{"id":8642,"date":"2025-12-26T13:55:46","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T13:55:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2025\/12\/26\/nigeria-provided-us-with-intelligence-for-strikes-on-islamist-militants-says-foreign-minister-us-politics-live-the-guardian\/"},"modified":"2025-12-26T13:55:46","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T13:55:46","slug":"nigeria-provided-us-with-intelligence-for-strikes-on-islamist-militants-says-foreign-minister-us-politics-live-the-guardian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2025\/12\/26\/nigeria-provided-us-with-intelligence-for-strikes-on-islamist-militants-says-foreign-minister-us-politics-live-the-guardian\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria provided US with intelligence for strikes on Islamist militants, says foreign minister \u2013 US politics live – The Guardian"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Nigeria provided US with intelligence for strikes on militants, foreign minister says<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n

Nigeria provided the US with intelligence on jihadists before the strikes that took place in the country on Christmas Day, its foreign ministry said on Friday.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the US president, Donald Trump<\/strong>, said the US military had carried out strikes<\/a> against Islamic State militants in north-west Nigeria, after spending weeks decrying the group for targeting Christians.<\/p>\n

In a post on his Truth Social platform, the president said: \u201cTonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!<\/p>\n

\u201cI have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was. The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Nigerian foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar<\/strong>, has told broadcaster ChannelsTV that he was on the phone with the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio<\/strong>, and that Nigeria \u201cprovided\u201d the intelligence.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spoke twice. We spoke for 19 minutes before the strike and then we spoke again for another five minutes before it went on,\u201d Tuggar said.<\/p>\n

He added that they spoke \u201cextensively\u201d and that President Bola Tinubu gave \u201cthe go-ahead\u201d to launch the strikes.<\/p>\n

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\"Nigeria\u2019s<\/picture><\/div>
<\/svg><\/span>Nigeria\u2019s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar.<\/span> Photograph: Light Oriye Tamunotonye\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tuggar did not rule out further strikes, describing them as an \u201congoing process\u201d that would also involve other countries.<\/p>\n

In an interview with the BBC, Tuggar insisted the strikes had \u201cnothing to do with a particular religion\u201d. He said the operation did not have \u201canything to do with Christmas, it could be any other day – it is to do with attacking terrorists who have been killing Nigerians\u201d.<\/p>\n

Trump has previously said he would launch a \u201cguns-a-blazing\u201d US military intervention in Nigeria, claiming that the country\u2019s government has been inadequate in its efforts to prevent attacks on Christians<\/a> by Islamist groups.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

After Thursday\u2019s strikes, Nigeria\u2019s foreign ministry praised the cooperation with the US, but pointedly refused to acknowledge America\u2019s actions had anything to do with the persecution of Christians.<\/p>\n

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\u201cTerrorist violence in any form, whether directed at Christians, Muslims or other communities, remains an affront to Nigeria\u2019s values and to international peace and security,\u201d the ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n

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Successive Nigerian governments have struggled to get a hold on the nation\u2019s deteriorating security crisis, with thousands of people killed and hundreds more abducted in the past few years.<\/p>\n

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In the north-east, Boko Haram and its splinter groups such as Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap) have waged an insurgency since 2009, killing tens of thousands and displacing millions. In the north-west, heavily armed criminal gangs \u2013 often labelled \u201cbandits\u201d \u2013 carry out mass kidnappings and raids<\/a> that affect both Muslim and Christian communities.<\/p>\n

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Nigeria\u2019s government has previously said in response to Trump\u2019s criticisms that people of many faiths, not just Christians, have suffered at the hands of these groups.<\/p>\n

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Last month, Nigeria\u2019s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said the characterisation of Nigeria as a religiously intolerant country did not reflect reality.<\/p>\n

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\u201cReligious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so \u2026 Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In the past, Nigeria\u2019s government has responded to Trump\u2019s criticisms by saying that people of many faiths, not just Christians, suffer at the hands of extremists groups who operate throughout the country.<\/p>\n

