President Donald Trump attempted to quell growing bipartisan backlash to his immigration crackdown on Monday following a second fatal shooting by a federal agent in Minneapolis in just over two weeks.

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The President announced on Truth Social that he was dispatching his border czar, Tom Homan, to Minneapolis, where he will manage Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in the city.

He added that Homan, who is considered a proponent of targeted immigration enforcement over the kind of sweeping street grabs that have been a flashpoint for violence in Minneapolis, “has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there.”

Read more: Support for Abolishing ICE Is Surging Among Republicans

Separately, Trump said he had a “very good” call with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and they were now on a “similar wavelength” regarding immigration enforcement in the city. Walz’s office said in its readout of the same call that Trump had expressed an openness to reducing the number of federal agents deployed.

The apparent shift in tone from Trump comes as he faces mounting pressure over a spate of violence linked to his Administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.

Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was killed by a Border Patrol agent as he took part in a protest in Minneapolis on Saturday morning. His death came just over two weeks after the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a poet and mother of three, also by a federal immigration agent. 

A city on fire

Minneapolis was already convulsed by protests over Good’s killing in the days before Pretti’s death. Minutes later, the scene of his shooting became a battleground between protesters and federal agents as the city exploded in anger again.

By Saturday evening, the shooting had developed into a political crisis for Trump. In Washington, D.C., Senate Democrats who had previously been reluctant to block funding for ICE now threatened a partial government shutdown rather than pass another spending bill that would give the agency $10 billion more in funding. Several Republicans were calling for an investigation into the shooting.

The anger was fueled not just by the shooting itself, but by the Trump Administration’s handling of its aftermath. Trump and his top officials quickly tried to pin the blame on Pretti, labelling him an instigator and suggesting he had attacked the agents who killed him, despite multiple videos clearly showing otherwise.  

“This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go — What is that all about?” Trump posted soon after the shooting. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in its initial statement on the killing that Pretti “approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun,” and “violently resisted,” suggesting that he wanted to “massacre law enforcement.”  

At a press conference in the hours after the shooting, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem suggested Pretti wanted “to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement.” 

Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino claimed that Pretti had approached agents with a handgun, had “violently resisted, and intended to “massacre law enforcement.” 

In several social media posts, White House senior adviser Stephen Miller described Pretti as an “assassin” and a “domestic terrorist” who “tried to murder federal agents.” Vice President J.D. Vance reposted Miller’s characterization of Pretti as an “assassin” on X.

But multiple videos of the incident, released by witnesses to the shooting in the hours after, clearly contradicted those accounts.

They show Pretti holding a phone, not a gun, when an agent approaches him and other protesters and squirts pepper spray in their faces. When Pretti moves to help another protester who has been sprayed, he is tackled and pulled to the ground, where he is struck repeatedly. 

Soon after, one shot rings out, then several more in quick succession. 

In total, at least 10 shots appear to have been fired within five seconds—including several after Pretti is lying motionless on the floor. 

The backlash 

The reaction to Pretti’s killing was more forceful than the one that followed Renee Good’s— compounded by it. On Saturday, responding to a wave of anger from his party, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats would oppose a government spending bill that includes $64.4 billion in funding for DHS, of which $10 billionis earmarked for ICE.

“What’s happening in Minnesota is appalling—and unacceptable in any American city,” Schumer, who represents New York, said on Saturday evening. He added that “because of Republicans’ refusal to stand up to President Trump, the DHS bill is woefully inadequate to rein in the abuses of ICE.”

Before the weekend, Schumer and other Senate Democrats had signaled that they had wanted to avoid a shutdown and the bill looked likely to pass in the Senate. But Pretti’s killing at the hands of a Border Patrol agent, after being pepper-sprayed and shot several times on the ground, prompted a wave of anger in the party.  

The shooting prompted rare statements of condemnation from former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Obama, whom Trump succeeded in 2017, called Pretti’s killing a “heartbreaking tragedy.” In a statement with his wife Michelle posted on X on Sunday, he said Trump and officials in his Administration “seem eager to escalate the situation” instead of “trying to impose some semblance of discipline and accountability over the agents they’ve deployed.”

Several Republicans, too, broke ranks with their party to call for an investigation into the shooting, among them Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas and Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. 

Cassidy, who serves on the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, described the events in Minneapolis as “incredibly disturbing” and said the “credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake” following the shooting. 

Ricketts, who is a staunch supporter of Trump, called for a “prioritized, transparent investigation into this incident,” describing the shooting as “horrifying”.

Sen. Rand Paul, the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, sent letters to the heads of ICE, Border Patrol, and Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Monday, inviting them to a hearing on Feb. 12. The Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, New York Rep. Andrew Garbarino, requested a similar hearing over the weekend.

