Trump’s ninth week in office set to continue whirlwind actions, expected conversation with Putin

President Donald Trump’s ninth week in office is expected to include a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the nations inch closer to reportedly securing a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. 

“The president uses the timeframe weeks, and I don’t disagree with him. I am really hopeful that we’re going to see some real progress here,” U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said on CNN on Sunday. “Nobody expected progress this fast. This is a highly, very complicated situation, and yet we’re bridging the gap between two sides. So, lots of things that remain to be discussed, but I think the two presidents are going to have a really good and positive discussion this week.” 

Witkoff’s remarks come after U.S. and Ukrainian officials agreed to the terms of a potential ceasefire with Russia during a meeting in Saudi Arabia last week. Witkoff subsequently met with Putin in Moscow on Thursday, when the pair held “positive” and “solution-based” discussions. 

“Before this visit, there was another visit, and before that visit, the two sides were miles apart,” Witkoff added. “The two sides are, today, a lot closer. We had some really positive results coming out of the Saudi Arabia discussion led by our national security advisor, Mike Waltz, and our secretary of state, Marco Rubio.” 

TRUMP, PUTIN CALL EXPECTED THIS WEEK, AS ADMIN EDGES CLOSER TO RUSSIA-UKRAINE CEASEFIRE DEAL: WITKOFF

A pair of American astronauts who have been left on the International Space Station (ISS) for nine months are in the midst of returning home and could reach Earth later this week. 

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Astronauts Suni Williams and Barry Wilmore traveled to the space station in June of last year for what was intended to be an eight-day mission, but it devolved into a long-term stay after their spacecraft malfunctioned. Tech billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk launched a rescue crew to bring the astronauts home over the weekend through his company SpaceX. 

The SpaceX team reached the space station overnight Saturday, inching the astronauts closer to their expected return to Earth later this week. 

Trump has railed against former President Biden for not rescuing the astronauts during his administration, telling the media earlier this month that Biden “left them alone” in space because he was “embarrassed by what happened.”

“The most incompetent president in our history has allowed that to happen to you, but this president won’t let that happen,” the president continued at the time. 

The Trump administration is in the midst of mass deportation efforts, including deporting Tren de Aragua gang members under a wartime law invoked by Trump last week. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered the Trump administration to halt its deportations of illegal immigrants under the act on Saturday, ordering planes carrying migrants to return to the U.S.

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The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 allows deportation of natives and citizens of an enemy nation without a hearing and has been invoked three times before, including, during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II.

Boasberg set a hearing for Friday regarding the deportation efforts, teeing up another court battle over Trump’s immigration policies. 

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In the meantime, the Trump administration has already flown hundreds of Tren de Aragua gang members to El Salvador, where the nation’s president agreed to house the individuals in a notoriously locked-down prison designed to handle cartel and gang members. 

“Today, the first 238 members of the Venezuelan criminal organization, Tren de Aragua, arrived in our country. They were immediately transferred to CECOT, the Terrorism Confinement Center, for a period of one year (renewable),” El Salvador President Nayib Bukele posted to X on Sunday morning, accompanied by video footage of planes on a tarmac. 

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Bukele responded to news of Boasberg’s order on X, remarking, “Oopsie… too late,” accompanied by a laughing emoji. 

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Trump is anticipated to have another busy week back in the Oval Office, which follows him signing 89 executive orders since Jan. 20 – marking more executive orders signed in just months than any of his predecessors signed their entire first years in office, stretching back to President Jimmy Carter. 

Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.