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Nigeria is officially secular but almost evenly divided between Muslims (53%) and Christians (45%), with the remaining population practising African traditional religions. Violence against Christians has drawn significant international attention<\/a>, and is often framed as religious persecution, but most analysts argue the situation is more complex and attacks can have varying motivations.<\/p>\n

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For example, deadly clashes between itinerant Muslim herders and predominantly Christian farming communities are rooted in competition over land and water but exacerbated by religious and ethnic differences. Meanwhile, the kidnappings of priests is seen by many analysts as a trend driven more by money than religious hatred, as they are viewed as influential figures whose worshippers or organisations can mobilise funds quickly.<\/p>\n

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Parts of the US right have for years been amplifying claims that Christians are facing persecution in Nigeria<\/a>. In September, Republican senator Ted Cruz pushed to sanction Nigerian officials who \u201cfacilitate violence against Christians and other religious minorities, including by Islamist terrorist groups\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Claims that Christians face religious persecution overseas have become a major motivating force Trump\u2019s base \u2013 and the US president counts evangelical Christians as among his most enthusiastic supporters.<\/p>\n

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Earlier this year he appeared to act on some of these concerns by designating Nigeria a \u201ccountry of particular concern\u201d under the US International Religious Freedom Act, which followed weeks of lobbying by American lawmakers and conservative Christian groups. Soon after, he ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action<\/a> in the country. At the time, the president said he might go in \u201cguns-a-blazing\u201d if the Nigerian government continued to \u201callow the killing of Christians\u201d.<\/p>\n

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After spending weeks accusing Nigeria\u2019s government of failing to tackle the persecution of Christians, Donald Trump<\/a> announced a series of strikes on the west African country on Christmas Day.<\/p>\n

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The strikes, targeting Islamic State militants<\/a> in the country\u2019s north, mark the latest overseas military intervention from Trump, who campaigned on a promise to extricate the US from decades of \u201cendless wars\u201d during his 2024 run for president.<\/p>\n

“,”elementId”:”65416ea2-5379-4a8f-b9c1-42e9a27bd9a6″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

In his announcement, Trump said the strikes were aimed at Islamic State<\/a> militants who have been \u201ctargeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!\u201d<\/p>\n

“,”elementId”:”3eaa2950-1b52-4956-90ed-c36af47cc756″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

A Defense Department official told the Associated Press that the US worked with Nigeria<\/a> to carry out the strikes, and that they\u2019d been approved by that country\u2019s government. Nigeria\u2019s ministry of foreign affairs said the cooperation included exchanges of intelligence and strategic coordination.<\/p>\n

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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/strong> says a meeting with US president Donald Trump<\/strong> will happen \u201cin the near future\u201d.<\/p>\n

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The pair are expected to meet at Mar-a-Lago in Florida for a crunch peace summit in the next few days.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe have agreed on a meeting at the highest level – with President Trump in the near future. A lot can be decided before the New Year,\u201d Zelensky said on social media.<\/p>\n

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Rustem Umerov reported on his latest contacts with the American side. We are not losing a single day. We have agreed on a meeting at the highest level \u2013 with President Trump in the near future. A lot can be decided before the New Year. Glory to Ukraine!<\/p>\n

\u2014 Volodymyr Zelenskyy \/ \u0412\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434\u0438\u043c\u0438\u0440 \u0417\u0435\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0441\u044c\u043a\u0438\u0439 (@ZelenskyyUa) December 26, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

nn”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

There has been no immediate confirmation by The White House about this meeting, according to the New York Times<\/a>, and no further specifics have been given at this moment.<\/p>\n

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This comes after earlier this week, the Ukrainian president unveiled a revised 20-point peace plan \u2013 which includes security guarantees Ukraine seeks to prevent future Russian aggression.<\/p>\n

“,”elementId”:”e3a32d38-763f-4f99-9509-a2b4221c0a90″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