Walking back 

By Sunday, Trump appeared to have realized that Minneapolis represented a political crisis. Successive polls have shown his approval rating on immigration plummeting. A YouGov poll taken after the killing of Pretti showed support for abolishing ICE at record highs—with more supporting abolition than opposing it—and nearly 20% of Republicans in favor of shuttering the agency.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, he declined to give his backing to the officer who killed Pretti, and said his Administration was “reviewing everything” to do with the incident. 

He also suggested for the first time that he might be looking for a way out of Minneapolis. 

“At some point we will leave. We’ve done, they’ve done a phenomenal job,” he said, without offering a timeline.

On Monday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt distanced Trump from Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem’s description of Pretti, saying she had “not heard the president characterize” Pretti as a domestic terrorist.

Trump and Walz had been heavily critical of each other in recent weeks.

“What’s the plan, Donald Trump? What is the plan?” Walz said during a news conference on Sunday. “What do we need to do to get these federal agents out of our state? If fear, violence and chaos is what you wanted from us, then you clearly underestimated the people of this state and nation.”

But on Monday, his office said in a statement that the two had a “productive call” in which Trump agreed to “look into reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota and working with the state in a more coordinated fashion on immigration enforcement regarding violent criminals.”

Trump said: “I told Governor Walz that I would have Tom Homan call him, and that what we are looking for are any and all Criminals that they have in their possession. The Governor, very respectfully, understood that, and I will be speaking to him in the near future.”

As Minneapolis reels after a second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen at the hands of federal agents, some Republicans have joined their Democrat colleagues in calling for a full, urgent investigation into what happened.

Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse at a VA hospital, was shot on Saturday morning after being surrounded by Border Patrol agents amid ongoing protests against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in the city. Videos of his final moments, showing him being sprayed with a substance and pinned down to the ground, have since gone viral. 

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a statement stating Pretti had “approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told press that Pretti was believed to be a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry. Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff of policy and homeland security adviser, referred to Pretti as a “would-be assassin.” In the videos circulating online, Pretti is not seen holding the handgun during his interactions with the federal agents.

Trump, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, appeared to criticize Pretti for bringing a handgun to the protest. “I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it,” Trump said, before adding: “But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn’t play good either.”

The President said his Administration is “reviewing everything and will come out with a determination” about the fatal shooting. On Monday morning, Trump followed up by announcing he is sending his border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota. “Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me,” he said.

Trump previously lashed out via social media at the Democratic leadership of Minnesota and appeared to refer to the shooting as a “cover-up” for the ongoing fraud investigations taking place in the state.

He also suggested Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey had “called off” local police. “It is stated that many of these police were not allowed to do their job, that ICE had to protect themselves,” he claimed. “The Mayor and the Governor are inciting insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric.”

Making reference to Renee Good, another 37-year-old U.S. citizen who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, Trump placed the blame on Democrats, claiming: “Tragically, two American Citizens have lost their lives as a result of this Democrat ensued chaos.”

Walz has said America is at an “inflection point” following the fatal shooting of Pretti and asked Americans to “set aside the political side of it and go back and ground in the humanity of this.” The former Vice Presidential candidate also repeated his request for Trump to “pull his 3,000 untrained agents out of Minnesota before they kill another American in the street.”

Late Monday morning, Trump suggested progress had been made in communications between himself and Walz. He said the two had shared “a very good call” and claimed they “seemed to be on a similar wavelength.” Trump hinted at a bipartisan approach to the next steps in Minneapolis, stating his intention for Homan to make contact with Walz as he arrives in his state.

Meanwhile, Democrats over the weekend indicated they are willing to enact a partial government shutdown, as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said his party would oppose a funding bill that would allocate over $64.4 billion to the DHS, including around $10 billion for ICE.

Despite Trump’s previous remarks blaming Democrats for the “chaos” in Minneapolis, a growing number of lawmakers within his own party have splintered from his rhetoric. They are instead calling for a “transparent” investigation into the latest Minneapolis shooting and a hard look into the tactics being used by federal agents.

Here are some of the Republicans who are taking that stance:

Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska

Lisa Murkowski, who is part of a bipartisan effort alongside Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire to introduce a bill to block Trump from taking over Greenland, has called for a “comprehensive, independent investigation” in order to “rebuild trust.”

She said the fatal shooting “should raise serious questions within the Administration about the adequacy of immigration-enforcement training and the instructions officers are given on carrying out their mission.”

Distancing herself from the DHS and Trump’s focus on Pretti carrying a handgun, she argued: “Carrying a firearm does not justify federal agents killing an American—especially, as video footage appears to show, after the victim had been disarmed.”

