(NEW YORK) — Hamas announced it will release American hostage Edan Alexander and “the bodies of four other dual nationals” after receiving a a proposal from mediators to resume negotiations.
The group responded “responsibly and positively” to the latest ceasefire extension proposal.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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(NEW YORK) — Six Americans who were imprisoned in Kuwait have been released in an agreement with the United States, a representative for their families confirmed to ABC News.
The Americans, many of whom are veterans and former military contractors, were convicted on drug charges, Jonathan Franks, a crisis management consultant, said.
For years, however, the prisoners have “vigorously” maintained their innocence, Franks said.
Several more prisoners are expected to be freed in the coming weeks as part of the agreement, Franks added.
“This morning, the Kuwaiti government released six of my clients as part of an agreement that will ultimately free fifteen of my clients in short order. Each was convicted on drug charges, and each vigorously maintains their innocence,” Franks said.
Convictions for possession of drugs in Kuwait may include long jail sentences or the death penalty, according to an advisory by the U.S. State Department.
According to the U.S. Embassy of Kuwait website, American citizens are subject to Kuwait’s laws and regulations. Those laws can “differ significantly from those in the United States,” and the U.S. government may only be able to offer limited assistance to those charged, the website says.
Kuwait is a small Middle Eastern country borders Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
The prisoners’ release comes amid President Donald Trump’s emphasis on freeing Americans held abroad.
“President Trump has made it a priority to bring home Americans detained overseas. We are pleased that Kuwait released Americans from prison,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News.
“Kuwait is a vital ally in the region, and we look forward to continuing to work with Kuwait and other partners in these efforts across the world,” the spokesperson added.
In February, three prisoners, including an unnamed American and a journalist dubbed a political prisoner, were released from Belarus.
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(NEW YORK) — SpaceX said that the hydraulic system issue that postponed the Starliner mission on Wednesday has now been fixed and that the crew is once again cleared for take-off on Friday.
The mission will bring the next crew up to work on the International Space Station (ISS) and begin the return of a pair of astronauts back to Earth.
The launch Wednesday was abruptly postponed less than 45 minutes before liftoff due to a problem with a ground support clamp arm on the Falcon 9 rocket.
The clamps hold the rocket on the pad and if they don’t open evenly, could cause the rocket to tip slightly.
NASA’s Ken Bowersox told ABC News that while in this instance, the teams thought there was a low probability of a serious failure, they ultimately decided to not take any chances at all.
As of Thursday evening, SpaceX said ground teams have resolved the issue and successfully flushed a suspected pocket of trapped air in the system.
SpaceX said it’s now targeting a launch on Friday at 7:03 p.m. ET. The company predicts a 95% chance of favorable weather conditions for the launch attempt.
Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams have been in space since June 2024 after they performed the first crewed test flight of Boeing’s Starliner. When they launched, they were only supposed to be on the ISS for about a week.
However, NASA and Boeing officials decided to send the uncrewed Starliner back to Earth in September after several issues and keep Wilmore and Williams onboard until early 2025 when Crew-10 was ready to launch on the Dragon spacecraft. Wilmore and Williams are set to return in the Crew-9 capsule.
The pair integrated with the ongoing Crew-9 mission aboard the ISS and could not return to Earth until Crew-9 completed its six-month mission and were replaced by Crew-10.
Wilmore and Williams assisted the crew with research and other responsibilities. However, NASA officials said the pair were using up more supplies meant for the ISS crew.
Steve Stich, program manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said that NASA teams spent all summer looking over the data on Starliner and felt there was too much risk with regard to the vehicle’s thrusters.
During a press conference in September, Wilmore said he and Williams did not feel let down by anything during the mission.
“Let down? Absolutely not,” Wilmore said. “It’s never entered my mind. It’s a fair question. I can tell you, I thought a lot about this press conference … and what I wanted to say and convey.”
“NASA does a great job of making a lot of things look easy,” he said, adding, “That’s just the way it goes. sometimes because we are pushing the edges of the envelope in everything that we do.”
If the mission is successful, it’s unclear when exactly Wilmore and Williams will return to Earth on Crew-9.
The crew consists of two NASA astronauts, an astronaut from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and an astronaut from Russia’s Roscosmos.
SpaceX will share a live webcast of the mission beginning one hour and 20 minutes prior to liftoff on its website and on its X account. NASA will also air coverage on its X account.
