Princess Catherine expected to lead US President Donald Trump's welcome to the UK
Trump on Tuesday concluded a four-day private trip to Scotland — which drew crowds of protestors — during which he visited his two Scottish golf courses and opened a new one bearing his name.
He also met with UK Prime Minster Sir Keir Starmer who at a February meeting of the leaders in Washington had extended an 'unprecedented' invitation from King Charles for an official state visit.
Traditionally, second-term presidents are not offered a state visit and have instead been invited for tea or lunch with the monarch.
From September 17-19, Trump will be involved in a series of formal meetings with Starmer and government officials but it is the royal ceremonial events that are likely to draw the most attention.
While King Charles III will play a key role, royal watchers anticipate Princess Catherine will be the face of this historic engagement.
'At the heart of the hugely important state visit will be King Charles and another key royal,' online independent royal news source Royal Central said.
'For the Princess of Wales is expected to play a major part in this historic event.
'There's every expectation that William and Kate will lead on welcoming the American delegation as well as participating in various aspects of the visit.'
When French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte touched down in London on July 8, it was the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine, who welcomed the dignitaries.
At a state banquet held for the French president, the princess was front and centre.
Catherine wore Queen Mary's Lover's Knot tiara — her first tiara-wearing moment since revealing her cancer diagnosis in March 2024 and stepping back from royal duties while she underwent treatment.
She wore a dark red Givenchy evening gown designed by Sarah Burton, who also designed her wedding dress.
Trump's first official state visit to the UK was in June 2019, about two years into his first presidential term.
Alongside first lady Melania Trump, he met then-queen Elizabeth II after arriving in the gardens of Buckingham Palace via helicopter.
This was followed by a visit to Westminster Abbey, and later a state banquet with then-prime minister Theresa May in attendance.
When extending the invitation for a second state visit, Starmer said: 'This is really special. This has never happened before. Unprecedented.
'I think that just symbolises the strength of the relationship between us.
'I think the last state visit was a tremendous success. His Majesty the King wants to make this even better than that. So, this is ... truly historic.'
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The entitlement of the rich leaves the rest of us in the drink
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The marvellous journalist Tina Brown has a very telling story in her latest column on Substack. Very shortly after the attacks on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, she and hyper-rich, former media mogul and current convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein managed to get into the still-smoking ruins of Ground Zero, she as a journalist, he as a voyeur. "He was itching for the inside track, as if it was a VIP area at a U2 concert. 'Get us in,' he commanded Matt Hiltzik, his comms guru and fixer, who could have secured an all-access pass to Kim Jong Un's private compound in 20 minutes, if that was Harvey's demand. "It was raining, so the dust stuck to our feet as we tramped past the ghostly figures of ash-covered first responders and gazed up at the anguished, twisted metal that was once the Twin Towers. It was here, in this epic site of tragedy and loss, that I heard Harvey yell at his Afghan driver, 'Assan! Get me a Diet Coke!' It arrived, of course, but was deemed 'not cold enough'." Tina Brown's observation is: "Everyday asshole behavior becomes a badge of power." Forgive the crudity and the American spelling - but I think she has a point. Not all rich people behave badly, but there is an unattractive sense of entitlement among many of them. Where once the rich behaving badly seemed disgraceful, now it seems a badge of pride. Think of Jeff Bezos' disgusting wedding, which, to my mind, showed a contempt for ordinary people through its flaunting of gross wealth. Maybe I'm just being a snob but wealth now seems more showy and vulgar. Trump's golden toilets might be symbols of our time. The Australian psychologist Martina Luongo wrote (citing an article in an American academic journal): "The research highlights that people with more money tend to have an increased sense of self-importance and inflated self-esteem. They often feel that they are entitled to more positive experiences than others, which can lead to feelings of superiority and grandiosity." It's true that we in Australia don't have the shocking examples of moneyed entitlement evident in the United States - no Weinstein, Epstein, or, let's face it, Trump. But, all the same, we do have entitlement - that sense that the rich are entitled to jump the queues that the little people must stay in. Or not dirty their hands too much. Billionaire eco-warrior and private jet traveller Mike Cannon-Brookes recently told more than a hundred staff they were surplus to requirements, according to the Australian Financial Review and The Australian. He did so, they said, over a video message. "The progressive billionaire couldn't even set aside some time for a Zoom, or organise a town hall," the Financial Review reported. "He delivered the bad news dead-eyed, then screen-to-black, followed by employees locked-out of their laptops." Mr Cannon-Brookes did nothing illegal. And he's no doubt a very busy man - but what signal does that "dead-eyed" message send about his concern for the mere minions in his company? The chasm between the rich and the rest of us is widening. A study done at the University of NSW found that "the gap between those with the most and those with the least has blown out over the past two decades, with the average wealth of the highest 20 per cent growing at four times the rate of the lowest 20 per cent". There was a time when people with serious money still seemed to believe they were part of the general community. It still felt like they were in the same boat as the rest of us - maybe in a cabin on an upper