Urging Congressional committees “to hold hearings and do their oversight work,” she finished her statement by warning that “ICE agents do not have carte blanche in carrying out their duties.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana

Bill Cassidy, who serves on the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, described the events in Minneapolis as “incredibly disturbing” and said the “credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake” following the shooting. 

“There must be a full joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people with the truth,” he urged, echoing Walz’s assertion that the state must be involved in any official reviews of the incident.

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine

Susan Collins, chair of the Appropriations Committee, issued a statement calling for the “tragic” shooting to be “thoroughly and transparently investigated to determine whether or not excessive force was used in a situation that may have been able to be diffused without violence.”

Joining the growing number of Republicans to raise concerns about ICE training, she said the shooting “further underscores the importance of equipping federal law enforcement agents with training and body cameras for their safety and the safety of the public.”

Collins implored protesters “not to interfere” with ICE operations, while reminding officers of “the public’s right to protest and the highly charged situation they now face.”

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina

Thom Tillis called for a “thorough and impartial” investigation into the incident and stepped away from issuing blame at Democratic leadership.

He said a full investigation is the “basic standard that law enforcement and the American people expect following any officer-involved shooting” and urged for transparency between “federal, state, and local law enforcement.”

Emphasizing the necessity for the investigation to be carried out uninterrupted, he said: “Any Administration official who rushes to judgment and tries to shut down an investigation before it begins are doing an incredible disservice to the nation and to President Trump’s legacy.”

Tillis, who announced last year that he will not seek reelection after a series of high-profile clashes with the President, has opposed the Trump Administration on several key issues as of late.

Sen. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska

“The nation witnessed a horrifying situation this weekend,” said Pete Ricketts.

The lawmaker stated that his “support for funding ICE remains the same” and argued the enforcement of immigration laws “makes our streets safe” and “protects our national security.” However, he noted that America must “maintain [its] core values as a nation, including the right to protest and assemble.”

“I expect a prioritized, transparent investigation into this incident,” he said, joining several of his colleagues. 

Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas

Michael McCaul said he is “troubled by the events that have unfolded in Minneapolis” and said a “thorough investigation is necessary—both to get to the bottom of these incidents and to maintain Americans’ confidence in our justice system.”

“I look forward to hearing from DHS officials about what happened here and how we can prevent further escalation in the future,” he said, urging “both sides” to turn down the temperature.

Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma 

Kevin Stitt called the shooting of Pretti a “real tragedy” and argued that Trump is “getting bad advice” on immigration.

“Americans don’t like what they’re seeing right now,” he told CNN, in response to the latest fatal shooting. “What’s the goal right now? Is it to deport every single non-U.S. citizen? I don’t think that’s what Americans want. We have to stop politicizing this”

Sen. Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania

Dave McCormick echoed Trump’s rhetoric about Democrats, accusing Minnesota’s politicians of “fueling a dangerous situation.”

He also expressed his support for immigration enforcement, however he called for a review into what happened in Minneapolis and urged for law enforcement that coincides with public safety.

“We need a full investigation into the tragedy in Minneapolis. We need all the facts. We must enforce our laws in a way that protects the public while maintaining its trust,” he said. “This gives our law enforcement officers the best chance to succeed in their difficult mission.”

Gov. Phil Scott of Vermont 

Phil Scott called the killing in Minneapolis unacceptable. 

“At best, these federal immigration operations are a complete failure of coordination of acceptable public safety and law enforcement practices, training, and leadership,” he said. “At worst, it’s a deliberate federal intimidation and incitement of American citizens that’s resulting in the murder of Americans. Again, enough is enough.”

The Governor called on Trump to “pause these operations, de-escalate the situation, and reset the federal government’s focus on truly criminal illegal immigrants.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned President Donald Trump‘s false claims that non-American NATO troops “stayed a little back” from the front line during the war in Afghanistan.

“I consider President Trump’s remarks to be insulting and, frankly, appalling,” said Starmer on Friday, adding he was not surprised the comments had caused “such hurt” across the country.

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Starmer paid tribute to the “457 [members] of our armed services who lost their lives in Afghanistan” and vowed to never forget the sacrifice they made to the United Kingdom. He also paid respect to the many more who were injured, “some with life-changing” injuries.

When told that some are calling for an apology from Trump, the U.K. Prime Minister appeared to be in agreement, although he stopped short of telling the President to apologize.

“If I had misspoken in that way, or said those words, I would certainly apologize,” he said.