“During their time on the orbiting laboratory, the crew will conduct new research to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and to benefit humanity on Earth,” SpaceX said on its website.
SpaceX’s contracted missions are part of the larger Commercial Crew Program at NASA, which are certified to perform routine missions to and from the ISS.
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(LONDON) — In his first public remarks on the proposed 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said Russia is “for it” but that he wants his own security guarantees.
Putin raised questions regarding a 30-day ceasefire during a press briefing in Moscow on Thursday, as President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff landed in the city to discuss the proposal.
“It seems to me, it would be very good for the Ukrainian side to reach a truce for at least 30 days. And we are for it. But there is a nuance,” Putin said, highlighting concerns regarding Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces pushed into last year in a surprise offensive but in recent weeks have seen Russian forces retake significant ground.
“If we stop the hostilities for 30 days, what does it mean? Does it mean that everyone who is there will leave without a fight?” Putin said. “Or the Ukrainian leadership will give them an order to lay down their arms and just surrender? How will it be? It is not clear.”
Putin said he also wants guarantees that during a 30-day ceasefire, Ukraine will not regroup, and he wondered who would determine if there were any violations of a ceasefire.
“These are all issues that require careful investigation from both sides,” he said.
Putin suggested Russia should talk with Trump to discuss his concerns, while adding, “But the idea itself is to end this conflict with peaceful means. We support it.”
At the top of his remarks, the president thanked Trump “for his attention to Ukraine’s settlement.”
“We believe that this ceasefire should lead to a long-term peace and eliminate the initial causes of this crisis,” Putin said.
Trump’s Middle East envoy landed in Moscow on Thursday morning for discussions on the proposed 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine — a step leaders in Kyiv and Washington, D.C., hope will facilitate a larger peace deal to end Russia’s three-year-old invasion of its neighbor.
Witkoff’s trip is “part of our continued efforts to press Russia to agree to a ceasefire and stop its brutal war against Ukraine,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a Wednesday briefing.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that American negotiators were traveling to Moscow on Thursday. “Contacts are planned,” Peskov told a press briefing, adding of the potential outcomes, “We will not prejudge, we will tell you later.”
Witkoff will meet with Putin on Thursday night in a closed format, according to Russian foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov.
Putin will not speak with Trump on Thursday, according to Ushakov.
U.S. and Ukrainian officials agreed to a total 30-day ceasefire during talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, earlier this week. The ball is now “truly in their court,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said of Russia following the talks in Jeddah.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram of the ceasefire plan, “Ukraine accepts this proposal, we consider it positive, we are ready to take this step. The United States of America needs to convince Russia to do so.”
“We agree, and if the Russians agree, the silence will take effect at that very moment,” he added. “An important element in today’s discussions is America’s readiness to restore defense assistance to Ukraine and intelligence support.”
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready for peace while Russia seeks to “postpone peace.”
“Regrettably, for more than a day already, the world has yet to hear a meaningful response from Russia to the proposals made,” he said on X on Thursday. “This once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible. We hope that U.S. pressure will be sufficient to compel Russia to end the war.”
The Kremlin had so far been noncommittal on the U.S.-Ukrainian proposal. Officials were “scrutinizing” the publicly released statements, Peskov said on Wednesday. Russia, he added, “doesn’t want to get ahead of itself” on the potential ceasefire.
Ushakov — who took part in last month’s meeting with U.S. negotiators in Saudi Arabia — described the proposed ceasefire as “a hasty document.”
“It should be worked on, and our position should also be considered and taken into account,” he told journalists. “For now, only the Ukrainian approach is outlined there,” Ushakov added, suggesting the 30-day pause in fighting would be an opportunity for Ukrainian forces to regroup.
“We believe that our goal is a long-term peaceful settlement, we are striving for it, a peaceful settlement that takes into account the legitimate interests of our country, our known concerns,” Ushakov said. “Some steps that imitate peaceful actions, it seems to me, no one needs in this situation.”
Ushakov said he outlined Russia’s position to national security adviser Mike Waltz. “I myself have recently been in fairly regular telephone contact with Mike Waltz,” he said. “Yesterday he called me and informed me about the main results of the talks with the Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah.”