deck rather than steerage, but at least in the same boat. That is no longer true. We live in a world where wealth seems untrammelled, a world of flaunted money; private schools; private hospitals; private jets; gated communities; special access; special treatment in the Qantas Chairman's Lounge. Where will it all end? Whatever became of Australia's famed egalitarianism? HAVE YOUR SAY: Send your thoughts to echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - News Corp's revenue rose by 2 per cent to US$8.5 billion (A$13.1 billion), despite fading income from its news media. - Australian music legend Col Joye, famous for his hit single Bye Bye Baby, has died aged 89. The ARIA Hall of Fame inductee, whose career spanned almost 67 years, was the first homegrown rock and roll singer to have a number one record Australia-wide. - A woman charged with selling Friends star Matthew Perry the dose of ketamine that killed him is headed for a September trial. THEY SAID IT: "Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them, makes them soft where we are hard, and cynical where we are trustful, in a way that, unless you were born rich, it is very difficult to understand. They think, deep in their hearts, that they are better than we are because we had to discover the compensations and refuges of life for ourselves. Even when they enter deep into our world or sink below us, they still think that they are better than we are. They are different." - F. Scott Fitzgerald. YOU SAID IT: I opined, slightly tongue in cheek I thought, that the voting age should be raised, Many of you agreed. But Christopher did not: "Calling it the 'cult of youth' tells us all we need to know about your biases. This Echidna is not the Echidna I like to read each morning - middle-aged drivel." I should say that I dream of being middle-aged. Andrea (68) also disagreed, though with less anger: "My partner (73) and I would prefer to lower the voting age - in our experience, most young people are thoughtful and caring and concerned for their future - while at the same time introducing an age cap on voting, say 70 or 75." Others agreed with me. Brian went a step further, suggesting a test: "There should be some form of exam to show that a person understands the fundamentals of what they're voting for." Lynette said: "I wouldn't have wanted my children or grandchildren to vote at 16. They think they know everything about life but know very little. Twenty-one is a better age." Deb felt: "Lower the voting age? Sounds like the only answer that the many scared, weak and shallow politicians have to try to protect themselves from the scrutiny of an ageing and much wiser population." John said: "Let them grow up first, we, when younger were a little fast to judge everything. Some maturity solves these problems and common sense fights back. So NO to younger age voting." I should say, finally, that I have some sympathy with Christopher's view. "The point of democracy (like a jury) is that it gathers the views of all to get a better collective decision - and worthwhile differing perspectives come from all groups, young and old, male and female, black and white, poor and rich." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The marvellous journalist Tina Brown has a very telling story in her latest column on Substack. Very shortly after the attacks on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, she and hyper-rich, former media mogul and current convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein managed to get into the still-smoking ruins of Ground Zero, she as a journalist, he as a voyeur. "He was itching for the inside track, as if it was a VIP area at a U2 concert. 'Get us in,' he commanded Matt Hiltzik, his comms guru and fixer, who could have secured an all-access pass to Kim Jong Un's private compound in 20 minutes, if that was Harvey's demand. "It was raining, so the dust stuck to our feet as we tramped past the ghostly figures of ash-covered first responders and gazed up at the anguished, twisted metal that was once the Twin Towers. It was here, in this epic site of tragedy and loss, that I heard Harvey yell at his Afghan driver, 'Assan! Get me a Diet Coke!' It arrived, of course, but was deemed 'not cold enough'." Tina Brown's observation is: "Everyday asshole behavior becomes a badge of power." Forgive the crudity and the American spelling - but I think she has a point. Not all rich people behave badly, but there is an unattractive sense of entitlement among many of them. Where once the rich behaving badly seemed disgraceful, now it seems a badge of pride. Think of Jeff Bezos' disgusting wedding, which, to my mind, showed a contempt for ordinary people through its flaunting of gross wealth. Maybe I'm just being a snob but wealth now seems more showy and vulgar. Trump's golden toilets might be symbols of our time. The Australian psychologist Martina Luongo wrote (citing an article in an American academic journal): "The research highlights that people with more money tend to have an increased sense of self-importance and inflated self-esteem. They often feel that they are entitled to more positive experiences than others, which can lead to feelings of superiority and grandiosity." It's true that we in Australia don't have the shocking examples of moneyed entitlement evident in the United States - no Weinstein, Epstein, or, let's face it, Trump. But, all the same, we do have entitlement - that sense that the rich are entitled to jump the queues that the little people must stay in. Or not dirty their hands too much. Billionaire eco-warrior and private jet traveller Mike Cannon-Brookes recently told more than a hundred staff they were surplus to requirements, according to the Australian Financial Review and The Australian. He did so, they said, over a video message. "The progressive billionaire couldn't even set aside some time for a Zoom, or organise a town hall," the Financial Review reported. "He delivered the bad news dead-eyed, then screen-to-black, followed by employees locked-out of their laptops." Mr Cannon-Brookes did nothing illegal. And he's no doubt a very busy man - but what signal does that "dead-eyed" message send about his concern for the mere minions in his company? The chasm between the rich and the rest of us is widening. A study done at the University of NSW found that "the