Yesterday Zelenskyy posted on social media to say he held a nearly hour-long phone call with Trump\u2019s Special Envoys, Steve Witkoff<\/strong> and Jared Kushner<\/strong>. According to the president, they discussed \u201cseveral substantive details\u201d of the ongoing peace talk.<\/p>\n

“,”elementId”:”7525b767-a724-4dac-be94-a8ee8659aff2″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are truly working 24\/7 to bring the end of this brutal Russian war against Ukraine closer and to ensure that all documents and steps are realistic, effective, and reliable,\u201d Zelensky <\/a><\/strong>wrote on X.<\/p>\n

“,”elementId”:”2f189e15-5b52-483c-8fba-19c3f6f97e52″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that today\u2019s Christmas agreements and the ideas we discussed will prove useful.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Nigeria provided the US with intelligence on jihadists before the strikes that took place in the country on Christmas Day, its foreign ministry said on Friday.<\/p>\n

“,”elementId”:”da865ed6-8621-4e35-a171-f3306e6bff45″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the US president, Donald Trump<\/strong>, said the US military had carried out strikes<\/a> against Islamic State militants in north-west Nigeria, after spending weeks decrying the group for targeting Christians.<\/p>\n

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In a post on his Truth Social platform, the president said: \u201cTonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!<\/p>\n

“,”elementId”:”16d34934-0aff-4988-9631-bd62ea2a80b9″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

\u201cI have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was. The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

“,”elementId”:”fd2c6daa-1217-4586-92c7-cff334a8d26c”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

Now, Nigerian foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar<\/strong>, has told broadcaster ChannelsTV that he was on the phone with the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio<\/strong>, and that Nigeria \u201cprovided\u201d the intelligence.<\/p>\n

“,”elementId”:”c626f003-92c4-4894-ae6d-bb0f47d8aa92″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spoke twice. We spoke for 19 minutes before the strike and then we spoke again for another five minutes before it went on,\u201d Tuggar said.<\/p>\n

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He added that they spoke \u201cextensively\u201d and that President Bola Tinubu gave \u201cthe go-ahead\u201d to launch the strikes.<\/p>\n

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foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar.”,”caption”:”Nigeria\u2019s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Light Oriye Tamunotonye\/AFP\/Getty Images”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

Tuggar did not rule out further strikes, describing them as an \u201congoing process\u201d that would also involve other countries.<\/p>\n

“,”elementId”:”16b21173-d22d-44e3-bbd2-3a0cc48ae332″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

In an interview with the BBC, Tuggar insisted the strikes had \u201cnothing to do with a particular religion\u201d. He said the operation did not have \u201canything to do with Christmas, it could be any other day – it is to do with attacking terrorists who have been killing Nigerians\u201d.<\/p>\n

“,”elementId”:”97de1c2c-3d7c-401e-8539-a52e800e66aa”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

Trump has previously said he would launch a \u201cguns-a-blazing\u201d US military intervention in Nigeria, claiming that the country\u2019s government has been inadequate in its efforts to prevent attacks on Christians<\/a> by Islamist groups.<\/p>\n

“,”elementId”:”e728be30-2204-4aba-a02b-ec68ca66ca5f”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:true,”keyEvent”:false,”summary”:true},”blockCreatedOn”:1766746850000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”06.00\u00a0EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1766753379000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”07.49\u00a0EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1766746850000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”06.00\u00a0EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”06.00″,”title”:”Nigeria provided US with intelligence for strikes on militants, foreign minister says”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Fri 26 Dec 2025 08.25 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Fri 26 Dec 2025 06.00 EST”}],”filterKeyEvents”:false,”id”:”key-events-carousel-mobile”,”renderingTarget”:”Web”,”serverTime”:1766757385321}”><\/span><\/p>\n

Key events<\/p>\n

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Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/span><\/p>\n

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Nigerians across Sokoto state told of their shock at Christmas Day strikes by the United States.<\/p>\n

