ANDREW HAD DENIED MAINTAINING RELATIONSHIP AFTER EPSTEIN’S CONVICTION

The former prince, 65, now uses the family name Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. He has denied wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and had previously denied maintaining ties with the financier after Epstein’s 2008 conviction, apart from a 2010 visit to New York to end their relationship.

He did not reply to a Reuters request for comment on the latest revelations. Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

Starmer, speaking to reporters on the plane to Japan after a four-day visit to China, said the former prince should appear before US lawmakers to explain everything he knows about Epstein to help his victims.

“Anybody who has got information should be prepared to share that information in whatever form they are asked to do that,” Starmer said. “You can’t be victim centred if you’re not prepared to do that.”

In November, members of a US congressional committee investigating the Epstein case intensified their calls for Andrew to answer questions.

Epstein died by suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He was jailed in 2008 for soliciting paid sex from a minor.

The files show Andrew maintained regular contact with Epstein after his conviction, including discussing potential business deals and social meetings.

In several emails, Epstein and Andrew discuss women that the financier proposes to put in touch with the prince. In one email, Epstein offered to bring three women to Buckingham Palace.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said he had “productive and constructive meetings” with the Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

“We are encouraged by this meeting that Russia is working toward securing peace in Ukraine and is grateful for [the president’s] critical leadership in seeking a durable and lasting peace,” Witkoff wrote on X.

During a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Witkoff said that progress had been made and that there had been “lots of good things happening between the counterparties discussing the land deal.”

“I think the people of Ukraine are now hopeful and expecting that we’re going to deliver a peace deal sometime soon,” Witkoff added.

TRUMP SAYS PUTIN AGREED TO HALT KYIV STRIKES FOR ONE WEEK AMID BRUTAL COLD

The meetings occurred on Saturday in Florida, according to Witkoff, and included Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and White House senior advisor Josh Gruenbaum. Witkoff and Kushner have been two of the key players from the Trump administration not only in the Russia-Ukraine deal, but also others, including the Israel-Gaza peace plan.

Witkoff, Kushner and Gruenbaum also met with Putin earlier this month in Moscow shortly after the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Following the meeting in Moscow, Witkoff, Kushner, Gruenbaum and other U.S. representatives met with negotiators from Ukraine and Russia. The talks were said to be constructive, despite the fact that obstacles to peace remained.

“A lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X. “As a result of the meetings held over these days, all sides agreed to report back in their capitals on each aspect of the negotiations and to coordinate further steps with their leaders.”

ZELENSKYY TOUTS ‘CONSTRUCTIVE’ TRILATERAL TALKS BETWEEN THE US, RUSSIA AND UKRAINE IN ABU DHABI

Nearly four years after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion, Ukrainians are facing a brutal winter and Russian strikes on Kyiv’s energy resources have made conditions worse. However, President Donald Trump said on Thursday at his Cabinet meeting that Putin had agreed to a temporary pause in targeting Kyiv and other places in the region experiencing the frigid weather.

“And because of the cold, extreme cold — they have the same that we do — I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week,” Trump said, adding that Putin had “agreed to do that.” The president classified the weather in the region as being “record-setting cold.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Friday that Trump had made the request for Putin to stop targeting Kyiv until Feb. 1 “in order to create favorable conditions for negotiations,” The Associated Press reported. The outlet noted that it was odd that the Kremlin spokesperson mentioned Feb. 1, as it would mean it was only a two-day pause. Additionally, the AP reported that the cold weather forecast is set to get worse after Sunday.

Witkoff, Kushner and Gruenbaum met with Putin earlier this month in Moscow shortly after the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Following the meeting in Moscow, Witkoff, Kushner, Gruenbaum and other U.S. representatives met with negotiators from Ukraine and Russia. The talks were said to be constructive, despite the fact that obstacles to peace remained.

“A lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X. “As a result of the meetings held over these days, all sides agreed to report back in their capitals on each aspect of the negotiations and to coordinate further steps with their leaders.”