ABC News’ Tanya Stukalova, Joe Simonetti and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.
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(LONDON) — President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff landed in Moscow on Thursday morning for discussions on a proposed 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine — a step leaders in Kyiv and Washington, D.C., hope will facilitate a larger peace deal to end Russia’s 3-year-old invasion of its neighbor.
Witkoff’s trip is “part of our continued efforts to press Russia to agree to a ceasefire and stop its brutal war against Ukraine,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a Wednesday briefing.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that American negotiators were traveling to Moscow on Thursday. “Contacts are planned,” Peskov told a press briefing, adding of the potential outcomes, “We will not prejudge, we will tell you later.” Peskov did not say whether Witkoff would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
U.S. and Ukrainian officials agreed to a total 30-day ceasefire during talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, earlier this week. The ball is now “truly in their court,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said of Russia following the talks in Jeddah.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram of the ceasefire plan, “Ukraine accepts this proposal, we consider it positive, we are ready to take this step. The United States of America needs to convince Russia to do so.”
“We agree, and if the Russians agree, the silence will take effect at that very moment,” he added. “An important element in today’s discussions is America’s readiness to restore defense assistance to Ukraine and intelligence support.”
“Ukraine is ready for peace,” Zelenskyy wrote. “Russia must also show whether it is ready to end the war — or continue it. The time has come for the whole truth. I thank everyone who helps Ukraine.”
Speaking in Kyiv on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said he is “very serious” about a ceasefire. “For me it is important to end the war,” he added.
“I want the president of the United States to see it, I want Americans to see and feel it,” Zelenskyy said. “I want Europe and all to be in alliance in order to do everything to force Russia to end this war.”
The Kremlin has so far been non-committal on the U.S.-Ukrainian proposal. Officials were “scrutinizing” the publicly released statements, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday. Russia, he added, “doesn’t want to get ahead of itself” on the potential ceasefire.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Tanya Stukalova and Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
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(LONDON) — Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a command center in Kursk on Wednesday, ordering troops there to “destroy” all Ukrainian formations remaining in the contested border region.
“Your task is to completely destroy the enemy, which has entrenched itself in the Kursk region and is still conducting warfare here, and fully liberate the Kursk region’s territory within the shortest possible time,” Putin said while clad in military fatigues.
“The previous status along the borderline must be restored,” the president said. “I do expect that all combat objectives facing your combat units will be attained unconditionally and the Kursk region’s territory will be fully cleared of the enemy in the near future.”
Ukrainian forces pushed into Kursk in August in a surprise offensive, seizing the town of Sudzha and surrounding villages. Kyiv’s troops have repelled months of Russian counteroffensives, but recent weeks have seen their salient crumble and Russian forces retake significant ground.
On Wednesday, Russian troops raised their flags over central Sudzha as Ukrainian forces hurriedly retreated back toward the shared border.
Russia’s battlefield successes in Kursk come as the U.S. pushes both Moscow and Kyiv to return to peace negotiations. This week, Ukraine and the U.S. agreed to a potential 30-day ceasefire, with American representatives also putting the proposal to a non-committal Kremlin.
Russian officials have indicated that they will not engage in peace negotiations while any of Kursk remains under Ukrainian control. Kyiv had hoped to use its occupation of the territory as leverage in talks, though its footprint there is now rapidly shrinking.
On Wednesday, Putin said he will give “special thought in the future to creating a security zone along the state border” to prevent repeat Ukrainian incursions. Prisoners taken on Russian territory would be treated “as terrorists,” Putin said, adding that “foreign mercenaries” are not protected under the Geneva Conventions.
President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is expected in Moscow this week as the administration pushes for a ceasefire and broader peace deal. The ball is now “truly in their court,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said of Russia following the U.S.-Ukrainian agreement to a 30-day ceasefire proposal.
The Kremlin was non-committal. Officials were “scrutinizing” the publicly released statements, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday. Russia, he added, “doesn’t want to get ahead of itself” on the potential ceasefire.
On Thursday, Peskov confirmed that American negotiators are traveling to Moscow. “Contacts are planned,” Peskov told a press briefing, adding of the potential outcomes, “We will not prejudge, we will tell you later.” Peskov did not say whether Witkoff would meet with Putin.