As he did earlier in the week when denouncing Trump’s tariffs threat, Starmer doubled down on the importance of the “very close relationship” between the U.K. and U.S., but said it’s because of that alliance that the U.K. “fought alongside the Americans for our values in Afghanistan.”

According to British veterans charity Help for Heroes, around 3,486 troops among the coalition forces died in the Afghanistan war. Over 2,300 of those were members of the U.S. armed forces.

TIME has reached out to the White House for comment.

Read More: Starmer Breaks With Trump Over ‘Completely Wrong’ Greenland Tariff Threats and Urges Avoiding a Trade War

During an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Trump said he was unsure if NATO would be there to support the U.S. if it were needed.

“We’ve never needed them, we have never really asked anything of them. You know, they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan, or this or that, and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines,” he claimed.

Trump has repeatedly aired his grievances with NATO and recently refused to ruled out leaving the alliance over his contentious push to annex Greenland.

NATO’s Article 5, in which all members consider “an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all,” has only been activated once, in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks in the U.S. in 2001.

Former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, after 9/11, pledged to “stand shoulder to shoulder” with the U.S. in its response to the al-Qaida attacks. British troops went on to play a role in the Afghanistan war until their withdrawal in 2014. The U.S. stayed on until August 2021.

Blair, who was recently appointed to serve on the Executive Board overseeing Trump’s Gaza Board of Peace, responded to the President’s remarks on Friday, although he didn’t mention Trump by name.

A spokesperson for the former Labour Party leader told TIME via email: “Tony Blair knows—and will always remember with deep gratitude—the enormous contribution and sacrifice British troops made in Afghanistan on the front line of the fight against terrorism, following the 9/11 attacks on the U.S.”

Read More: Trump Refuses to Rule Out Leaving NATO Over Greenland Tussle—Can He Legally Do That?

Many British lawmakers issued stronger statements, directly denouncing Trump’s false claims.

British Defence Secretary John Healey said: “The U.K. and NATO allies answered the U.S. call. Those British troops should be remembered for who they were: heroes who gave their lives in service of our nation.”

Alistair Carns, the U.K. Minister of State for the Armed Forces who himself served five tours in Afghanistan, referred to Trump’s claims as “utterly ridiculous.”

“Many courageous and honorable service personnel from many nations fought on the front line,” he said. “We shed blood, sweat, and tears together. And not everybody came home.”

He later shared a video of himself serving on the front line in Afghanistan.

Leader of the opposition Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, called Trump’s remarks “flat-out nonsense” and said the sacrifice of NATO troops deserves “respect not denigration.” 

Earlier on Friday, Downing Street had said that Trump was “wrong to diminish the role of troops, including British forces.”

Prince Harry, who returned to the U.K. this week to give evidence in his case against Associated Newspapers Limited, remembered how “allies answered [the] call” in support of the U.S.

“Thousands of lives were changed forever. Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters. Children were left without a parent. Families are left carrying the cost. Those sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect, as we all remain united and loyal to the defence of diplomacy and peace,” he is quoted as saying.

Outside of the U.K., other NATO allies also took a firm stance against Trump’s remarks.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk recalled a ceremony he attended in 2011 that paid tribute to five Polish soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan.

“The American officers who accompanied me then told me that America would never forget the Polish heroes,” he said. “Perhaps they will remind President Trump of that fact.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney issued a stern response after President Donald Trump told Davos attendees that “Canada lives because of the United States.”

In a filmed address delivered upon his return to Québec City on Thursday, Carney—who also attended the World Economic Forum in Switzerland—firmly stated: “Canada does not live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian.”

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Arguing that diversity is “a strength, not a weakness,” Carney maintained that Canada is “the greatest country in the world to be a regular person” and said you don’t need to be rich, “have a certain color,” or “worship a certain God” in order to thrive.

Although he celebrated the long-standing partnership between the U.S. and Canada, Carney emphasized: “We are masters in our home, this is our own country, it’s our future, the choice is up to us.”

Trump later rescinded his invitation for Canada to join his Gaza Board of Peace, which he unveiled in Davos on Thursday, after Carney had left the annual forum.

“Please let this letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time,” Trump said via Truth Social. (Carney announced earlier in the week that he had received an invitation to join the Board of Peace, but did not confirm if he intended to accept.)

Trump had previously lashed out at Canada during his Davos address on Wednesday, accusing the country of getting “a lot of freebies” from the U.S. and saying they should be “grateful.”

“I watched your Prime Minister yesterday, he wasn’t so grateful,” Trump told the audience, referencing the speech Carney had delivered the day before.

Although Carney didn’t mention Trump by name, there appeared to be pointed references to the U.S. President throughout his own poignant address.