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Russia and Ukraine are set to hold another round of peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, according to The Kyiv Independent. However, it is unclear whether the U.S. will participate in the talks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ahead of the vote, Poilievre delivered a nearly hour-long speech that doubled as a pitch to Conservative voters at the party’s convention in Calgary, Alberta, where he outlined his vision for Canada’s future should his party form the next government.

ELON MUSK 

The files contain numerous exchanges between Epstein and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.

Epstein sent Musk an email in November 2012 asking “how many people will you be for the heli to island”.

“Probably just Talulah and me. What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?” Musk replied.

Musk said in a post on X responding to the revelations that he “was well aware that some email correspondence with (Epstein) could be misinterpreted and used by detractors to smear my name”.

“I don’t care about that, but what I do care about is that we at least attempt to prosecute those who committed serious crimes with Epstein, especially regarding heinous exploitation of underage girls,” Musk wrote.

ANDREW MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR 

The disgraced former prince invited Epstein to visit him at Buckingham Palace in September 2010 while the financier was making a trip to London.

An email exchange shows Epstein contacting Andrew to ask: “What time would you like me… we will also need … private time.”

Andrew replied: “We could have dinner at Buckingham Palace and lots of privacy.”

Andrew made the offer after Epstein proposed a month earlier to introduce him to a 26-year-old Russian woman, according to the documents.

The former prince said he “would be delighted to see her”, although there is no suggestion in the material that any meeting took place.

All known American citizens being held in Venezuela have been released, the U.S. Embassy said Friday evening. 

“We are pleased to confirm the release by the interim authorities of all known U.S. citizens held in Venezuela,” the embassy wrote on X. “Should you have information regarding any other U.S. citizens still detained, please contact American Citizen Services.”

No other details about the detainees were disclosed. Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department. 

VENEZUELA’S DELCY RODRÍGUEZ SNAPS AT WASHINGTON, DECLARES ‘ENOUGH’ OF US INFLUENCE

Interim authorities have slowly released American detainees in the weeks since the U.S. capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

Both are being held in New York City on federal narco-terrorism charges. 

Earlier this month, Venezuela’s interim government reported that 116 prisoners had been released, although only about 70 have been verified by the non-governmental organization Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón, according to Bloomberg.

STATE DEPT CONFIRMS ‘LIMITED NUMBER’ OF PERSONNEL IN CARACAS WORKING TO RESUME VENEZUELA DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

Earlier this month, the U.S. government announced a travel alert advising against travel to the country. Americans in the country were advised to depart immediately. 

“The security situation in Venezuela remains fluid. The U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia, warns U.S. citizens not to travel to Venezuela, reiterating warnings against travel to Venezuela dating to 2019. As international flights have resumed, U.S. citizens in Venezuela should leave the country immediately.”

The country is being run by Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s former lieutenant. 

This week, Rodriguez signed a law overhauling the nation’s oil sector, opening it to privatization and reversing a core policy of the socialist government that has ruled Venezuela for more than two decades.

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On Jan. 10, President Donald Trump said American energy companies will invest $100 billion to rebuild Venezuela’s “rotting” oil infrastructure and push production to record levels.

A cache of newly released documents from the Epstein files on Friday showed Elon Musk apparently corresponded with the convicted sex offender in 2012 and 2013, as they discussed meeting at Jeffrey Epstein’s private island and at Musk’s SpaceX facility in Southern California.

The emails indicate Musk asked about attending the “wildest party,” hosted by Epstein at his island.

Musk, who serves as CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has for years downplayed his connection to Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while in federal custody.

“Epstein tried to get me to go to his island and I REFUSED,” Musk said in a post on his social network X in September. He also complained that Sky News had mentioned him in conjunction with Epstein before naming Britain’s Prince Andrew, who had visited the island.

The U.S. Virgin Islands issued a subpoena to Musk in 2023 because of suspicion that Epstein “may have referred or attempted to refer” Musk as a client to JPMorgan Chase.

The Department of Justice on Friday released millions of additional pages of documents related to Epstein, along with more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said. The release comes after weeks of criticism that the DOJ wasn’t complying with the requirement under federal law passed in November that all files related to Epstein be publicly released by Dec. 19.

