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Providence Gold Mines Inc. (“Providence” or the “Company”) announces that subject to Regulatory approval it has entered an option agreement to acquire the “La Dama de Oro Gold Property”. The property is a historical gold mine 100% owned by the Optionor, (” Mohave Gold Mining”), a private Company incorporated under the laws of the state of California.

Providence recently commissioned Ethos Geological Inc. of Bozeman MT to complete an NI 43 101 technical report, authored by Zachary Black, SME-RM acting as the Qualified Person under NI 43 101. The NI 43 101 technical report has been submitted for Exchange review and approval. A cautionary note: The property is at an early exploration stage and does not have sufficient data for a mineral resource.

The La Dama de Oro Property is situated in the Silver Mountain Mining District, within the structurally complex Eastern California Shear Zone and the intersection with the San Andreas Fault Zone. Bedrock geology includes Mesozoic quartz monzonite that intrudes the Jurassic Sidewinder Volcanics. The structural history of the region implies a sequence of compressional and extensional events that reactivated favorably oriented zones of weakness for the circulation of hydrothermal fluids. The main zone of mineralization is hosted by the La Dama de Oro Fault, a shallow northeast-dipping oblique-slip fault.

The mineralization at the property is classified as a structurally controlled, low-sulfidation epithermal gold-silver vein system. Gold and silver mineralization is associated with multi-phase quartz veining, brecciation, and pervasive hydrothermal alteration along the La Dama de Oro Fault. The largest known vein is 4.5 feet at its widest point and remains open to exploration, with the potential for additional undiscovered veins along the fault system. The property has an approved exploration permit that includes a bulk sample.

The Option entitles the Company the right to purchase 100% of the La Dama de Oro Gold Property under the following terms:

YEAR 1

Within 15 days of Regulatory approval the Company shall issue 2,000,000 common shares from treasury and incur $20,000 in expenditures within 12 months of the effective date.

YEAR 2

The Company shall issue an additional 2,000,000 common shares from treasury and incur $250,000 in expenditures before the second-year anniversary of the effective date

YEAR 3

The Company shall issue an additional 500,000 common shares from treasury and incur a further $250,000 in expenditures before the third-year anniversary date of the effective date

YEAR 4

The Company shall incur an additional $250,000 expenditures before the fourth-year anniversary of the effective date

Ronald A. Coombes, President & CEO of Providence commented; “The best place to explore for gold is where gold is, with the rich historical history of past gold production at the La Dama de Oro mine there remains very good discovery potential”.

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Zachary Black, SME-RM, a Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101. Mr. Black is a consultant and is independent of Providence Gold Mines Inc.

For more information, please contact Ronald Coombes, President, and CEO of the Company.

Ronald A. Coombes, President & CE

Phone: 604 724 2369

roombes@providencegold.com

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

Neither the OTCQB and or the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

All statements, trend analysis and other information contained in this press release relative to markets about anticipated future events or results constitute forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including, without limitation, statements relating to the permitting process, future production of Providence Gold Mines, budget and timing estimates, the Company’s working capital and financing opportunities and statements regarding the exploration and mineralization potential of the Company’s properties, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results of operations to differ materially from those contained in the forward- looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Providence Gold Mines expectations include fluctuations in commodity prices and currency exchange rates; uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; the need for cooperation of government agencies and native groups in the exploration and development of properties and the issuance of required permits; the need to obtain additional financing to develop properties and uncertainty as to the availability and terms of future financing; the possibility of delay in exploration or development programs and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; and uncertainty as to timely availability of permits and other governmental approvals. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made. Providence Gold Mines does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statement.

Source

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Investing

ESGold Pens Colombia Tailings Project Deal as Global Reprocessing Grows

ESGold (CSE:ESAU,OTCQB:ESAUF) has signed a binding memorandum of understanding with Colombian firm Planta Magdalena to form a 50/50 joint venture on a fully permitted gold- and silver-bearing tailings project.

Under the agreement, ESGold will invest C$1.5 million for its stake and will retain a first right of refusal to acquire the remaining 50 percent interest from Planta Magdalena within 12 months.

The project is designed to replicate ESGold’s Montauban model in Québec, which focuses on generating cashflow by reprocessing legacy tailings, while providing environmental remediation.