In a bold statement that prompted much discussion, Carney said the old world order is “not coming back.” Encouraging people not to “mourn” the way things used to be, he advised that “nostalgia is not a strategy.”

Carney also urged middle powers to stand up for themselves, accusing “great powers” of using economic pressure to yield results.

“More recently, great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons, tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited,” he said.

This came after Trump threatened to tariff European allies until Denmark agrees to sell Greenland to the U.S.—a threat he has since walked back on.

Read More: Zelensky Publicly Rebukes Europe, Urges Leaders to ‘Act Now’ in Withering Davos Address

Carney campaigned against Trump’s global tariff threats last year during his country’s general election. His platform also strongly opposed Trump’s annexation threats toward Canada.

Trump frequently—and publicly—expressed his desire to annex Canada and have it become the “51st state” upon returning to the White House. Both Carney and his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, stood firm that the annexation of Canada is not something they would allow to happen. During Trudeau’s tenure, Trump took to referring to him as “Governor Trudeau” rather than recognizing him as the Prime Minister of Canada.

Carney and Trump have worked on building a better working relationship, and have even shared jovial moments in front of the world press.

In October, when Trump mistakenly referred to Carney as a “President,” Carney joked: “I’m glad you upgraded me to President.” To which Trump responded with: “At least I didn’t say Governor!”

However, as Carney has since expressed Canada’s full support to Greenland and Denmark maintaining their “Arctic sovereignty,” and amid tense disagreements over tariff threats, the relationship between the two leaders has become strained once more.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized European leaders, accusing them of failing to act when it comes to defending Ukraine against Russia.

“Europe loves to discuss the future, but avoids taking action today, action that defines what kind of future we will have,” Zelensky said at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday.

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Referencing Groundhog Day—a film which shows the same day being repeated again and again—Zelensky highlighted the lack of progress that has been made since he took to the Davos stage last year.

Describing Europe as “lost,” he said the continent “remains a beautiful but fragmented kaleidoscope of small and middle powers” when it should instead be “taking the lead in defending freedom worldwide.”

Although he thanked some European leaders for their support—calling out U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron for offering post-cease-fire security guarantees—Zelensky hit out at the continent for not presenting a strong, united front.

Read More: Trump Unveils Gaza ‘Board of Peace’ at Davos

The Ukrainian leader compared Europe’s approach to that of President Donald Trump, who he shared a closed-door meeting with prior to taking to the stage. 

“President Trump is needed,” said Zelensky, arguing that a cease-fire with Russia will rely on the support of the U.S. “No security guarantees work without the U.S.”

Zelensky pointed to the recent seizures of Russian oil tankers (Macron confirmed the seizure of a vessel during Zelensky’s speech) and encouraged further action be taken to apprehend Russian-flagged vessels in international waters.

“Russian oil is being transported right along European shores. That oil funds the war against Ukraine, that oil helps destabilize Europe,” he said, suggesting that all Russian oil be confiscated and “sold for Europe’s benefit.”

Read More: How the U.K. Helped the U.S. Seize a Russian-Flagged Tanker—and Why It’s Important

Urging Europe to step up and lead, he continued: “We should not degrade ourselves to secondary roles, not when we have a chance to be a great power together… When united, we are truly invincible, and Europe can and must be a global force, not one that reacts late, but one that defines the future.”

Zelensky then encouraged Europe to look inward rather than trying to change Trump, who “will not change.”

“He [Trump] says he loves Europe, but he will not listen to this kind of Europe,” said Zelensky, seemingly in reference to the most recent transatlantic spat over Greenland.

“Everyone turned attention to Greenland, and it’s clear most leaders simply are not sure what to do about it. And it seems like everyone is just waiting for America to cool down on this topic, hoping it will pass away. But what if it will not, what then?” Zelensky queried.

The Ukrainian leader also made sure to mention the U.S. capture of fallen Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. He compared the former leadership of Venezuela to the rule of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“President Trump led an operation in Venezuela, and Maduro was arrested. There were different opinions about it, but the fact remains that Maduro is on trial in New York. Putin is not on trial,” said Zelensky, arguing that more needs to be done to enforce the Russian President’s arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in March 2023.

“As for Iran, everyone is waiting to see what America will do, and the world offers nothing,” said Zelensky, pointing to the threat Trump issued during Iran’s deadly protests. “Europe offers nothing and does not want to enter this issue at the support of the Iranian people and the democracy they need.” (Despite his earlier threats, Trump did not launch a military intervention in Iran, which left some Iranian protesters feeling abandoned.)

Zelensky concluded his remarks by reaffirming Ukraine’s readiness to end the war that Russia started by its invasion in 2022.