Agence France-Presse spoke to people around Jabo town, who said that their area was sometimes a target of armed \u201cbandit\u201d gangs and jihadists, but was not a stronghold for the groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe heard a loud explosion which shook the whole town and everyone was scared,\u201d said Haruna Kallah from Jabo, some 60 miles (100km) south of Sokoto city near the Niger border.<\/p>\n

Donald Trump has claimed there are mass killing of Christians in the country\u2019s armed conflicts.<\/p>\n

The Nigerian government and independent analysts reject this framing, noting the west African country faces interlinked security crises that kill both Christian and Muslim civilians.<\/p>\n

Kallah told AFP he originally thought the attack was carried out by Lakurawa, the main jihadist group in Sokoto state, adding that there had not been an attack in about two years.<\/p>\n

Villagers reportedly found burning fragments from the bombardment on the outskirts of the town.<\/p>\n

Ayuba Abdulkarim, another Jabo resident, said: \u201cThere was a huge explosion and everyone was terrified and thought the town was under attack from Lakurawa. Luckily no one was hurt, but fragments from the bomb caused damage to walls and roofs of nearby homes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tukur Shehu, resident of Tangaza, a neighbouring district, said two strikes targeted Warriya and Alkassim villages \u2013 known to house Lakurawa camps, from where they launch attacks and keep hostages.<\/p>\n

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Members of Donald Trump\u2019s party welcomed the strikes as a sign of the US president\u2019s resolve.<\/p>\n

West Virginia congressman Riley Moore<\/a><\/strong> wrote on X<\/a>: \u201cPresident Trump has been clear that the killing of Christians in Nigeria must end. As I stated at the outset: Do not test President Trump\u2018s resolved in this matter. Tonight\u2019s strike in coordination with the Nigerian government is just the first step to ending the slaughter of Christians and the security crisis affecting all Nigerians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arkansas senator Tom Cotton<\/strong> wrote to \u201ccommend President Trump, Secretary Hegseth, and our brave troops for these strikes against bloodthirsty ISIS\u201d.<\/p>\n

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What does the Nigerian government say?<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n

After Thursday\u2019s strikes, Nigeria\u2019s foreign ministry praised the cooperation with the US, but pointedly refused to acknowledge America\u2019s actions had anything to do with the persecution of Christians.<\/p>\n

\u201cTerrorist violence in any form, whether directed at Christians, Muslims or other communities, remains an affront to Nigeria\u2019s values and to international peace and security,\u201d the ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Successive Nigerian governments have struggled to get a hold on the nation\u2019s deteriorating security crisis, with thousands of people killed and hundreds more abducted in the past few years.<\/p>\n

In the north-east, Boko Haram and its splinter groups such as Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap) have waged an insurgency since 2009, killing tens of thousands and displacing millions. In the north-west, heavily armed criminal gangs \u2013 often labelled \u201cbandits\u201d \u2013 carry out mass kidnappings and raids<\/a> that affect both Muslim and Christian communities.<\/p>\n

Nigeria\u2019s government has previously said in response to Trump\u2019s criticisms that people of many faiths, not just Christians, have suffered at the hands of these groups.<\/p>\n

Last month, Nigeria\u2019s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said the characterisation of Nigeria as a religiously intolerant country did not reflect reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cReligious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so \u2026 Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Is there religious persecution in Nigeria?<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n

In the past, Nigeria\u2019s government has responded to Trump\u2019s criticisms by saying that people of many faiths, not just Christians, suffer at the hands of extremists groups who operate throughout the country.<\/p>\n

Nigeria is officially secular but almost evenly divided between Muslims (53%) and Christians (45%), with the remaining population practising African traditional religions. Violence against Christians has drawn significant international attention<\/a>, and is often framed as religious persecution, but most analysts argue the situation is more complex and attacks can have varying motivations.<\/p>\n

For example, deadly clashes between itinerant Muslim herders and predominantly Christian farming communities are rooted in competition over land and water but exacerbated by religious and ethnic differences. Meanwhile, the kidnappings of priests is seen by many analysts as a trend driven more by money than religious hatred, as they are viewed as influential figures whose worshippers or organisations can mobilise funds quickly.<\/p>\n