Preliminary due diligence sampling of 27 tailings collected from the project, located in Colombia’s Bolívar department, returned encouraging results, including assays of 42.7 grams per metric ton (g/t) gold and 280 g/t silver.

Several samples exceeded 5 g/t gold and 190 g/t silver, highlighting the potential for high-grade recovery.

Bulk concentrate tests are underway, with final verification to be completed at Actlabs in Québec.

Bolívar is one of Colombia’s most prolific gold regions, with artisanal miners processing an estimated 300,000 metric tons of ore annually. ESGold, a self-described scalable clean mining and exploration innovation company, plans to apply modern, mercury-free recovery methods to improve yields while addressing environmental concerns.

“The region still processes hundreds of thousands of metric tons of ore annually, yet much of it is handled using rudimentary mercury amalgamation methods that leave behind a substantial amount of gold and silver in the tailings,” said Gordon Robb, CEO of ESGold. “This creates an immense opportunity for ESGold to apply modern, environmentally responsible recovery technology that can significantly improve yields while remediating legacy mine sites.”

Pending completion of technical and legal due diligence, ESGold aims to fast track the project toward production in 2026, establishing a second high-margin operation alongside Montauban.

Green revenue stream

It is estimated that there are 8,500 tailings facilities around the globe, holding more than 217 billion cubic meters of mine ‘waste.’ In an effort to reduce the amount of stored tailings and their environmental impact, tailings reprocessing is emerging as both an economic and sustainable revenue stream.

By extracting valuable residual metals, such as gold, copper and critical minerals, from legacy waste, companies can generate revenue while reducing the environmental footprint of tailings facilities.

The approach also aligns with sustainability goals, as it mitigates risks like tailings dam failures and restores degraded sites, turning longstanding liabilities into productive assets

Globally, the growing recognition of untapped value in tailings has spurred renewed interest and investment, with major miners — like Vale (NYSE:VALE) — and governments prioritizing tailings projects as part of circular mining strategies and critical minerals security.

Securities Disclosure: I, Georgia Williams, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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Investing

Glencore Pursues Argentina Incentives for US$13.5 Billion Copper Projects

Commodities giant Glencore (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF) has submitted applications to place two of its flagship copper projects in Argentina under a new investment regime.

The Switzerland-based firm is seeking to include the El Pachón deposit in San Juan and the Agua Rica deposit in Catamarca under Argentina’s recently introduced Incentive Regime for Large Investments (RIGI).

Together, the two projects represent a planned capital investment of about US$13.5 billion over the next decade — US$9.5 billion for El Pachón and US$4 billion for Agua Rica.

Both sites would benefit from a long-term economic framework with enhanced investor protections under the RIGI program, which the administration of President Javier Milei launched this year to attract foreign investment.

“President Milei and his administration must be credited for introducing the RIGI. This framework has changed the investment landscape in Argentina, providing a key catalyst to attract major foreign investment to the country,” Glencore CEO Gary Nagle said in the company’s announcement on Monday (August 18).

“The RIGI provides a key platform for the development of Argentina’s significant natural resource endowment,’ added Martín Pérez de Solay, CEO of Glencore Argentina.

‘I am confident that the mining sector can be a major contributor to the Argentinian economy with the El Pachón and Agua Rica projects supporting the country’s ambition to become one of the world’s leading copper producers.”

El Pachón is a large-scale copper and molybdenum deposit with estimated resources of about 6 billion metric tons (MT) of ore averaging 0.43 percent copper, 2.2 grams per MT silver and 130 grams per MT molybdenum.

For its part, Agua Rica hosts roughly 1.2 billion MT of ore with average grades of 0.47 percent copper, 0.2 grams per MT gold, 3.4 grams per MT silver and 0.03 percent molybdenum. Ore from Agua Rica would be processed at the existing Alumbrera facilities, located 35 kilometers away, through the MARA project framework.

The scale of Glencore’s expansion comes amid a broader strategic race among western producers to secure supplies of critical minerals needed for clean energy technologies, electric vehicles and defense applications. Copper in particular is considered vital to global electrification, and analysts warn that rising demand could soon outstrip supply.

US enforcement shift on Chinese metals

On Tuesday (August 19), the US Department of Homeland Security announced that imports of Chinese steel, copper and lithium will be targeted for “high-priority enforcement” under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, a law restricting goods linked to alleged human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region.

