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Trump Presidential Rival Christie Visits Ukraine, Meets with Zelenskiy

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, left, and Republican presidential candidate former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie shake hands during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, left, and Republican presidential candidate former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie shake hands during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
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Trump Presidential Rival Christie Visits Ukraine, Meets with Zelenskiy

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, left, and Republican presidential candidate former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie shake hands during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, left, and Republican presidential candidate former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie shake hands during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie visited Ukraine on Friday and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as he underscored strong US support for Kyiv's fight against Russia.

Christie, once an ally of former President Donald Trump, is now challenging him for their party's 2024 presidential nomination - and drawing a stark contrast on Ukraine with the front-runner.

Christie's visit to Ukraine came a day after Trump returned to Washington to plead not guilty to federal charges he orchestrated a plot to try to overturn his 2020 election loss.

The former New Jersey governor met with Zelenskiy at the presidential palace after visiting a mass grave in Bucha, a site where Ukraine accuses Russian troops of having committed atrocities, and touring damage in Iprin. Both towns were retaken by Ukrainian forces in 2022 as Russian invasion forces abandoned their attempt to seize Kyiv, the capital.

Christie also toured a child protection center in Kyiv.

His message during Friday's visit was clear: the US supports and should continue to support Ukraine.

That stance sets Christie apart from some of the other candidates including Trump, who has been sharply critical of US support of the war.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a distant second in public opinion polls, this year suggested that the war was simply a "territorial dispute" before backtracking and labeling Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal.

Another candidate, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, has called for an immediate end to the war and for Russia to keep its territorial gains.

At a candidates forum in Iowa last month, former Vice President Mike Pence and US Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina both argued that it remains vital for the United States to push back against Russian aggression.

The United States has provided billions of dollars worth of weapons to Ukraine following Russia's February 2022 invasion.

Trump, who left office in 2021 after one four-year term, was impeached in 2019 on allegations he pressured Ukraine to investigate his Democratic rival, Joe Biden. Senate Republicans acquitted him of those charges.

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World

US Fires on Iran Tankers as Talks Hang in Balance

US and Iran flags are seen in this illustration taken June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
US and Iran flags are seen in this illustration taken June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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US Fires on Iran Tankers as Talks Hang in Balance

US and Iran flags are seen in this illustration taken June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
US and Iran flags are seen in this illustration taken June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

A US warplane disabled two Iranian tankers to enforce a port blockade on Friday, after Washington's top diplomat said he was awaiting Tehran's response to the latest proposed deal to end the Gulf conflict.

US Central Command said an F/A-18 Super Hornet had used precision munitions on the two ships to prevent them from continuing to Iran, as Iranian media reported "sporadic clashes" with US vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reported.

The latest incidents came after an overnight exchange of fire that triggered fears of a breakdown in the Gulf ceasefire, and after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in Rome that Washington hoped to receive Tehran's answer to the US proposal later on Friday.

Rubio said Iran must not control the Strait of Hormuz, where the flare-ups took place, but added: "We're expecting a response from them today at some point... I hope it's a serious offer, I really do."

Washington has sent Iran, via Pakistani mediators, a proposal to extend the truce in the Gulf to allow talks on a final settlement of the conflict launched 10 weeks ago with US-Israeli strikes on Tehran.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Friday that the proposal was still "under review, and once a final decision is reached, it will certainly be announced", according to the ISNA news agency.

World

Iran Says Redirects US-sanctioned Oil Tanker to Its Shores

FILE PHOTO: An aerial view of the Iranian shores and the island of Qeshm in the strait of Hormuz, December 10, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An aerial view of the Iranian shores and the island of Qeshm in the strait of Hormuz, December 10, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
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Iran Says Redirects US-sanctioned Oil Tanker to Its Shores

FILE PHOTO: An aerial view of the Iranian shores and the island of Qeshm in the strait of Hormuz, December 10, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An aerial view of the Iranian shores and the island of Qeshm in the strait of Hormuz, December 10, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

Iran said on Friday it redirected a US-sanctioned oil tanker carrying Iranian oil back to its shores, though it was unclear from its statement why it would have returned it, reported AFP.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran's navy, through a specially planned operation in the Sea of Oman, seized the offending tanker Ocean Koi," the army said in a statement carried by state television, adding that the oil belonged to Iran.

It said the ship was redirected to Iran's southern shores after it sought "to damage and disrupt Iran's oil exports," without elaborating.

World

Meloni Meets Rubio as Iran War Strains Italy-US Ties

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio leaves the San Damaso courtyard after meeting Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, May 7, 2026. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio leaves the San Damaso courtyard after meeting Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, May 7, 2026. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
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Meloni Meets Rubio as Iran War Strains Italy-US Ties

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio leaves the San Damaso courtyard after meeting Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, May 7, 2026. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio leaves the San Damaso courtyard after meeting Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, May 7, 2026. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday at a moment of unusual strain between her government and President Donald Trump's administration, driven largely by the war with Iran.

Rubio is in Italy for a two-day trip aimed at easing ties with Pope Leo after unprecedented attacks on the pontiff by Trump, while also addressing Washington's frustration over Italy's refusal to support the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Meloni had been one of Trump's firmest supporters in Europe, cultivating close ties with him and presenting herself as a natural ‌bridge between Washington ‌and other EU states that had no natural political ‌affinity ⁠with the Republican ⁠US leader.

But that alignment has come under increasing strain in recent months, as the Iran war has forced her to balance loyalty to the United States against Italian public animosity to the war and the growing economic cost of the conflict.

Before heading to the prime minister's office, Rubio met Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who said the talks had been positive.

"I am convinced ⁠that Europe needs America, Italy needs America, but the United ‌States also needs Europe and Italy," Tajani ‌told reporters.

Meloni and Rubio were expected to discuss the situation in the Gulf, as ‌well as Russia's war on Ukraine, US tariffs on European goods and ‌the outlook for Cuba, which Washington is seeking to isolate both diplomatically and economically.

TRUMP'S ATTACKS ON POPE

The Italians will also be keen for a readout on Rubio's meetings at the Vatican. Trump's recent attacks on Pope Leo crossed a sensitive ‌line in overwhelmingly Catholic Italy and prompted Meloni to call them "unacceptable."

Her criticism in turn drew a sharp rebuke ⁠from Trump, who said ⁠she lacked courage and had let Washington down. He subsequently threatened to withdraw US troops from Italy.

Meloni said on Monday she would not support such a move, but acknowledged that the decision "doesn't depend on me".

Italy last month refused to allow US aircraft to use the Sigonella air base in Sicily for combat operations linked to the Iran conflict. Italian officials have said Washington had not sought prior authorization from Rome for the use of the site.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, a close Meloni ally, later warned that the Iran war was putting US global leadership at risk and said he feared the "madness" of nuclear escalation.

Pollsters say Meloni's ties to Trump could prove a potential liability with voters ahead of national elections due next year.