Among the documents released Friday were emails dated from 2012 to 2013, showing Musk’s name but with his email address redacted.

“The world needs more romance,” Musk wrote to Epstein in October 2012, the documents indicate. He told Epstein that he would be traveling with his partner at the time, English actress Talulah Riley, to St. Barts, and was looking to potentially connect at Epstein’s Island.

In a November 2013 email, Epstein offered to send Musk a private helicopter to transport him to the island and asked, “how many people will you be for the heli to island?” Musk responded that it would be just him and Riley and asked, “What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?”

In a December 2013 email, Musk again wrote to Epstein saying, “Christmas and New Year’s, will be in the BVI /St Bart’s area over the holidays. Is there a good time to visit?” 

“I will send heli for you,” Epstein responded, with Musk writing back, “Thanks.”

In a follow-up email on Dec. 25, Musk said, “Actually, I could fly back early on the 3rd. We will be in St Bart’s.” He asked if he and Riley should head to the island the day before.

CNBC hasn’t confirmed whether Musk ever visited the Island, though Musk has denied ever traveling there.

Musk didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The emails released on Friday also show that in October 2012, Musk forwarded questions from Epstein to his cousin, Peter Rive, a SolarCity founder. Musk had invested personally in SolarCity and sat on the company’s board.

In the emails, Epstein asked if the solar installer could electrify his New Mexico ranch, or his private Island. Musk asked Rive, in an Oct. 4, 2012 email, “Are we in New Mexico?”

Tesla acquired SolarCity in 2016 in a controversial deal, folding it into what would become the company’s energy division.

In June of last year, Musk wrote in a post on X, that he thought President Donald Trump and his administration were withholding Epstein-related files from the public view in order to protect the president’s reputation.

“Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files,” Musk, who was in the midst of a public spat with the president, wrote at the time. “That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”

Days later he apologized for posts about Trump that he said “went too far.”

WATCH: House votes to release more Epstein investigation files

“Some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election,” the US Justice Department said. “To be clear, the claims are unfounded and false, and if they have a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponised against President Trump already.”

PROLONGED AND ESCALATING COSTS

Meanwhile Iran’s strategic posture is rooted in decades of preparing for precisely this scenario. Since the 1979 revolution, Tehran’s military doctrine and foreign policy have been shaped by survival in the face of potential external attack.

Rather than building a conventional force able to defeat the US in open combat, Iran has invested in asymmetric capabilities: ballistic and cruise missiles, the use of regional proxies, cyber operations and anti-access strategies (including missiles, air defences, naval mines, fast attack craft, drones and electronic warfare capabilities). Anyone who attacks Iran would face prolonged and escalating costs.

This is why comparisons to Iraq in 2003 are misleading. Iran is larger, more populous, more internally cohesive and far more militarily prepared for a sustained confrontation.

An attack on Iranian territory would not represent the opening phase of regime collapse but the final layer of a defensive strategy that anticipates exactly such a scenario. Tehran would be prepared to absorb damage and is capable of inflicting it across multiple theatres – including in Iraq, the Gulf, Yemen and beyond.

With an annual defence budget approaching US$900 billion, there is no question that the US has the capacity to initiate a conflict with Iran. But the challenge for the US lies not in starting a war, but in sustaining one.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan offer a cautionary precedent. Together, they are estimated to have cost the US between US$6 trillion and US$8 trillion when long-term veterans’ care, interest payments and reconstruction are included.

These conflicts stretched over decades, repeatedly exceeded initial cost projections and contributed to ballooning public debt. A war with Iran – larger, more capable and more regionally embedded – would almost certainly follow a similar, if not more expensive, trajectory.

Ukraine is racing to reinforce its air defenses as a brief pause in Russian strikes on Kyiv and other cities approaches its expiration, and military and diplomatic experts warn the move may do little to change conditions on the battlefield and could ultimately strengthen Moscow’s negotiating position.