America has a moral, economic, and national security duty to eradicate threats that endanger our nation’s prosperity, including unfair trade practices that disadvantage the American people and stifle our economic growth. The Trump administration is taking action.

The use of… https://t.co/cuSlPkW1ab

— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) August 19, 2025

“The use of slave labor is repulsive and we will hold Chinese companies accountable for abuses and eliminate threats its forced labor practices pose to our prosperity,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a post on X.

US officials say the Xinjiang region hosts state-run internment camps where Uyghurs and other minority groups are subject to forced labor. Beijing has consistently denied the allegations, dismissing them as politically motivated.

The announcement expands Washington’s campaign to scrutinize goods with ties to Xinjiang, which has already affected solar panels, cotton and other commodities. The new focus on copper and lithium marks a significant escalation given both metals’ central role in renewable energy and battery production.

Global supply chains in flux

Together, Glencore’s Argentine projects and Washington’s enforcement measures highlight how critical minerals are becoming increasingly entangled with geopolitics.

China processes about 70 percent of the world’s rare earths and controls a major share of global copper and lithium refining capacity. Western governments are trying to diversify away from Chinese supply chains amid rising tensions.

Argentina, with its vast mineral reserves, has emerged as a key player in this strategy. The country is already a major producer of lithium and is positioning itself as a copper hub through projects like Glencore’s expansion.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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Investing

New Rare Earths Venture to Target High-grade Assets in US and Brazil

Privately owned Rare Earths Americas (REA) has formed in a bid to explore and develop high-grade rare earths assets in the US and Brazil, looking to consolidate supply chains for various domestic sectors.

The company, which raised AU$25 million in a private funding round, said it combines experienced operators and investors with “deep expertise across global mining, energy and critical materials.”

Included in the company’s portfolio is the Foothills discovery, located in Georgia, US.

The site contains grades of up to 41.3 percent total rare earth oxides, including heavy rare earths crucial for high-performance magnets. REA has highlighted its strong logistics, low-cost power and streamlined path to permitting.

In Brazil, the Alpha and Constellation projects hold more than 1 billion metric tons of high-grade ionic clay rare earths mineralization, including dysprosium and terbium, which are essential for permanent magnets.

The Homer project, also located in Brazil, targets multiple carbonatite clusters with the potential for niobium discoveries in a region known for leading niobium mines.

“The rare earths market is undergoing a generational shift as the West races to secure its rare earths future,” said CEO Donald Swartz in a Monday (August 18) press release.

REA’s timing aligns with broader US efforts to reduce reliance on China, which currently controls nearly 70 percent of global rare earths processing and accounts for most heavy rare earths production.

In April, Beijing restricted shipments of seven rare earths to the US and other countries, prompting concern among automakers and defense contractors dependent on these materials.

The US government recently proposed a pricing support mechanism for domestic rare earths ventures in order to increase production and mitigate China’s influence.

Discussions last month, led by former White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro and National Security Council official David Copley, included rare earths producers and major tech firms reliant on these critical minerals.

China’s dominance stems from billions of dollars invested in mining and processing since 2000, often with minimal environmental or safety oversight, allowing the country to produce rare earths at lower cost than western competitors.

The US response to the Asian nation’s rare earths stranglehold has included efforts to develop domestic mine supply and build out refinement, processing and production capacity. American companies have also sought to secure alternative sources in Africa and Latin America, but investment and technology barriers remain significant.

Mountain Pass in California, the country’s only large-scale rare earths mine, produces bastnaesite carbonate, but relies heavily on foreign processing. MP Materials (NYSE:MP), the mine’s operator, posted a net loss of US$65.4 million in 2024, highlighting the challenge of competing with China’s low-cost production model.

REA’s launch positions it as a potential strategic player in this evolving landscape.

According to the company, the Foothills project offers a “streamlined permitting pathway” in the US, while the Alpha and Constellation projects in Brazil provide access to large-scale, high-grade heavy rare earths.

“With grade and strategic geography on our side, we intend to advance our rare earths projects to support the long-term supply of critical materials essential to domestic innovation,” Swartz added.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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Investing

Guide to Uranium Mining in Canada

Uranium mining in Canada accounts for 13 percent of global output, making the Great White North the second largest producer of uranium in the world, behind only Kazakhstan.

