President Donald Trump kicked off his fourth week in office by attending the Super Bowl in what is expected to be another action-packed work week that could include a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

Trump will land back in Washington, D.C., late Sunday evening after attending the Super Bowl and spending the weekend at Mar-A-Lago. The 47th president hinted that he could hold his first meeting with Zelenskyy since his Jan. 20 inauguration later this week to discuss the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. 

‘[Zelenskyy] may meet next week, yeah. Whenever he would like. I’m here,’ Trump told reporters while hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday. 

Trump has already met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose nation is in the midst of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas following more than a year of war, and has vowed to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, leading to hundreds of thousands of deaths for both nations as war continues. 

‘I will probably be meeting with President Zelenskyy next week. And I’ve… I will probably be talking to President Putin. I’d like to see that war end for one primary reason: They’re killing so many people,’ Trump said during the press conference on Friday. 

Trump last met with Zelenskyy when he was president-elect in December during a trip to Paris ahead of the Notre Dame Cathedral reopening after a fire ripped through the Catholic church in 2019. 

‘You have 8 or 900,000 Russian soldiers are dead, and very badly wounded. And the same thing with Ukraine, you have probably 700,000 with Ukraine. The numbers they gave are a little bit lower than that. But I believe those numbers aren’t correct. I’d like to see it just on a human basis. It’s terrible what’s going on,’ Trump added of the ongoing war during his comments Friday. 

Trump confirmed to the New York Post on Friday that he has spoken to Vladimir Putin as the war continues, but did not divulge many details beyond that Putin ‘wants to see people stop dying.’

Trump suggested earlier last week that Ukraine should strike a deal with the U.S. to provide crucial minerals – such as titanium, lithium, graphite and uranium – in exchange for military aid. 

‘We’re putting in hundreds of billions of dollars. They have great rare earths. And I want security of the rare earth, and they’re willing to do [that],’ Trump told reporters at the White House last Monday. 

Zelenskyy told the media a day later that he is open to an ‘investment’ from ‘partners who help us defend our land and push the enemy back with their weapons, their presence, and sanctions packages.’ 

‘And this is absolutely fair,’ he added. 

Trump is also expected to meet with the CEO of Nippon Steel this week, which is Japan’s largest steel company. The Biden administration had blocked a nearly $15 billion deal for the Japanese company to buy the American steelmaker, U.S. Steel, with Trump previewing last week that Nippon is now looking to invest in U.S. Steel as opposed to purchasing it. 

Nippon Steel ‘is going to be doing something very exciting about U.S. Steel,’ Trump said on Friday. ‘They’ll be looking at an investment rather than a purchase.’

‘Very great company and they’ll work out the details,’ Trump said of Nippon, mistakenly referring to it as ‘Nissan,’ a Japanese car company on first reference. ‘I’ll help. I’ll be there to mediate and arbitrate.’

The president is in the midst of leveraging tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China to bolster border security, end illegal immigration and stem the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. Trump previewed on Friday that this week will include him announcing ‘reciprocal trade’ tariffs on other nations, as opposed to a flat 10% or 20% tariff on other nations, as he has previously threatened. 

‘I’ll be announcing that next week, reciprocal trade, so that we’re treated evenly with other countries,’ he told reporters on Friday, saying the announcement should come by Monday or Tuesday. ‘We don’t want any more, any less.’

‘I think that’s the only fair way to do it that way nobody’s hurt,’ the president continued. ‘They charge us, we charge them. It’s the same thing, and I seem to be going in that line as opposed to a flat fee tariff.’

In addition to anticipated foreign relations and international trade announcements and meetings, Trump’s administration is expected to continue its investigations of the federal government’s various agencies as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s quest to suss out internal corruption and government overspending. 

Trump’s schedule for the week was not yet released as of Sunday afternoon, beyond attending the Super Bowl before flying back to the White House late Sunday evening. 

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this article. 

JOHANNESBURG — President Donald Trump’s executive order penalizing South Africa released on Friday has hit a raw nerve in the African nation. The order primarily aimed at land seizures comes as Pretoria has faced ongoing U.S. criticisms that it has operated against U.S. interests, including its support of the Palestinians in the International Criminal Court and its warm relations with China, Russia and Iran.

Friday’s executive order stated in part, ‘In shocking disregard of its citizens’ rights, the Republic of South Africa recently enacted Expropriation Act 13 of 2024, to enable the government of South Africa to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation.’

‘It is the policy of the United States that, as long as South Africa continues these unjust and immoral practices that harm our Nation:
(a) the United States shall not provide aid or assistance to South Africa; and
(b) the United States shall promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination, including racially discriminatory property confiscation.’

