best interest for the country, for Russia and for his view of the world."

PRESIDENT TRUMP CONFIDENT PUTIN WANTS PEACE WITH UKRAINE, THINKS HE'S 'HAD ENOUGH' OF WAR

President Donald Trump and Putin spoke by phone for two hours Monday, though the discussion did not yield an immediate breakthrough. Trump told reporters he believes Putin wants peace and said he trusts him. 

"I think he's had enough. I think he's had enough. It's been a long time. This has been going on for more than three years. When you think, it's been going on for a long time," Trump said. 

Asked whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was doing enough to move the peace process along, Trump said, "I'd rather tell you in about two weeks from now, because I can't say yes or no." 

"Look, he's a strong person, Zelenskyy, a strong guy, and he's not the easiest person to deal with," said Trump. "But I think that he wants to stop, and it's a very bad thing that's happening over there. I think he wants to stop. But I could answer that question better in two weeks or four weeks from now. I hope the answer is that he wants to get it solved."

TRUMP SAYS PUTIN IS ‘TIRED’ OF RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR 

The European Union on Tuesday passed a set of new sanctions against Russia, and Republicans on Capitol Hill have said they are waiting for the go-ahead from the White House to pass a new sanctions package. 

Trump said Monday he was not yet ready to impose new sanctions but could in the future. 

"I think there’s a chance of getting something done," Trump said. "And if you do that, you can also make it much worse. But there could be a time when that’s going to happen."

He also said Moscow and Kyiv would continue direct peace negotiations, adding the Vatican was ready to host peace talks. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., clashed in a heated and racially charged exchange over South African refugees on Tuesday – with Kaine accusing Rubio and the Trump administration of prioritizing White South African farmers for refugee entry.

The spat was prompted after the United States last week welcomed dozens of White South African refugees who the State Department said are victims of "government-sponsored racial discrimination" in their homeland. Their arrival comes as the administration has suspended most refugee resettlement programs. 

Kaine, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, called the persecution claims "specious," noting that South Africa now has a government of national unity and the agriculture minister is an Afrikaner.

TRUMP TO BRING WHITE AFRIKANERS TO US AS REFUGEES FROM SOUTH AFRICA, IN WAKE OF EXPROPRIATION LEGISLATION

He inferred that the Trump administration was giving preference to Afrikaners because of their skin color.

"Can you have a different standard based upon the color of somebody's skin? Would that be acceptable?" Kaine said before Rubio shot back.

"I'm not the one arguing that, apparently you are because you don't like the fact that they’re White and that’s why they’re coming," Rubio said. 

"I’m asking you to say that that would be unacceptable, that would seem to be a very easy thing to say," Kaine said.

"The United States has a right to pick and choose who they allow into the United States," Rubio said before Kaine cut across him.

"Based on the color of somebody's skin?" Kaine asked. 

"You're the one that's talking about the color of their skin, not me. These are people whose farms were burned down and they were killed because of the color of their skin," Rubio said.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MAKES NEW MOVE TO BRING SOUTH AFRICAN REFUGEES TO US AS PRESIDENT BLASTS NATION'S RULERS AGAIN

President Donald Trump directed the State Department to bump up Afrikaners to the front of the line for resettlement after a law was passed by the South African government allowing it to take private land for public use, sometimes without compensation. Trump claimed the law would be used to target South Africa’s White minority Afrikaner group, descended from Dutch and other European settlers who arrived more than 300 years ago. 

Amid his immigration crackdown, Trump said in January the U.S. will only admit refugees who "can fully and appropriately assimilate."

Kaine played down the threat the Afrikaners face and said that the U.S. did not establish a special refugee program for Black South Africans during the apartheid era.

"Now we’re creating a special pathway for White Afrikaner farmers in a country governed by a unity government that includes the Afrikaner parties," Kaine said. "Would you agree, Mr. Secretary, that if we’re interpreting the phrase 'a well-founded fear of persecution', we should apply that standard evenhandedly?"