Canada hosts 9 percent of the world’s uranium resources and is home to the biggest deposits of high-grade uranium. Their grades of up to 20 percent uranium are 100 times greater than the global average.

Canadian uranium deposits are found mainly in the provinces of Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Québec, as well as the territory of Nunavut. Of these, Saskatchewan leads the country in both uranium exploration and production.

Top Canadian uranium mines

Canada is home to three producing uranium mines, Cigar Lake, McArthur River and McClean Lake, all of which are located in Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin.

Saskatchewan is a premier uranium mining jurisdiction as home to the Athabasca Basin, a mining-friendly region in the north of the province that’s renowned for its high-quality uranium deposits. The area’s long uranium-mining history has made Canada an international leader in the uranium sector.

Canada’s major uranium mining companies are Cameco (TSX:CCO,NYSE:CCJ) and Orano Canada, a subsidiary of the multinational company Orano Group. Cameco is the majority owner and operator of Cigar Lake and McArthur River. Orano holds a significant stake in both mines, and is also the majority owner and operator of the recently restarted McClean Lake operation.

Data and information on the Canadian uranium mines and advanced projects discussed below is taken from mining database MDO. The database only includes projects that have at least partial ownership by public companies.

1. Cigar Lake Mine

Ownership:
54.547% — Cameco
40.453% — Orano Canada
5% — TEPCO Resources
Province: Saskatchewan
Mine type: Underground
Deposit type: Unconformity-related

Cigar Lake, which entered commercial production in 2015, is one of Canada’s largest uranium mines and the world’s highest grade uranium mine. The underground mining operation involves the use of innovative mining methods such as jet boring, which was purposely designed by Cameco to tackle the unique challenges of the Cigar Lake deposit.

For 2024, production at the Cigar Lake mine was reported at 16.9 million pounds U3O8, up 2 million pounds from the previous year. Guidance for 2025 stands at approximately 18 million pounds.

Cigar Lake’s proven and probable reserves stand at 551,400 metric tons of ore grading 15.87 percent U3O8 for 192.9 million pounds of contained U3O8. Its mine life is expected to run until 2036.

2. McArthur River-Key Lake Mine

Ownership:
McArthur River mine
69.805% — Cameco
30.195% — Orano Canada
Key Lake mill
83.3% — Cameco
16.7% — Orano Canada
Province: Saskatchewan
Mine type: Underground
Deposit type: Unconformity-related

The McArthur River-Key Lake operation is home to the McArthur River mine and Key Lake mill, respectively the largest high-grade uranium mine and largest uranium mill in the world, according to MDO.

McArthur River was first brought into production in 2000 using raiseboring and blast hole stoping mining methods, but was put on care and maintenance temporarily in early 2018 due to low uranium prices. Cameco brought the mine and mill back into production in late 2022, progressively ramping up output over the next few years.

Production in 2024 came in at 20.3 million pounds U3O8, up nearly 43 percent from the previous year’s output, and production guidance for 2025 has been set at 18 million pounds.

McArthur River’s proven and probable reserves total 2.49 million metric tons grading 6.55 percent U3O8 for 359.6 million pounds of contained metal. Its mine life extends out to 2044.

3. McClean Lake Mine and Mill

Ownership:
77.5% — Orano Canada
22.5% — Denison Mines (TSX:DML)
Province: Saskatchewan
Mine type: Surface mine
Deposit type: Unconformity-related

The McClean Lake mine re-entered production in July 2025, 17 years after it was shuttered in 2008 due to low uranium prices made the operations uneconomic.

After studies demonstrated that the joint venture partners’ patented surface access borehole resource extraction (SABRE) mining method could bring McClean back to life economically, the decision was made in January 2024 to bring the asset back into production.

The site hosts multiple deposits, including the now-producing McClean North deposit. It also boasts the only mill in the world designed to process high-grade uranium ore without dilution, according to MDO. The mill has the capacity to produce 24 million pounds of uranium concentrate, or yellowcake, annually. Currently, the mill is processing ore from the Cigar Lake mine under a toll mining agreement.