“Russia must become ready to finish this war, to stop this aggression,” he said, urging Europe and the U.S. to place more pressure on Moscow and offer additional support to Kyiv.

President Donald Trump has officially launched his Gaza Board of Peace, amid concerns from European nations over its membership and the potential involvement of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Returning to the stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday morning, Trump was joined by the board’s newly-announced members, many of whom hail from the Middle East and South America. The U.S. President said he was honored to be the chairman of what could be “one of the most consequential bodies ever created.”

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There was a notable lack of leaders from Western European nations with Trump on stage. The U.K. had earlier expressed reservations about the possibility of Putin being involved. Despite receiving an invitation, Putin is thought to be still considering.

Trump sparked concerns earlier in the week when he suggested his board “might” replace the United Nations, but he somewhat backtracked on that, instead presenting the board as having “tremendous potential with the United Nations.” Sharing his hopes for the new organization, he said: “We’ll work with many others, including the U.N.” The United Nations adopted the U.S.-penned resolution establishing the Board of Peace in November.

Other concerns related to the board center on the charter draft which reportedly states that while nations who accept the invitation will be given a three-year membership term, permanent membership will be given to member states that contribute $1 billion in cash within the first year.

Putin said on Thursday that Moscow is open to contributing $1 billion to the Board of Peace, but argued it would require the release of Russian assets in the U.S. that were frozen during the Biden Administration.

Sidestepping the mounting reservations at Davos, Trump instead celebrated a new dawn for Gaza. The Israel-Hamas war is “really coming to an end,” he said, before delivering a stark warning to Hamas, who must disarm. Referring to Hamas as being made up of people “born with rifles in their hands,” he said: “They have to give up their weapons, and if they don’t do that, it’s going to be the end of them.”

The President also called for Hamas to release the final deceased Israeli hostage, Ran Gvili.

Speaking about Gaza, Trump referred to himself as a “real estate person at heart” and referenced the placement of the territory. “I said look at this location on the sea. People that are living so poorly are going to be so well, but it all began with the location.”

The Board of Peace unveiling comes a week after Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff announced the launch of “Phase Two” of the Gaza cease-fire plan, officially embarking on the “demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction” of the territory.

Phase One encountered setbacks due to Hamas not handing over the final deceased hostage and the Israeli airstrikes that occurred after the cease-fire came into effect in October.

Moving forward, the Board of Peace will provide oversight to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), who will oversee the day-to-day rebuilding efforts. As announced last week, the committee will be headed by Ali Shaath, a former deputy minister in the Palestinian Authority.

Ahead of the official signing and ratification of the Board of Peace, Trump went through a long list of, what he views to be, his accomplishments overseas.

Praising the “unrivalled skill set of the U.S. Military,” he looked back on last year’s strikes against three key nuclear sites in Iran. “Iran does want to talk, and we’ll talk,” he added, in an apparent reference to the U.S. retreating after initially threatening to take action over the deadly Iran protests. Trump also lauded his recent Venezuela operation, which resulted in the capture and detainment of fallen President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Turning his attention back to the members of his board, Trump referred to the signatories as “great people, great leaders” and said the organization is already “running beautifully.”

While it’s been noted that other members may sign at a later date, you can see the full list of today’s Board of Peace signatories, below.

• Argentina: President Javier Milei
• Armenia: Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan
• Azerbaijan: President Ilham Aliyev
• Bahrain: Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa
• Bulgaria: Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov (Serving in a caretaker capacity after his resignation)
• Hungary: Prime Minister Viktor Orban
• Indonesia: President Prabowo Subianto
• Jordan: Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi
• Kazakhstan: President Kassym‑Jomart Tokayev
• Kosovo: President Vjosa Osmani
• Mongolia: Prime Minister Gombojavyn Zandanshatar
• Morocco: Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita
• Pakistan: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
• Paraguay: President Santiago Pena
• Qatar: Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani
• Saudi Arabia: Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al‑Saud
• Turkey: Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan
• United Arab Emirates: Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority Khaldoon Al Mubarak
• Uzbekistan: President Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev

The “New Gaza”

Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, outlined the board’s vision for Gaza’s reconstruction, displaying mock-ups of high-rises along the enclave’s seafront. He proposed the introduction of different zones to promote “coastal tourism” and economic prosperity.

“New Gaza, it could be a hope. It could be a destination, have a lot of industry, and really be a place that the people there can thrive,” said Kushner, estimating that some construction could be completed within the next two to three years.

Expressing total confidence in the proposal, he said “we don’t have a ‘Plan B,’” just a “master plan.”

The proposal was bolstered by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who described the board as a “new era and a new stage.” He went on to suggest the board could make an impact beyond Gaza, stating that “it will serve as an example of what’s possible in other parts of the world.”