"I think we should apply it in the national security interest of the United States," Rubio said. "The United States has the right to choose who it allows in and to prioritize that choice," Rubio asserted. 

"And should that be applied evenhandedly?" Kaine asked, with Rubio responding, "Our foreign policy does not require evenhandedness."

Rubio also said that Kaine seems to think everyone should be allowed into the country for any reason, and reasserted that the government’s immigration policy should reflect what benefits the United States.

In March, Rubio expelled the South African ambassador to the U.S., calling him a "race-baiting" politician who hates America and Trump after he said the commander-in-chief is leading a global White supremacist movement. 

South Africa's foreign ministry has said the accusations of racial discrimination against Afrikaners are "unfounded." 

Elsewhere in the hearing on Tuesday, Rubio requested a budget totaling $28.5 billion, which he said will allow the State Department to fulfill its mission while also outlining a bureaucratic overhaul, proposing the recission of $20 billion in duplicate, wasteful and ideologically driven programs. Rubio announced the creation of new consolidated funds that will absorb many U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) functions.

Last month, Rubio announced he was overhauling the agency and shuttering more than 130 offices around the world in order to streamline operations and align the department more closely with the administration's foreign policy objectives. 

Rubio said that all the changes will not be universally welcome, but the intent of the changes is to make the agency more efficient. 

"It is not to dismantle American foreign policy and it is not to withdraw us from the world, because I just hit 18 countries in 18 weeks, that doesn't sound like much of a withdrawal," Rubio said.

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"We are engaged in the world, but we're going to be engaged in a world that makes sense and that's smart. And that isn't about saving money, it is about ensuring that we are delivering to our people what they deserve. A foreign policy that makes America stronger, safer and more prosperous."

He also discussed various foreign affairs matters, including the Ukraine-Russia war, which he said can only end through a negotiated settlement.

"Neither side can win militarily," Rubio said.

Fox News’ Brie Stimson contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed a possible prisoner swap involving nine Americans during their phone call this week, The Associated Press reported.

Russian presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov, who previously served as Russian ambassador to the U.S., made the announcement after Trump and Putin spoke for two hours Monday. 

Putin and Trump talked about a Russia-U.S. prisoner exchange, which Ushakov said was "in the works" and envisioned Moscow and Washington releasing nine people each. He did not offer any other details.

The State Department did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

TRUMP SAYS RUSSIA, UKRAINE TO START CEASEFIRE NEGOTIATIONS AFTER PUTIN CALL

The development comes following the release of Russian American Ksenia Karelina, who was freed from Russia in April after being detained for more than a year.

TRUMP MEETS WITH FREED RUSSIAN AMERICAN WHO WAS DETAINED ABROAD FOR OVER A YEAR

Both Trump and Putin described the call on Monday in a positive light, with the Kremlin chief saying it was "frank" and "useful," but it is not immediately clear what results were achieved.  

Trump took to social media to praise the call as having gone "very well" and said, "Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War." 

Putin, in a statement after the call, also noted that "a ceasefire with Ukraine is possible" but noted that "Russia and Ukraine must find compromises that suit both sides." 

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Pritchett, Caitlin McFall and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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• France's Turgis Gaillard is developing a long-range rocket and missile system, a type of weapon proven in Ukraine.
• The company called it "sovereign in its design, European in its ambition."
• The system is an alternative to the US-made HIMARS and comes as Europe builds up its own defense.

A French firm is developing an alternative to the US-made HIMARS rocket and missile system as Europe works to reduce its reliance on the US and strengthen its defense industries and arsenals.

Turgis Gaillard's new weapon, Foudre, is a long-range strike system that looks set to rival the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) made by US defense contractor Lockheed Martin. The HIMARS is a combat-proven system that Ukraine has effectively used in its fight against the Russians and several other European nations have purchased over the years.

The French Foudre is a truck-mounted system is designed to be air-transportable and highly mobile, and it fires several types of precision-guided munitions with ranges between 46 and 621 miles, the company told Business Insider.