Proven reserves at McClean Lake are in the form of ore stockpiles, and total 90,000 metric tons at a grade of 0.37 percent for U3O8 for 700,000 pounds of contained metal. The site also hosts significant indicated and inferred resources of 25.4 million pounds across the McLean North, Sue D and Sue F deposits.

The partners expect to produce approximately 800,000 pounds of U3O8 from McClean North in the first year of operations. In addition, mining at the McClean North and Sue F deposits has the potential to produce about 3 million pounds from 2026 to 2030.

Upcoming Canadian uranium mines

There are a handful of contenders for Canada’s next uranium mine: Patterson Lake South, Rook 1 and Wheeler River. None are in the construction stage yet, but most are expecting to come online in the next few years. Learn about the advanced uranium projects below.

1. Patterson Lake South

Ownership: Paladin Energy (TSX:PDN,ASX:PDN)
Province: Saskatchewan
Mine type: Underground
Deposit type: Basement hosted vein-type or fracture-filled

Currently in the permitting phase, the Patterson Lake South (PLS) project hosts the large, high-grade and near-surface Triple R deposit, which has the potential to produce both uranium and gold. The project has a probable mineral reserve estimate of 93.7 million pounds of contained uranium from 3 million metric tons grading 1.41 percent U3O8.

The 2023 feasibility study for PLS highlights average production of approximately 9 million pounds U3O8 per year over a 10 year mine life.

Paladin added the PLS uranium project to its portfolio in December 2024 via its acquisition of Fission Uranium. The company is continuing to develop the PLS’s resource potential outside of the Triple R deposit, with a significant focus on the project’s Saloon East zone. Advancing through the environmental permitting process remains ongoing.

2. Rook 1

Ownership: NexGen Energy (TSX:NXE)
Province: Saskatchewan
Mine type: Underground
Deposit type: Basement-hosted, vein-type

NexGen Energy’s Rook 1 project, home to the Arrow deposit, is in the permitting stage with a feasibility study completed in February 2021. Arrow hosts probable mineral reserves of 239.6 million pounds of U3O8 from 4.57 million metric tons of ore at a grade of 2.37 percent, as well as a measured and indicated resource of 256.7 million pounds from 3.75 million metric tons at 3.1 percent.

Over its 11.7 year mine life, Rook 1 is expected to produce an average of 19.8 million pounds of U3O8 per year, including over 25 million pounds during the first five years.

Provincial environmental assessment approval was granted in November 2023, and the federal environmental impact statement was accepted as final in January 2025. In March 2025, the company shared that the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has proposed hearing dates for the Rook I project on November 19, 2025, and February 9 to 13, 2026.

NexGen states that a full project execution team is at the ready and the site is fully prepared for construction activities to commence following final federal approval.

3. Wheeler River

Ownership:
95% — Denison Mines
5% — Uranium Energy (TSX:UEC,NYSEAMERICAN:UEC)
Province: Saskatchewan
Mine type:
Phoenix — In-situ recovery

Gryphon — Underground
Deposit type: Unconformity-related

The Wheeler River uranium project, billed as the largest undeveloped uranium project in the eastern region of the Athabasca Basin, is home to the high-grade Phoenix and Gryphon deposits. Each deposit is considered a standalone asset, and the Phoenix deposit is the more advanced of the two.

A feasibility study for the Phoenix deposit as an in-situ recovery operation was completed in mid-2023. In February 2025, Denison reported that the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission is set to conduct hearings for the project’s environmental assessment and license to prepare and construct a uranium mine and mill on October 8 and December 8 to 12, 2025. If granted approval, Denison is prepared to start construction in early 2026, followed by first production by the first half of 2028.

As for the Gryphon deposit, an update to the pre-feasibility study for a conventional underground mining operation was completed in 2023. Denison conducted a field program in the first quarter of 2025 as part of its efforts to support a feasibility study.

Canadian uranium exploration companies

Canada is also home to a slew of uranium exploration and development companies focused on discovering uranium in Saskatchewan, Nunavut and Newfoundland and Labrador.

For more insight on the uranium companies operating in the Athabasca Basin discussed in this article, check out our breakdown of the 15 uranium companies exploring the basin.

Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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Business

Apple just landed a key win for the global encryption fight

Apple clinched a major win Monday after the U.S. government announced that the U.K. had agreed to drop its demand for the company to provide a “back door” granting officials access to users’ encrypted data.