Kushner and Rubio will both serve on an “Executive Board” intended to “operationalize the Board of Peace’s vision.”

They will be joined by Witkoff, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, president of the World Bank Group Ajay Banga, national security adviser Robert Gabriel, and Marc Rowan, the CEO of Apollo Global Management, one of the biggest U.S. private equity firms.

According to the White House, each Executive Board member will “oversee a defined portfolio critical to Gaza’s stabilization and long-term success, including, but not limited to, governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilization.”

President Donald Trump’s renewed push to annex Greenland, seemingly at any cost, has led to calls for his removal from office.

When asked how far he will go to acquire the Kingdom of Denmark territory, Trump told reporters on Tuesday: “You’ll find out.” The ominous response came after weeks of the White House refusing to rule out using military force to annex the island. Trump sparked global outrage over the weekend by threatening to tariff European allies until Denmark sells Greenland to the U.S. He’s set to come face-to-face with some of those countries’ leaders at Davos.

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Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who is among the Republicans to denounce Trump’s Greenland efforts, has said he would “lean” toward impeachment if the U.S. were to invade the territory.

“I don’t want to give you a definite yes or no, but I would lean that way. It would be a total mistake to invade an ally. It would be catastrophic to our allies and everything. It’s just the worst idea ever in my view,” Bacon told the Omaha World-Herald.

Other critics have suggested alternative means of removing Trump from office.

Trump, in a letter to Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, reportedly linked his failure to win a Nobel Peace Prize to his efforts to acquire Greenland. He’s quoted as saying he “no longer feel[s] an obligation to think purely of peace.” In response to the reports, one Democratic Senator called for Trump to be removed from his Commander-in-Chief position by way of the 25th Amendment.

“Invoke the 25th Amendment,” said Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts. Democratic Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona expressed a similar sentiment, arguing: “The 25th Amendment exists for a reason—we need to invoke it immediately.”

After Trump published a flurry of late-night social media posts on Monday, during which he said there was “no going back” on Greenland, other lawmakers raised concerns.

Democratic Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California said of the President: “He’s risking the safety of every American. Invoke the 25th.”

This isn’t the first time the 25th Amendment has been mentioned in reference to Trump. In a 2018 anonymous op-ed in the New York Times, a “senior official in the Trump Administration” said there “were early whispers within the Cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment” during Trump’s first term. (Miles Taylor, the former chief of staff in the Department of Homeland Security, later claimed ownership of the op-ed.)

As renewed calls grow for the 25th Amendment to be invoked, here’s what you need to know.

What is the 25th Amendment?

The 25th Amendment ensures that “the United States will always possess a functioning President and Vice President” and that in the event of the President’s removal from office, it “provides for the prompt, orderly, and democratic transfer of executive power,” according to the Constitution. 

It was introduced following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and ratified by Congress in 1967 to establish a constitutional procedure to transfer Presidential powers.

The law is implemented across a number of scenarios, including if the President dies or resigns while in office under Section 1 or the President themselves withdraws from the position, which can be temporarily, under Section 3.

If it is decided that the President is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office,” Section 4 of the Amendment can be used. In such scenarios, the Vice President will take up the position of President.

Now, lawmakers are calling for the Amendment to be applied within Section 4, with many Democrats expressing the opinion that Trump is unfit for office.

When was the last time the 25th Amendment was invoked?

Section 3 of the Amendment, which gives the President the ability to transfer power to the Vice President, has been used a number of times, most recently by President Joe Biden in November 2021 when he was anesthetized for a routine medical procedure.

The same scenario occurred twice during George W. Bush’s Presidency, in 2002 and 2007, for medical reasons. These transfers of power to the Vice President have typically only lasted a few minutes or hours each time.

Section 4, in which the Vice President and the majority of the 15-member Cabinet can vote to discharge the President, has never been formally invoked.

Can the 25th Amendment be used to remove Trump from office?

In order for the 25th Amendment to be implemented, there first must be concerns regarding one’s ability to perform their duties as President.

Per Section 4, this could come in the form of serious health issues, which some previously cited as an argument to remove Biden from office.

For Section 4 to be carried out, the Vice President and a majority of the 15-member Cabinet must declare the President unable to perform their duties. But the threshold for this scenario is “incredibly high” says Nicholas Cole, a senior research fellow at Pembroke College, Oxford University.