Earlier French reporting on the system indicates that it can carry M31 rockets, MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), and even the new Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), US-made weapons used by the HIMARS. It can also reportedly launch cruise missiles.

The company told BI that "its open architecture allows for the integration of allied or French effectors, strengthening logistical resilience in the face of international crises."

The company's founders emphasized how Russia's invasion of Ukraine has proved the need for this type of system. It also stressed the European origins of this weapon. Europe is increasingly sorting how best to stand on its own as the US, under President Donald Trump, has become a less reliable ally.

With Foudre, the French company is "materializing a French vision of defensive innovation: sovereign in its design, European in its ambition, and resolutely focused on operational efficiency," the founders of the company, Fanny Turgis and Patrick Gaillard, said in a statement to Business Insider.

A European system

Turgis Gaillard said in its statement to BI that the system is "developed in France with national industrial partners."

European defense budgets are soaring, and there is increased interest in local systems as Trump criticizes allies and suggests that the US might not come to their defense.

French business publication Challenges reported recently that Turgis Gaillard has been secretly developing the system for two years — the company saw an opportunity in observations from Ukraine.

Mark Cancian, a senior advisor on defense and security at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told BI that while the "system was not developed in response to Trump," the US president's "unreliability as a military and economic partner may deter some countries from buying US-produced weapons," opening doors to new potential customers.

Some US allies, for instance, have questioned their commitment to the F-35 fighter jet, made by Lockheed Martin, though a lack of similarly advanced alternatives and the difficulty that would come with changing to a new aircraft type could mean partner nations opt to stick with the fifth-gen fighter.

European leaders have been saying Europe needs to make more and more of its own weaponry. Among them is António Costa, who is head of the European Council, telling Politico last month that Europe needs to increase its own weapons production.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has sparked a host of new defense agreements, exercises, and purchases among European militaries, including the European Long-Range Strike Approach that was launched last year.

This development has seen France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Sweden, and the UK coming together to develop a new long-range, ground-launched strike capability. Turgis Gaillard described Foudre as "part of the dynamics" of that project.

A lesson from Ukraine

Russia's war against its neighbor has led Western militaries to rethink their weapons and tactics, as well as move to spend more on their defense. With concerns that Russian aggression could spill into other parts of Europe, there is a recognition in Western capitals that Europe needs to be ready for modern war.

The effectiveness of versatile multiple launch rocket systems, or MRLS, has been a key lesson from the war.

Turgis Gaillard explained to BI in a statement that its system was developed "in response to the lessons learned from recent conflict." The founders said the system "embodies our commitment to providing allied armies with tools that anticipate the conflicts of tomorrow."

Ukraine first received HIMARS in 2022. It was among the first significant weapons Western partners sent to Ukraine. With greater reach than other artillery and rocket launchers, it struck Russian positions in the rear, knocking out ammo depots, troops and equipment, and command and control centers.

Ukraine celebrated HIMARS as a game changer when it first arrived, though Russia has adapted, moving critical potential targets and employing countermeasures like jamming. But the weapon system is still having an effect, taking out Russian helicopters in March.

Cancian said Russia's invasion has shown that mobile "rocket launchers have proven to be very valuable due to their high volume of fire and ability to move quickly." He added that "the guided rockets have been very effective against point targets, such as ammunition points and headquarters."

Turgis Gaillard described Foudre as the kind of weapon needed for a modern war.

"As armies now detect targets hundreds of kilometers away using drones, satellites, and intelligence systems, Foudre complements this chain by striking with precision up to 1,000 km, disrupting enemy lines and protecting friendly forces."

How much of a HIMARS rival the system could be is uncertain.

It is not clear how many of these the company plans to produce, and there are other rivals out there, though European countries might be less likely to choose them over a French alternative.

The company plans to officially unveil the new strike system at the Paris Air Show, June 16 through June 22. It said that "demonstrations of its joint interface and rapid deployment capabilities will be offered" at the event.

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