Trump’s push for peace — which has been twinned with fierce public criticism of Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — has been welcomed by America’s allies, though leaders have been perturbed by the president’s apparent alignment with Russia’s false narratives about the conflict.
Rubio will meet with G7 foreign ministers in Quebec, Canada, on Thursday. His presence at the meeting will also be overshadowed by Trump’s spiralling trade war with America’s northern neighbor, plus the president’s repeated suggestion that Canada be absorbed by the U.S. and become its 51st state.
The G7 event “is not a meeting about how we’re going to take over Canada,” Rubio said Wednesday, as quoted by the Associated Press.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, though, said that “in every single meeting, I will raise the issue of tariffs to coordinate a response with the Europeans and to put pressure on the Americans.”
“The only constant in this unjustifiable trade war seems to be President Trump’s talk of annexing our country through economic coercion,” Joly said. “Yesterday, he called our border a fictional line and repeated his disrespectful 51st state rhetoric.”
ABC News’ Tanya Stukalova, Patrick Reevell and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.
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(ROME) — Pope Francis has begun his 28th consecutive day in hospital on the 12th anniversary of when he was elected pope in 2013 following five ballots in a papal conclave.
While no events are planned to mark the pontiff’s 12 years as head of the Catholic church, it is a public holiday in the Vatican, as it is each year, to mark the anniversary.
Pope Francis’ condition remained “stationary” on Wednesday, with tests confirming his improvement, according to the Vatican.
A chest X-ray performed on Tuesday confirmed improvements recorded over the past few days, the Holy See, the Vatican’s press office, said in its Wednesday evening update.
The pope continues to undergo high-flow oxygen therapy during the day and “noninvasive mechanical ventilation during his night rest,” the Vatican said.
Pope Francis’ prognosis was “lifted” on Monday, meaning he is no longer in imminent danger, but the clinical picture remains complex.
The 88-year-old pontiff will continue “for additional days, the pharmacological medical therapy in a hospital environment” due to the “complexity of the clinical picture and the significant infectious picture presented at hospitalization,” the Vatican said.
Francis’ doctors said there are positive signs of the pontiff’s recovery, but caution remains, according to Vatican sources, after he was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 and was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia.
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(NEW YORK) — SpaceX postponed a mission on Wednesday to bring the next crew set to work on the International Space Station (ISS) and begin the return of a pair of astronauts back to Earth.
The launch’s postponement was announced on Wednesday evening ahead of what would have been the scheduled launch time.
There was an issue with the hydraulic system on the launch side. It is a ground issue with the launch tower and not a problem with the spacecraft, according to SpaceX.
SpaceX said it’s now targeting a launch on Friday at 7:03 p.m. ET.
Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams have been in space since June 2024 after they performed the first crewed test flight of Boeing’s Starliner. When they launched, they were only supposed to be on the ISS for about a week.
However, NASA and Boeing officials decided to send the uncrewed Starliner back to Earth in September after several issues and keep Wilmore and Williams onboard until early 2025 when Crew-10 was ready to launch on the Dragon spacecraft. Wilmore and Williams are set to return in the Crew-9 capsule.
The pair integrated with the ongoing Crew-9 mission aboard the ISS and could not return to Earth until Crew-9 completed its six-month mission and were replaced by Crew-10.
Wilmore and Williams assisted the crew with research and other responsibilities. However, NASA officials said the pair were using up more supplies meant for the ISS crew.
Steve Stich, program manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said that NASA teams spent all summer looking over the data on Starliner and felt there was too much risk with regard to the vehicle’s thrusters.
During a press conference in September, Wilmore said he and Williams did not feel let down by anything during the mission.
“Let down? Absolutely not,” Wilmore said. “It’s never entered my mind. It’s a fair question. I can tell you, I thought a lot about this press conference … and what I wanted to say and convey.”
“NASA does a great job of making a lot of things look easy,” he said, adding, “That’s just the way it goes. sometimes because we are pushing the edges of the envelope in everything that we do.”
If the mission is successful, it’s unclear when exactly Wilmore and Williams will return to Earth on Crew-9.
The crew consists of two NASA astronauts, an astronaut from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and an astronaut from Russia’s Roscosmos.
SpaceX will share a live webcast of the mission beginning one hour and 20 minutes prior to liftoff on its website and on its X account. NASA will also air coverage on its X account.