The iPhone maker won’t be alone to rejoice in the outcome.

The development came after extensive talks between Britain and the U.S., which had raised national security concerns over the request.

At the root of the row was end-to-end encryption, a technology which secures communications between two devices in a way that means not even the company providing a chat service can view any messages.

The story of Apple’s U.K. privacy battle started earlier this year, when it was reported that the British government had demanded access to the company’s encrypted cloud service via a technical “back door.”

Such a back door has long been contested by Apple. In 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigation tried to get Apple to create software that would enable it to unlock an iPhone it recovered from one of the shooters involved in the 2015 terror attack in San Bernardino, California.

Other companies have also had to fend off government attempts to undermine end-to-end encryption. For example, when Meta announced plans to encrypt all messages on its Facebook Messenger app, the move drew condemnation from the U.K. Home Office. Meta had already offered encryption on WhatsApp.

The Monday news could have broader implications for the debate around end-to-end encryption globally.

Governments and law enforcement agencies have long pushed for methods to break such encryption systems to assist with criminal investigations into terrorism and child sexual abuse.

However, tech companies have said that building an encryption back door would not only undermine user privacy, but also expose them to possible cyberattacks. Cybersecurity experts say that any back door built for a government would eventually be found and exploited by hackers.

U.S. national intelligence officials were also worried by the ramifications of Apple offering such a back door.

For Apple, the U.K.‘s concession over encryption could mean that the company can bring back its most secure service for users’ cloud data, Advanced Data Protection (ADP), which the company stopped offering to Brits in February.

It is not yet clear if Apple will reintroduce its ADP service to the U.K. market.

CNBC has reached out to Apple and the U.K. government for comment.

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Politics

‘President of peace’: Trump tapped for Nobel Prize amid talks to end Russia-Ukraine war

House GOP allies of President Donald Trump are nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize amid his ongoing efforts to stop the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., is spearheading a letter to the Nobel Committee on Tuesday alongside Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind.

Their nomination hails Trump as a peacemaker on several fronts, the most recent being his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and subsequent meeting with European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

‘We respectfully submit this nomination of President Donald J. Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of his concrete contributions to international fraternity, his leadership in reducing conflict and the risk of war, and his commitment to fostering dialogue as a path toward reconciliation,’ Ogles and Stutzman wrote.

‘His decisive leadership in securing landmark diplomatic agreements, de-escalating global conflicts, and actively pursuing peaceful resolutions to some of the world’s most entrenched disputes has led and continues to lead to a more peaceful world.’

Trump met with Putin in Alaska on Friday, the first time the Russian Federation leader spoke face-to-face with a U.S. president since the pair previously sat down together during Trump’s first term. Both sides described the meeting in positive terms.

It was followed by an extraordinary gathering at the White House on Monday with Zelenskyy and other leaders, where Trump pledged Ukraine would have ‘a lot of help’ for security, while specifying that Europe would be Kyiv’s ‘first line of defense.’

Trump said on Truth Social later that he spoke with Putin at the conclusion of that meeting and ‘began arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy.’

House Republicans’ nominating letter noted Trump’s move in ‘hosting a high-stakes summit with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15, 2025, focused on establishing a path towards a Ukraine ceasefire, prisoner exchanges, humanitarian corridors, and future security arrangements—a significant step in reopening direct, constructive dialogue.’

It also lauded him for ‘hosting a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and numerous other European leaders on August 18, 2025, to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine and facilitating a discussion between Presidents Zelenskyy and Putin to bring about a just and lasting peace in the region.’

Russia invaded Ukraine in a bid to take over the ex-Soviet territory-turned-sovereign state in February 2022.

Both countries have been locked in a bloody war that has taken thousands of lives, including heavy civilian casualties in Ukraine from Russia’s attacks on non-military targets.

Trump has argued multiple times that Moscow would not have invaded if he were president at the time.

Putin, along similar but not identical lines, said Friday that he believed there would have been no war if Trump was president at the time.

In addition to dealing with his efforts to resolve the Eastern European conflict, Ogles and Stutzman’s letter also lauded Trump for brokering a historic peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, ‘engaging directly with regional leaders on the Gaza conflict,’ along with peace agreements struck during his first term, such as the Abraham Accords.

