US updates: Trump says he's spoken with Putin about Ukraine

Marie Mendras, a professor of political science at Sciences Po University in Paris, told DW that US President Donald Trump was not in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin despite a report by the Washington Post to the contrary.

She said that communication between Washington and Moscow was a "game of liars." She pointed out the comments by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who said he could "neither confirm nor deny" the report of a phone call between the two leaders.

According to Mendras, the Kremlin aimed to send the message that "[Russian President Vladimir] Putin is not ready for any sincere talks about ending the war" in Ukraine.

She also said she believed it was "very likely that Donald Trump will continue to allow arms shipments to Ukraine" due to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's offer to allow US firms to exploit rare earth minerals in Ukraine.

Egypt said it would host an emergency Arab summit on February 27 after US President Donald Trump suggested that Washington could take over the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said that the summit would discuss the "latest and serious developments" in the Palestinian territories.

Also on Sunday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty departed for Washington for talks with top US officials.

Meanwhile, Israeli President Isaac Herzog told the Fox News broadcaster that Trump was set to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and possibly Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He did not provide a specific location or date for the talks.

Earlier this week, Trump said that the US could take "ownership" of Gaza and Palestinians could be permanently moved to other countries.

The proposal was quickly rejected by Arab countries, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Egypt helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas alongside the US and Qatar.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump discussed further plans to charge business mogul Elon Musk with seeking public sector waste.

"I'm going to tell him very soon, like maybe in 24 hours, to go check the Department of Education," he said. "Then I'm going to go, go to the military. Let's check the military." 

"We're going to find billions, hundreds of millions of dollars of fraud and abuse," Trump predicted of the Pentagon. The US military has a budget of $895 billion (roughly €865 billion) for the current fiscal year.

Musk, described by the White House as a special government employee, has been tasked by Trump to lead an effort to slash federal spending and the size of the public sector workforce. Critics have alleged Musk was not qualified to decide on the cuts and could face a conflict of interest, as his own companies are major beneficiaries of public sector funds.

US President Donald Trump will travel to the Super Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana later on Sunday, the first president in history to attend the American football championship game. 

The Super Bowl at Caesars Superdome will be between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles this year, and will be attended by 74,000 fans. The Chiefs won last year's Super Bowl in Nevada.

Pop star Taylor Swift will also attend the game, with her boyfriend,  Travis Kelce, playing as a tight end for the Chiefs.

Kelce said it would be an "honor" for the president to attend the game, whereas Swift endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris during last year's election against Trump. In response, Trump last year posted on his Truth Social platform that he hates Taylor Swift.   

Trump has had a mixed relationship with the National Football League (NFL). He was critical of the NFL after Black players such as Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the US national anthem in 2016 at a game to protest racial injustice and police brutality.  

Security at Sunday's Super Bowl will also be ramped up due to Trump's presence. The event in New Orleans comes after a car ramming attack in the city killed 14 people with dozens of others injured.      

NFL chief security officer Cathy Lanier said she is "confident the safest place this weekend will be under the security umbrella" in place around the Superdome. 

"We have reviewed and re-reviewed, all the events of January 1," Lanier said, referring to the attack.   

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty departed for Washington, DC, for discussions with US officials and lawmakers.

Abdelatty's trip comes after US President Donald Trump said the United States would "take over" Gaza and turn it into the "Riviera of the Middle East," while having Palestinians move to the nearby Arab states Egypt and Jordan. This was not only roundly rejected by various Palestinian leaders, but also by other countries in the region and Western nations such as Germany.  

Abdelatty's trip intends "to boost bilateral relations and the strategic partnership between Egypt and the US," the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said. "Consultations on regional developments" will be part of the visit.   

Egypt will also convene an "emergency Arab summit" on February 27 to discuss "the latest serious developments" regarding the Palestinians, who requested the gathering.  

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he could "neither confirm nor deny" the report of a phone call between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, regarding Ukraine, the state-run TASS agency reported.    

Both Trump and Putin said earlier that they were willing to meet in person to end the war.

Earlier this week, Peskov said contact had "intensified recently" between the Trump administration and Russia. 

US President Donald Trump has conversed with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, about putting an end to the conflict in Ukraine, the New York Post reported. 

Aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump was asked how many times he had conversed with Putin regarding the war. 

Trump replied that he had "better not say," about the number of times he talked with Putin. 

The US president told the news outlet that he "always had a good relationship with Putin."

"I hope it's fast," Trump said, in regards to Putin ending the war. "Every day people are dying. The war is so bad in Ukraine. I want to end this thing."

Russian launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, infringing on Ukrainian sovereignty and killing Ukrainian civilians.  

On Friday, Trump said he would probably meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a location outside Ukraine next week.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba voiced optimism thatJapan could avoid increased tariffs on exports to the United States.

Ishiba said he believed that US President Donald Trump "recognized the fact Japan has been the world's largest investor in the United States for five straight years and is therefore different from other countries."

"Japan is creating many US jobs," Ishiba said. "I believe [Washington] won't go straight to the idea of higher tariffs."

Tokyo has managed to avoid Trump's trade war since he returned to the White House.

Trump has slapped a 10% tax on all imported goods from China but held off on his tariff threats against Mexico and Canada for 30 days.

Trump pushed Ishiba to reduce Tokyo's $68.5 billion annual trade surplus with Washington.

After Ishiba's first meeting with Trump, the Japanese prime minister pledged to raise Japanese investment in the US to $1 trillion.

On Sunday, Ishiba identified liquefied natural gas, steel, AI and autos as potential areas for Japanese investment.

US President Donald Trump revoked security clearances for former Secretary of State Antony Blinken and former national security adviser Jake Sullivan, among other Biden administration officials, the White House announced on Saturday.

Trump also removed the security clearance for Joe Biden's deputy attorney general, Lisa Monaco, who helped coordinate the Department of Justice' response to Trump supporters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Officials said Trump also stripped the clearances from New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg — both of whom brought cases against Trump.

The move came a day after Trump decided to revoke the security clearance for Biden, ending his access to daily intelligence briefings.

Former US presidents usually receive these briefings so they can offer guidance on matters of national security and foreign policy.

In 2021, Biden revoked the security clearance for Trump, who was then a former president.

This blog will include the latest on today's events concerning US President Donald Trump's second term.

In addition to news, DW will bring you in-depth analysis, reporting and video coverage of how the Trump administration is both impacting the US and the world.