Earlier Friday, President Donald Trump said at the White House, “I think we’re getting very close to getting a settlement,” expressing optimism about the upcoming Russia-Ukraine talks. “Zelenskyy and Putin hate each other, and it makes it very difficult, but I think we have a good chance of getting it settled.”

The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin agreed to a personal request from Trump to halt airstrikes on Kyiv until Feb. 1 to create what it described as favorable conditions for negotiations. Ukrainian officials stressed there is no formal ceasefire.

TRUMP SAYS PUTIN AGREED TO HALT KYIV STRIKES FOR ONE WEEK AMID BRUTAL COLD

As temperatures in Kyiv are expected to plunge to minus-26 degrees Celsius beginning Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is moving to strengthen short-range air defenses against drones to protect frontline cities in the south and northeast.

“Protection against Russian drones must be reinforced in our cities, such as Kherson and Nikopol, as well as in the border communities of the Sumy region, where the Russians have essentially set up an ongoing ‘safari’ against civilians,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

Despite the pause, Russian lawmakers and regional leaders have publicly urged escalation. Russian parliament speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said deputies are calling for the use of more powerful “weapons of retribution,” while Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said he opposed negotiations altogether.

Against that backdrop, experts told Fox News Digital the pause appears far more symbolic than transformative.

Vice Adm. Robert S. Harward, a retired Navy SEAL and deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, said the halt in strikes reflects political signaling rather than a military shift.

PUTIN CALLS TRUMP’S PEACE PLAN A ‘STARTING POINT’ AS HE WARNS UKRAINE TO PULL BACK OR FACE ‘FORCE’

“It’s symbolic in the sense of the dialogue and where we are in the negotiations,” Harward told Fox News Digital. “President Trump wants to illustrate to the U.S. that his relationship with Putin delivers results. This is a validation of that relationship, which could be an indicator of where the overall negotiations are on ending the war.”

Carrie Filipetti, executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition and a former senior State Department and U.S. Mission to the United Nations official, said Russia’s agreement should not be misread as a move toward peace.

“While I am certain that Ukrainian civilians welcome any brief pause, they also aren’t holding their breath because Putin’s war machine will not stop until his calculus is changed on the risks of continuing his war,” Filipetti said.

TRUMP TOUTS ‘TREMENDOUS PROGRESS’ BUT SAYS HE’LL MEET PUTIN AND ZELENSKYY ‘ONLY WHEN’ PEACE DEAL IS FINAL

She added that the short duration of the pause leaves Ukraine exposed.

“Given how short the pause is and the duplicity of Russia saying it agreed to a week-long pause that expires in two days, this does not meaningfully change any conditions on the battlefield,” she said.

Harward said Ukraine could face diplomatic consequences once the pause expires.

“The risk to Ukraine is that this further weakens and isolates their role and position in the negotiations,” he said.

Zelenskyy has also warned that Ukraine’s ability to defend civilians has been strained by delays in Western funding. He said European allies delayed payments under the PURL weapons purchase program, leaving Ukraine without Patriot air defense missiles ahead of recent Russian strikes that knocked out power across parts of Kyiv.

“This is a critical issue for protecting civilians and Ukrainian cities and Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during the brutally cold winter months,” Filipetti said. “As President Zelenskyy has said, there will be no electricity and therefore no heat for civilians if they don’t have enough Patriot missiles to defend against Russia’s ballistic missiles.”

Harward noted that the problem extends beyond Ukraine. 

“Air Defense has been in high demand globally, considering the threats from Russia and China,” he said. “Resources, expenses and the increased time to deliver and implement the capabilities add to the challenge.”

On whether the pause could open the door to broader de-escalation, both experts expressed caution.

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“This tactical pause only serves to reinforce Russia’s negotiating position,” Harward said. “Putin is showing the world that he is willing to listen and respond. In return, he’ll want more support of his position and demands.”

“Only time will tell,” Filipetti said. “Diplomacy can always appear fruitless until there is a real deal. If this short pause, delivered by President Trump’s continued engagement and pressure on Putin, can be used to build additional progress in the trilateral talks, that would be a very positive outcome.”

Reuters contributed to this report.