“During their time on the orbiting laboratory, the crew will conduct new research to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and to benefit humanity on Earth,” SpaceX said on its website.
SpaceX’s contracted missions are part of the larger Commercial Crew Program at NASA, which are certified to perform routine missions to and from the ISS.
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(LONDON and ROME) — Pope Francis’ condition remained “stationary” on Wednesday, with tests confirming his improvement, according to the Vatican.
A chest X-ray performed on Tuesday confirmed improvements recorded over the past few days, the Vatican press office said in its Wednesday evening update.
The pope continues to undergo high-flow oxygen therapy during the day and “noninvasive mechanical ventilation during his night rest,” the Holy See, the Vatican’s press office, said.
“This morning, after following the Spiritual Exercises in connection with the Paul VI Hall, he received the Eucharist, dedicated himself to prayer and, subsequently, to motor physiotherapy. In the afternoon, after joining the Spiritual Exercises of the Curia, he continued his prayer, rest and continued his respiratory physiotherapy,” the Vatican said.
The pope rested peacefully overnight as he began his 27th consecutive day in the hospital Wednesday morning, the Vatican said earlier in the day.
The pope’s prognosis was “lifted” on Monday, meaning he is no longer in imminent danger, but the clinical picture still remains complex.
The 88-year-old pontiff will continue “for additional days, the pharmacological medical therapy in a hospital environment” due to the “complexity of the clinical picture and the significant infectious picture presented at hospitalization,” the Vatican said.
“The improvements recorded in previous days have further consolidated, as confirmed by both blood tests and clinical objectivity and the good response to pharmacological therapy. For these reasons, the doctors decided to lift the prognosis,” the Holy See said Monday in a statement.
Francis’ doctors said there are positive signs of the pontiff’s recovery, but caution remains, according to Vatican sources.
Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 and was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia.
Thursday will mark the 12th anniversary of when Pope Francis was voted to succeed Pope Benedict XVI, who previously resigned.
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(LONDON) — The European Union and Canada announced retaliatory tariffs on Wednesday after the Trump administration’s metals duties went into effect, broadening a trade war with several of America’s top trading partners.
The U.S. at midnight began imposing 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports from all trading partners, with no exceptions or exemptions, the White House said.
Global trade tensions rattled U.S. stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 330 points, or 0.8%, while the S&P 500 dropped 0.25%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq ticked up 0.25%.
Officials representing the European Union said member states would place countermeasures on some 26 billion euros, or about $28 billion, worth of U.S. goods. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said in a statement that the EU “must act to protect consumers and business.”
“Tariffs are taxes. They are bad for business, and even worse for consumers,” von der Leyen said. “These tariffs are disrupting supply chains. They bring uncertainty for the economy. Jobs are at stake. Prices will go up. In Europe and in the United States.”
Canada followed by announcing tariffs on about 29.8 billion Canadian dollars, or about $20.7 billion, in U.S. goods expected to be imported, government officials said. The U.S. imports more steel and aluminum from Canada than any other country.
“Our sole focus is to stand up for Canada interests, Canadian jobs and Canadian workers,” Dominic LeBlanc, minister of Intergovernmental Affairs of Canada, said in a press conference in Ottawa.
The Canadian tariffs will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, LeBlanc said. They were designed to be proportional to the U.S. tariffs, he said.
The European measures were also designed to match the scope of those U.S. tariffs, which the European Union said would be worth about $28 billion. The countermeasures were expected to begin on April 1 and be fully in place by April 13, the commission said.
“In the meantime, we will always remain open to negotiation,” von der Leyen said.
The countermeasures comprise two steps, the first of which is to restore on April 1 a set of previously suspended 2018 and 2020 countermeasures against the U.S. on a range of products.
For step two, member states will then put in place by mid-April new countermeasures targeting about 18 billion euros worth of U.S. goods entering the bloc.
Those new countermeasures will target both industrial and agricultural products, including steel and aluminum, home appliances, wood products, poultry, beef and other food imports, according to a fact sheet released on Wednesday.
Maros Sefcovic, the EU’s trade commissioner, said European officials would continue working with their U.S. counterparts toward a “win-win” outcome, but the “unjustified tariffs on our exports will not go unanswered.”
“We should be making this great relationship stronger, not weaker,” he said in a statement.
ABC News’ Zunaira Zaki contributed to this report.
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