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Why has Trump targeted Nigeria?<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n

Parts of the US right have for years been amplifying claims that Christians are facing persecution in Nigeria<\/a>. In September, Republican senator Ted Cruz pushed to sanction Nigerian officials who \u201cfacilitate violence against Christians and other religious minorities, including by Islamist terrorist groups\u201d.<\/p>\n

Claims that Christians face religious persecution overseas have become a major motivating force Trump\u2019s base \u2013 and the US president counts evangelical Christians as among his most enthusiastic supporters.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year he appeared to act on some of these concerns by designating Nigeria a \u201ccountry of particular concern\u201d under the US International Religious Freedom Act, which followed weeks of lobbying by American lawmakers and conservative Christian groups. Soon after, he ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action<\/a> in the country. At the time, the president said he might go in \u201cguns-a-blazing\u201d if the Nigerian government continued to \u201callow the killing of Christians\u201d.<\/p>\n

\n
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What do we know about the strikes?<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n

After spending weeks accusing Nigeria\u2019s government of failing to tackle the persecution of Christians, Donald Trump<\/a> announced a series of strikes on the west African country on Christmas Day.<\/p>\n

The strikes, targeting Islamic State militants<\/a> in the country\u2019s north, mark the latest overseas military intervention from Trump, who campaigned on a promise to extricate the US from decades of \u201cendless wars\u201d during his 2024 run for president.<\/p>\n

In his announcement, Trump said the strikes were aimed at Islamic State<\/a> militants who have been \u201ctargeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!\u201d<\/p>\n

A Defense Department official told the Associated Press that the US worked with Nigeria<\/a> to carry out the strikes, and that they\u2019d been approved by that country\u2019s government. Nigeria\u2019s ministry of foreign affairs said the cooperation included exchanges of intelligence and strategic coordination.<\/p>\n

\n
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Zelenskyy on meeting Trump soon: ‘A lot can be decided before the New Year’<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/strong> says a meeting with US president Donald Trump<\/strong> will happen \u201cin the near future\u201d.<\/p>\n

The pair are expected to meet at Mar-a-Lago in Florida for a crunch peace summit in the next few days.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have agreed on a meeting at the highest level – with President Trump in the near future. A lot can be decided before the New Year,\u201d Zelensky said on social media.<\/p>\n

\n

Rustem Umerov reported on his latest contacts with the American side. We are not losing a single day. We have agreed on a meeting at the highest level \u2013 with President Trump in the near future. A lot can be decided before the New Year. Glory to Ukraine!<\/p>\n

\u2014 Volodymyr Zelenskyy \/ \u0412\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434\u0438\u043c\u0438\u0440 \u0417\u0435\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0441\u044c\u043a\u0438\u0439 (@ZelenskyyUa) December 26, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

nn”}}”><\/p>\n

\n
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Rustem Umerov reported on his latest contacts with the American side. We are not losing a single day. We have agreed on a meeting at the highest level \u2013 with President Trump in the near future. A lot can be decided before the New Year. Glory to Ukraine!<\/p>\n

\u2014 Volodymyr Zelenskyy \/ \u0412\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434\u0438\u043c\u0438\u0440 \u0417\u0435\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0441\u044c\u043a\u0438\u0439 (@ZelenskyyUa) December 26, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n

<\/gu-island><\/figure>\n

There has been no immediate confirmation by The White House about this meeting, according to the New York Times<\/a>, and no further specifics have been given at this moment.<\/p>\n

This comes after earlier this week, the Ukrainian president unveiled a revised 20-point peace plan \u2013 which includes security guarantees Ukraine seeks to prevent future Russian aggression.<\/p>\n

