Trump threatens Houthi rebels that they’ll be ‘completely annihilated’ as airstrikes pound Yemen

KYIV, Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said that he and US counterpart Donald Trump had discussed possible US ownership of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.
His comments to reporters came after Trump told Zelensky on Wednesday that the United States could own and run Ukraine’s nuclear power plants as part of his latest bid to secure a ceasefire in Russia’s invasion.
“We talked only about one power plant, which is under Russian occupation,” Zelensky, who was on an official visit to Finland, said during an online briefing, referring to the plant in Zaporizhzhia.
The power station, Europe’s largest, was captured by Russian forces early in their invasion launched in February 2022 and since has been a flashpoint of concerns over a possible nuclear incident.
Zelensky said that it could take more than two years for the plant to be made operational again, and that its generation capacity was needed by both Ukrainians and Europe.
“Do we need it? For people, yes, and for Europe, too. To join the European electronic network — absolutely. We can do all this,” he said.
Since taking office in January, Trump has sought a speedy resolution to the more than three years of brutal fighting between Russia’s invading force and the Ukrainians.
Zelensky last week backed a US-led proposal for a complete and unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine, but the Kremlin refused and instead proposed a halt on strikes on energy infrastructure.
The Ukrainian leader told reporters from Finland that Putin was unlikely to agree to any ceasefire as long as Ukraine’s troops were still fighting for control of Russia’s Kursk region, where Kyiv launched an audacious but struggling offensive last year.
“He does not want a ceasefire while our troops are on the territory of the Kursk region,” Zelensky said.
Russian forces have been making steady gains in the Kursk region for weeks, thwarting what Kyiv hoped would be a bargaining chip in talks with Moscow.
The Trump administration’s speedy engagement with Russian officials, a sharp departure from the previous administration’s approach, has raised fears in Ukraine that it could be forced to make unpopular concessions, like ceding territory to Russia.
But Zelensky told reporters that Trump had not mounted any pressure on Kyiv to capitulate to the Kremlin demands.
“I want to be frank, very frank. Today I did not feel any pressure from Trump, there was none. And this is a fact. You know that I am an open person. If it was, I would have told you frankly,” he said.
His comments come just weeks after a shocking standoff between the two leaders in the White House which ended in the Ukrainian delegation, including Zelensky, leaving ahead of schedule.
During the briefing with reporters, Zelensky said that he spoke with Emmanuel Macron on a daily basis, after the French leader called him unexpectedly during the press conference.
“Yes, I have just spoken to President Macron, to Emmanuel,” Zelensky said after receiving a telephone call during the briefing. “We often talk a lot. Once a day. After our conversation, I will call him back.”
Zelensky also announced that he would visit France next week, without elaborating.
The Ukrainian leader has urged his Western allies to step up aid even in the event of a ceasefire, and announced on Wednesday that his country had recently received “several” more F-16 fighter jets.
“I’m not going to tell you how many,” Zelensky told reporters, without saying which country delivered them. Ukraine received its first deliveries of the US-made aircraft last year.

SAO PAULO: There will be no Lionel Messi for Argentina and no Neymar for Brazil in two decisive rounds of South American World Cup qualifying.

Ahead of games against tough rivals, coaches Lionel Scaloni and Dorival Junior are still wondering who will replace their stars.

Defending champion Argentina, the leader with 25 points after 12 matches, could secure their place in the 2026 World Cup within days. They play at second-place Uruguay on Friday.

Argentina then host Brazil in Buenos Aires next Tuesday. The last time the two South American powerhouses clashed, Argentina won 1-0 at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

On Thursday, fifth-place Brazil host fourth-place Colombia. Also this week, Paraguay will host Chile, Peru will take on Bolivia, and Ecuador host Venezuela.

The top six teams will secure direct berths to the tournament in the US, Mexico and Canada. The seventh-place team among the 10 of the region will still have a chance to qualify through an international playoff.

Brazil vs. Colombia

Brazil could end this month securing its spot in the next World Cup or lagging in seventh place. That means pressure on coach Júnior.

Neymar’s absence led Junior to try out Savinho up front alongside Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior, with Raphinha behind them in Tuesday’s training session. Brazil’s coach hinted that would be the most likely lineup against Colombia on Thursday at the Mane Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia.

But then local media reported another formation was tested Wednesday, with Joao Pedro as a target man up front and Vinicius Junior as his pairing. Raphinha and Rodrygo trained right behind them to close gaps in the midfield.

If neither of those settings work, coach Junior will still be able to move Raphinha up front on the wing or try out teenager Estevao, one of Brazil’s biggest prospects, in the same position. Then Rodrygo could play center forward, as in other occasions.

“I am trying to keep players in the position they play at the clubs since the start, and I make changes according what rivals bring,” Junior said Wednesday during a press conference in which he did not reveal his starting lineup.

Several Brazil players will miss the match against Argentina if they are booked against Colombia: defenders Danilo and Gabriel Magalhães; midfielders Andre, Bruno Guimarees; and strikers Matheus Cunha, Raphinha and Rodrygo.

Brazil drew against Venezuela and Uruguay in its two latest World Cup qualifying matches, with coach Júnior arguing he was “starting a recovery process” by testing several players in different positions.

Uruguay vs. Argentina

With Messi out due to a muscle injury, Scaloni hoped he could field a powerful duo up front in Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martínez at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo. But on Wednesday he also lost Martínez — the Inter Milan striker — to a muscle fatigue problem.

A win would make Argentina the first South American team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Alvarez has scored 23 goals for Atletico Madrid this season. But instead of an aggressive pairing with Martínez, he is more likely to have midfielder Thiago Almada in Messi’s role and be all alone up front.

Messi injured his left thigh adductor muscle in Inter Miami’s 2-1 victory over Atlanta United on Sunday in the MLS.

Argentine players might want to be cautious in Montevideo to avoid risking suspension for the match against Brazil. Defender Nicolás Otamendi and midfielders Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernández, Rodrigo de Paul, and Alexis Mac Allister could miss the clash if they get a yellow against Uruguay.

Argentina will play a friendly on Saturday against a local U-20 team at Huracan Stadium in Buenos Aires in a fundraiser for the reconstruction of a hospital damaged by a storm that killed 16 people in the region of Bahía Blanca two weeks ago.

“We needed to do something within the international window,” Scaloni said.