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The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
Starmer to join Trump-Zelensky summit after Putin talks fail to reach Ukraine-Russia ceasefire: Live updates
Sir Keir Starmer will join Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders for a crucial meeting with President Trump at the White House on Monday. Downing Street confirmed the prime minister would be attending, after six key allies announced they would be travelling to Washington DC in a show of support for Ukraine. Finish president Alexander Stubb, German chancellor Friedrich Merz and French president Emmanuel Macron are among those who will on hand to prevent any flare-ups between the Ukrainian president and Trump, and to represent Europe's interests. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen will also be in attendance at the request of Zelensky.. The Russian leader told Trump that he would be prepared to stop fighting on the rest of the frontline if Ukraine gave in to the demand. The concessions were discussed at the summit of the two leaders in Alaska on Friday, which ended with no peace deal despite nearly three hours of talks. Sources very close to the meeting told The Independent the dramatic move appears to have been endorsed by Mr Trump as a means to bring an end to the war. EU's von der Leyen says content of ceasefire is more important European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters on Sunday the term "ceasefire" was less important than the need to stop the killing. "It matters what's the effect. And the effect must be to stop the killing," von der Leyen said. "So it's not the term itself, it's the content that matters. It is so important to have as soon as possible a trilateral meeting ... between the President of Ukraine, the President of the United States, and of Russia." Holly Evans17 August 2025 14:25 Is Zelensky about to walk into another White House ambush? The free world's most celebrated president is showing some mettle in agreeing to a meeting with the leader of the free world. When Volodymyr Zelensky walks into the Oval Office on Monday, he knows he's risking another ambush. The Ukrainian president is prepared to gamble that he'll get another White House schoolyard bullying session, because there's a slim chance that Donald Trump may finally have tired of being played by the Kremlin. It is now conceivable, just, that Trump is prepared to consider security guarantees for Ukraine that reflect Nato's Article 5, which could mean that if Ukraine signed up to a peace deal then its long-term future sovereignty and security would be protected, by force of arms, by allies including the US. Is Zelensky about to walk into another White House ambush after Trump-Putin meeting? Trump's problem with Zelensky is personal but, as World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley explains, he may finally understand that Ukraine cannot be handed to Putin Holly Evans17 August 2025 14:10 Russia's FSB says it prevented Ukrainian drone attack on Smolensk nuclear power plant Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Sunday it had prevented a Ukrainian drone attack on the Smolensk nuclear power plant, Interfax news agency reported. Earlier, Moscow's forces announced they shot down 300 Ukrainian drones and struck storage sites for Sapsan missiles while fierce battles raged in the Donetsk region where Ukrainian forces were trying to halt a Russian advance, the defence ministry and war bloggers said. "Four guided aerial bombs and 300 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down by air defense systems," the ministry said. Holly Evans17 August 2025 13:54 State department papers left behind on Alaska hotel Trump-Putin summit details U.S. State Department documents containing sensitive government information were discovered on a public printer at an Alaska hotel, two hours before a high-stakes summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Eight pages — containing a schedule, several phone numbers of government employees, and a luncheon menu — were found in a public hotel printer at Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage, a 20-minute drive from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson where the two world leaders met Friday to discuss the future of the war in Ukraine. Three guests staying at Hotel Captain Cook found the pages around 9 a.m. Friday, two hours before the summit began, according to NPR. It's not clear who left the papers but seven of the pages were 'produced by the Office of the Chief of Protocol,' according to images obtained by NPR, which is part of the State Department. State department papers left at Alaska hotel reveal Trump-Putin summit details Pages found at Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage before high-stakes meeting between two global leaders Holly Evans17 August 2025 13:30 Swedish prime minister to attend Sunday's 'Coalition of the Willing' meeting Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson will virtually attend Sunday's meeting with the "Coalition of the Willing", ahead of President Volodymyr Zelenskiys visit to Washington on Monday, a spokesperson from the prime minister's office told Reuters. Kristersson will however not fly to Washington together with Zelensky alongside other European leaders on Monday, the spokesperson said. Holly Evans17 August 2025 13:15 Mapped: The key territories Putin wants handed over to bring about peace in Ukraine As all eyes turn to Washington DC on Monday, one of the key issues that is likely to be a sore topic for Volodymyr Zelensky is the prospect of relinquishing land to secure peace for Ukraine. Such a move would effectively hand over Ukraine's industrial heartland, giving Russia control of the Donbas region, where the majority of the heavy fighting has taken place since February 2022. The Donetsk and Luhansk provinces in the Donbas region form the industrial heartland of Ukraine Holly Evans17 August 2025 13:00 Putin discusses Alaska summit with Belarus Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the press service of the Belarusian president said via its Telegram channel on Sunday. "Two Presidents discussed the situation in the region in the light of the talks in Alaska. Putin informed his Belarusian counterpart in detail about the results of the last Russia-US summit," the press service said. Holly Evans17 August 2025 12:45 Sir Keir Starmer to travel to Washington to meet Trump Sir Keir Starmer will join President Zelensky and European leaders for a meeting with President Trump at the White House on Monday, Downing Street has said. Holly Evans17 August 2025 12:29 Merz, Macron and Meloni to join Zelensky – but no word from Starmer European leaders will join Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky when he meets Donald Trump for peace talks at the White House on Monday. Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, German chancellor Friedrich Merz and Finnish president Alexander Stubb were the first leaders to confirm they will join Mr Zelensky in Washington DC. Mr Zelensky's Oval Office rendezvous with the US president will take place after Western allies meet for a coalition of the willing video call on Sunday afternoon. Downing Street would not comment on whether Sir Keir plans to travel to Washington to join other European leaders on Monday. European leaders to support Zelensky in Trump talks – but no word from Starmer Western leaders will host a call of the coalition of the willing on Sunday to discuss steps to ending the war in Ukraine Holly Evans17 August 2025 12:11 Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni to travel to Washington Giorgia Meloni is the latest European leader to announce she will be joining Volodymyr Zelensky for his meeting at the White House on Monday. Her office confirmed she would be joining Germany's Friedrich Merz, France's Emmanuel Macron, and Finland's Alexander Stubb. Holly Evans17 August 2025 11:58
The Guardian
23 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Keir Starmer hopes to exploit curious relationship with Trump in Ukraine talks
Asked behind the scenes at June's G7 summit if he could explain why Donald Trump seems to like him so much, Keir Starmer admitted he didn't really know. Whatever the reason, when it comes to Ukraine, the UK prime minister is once again hoping to exploit this somewhat curious relationship. As soon as it was announced that a string of European leaders planned to join Volodymyr Zelenskyy to back the Ukrainian president in crucial talks with Trump at the White House on Monday, it was obvious Starmer would be joining them. The idea of Britain being some sort of bridge between US and European interests is something of a longstanding UK diplomatic cliche, and not one that always necessarily carries much meaning. But when it comes to Ukraine, Starmer has very deliberately sought to position himself as a leader who can get along with Trump while consistently stressing to him Europe's red lines over any peace plan, and trying to sweet-talk the president into offering US security guarantees. Recent months have presented several opportunities for Starmer to make this case in person, including February's Oval Office meeting between the pair, a bilateral at the G7 in Canada and talks during Trump's ostensibly non-work visit to Scotland last month. Starmer has shown his willingness to throw the diplomatic kitchen sink at efforts to keep Trump on side, including in February handing the president a written invitation from the king for an unusual second state visit. Similarly, the No 10 statement announcing Starmer would join the Zelenskyy meeting had more praise for Trump's 'efforts to end Russia's illegal war in Ukraine', even if many UK diplomats would most likely privately view Trump's summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska as at best inconclusive, at worst a Russian trap. Such efforts have yielded results, with Trump repeatedly saying how much he likes Starmer, despite their very obvious political differences. As with anything Trump-related, even the best-worked plans can be upended by events, most spectacularly the way that Starmer's ultra-careful Oval Office appearance was followed a day later by Zelenskyy being humiliated by Trump and JD Vance. More recently, Starmer's delicate handling of Trump at the G7 – which in its most visible form saw the PM bend down to collect papers spilled by the president – did not prevent Trump leaving the summit early and then reneging on a plan to call for restraint in tensions between Israel and Iran. Monday's White House event could go south at similar speed, especially given reports that Trump seems minded to take up Putin's suggestion on Ukrainian territorial concessions in exchange for peace, something Zelenskyy and other European leaders have consistently ruled out. There is an extent to which this does not matter. Any sort of Trump diplomacy is always in part an exercise in luck. And as Starmer knows, when it comes to Ukraine, even if it doesn't work, it has to be attempted. Sign up to First Thing Our US morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Support for Kyiv is one of the few remaining cross-party, even national, political consensuses, as shown by Starmer and Zelenskyy's hug outside Downing Street on Thursday, ahead of the Alaska summit. While Trump is publicly fussed over by No 10, Zelenskyy seems genuinely cherished, as shown by diplomatic symbols such as the Ukrainian leader's post-White House debacle meeting with King Charles at the much more intimate surrounding of the royals' Sandringham estate in Norfolk, while Trump will be hosted in September in the formality of Windsor Castle. Starmer's disinclination to publicly criticise Trump, a leader disliked by many British voters, can seem anomalous, even jarring. But No 10 can point to results, notably the UK's relatively light treatment under the new regime of US tariffs. Pulling Trump out of Putin's orbit when it comes to peace in Ukraine could be a bigger ask. But yet again, Starmer will try.
Reuters
23 minutes ago
- Reuters
Most Gulf markets dip as Trump-Putin talks fell short; Saudi gains
Aug 17 (Reuters) - Most stock markets in the Gulf ended lower on Sunday as high-stakes talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to produce an agreement to resolve the Ukraine conflict. The highly anticipated Alaska summit yielded no agreement to end or pause the war in Ukraine, failing to remove major uncertainties for oil-reliant economies in the Middle East. In Qatar, the index (.QSI), opens new tab fell 0.5%, hit by a 1.2% fall in the Gulf's biggest lender Qatar National Bank ( opens new tab. Leading stock indexes in Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait also ended lower. Saudi Arabia's benchmark index (.TASI), opens new tab, however, gained 0.6%, helped by a 0.4% rise in Al Rajhi Bank ( opens new tab and a 5.2% increase in Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Development ( opens new tab. Elsewhere, oil giant Saudi Aramco ( opens new tab added 0.4%. Aramco signed an $11 billion rent and leaseback agreement involving its Jafurah gas processing facilities with a consortium led by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), part of BlackRock, it said on Thursday. Outside the Gulf, Egypt's blue-chip index (.EGX30), opens new tab advanced 1.1%, with Commercial International Bank ( opens new tab gaining 1.7%. Egypt registered a record primary surplus of 629 billion Egyptian pounds ($13 billion) in the 2024-2025 fiscal year, equal to 3.6% of the country's gross domestic product, the presidency said in a statement on Saturday. The primary surplus came 80% above that in the 2023-2024 fiscal year. ($1 = 48.2700 Egyptian pounds)