As TIME magazine previously noted of the Amendment’s ratification in 1967: Under the amendment, an incapacitated Chief Executive can himself declare in writing that he is unable to continue in office, and the Vice President can take over—at least temporarily. If an ailing President is unable or unwilling to step aside voluntarily, the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet can send a written statement to Congress declaring that the President is incapable of holding office. If the President were to challenge such a resolution, Congress itself would vote on the question. The amendment also authorizes the President to appoint, and Congress to confirm, a new Vice President if a vacancy occurs in that office.

“This idea that the Vice President and the President’s own Cabinet are going to take the view that a set of policy decisions indicate that the President has [some kind of] incapacity is a case I can’t see,” says Cole.

He adds that should lawmakers, Republicans or Democrats, be unsatisfied with the President’s ability to perform his duties, then impeachment is a far more suitable avenue to pursue.

In the unlikely scenario that the Vice President did issue such an order with a Cabinet majority, they would assume the President’s role, informing Congress of the decision. Trump would then likely immediately contest the decision, and Congress would hold a vote within 48 hours, Cole says.

“It would take a two thirds vote of the Congress to side with the Vice President. So that threshold is the same as for impeachment. If you think you’ve got the votes to do that, you go for impeachment,” he says.

California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a strong message to global leaders on Tuesday, urging them to take a stand against President Donald Trump.

“People are rolling over. I should have brought a bunch of kneepads for all the world leaders,” Newsom told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “It’s just pathetic.”

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Newsom made reference to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado regifting her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump during a visit to the White House last week and said the behavior around the President is “embarrassing.”

The Democratic Governor—who is a long-time adversary of Trump’s—urged European lawmakers to “stop being complicit” and “have a backbone.” Newsom’s comments come amid tense international discussions after Trump threatened to tariff European allies until Denmark agrees to sell Greenland to the U.S.

“The Europeans should decide for themselves what to do, but one thing they can’t do is what they’ve been doing. They’ve been played. This guy [Trump] is playing folks for fools,” said Newsom, referring to Trump as a “T-Rex.”

You either “mate with him or he devours you,” he quipped.

Amid mounting backlash from European leaders, Trump revealed he is set to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and others at Davos, although he warned there is “no going back” on his plan.

Trump has also refused to rule out the possibility of leaving NATO in order to carry out his Greenland ambitions. Should the President pursue that avenue, the legalities involved are, at best, murky, experts told TIME. Trump declared on Tuesday that “no person or President” has done more for NATO than himself. “If I didn’t come along, there would be no NATO right now! It would have been in the ash heap of history,” he claimed.

This isn’t the first time Trump has clashed with NATO or E.U. officials since returning to the White House.

Trump has often criticized European allies over discussions about Russia. Following a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in September, during which Ukrainian allies committed security guarantees to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump cited concerns with European purchases of Russian oil, a White House official told TIME. The President insisted European leaders must put more economic pressure on China, arguing that Beijing funds Russia’s war efforts.

There have also been repeated clashes over tariffs—a matter that has come to the forefront once more following Trump’s most recent threat.

Read More: Trump Refuses to Rule Out Leaving NATO Over Greenland Tussle—Can He Legally Do That?

Europe responds to Trump at Davos

As the world looks to Europe to make its next move, president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, during a speech in Davos on Tuesday, championed “European independence” and said Europe is the right place to invest.

Concluding her address, von der Leyen made reference to the escalating row over Greenland and Trump’s insistence that the U.S. must acquire it as a matter of “national security.”

“When it comes to the security of the Arctic region, Europe is fully committed. And we share the objectives of the United States in this regard,” said von der Leyen, noting that Finland recently completed a sale of icebreaker vessels to the U.S., the first deal of its kind.

When French President Emmanuel Macron took to the Davos stage some time later, he echoed von der Leyen’s statements about the strength of Europe, calling it a “good place.”

But Macron took his defence of Europe a step further and appeared to follow Newsom’s playbook by calling out Trump’s trade strategy.

“We do prefer respect to bullies, we do prefer science to politicism, and we do prefer rule of law to brutality,” he said.

Macron—who wore sunglasses throughout his speech, reportedly due to a burst blood vessel in his eye—went on to warn world leaders, saying “conflict has become normalized” and the current state of geopolitics is one in which “the only law that seems to matter is that of the strongest.”

“This is a shift towards a world without effective collective governance,” said Macron. “It’s clearly a very concerning time, because we are killing the structure where we can fix the situation and the common challenges we have without collective governance.”

On international trade, the French President took aim directly at the U.S., describing Trump’s policies as ones that “undermine our [European] export interests, demand maximum concessions and openly aim to weaken and subordinate Europe, combined with an endless accumulation of new tariffs that are fundamentally unacceptable.”

Macron said that industries in Europe, such as chemical and automotive sectors, “are being literally killed by the lack of respect for a normal framework and [a] level playing field.”