Yesterday Zelenskyy posted on social media to say he held a nearly hour-long phone call with Trump\u2019s Special Envoys, Steve Witkoff<\/strong> and Jared Kushner<\/strong>. According to the president, they discussed \u201cseveral substantive details\u201d of the ongoing peace talk.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are truly working 24\/7 to bring the end of this brutal Russian war against Ukraine closer and to ensure that all documents and steps are realistic, effective, and reliable,\u201d Zelensky <\/a><\/strong>wrote on X.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that today\u2019s Christmas agreements and the ideas we discussed will prove useful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
<\/header>\n

The US president, Donald Trump<\/strong>, ranted about Jeffrey Epstein<\/strong> in a Christmas Day social media post, claiming that he had dropped links with the disgraced financier and sex offender \u201clong before it became fashionable\u201d and calling the outcry for the release of the documents referred to as the Epstein files a \u201cRadical Left Witch Hunt\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Trump administration<\/a> is facing increasing scrutiny after its handling of the government files related to Epstein. Many political figures are placing pressure on Trump to give more transparency regarding the documents, while some members of the public are calling for the files\u2019 full release.<\/p>\n

\u201cMerry Christmas to all, including the many Sleazebags who loved Jeffrey Epstein\u2026only to \u2018drop him like a dog\u2019 when things got too HOT, falsely claimed they had nothing to do with him, didn\u2019t know him, said he was a disgusting person, and then blame, of course, President Donald J. Trump, who was actually the only one who did drop Epstein, and long before it became fashionable to do so,\u201d Trump wrote on Truth Social<\/a> on Christmas Day.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, a new trove of the Epstein-related documents was released. It included a claim that Trump was on a flight with Epstein and a 20-year-old woman in the 1990s. There is no indication that the woman was a victim of any crime and being included in the files does not indicate any criminal wrongdoing.<\/p>\n

The files also include a series of emails between Ghislaine Maxwell<\/strong> and someone who signs himself as \u201cA\u201d and uses the alias \u201cThe Invisible Man\u201d. In August 2001, \u201cA\u201d wrote to Maxwell: \u201cI am up here at Balmoral Summer Camp for the Royal Family\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Nigeria provided US with intelligence for strikes on militants, foreign minister says<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n

Nigeria provided the US with intelligence on jihadists before the strikes that took place in the country on Christmas Day, its foreign ministry said on Friday.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the US president, Donald Trump<\/strong>, said the US military had carried out strikes<\/a> against Islamic State militants in north-west Nigeria, after spending weeks decrying the group for targeting Christians.<\/p>\n

In a post on his Truth Social platform, the president said: \u201cTonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!<\/p>\n

\u201cI have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was. The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Nigerian foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar<\/strong>, has told broadcaster ChannelsTV that he was on the phone with the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio<\/strong>, and that Nigeria \u201cprovided\u201d the intelligence.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spoke twice. We spoke for 19 minutes before the strike and then we spoke again for another five minutes before it went on,\u201d Tuggar said.<\/p>\n

He added that they spoke \u201cextensively\u201d and that President Bola Tinubu gave \u201cthe go-ahead\u201d to launch the strikes.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Nigeria\u2019s<\/picture><\/div>
<\/svg><\/span>Nigeria\u2019s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar.<\/span> Photograph: Light Oriye Tamunotonye\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tuggar did not rule out further strikes, describing them as an \u201congoing process\u201d that would also involve other countries.<\/p>\n

In an interview with the BBC, Tuggar insisted the strikes had \u201cnothing to do with a particular religion\u201d. He said the operation did not have \u201canything to do with Christmas, it could be any other day – it is to do with attacking terrorists who have been killing Nigerians\u201d.<\/p>\n

Trump has previously said he would launch a \u201cguns-a-blazing\u201d US military intervention in Nigeria, claiming that the country\u2019s government has been inadequate in its efforts to prevent attacks on Christians<\/a> by Islamist groups.<\/p>\n

<\/gu-island><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nigeria provided US with intelligence for strikes on militants, foreign minister says Nigeria provided the US with intelligence on jihadists before the strikes that took place in the country on Christmas Day, its foreign ministry said on Friday. On Thursday, the US president, Donald Trump, said the US military had carried out strikes against Islamic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8642\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}