‘Because of President Trump’s leadership, more people are alive today, and there are fewer wars in the world than before,’ Ogles told Fox News Digital.

‘He is a champion of America First statesmanship, proving that strength and prudence—not globalism—are the keys to lasting U.S. foreign policy. No other world leader can claim to have halted wars and begun resolving centuries-old disputes.’

Stutzman, calling Trump ‘the president of peace,’ added, ‘There is no one on the planet more deserving of this year’s Nobel Prize and multiple world leaders have recognized that.’

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Politics

Trump’s push for Putin-Zelenskyy talks hinges on Kremlin’s conditions

After Monday’s White House meetings between President Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, the question remains: is Russian President Vladimir Putin prepared to sit down face-to-face with the Ukrainian leader — and on what terms?

Trump said he had personally called Putin to begin arranging a meeting. The Kremlin, by contrast, offered a more ambiguous response, acknowledging the idea had surfaced but refusing to confirm whether Moscow would accept.

For Putin, any such encounter would carry more weight as theater than diplomacy. ‘Putin would not like to meet Zelensky because he does not even recognize Ukrainian sovereignty,’ Ivana Stradner, Russia expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. ‘The only way that he can be in the room with Zelensky is if Trump facilitates, because Putin wants to show that Russia is equal to the United States… We are giving him that pleasure to feed his population about so-called Russian greatness.’

Ambassador Kurt Volker, who served as U.S. envoy to Ukraine in the first Trump administration, agreed that the Kremlin is unlikely to budge without concessions. ‘Putin is unlikely to accept such a meeting if his pre-conditions are not met,’ he said.

Those conditions are formidable. The Kremlin has already rejected NATO-style security guarantees for Ukraine, while Zelenskyy and European leaders have ruled out surrendering territory. Stradner warned that Putin’s strategy is to test the West’s resolve. ‘Eventually, Putin would challenge Western soldiers on the ground,’ Stradner said. ‘I doubt, as things are today, that any of the Western nations, except maybe the Baltic States or Poland, would be willing to send their kids to die for Ukraine. And Putin knows this.’

The Russian leader, she added, has been emboldened by weak Western responses in the past. She pointed to the 2023 clashes in Kosovo, when ethnic Serbians attacked NATO peacekeepers, injuring 90. ‘What did NATO do? Nothing,’ Stradner said. ‘That was round one. And round two is on the horizon.’

Volker, however, struck a more pragmatic tone. He noted that while Putin may posture at the negotiating table, Russia is grappling with battlefield supply line disruptions and a faltering economy. ‘The real issue will be what happens to Russian supply lines, increasingly targeted by Ukraine, and the Russian economy, which is faltering,’ Volker said. ‘I still expect Putin to go along with a ceasefire in place by the end of the year.’

The White House has tried to box Putin in, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisting Tuesday that ‘he has’ agreed to the meeting. ‘Both leaders have expressed a willingness to sit down with each other,’ she said. Still, analysts caution that Moscow’s word is far from binding.

Russia’s foreign minister signaled that a summit was not impossible, but hedged that ‘any contacts involving top officials should be prepared very carefully.’ He also reiterated longstanding Kremlin demands that Kyiv roll back laws Moscow claims limit the rights of Russian speakers.

Maria Snegovaya, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said a meeting would mark a shift but not a breakthrough. ‘So far there’s no clarity, at least in the public space, that the Kremlin is serious about meeting,’ she told Fox News Digital. ‘Even if it still would not necessarily get us closer to an actual agreement, it would signal some willingness toward not trying to avoid provoking or annoying President Trump.’

Snegovaya added that Putin’s calculus is rooted in caution. ‘For over 25 years of his rule, Putin generally avoids attacking a stronger side. He usually goes after the weaker party… Georgia, Syria, Chechnya. I think he would be cautious about going after the will of the European allies, especially if a strong retaliation is promised.’

Putin’s ‘fear’ of Trump may be the last lifeline to end the war, according to Stradner.

‘He does not trust Europe, he does not respect Europe. When it comes to the US, he despises the United States, but he fears Trump, because Trump is an unpredictable leader, and that’s that’s a nightmare for Putin.’