Friday’s executive order pointedly took aim at Pretoria’s foreign policy: ‘South Africa has taken aggressive positions towards the United States and its allies, including accusing Israel, not Hamas, of genocide in the International Court of Justice, and reinvigorating its relations with Iran to develop commercial, military, and nuclear arrangements … The United States cannot support the government of South Africa’s commission of rights violations in its country or its undermining United States foreign policy, which poses national security threats to our Nation, our allies, our African partners, and our interests.’

On Saturday the South African government responded, ‘It is of great concern that the foundational premise of this order lacks factual accuracy and fails to recognize South Africa’s profound and painful history of colonialism and apartheid,’ Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for the country’s International Relations Department, posted on X.

Phiri added that ‘we are concerned by what seems to be a campaign of misinformation and propaganda aimed at misrepresenting our great nation. It is disappointing to observe that such narratives seem to have found favor among decision-makers in the United States of America.’

Although it lost its majority in last year’s elections, the African National Congress (ANC) is still the main party in South Africa’s present government of national unity. The party’s secretary general reacted to the offer that White Afrikaners can go become U.S. citizens by posting a photo on X. In it, a black man is standing by an open door and gesturing with both arms outside the door, suggesting Afrikaners should leave.

The government has claimed Whites of all backgrounds, not just Afrikaners, still own approximately 70% of South Africa’s land. The government is on record saying the Expropriation Act will only be used to take land needed for public purposes – such as for a new school – from people of any color when the owner refuses to sell, and even then there would be ‘fair and equitable compensation.’

Emma Powell, the international relations spokesperson for South Africa’s main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, told Fox News Digital that ‘for decades, the DA has opposed the ANC’s race-based policies. These policies have benefited the political elite while the vast majority of South Africans continue to languish in poverty.’

She continued that the DA ‘will be pursuing legal action to safeguard property rights. It is now time for the ANC to re-evaluate both their domestic and foreign policy positions, which actively undermine our national interests.’

Powell told Fox News Digital, her party will send ‘a high-level delegation to Washington D.C. in coming weeks to engage with decision-makers. The DA remains committed to protecting private property rights, fostering economic growth, and strengthening diplomatic ties with the U.S.’

Afrikaners, descendants of predominantly Dutch settlers who landed in Southern Africa in 1652, became the country’s rulers and are widely believed to have developed the apartheid system that separated Whites and Blacks, treating Blacks as second-class citizens.

In a statement released on Saturday, AfriForum, a civil rights group that largely represents Afrikaners, expressed ‘great appreciation’ for Trump’s action, which it said was ‘a direct result of President Cyril Ramaphosa and his government’s irresponsible actions and policies.’

It continued, ‘However, the civil rights organization and its sister institutions in the Solidarity Movement remain committed to Afrikaners’ future at the southern tip of Africa and insist that urgent solutions must therefore be found for the injustices committed by the South African government against Afrikaners and other cultural communities in the country.’

One of the more outspoken and extreme members of the government of national unity, Julius Malema, head of the South African minority party Economic Freedom Fighters, said on X, ‘In light of the aggression by the USA against South Africa, we must as a nation seriously consider strengthening ties with Russia, China and nations who belong to (the international trade body) BRICS to avoid unnecessary confrontations with maniacs such as Donald Trump.’

Malema has been taken to court on hate crime charges. In one instance, he sang the genocidal anti-apartheid struggle song ‘Kill the Boer, the farmer,’ referring to the White descendants of Dutch settlers or ‘Boers’ in South Africa.

After the release of British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari, she and her mother, Mandy, revealed Emily was held captive in a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) center in Gaza, a location tied to Hamas operations. 

During a phone call with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Emily, 28, and Mandy described how Emily was denied proper medical care while being detained in one of UNRWA’s schools, where Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) later discovered tunnels and ammunition linked to Hamas. 

Emily was abducted Oct. 7, 2023, by Hamas terrorists who shot her in the hand and leg. She was denied treatment, with only an outdated bottle of iodine provided as medical aid. The IDF’s discovery of Hamas infrastructure beneath UNRWA buildings, including tunnels linked to terror activities, has raised serious concerns about the agency’s role in Gaza. 

Emily and Mandy emphasized the need for international pressure on Hamas and UNRWA to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) access to the remaining 82 hostages.

‘We are asking for maximum pressure to be placed on Hamas and UNRWA to allow the ICRC access to the remaining hostages,’ Mandy Damari told Starmer. ‘The suffering is far from over for those still in captivity, many of whom are elderly or severely injured.’ 

This followed revelations the U.K. government is still an active supporter of the controversial U.N. agency.