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Politics

Israel eliminates Gaza terrorist who took part in October attack on kibbutz, took Yarden Bibas hostage

Israel took out a terrorist during an airstrike earlier this month who was involved in the abduction of an Israeli man on Oct. 7, 2023, authorities said Tuesday.

The strike, which occurred in Gaza on Aug. 10, killed Jihad Kamal Salem Najjar, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, announced.

‘A small part of my closure happened today. Thank you to the IDF, the Shin Bet, and everyone who took part in the elimination of one of the terrorists who kidnapped me on October 7,’ Yarden Bibas said in a statement provided by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. ‘Thanks to you, he will not be able to harm anyone else.

‘Please take care of yourselves, heroes. I am waiting for full closure with the return of my friends David and Ariel, and the remaining 48 hostages,’ he added.

Najjar was involved in the invasion of the Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the hardest hit during the deadly Oct. 7 attacks, where Bibas was kidnapped. Bibas’ family was kidnapped separately and was eventually murdered while in captivity.

He spent 480 days as a hostage before he was released in January. His wife, Shiri, and their two young children, Ariel and Kfir, were killed before their bodies were returned to Israel.

While in captivity, Bibas was forced to make a hostage film in which he was seen breaking down as Hamas claimed his wife and children had been killed.

Hamas often uses hostage videos as part of what the IDF calls ‘psychological terror.’

Upon his release, Bibas’ family said that ‘a quarter of our heart has returned to us after 15 long months. … Yarden has returned home, but the home remains incomplete.’

In the aftermath of Hamas’ attack, the Bibas family became a symbol of the terror group’s cruelty. Video footage of Shiri Bibas holding her two red-headed children in her arms went viral across the globe.

In April, Israel said it had killed Mohammed Hassan Mohammed Awad, a senior commander in the Palestinian Mujahideen terrorist organization and who helped lead ‘several’ attacks on the Nir Oz kibbutz.

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Politics

White House rejects ‘blank checks’ for Ukraine, presses NATO to shoulder costs

The U.S. isn’t interested in open-ended funding for Ukraine amid ongoing peace talks to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, according to the White House.

President Donald Trump, who ruled out sending U.S. troops on the ground to support Ukraine, is very ‘sensitive to the needs of the American taxpayer,’ according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

‘He made it very clear that we’re not going to continue writing blank checks to fund a war very far away, which is why he came up with a very creative solution to have NATO purchase American weaponry, because it is the best in the world, and then to backfill the needs of the Ukrainian army and the Ukrainian people in their military,’ Leavitt told reporters Tuesday.

‘So that’s the solution the president has come up with. We’ll continue to see that forward,’ Leavitt said. ‘As for any additional sales, I’ll have to refer you to the Department of Defense.’

Congress has passed several pieces of legislation to support Ukraine, totaling at least $175 billion in spending to aid it since February 2022, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

Meanwhile, Trump approved a deal in July allowing European allies to purchase U.S. weapons, like Patriot missile defense systems, for Ukraine.

The Trump administration’s defense budget proposal did not allocate any funding to purchase weapons for Ukraine, nor did the House defense appropriations bill passed in July. Even so, the Senate’s version of the measure that the upper chamber is slated to consider later in 2025 includes $800 million toward the program.

Leavitt’s comments echo ones made by Vice President JD Vance, who said Aug. 10 following meetings with European officials in the U.K. that he communicated to European leaders that the U.S. is ‘done with the funding of the Ukraine war business,’ and that European allies must take one greater responsibility in ending the conflict.

‘What we said to Europeans is simply, first of all, this is in your neck of the woods, this is in your back door,’ Vance said in an interview with Fox News. ‘You guys have got to step up and take a bigger role in this thing, and if you care so much about this conflict you should be willing to play a more direct and a more substantial way in funding this war yourself.’

On Monday, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders at the White House, where they discussed various security measures to prevent Russian aggression against Ukraine again. However, Trump said Tuesday that sending U.S. troops to Ukraine to beef up security in the region was off the table.

‘The president has definitively stated, U.S. boots will not be on the ground in Ukraine, but we can certainly help in the coordination and perhaps provide other means of security guarantees to our European allies,’ Leavitt said. ‘The president understands security guarantees are crucially important to ensure a lasting peace, and he has directed his national security team to coordinate with our friends in Europe, and also to continue to cooperate and discuss these matters with Ukraine and Russia as well.’

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