Last week, President Donald Trump reinforced his administration’s stance on UNRWA by continuing a freeze on U.S. funding to the agency. Trump’s decision, initially enacted during his first term, remains in effect amid ongoing investigations into the agency’s ties to Hamas. This move reflects growing concerns over UNRWA’s failure to meet international standards of neutrality and accountability.

The troubling allegations of UNRWA facilities being used by Hamas to hold hostages emerged early in the crisis, but the U.N. and UNRWA initially dismissed the claims. Despite growing evidence, both have been criticized for their slow response. 

When the accusations surfaced, the U.N. dismissed them as ‘big accusations,’ failing to conduct a thorough investigation. It wasn’t until significant public pressure mounted that UNRWA, in a tweet Jan. 21, acknowledged the claims and said it was taking them ‘extremely seriously.’

Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s commissioner-general, expressed relief at Emily’s release in his Jan. 21 tweet but continued to downplay the gravity of the allegations. 

‘Claims that hostages have been held in UNRWA premises are deeply disturbing & shocking. We take any such allegations extremely seriously,’ Lazzarini wrote.

However, Lazzarini also said UNRWA was forced to vacate its northern Gaza facilities, including those in Gaza City, Oct. 13, 2023, and had no control over them after military evacuation orders were issued. 

He added, ‘UNRWA has not been involved in any negotiation related to hostage release as it is not within its mandate.’

Peter Gallo, a former U.N. investigator, questioned his statement. 

‘So who has control? UNRWA has 12,000 staff in Gaza, and the agency has been begging for money and aid to support people sheltering in its premises. Does UNRWA want it both ways? Yes, they want funding to support those in the facilities, but they also claim no responsibility for what goes on inside them,’ Gallo said.

‘Somebody must have been distributing — even if it was just two sacks of potatoes among 1,000 people. Somebody must have been reporting the conditions, the numbers of people in these facilities while UNRWA tried to function. And you’re trying to tell me that nobody knew about a young Israeli woman with gunshot injuries? We didn’t know where she came from?’ Gallo added, emphasizing the inconsistency in UNRWA’s position.

The continued lack of transparency and accountability from both the U.N. and UNRWA in response to the allegations has drawn widespread criticism. Gallo has heavily criticized the internal investigation carried out by UNRWA, describing it as a ‘farce.’ 

‘The U.N. investigation FAILED to actually prove that ANY of them were involved in acts of terrorism,’ Gallo said. 

He claimed the staff members who were ‘fired’ by the U.N. after being seen on cameras participating in the Oct. 7 massacre were not actually terminated for misconduct. Instead, they were made redundant and received severance payments. 

‘You’ve had U.N. staff members engaged in crimes, crimes recognized by the ICC as crimes against humanity, and the U.N. is now going to give them a severance package because they were dismissed from their positions,’ Gallo said.

While an UNRWA spokesperson did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions on Gallo’s allegations, Lazzarini released a statement Friday in response to critics.

‘UNRWA has the most robust systems in place to ensure adherence to neutrality compared to other similar UN organizations and entities,’ Lazzarini said. ‘This applies to both the Agency’s staff and our programs across the region, as confirmed by an independent review conducted last year under the leadership of France’s former foreign minister. 

‘Safeguarding the Agency’s neutrality is central to our ability to continue delivering lifesaving aid in Gaza, as well as education and primary health services across the region. As one of the largest U.N. agencies in the world, UNRWA is committed to U.N. values and principles, which strengthens our response during one of the most challenging periods in the history of the Palestinian people. We remain dedicated to staying and delivering.’

Yona Schiffmiller, director of research at NGO Monitor, further illuminated Hamas’ involvement in the humanitarian aid process. 

‘Hamas used the Ministry of Social Development (MOSD) to direct aid distribution. The head of MoSD, Ghazi Hamad, who was recently designated by the U.S. Treasury as a Hamas leader, met with U.N. officials and international NGOs while promoting Hamas interests,’ Schiffmiller explained. 

‘The data from MoSD influenced aid distribution across various organizations, solidifying Hamas’ grip on Gaza’s humanitarian aid. We’ve got pictures of Hamad meeting with U.N. officials, and if you look closely in the background, you can actually see the Hamas logo on the map on the wall where they’re meeting.’

The Israeli Knesset passed legislation banning UNRWA from operating in Israel, which took effect at the end of January. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated its position on UNRWA’s ties to terrorism.

‘Humanitarian aid doesn’t equal UNRWA, and UNRWA doesn’t equal humanitarian aid. UNRWA equals an organization infested with Hamas terror activity,’ its statement said. ‘Israel remains committed to facilitating humanitarian aid through alternative organizations that are independent and not complicit in terror.’