gap between those with the most and those with the least has blown out over the past two decades, with the average wealth of the highest 20 per cent growing at four times the rate of the lowest 20 per cent". There was a time when people with serious money still seemed to believe they were part of the general community. It still felt like they were in the same boat as the rest of us - maybe in a cabin on an upper deck rather than steerage, but at least in the same boat. That is no longer true. We live in a world where wealth seems untrammelled, a world of flaunted money; private schools; private hospitals; private jets; gated communities; special access; special treatment in the Qantas Chairman's Lounge. Where will it all end? Whatever became of Australia's famed egalitarianism? HAVE YOUR SAY: Send your thoughts to echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - News Corp's revenue rose by 2 per cent to US$8.5 billion (A$13.1 billion), despite fading income from its news media. - Australian music legend Col Joye, famous for his hit single Bye Bye Baby, has died aged 89. The ARIA Hall of Fame inductee, whose career spanned almost 67 years, was the first homegrown rock and roll singer to have a number one record Australia-wide. - A woman charged with selling Friends star Matthew Perry the dose of ketamine that killed him is headed for a September trial. THEY SAID IT: "Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them, makes them soft where we are hard, and cynical where we are trustful, in a way that, unless you were born rich, it is very difficult to understand. They think, deep in their hearts, that they are better than we are because we had to discover the compensations and refuges of life for ourselves. Even when they enter deep into our world or sink below us, they still think that they are better than we are. They are different." - F. Scott Fitzgerald. YOU SAID IT: I opined, slightly tongue in cheek I thought, that the voting age should be raised, Many of you agreed. But Christopher did not: "Calling it the 'cult of youth' tells us all we need to know about your biases. This Echidna is not the Echidna I like to read each morning - middle-aged drivel." I should say that I dream of being middle-aged. Andrea (68) also disagreed, though with less anger: "My partner (73) and I would prefer to lower the voting age - in our experience, most young people are thoughtful and caring and concerned for their future - while at the same time introducing an age cap on voting, say 70 or 75." Others agreed with me. Brian went a step further, suggesting a test: "There should be some form of exam to show that a person understands the fundamentals of what they're voting for." Lynette said: "I wouldn't have wanted my children or grandchildren to vote at 16. They think they know everything about life but know very little. Twenty-one is a better age." Deb felt: "Lower the voting age? Sounds like the only answer that the many scared, weak and shallow politicians have to try to protect themselves from the scrutiny of an ageing and much wiser population." John said: "Let them grow up first, we, when younger were a little fast to judge everything. Some maturity solves these problems and common sense fights back. So NO to younger age voting." I should say, finally, that I have some sympathy with Christopher's view. "The point of democracy (like a jury) is that it gathers the views of all to get a better collective decision - and worthwhile differing perspectives come from all groups, young and old, male and female, black and white, poor and rich." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The marvellous journalist Tina Brown has a very telling story in her latest column on Substack. Very shortly after the attacks on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, she and hyper-rich, former media mogul and current convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein managed to get into the still-smoking ruins of Ground Zero, she as a journalist, he as a voyeur. "He was itching for the inside track, as if it was a VIP area at a U2 concert. 'Get us in,' he commanded Matt Hiltzik, his comms guru and fixer, who could have secured an all-access pass to Kim Jong Un's private compound in 20 minutes, if that was Harvey's demand. "It was raining, so the dust stuck to our feet as we tramped past the ghostly figures of ash-covered first responders and gazed up at the anguished, twisted metal that was once the Twin Towers. It was here, in this epic site of tragedy and loss, that I heard Harvey yell at his Afghan driver, 'Assan! Get me a Diet Coke!' It arrived, of course, but was deemed 'not cold enough'." Tina Brown's observation is: "Everyday asshole behavior becomes a badge of power." Forgive the crudity and the American spelling - but I think she has a point. Not all rich people behave badly, but there is an unattractive sense of entitlement among many of them. Where once the rich behaving badly seemed disgraceful, now it seems a badge of pride. Think of Jeff Bezos' disgusting wedding, which, to my mind, showed a contempt for ordinary people through its flaunting of gross wealth. Maybe I'm just being a snob but wealth now seems more showy and vulgar. Trump's golden toilets might be symbols of our time. The Australian psychologist Martina Luongo wrote (citing an article in an American academic journal): "The research highlights that people with more money tend to have an increased sense of self-importance and inflated self-esteem. They often feel that they are entitled to more positive experiences than others, which can lead to feelings of superiority and grandiosity." It's true that we in Australia don't have the shocking examples of moneyed entitlement evident in the United States - no Weinstein, Epstein, or, let's face it, Trump. But, all the same, we do have entitlement - that sense that the rich are entitled to jump the queues that the little people must stay in. Or not dirty their hands too much. Billionaire eco-warrior and private jet traveller Mike Cannon-Brookes recently told more than a hundred staff they were surplus to requirements, according to the Australian Financial Review and The Australian. He did so, they said, over a video message. "The progressive billionaire couldn't even set aside some time for a Zoom, or organise a town hall," the Financial Review reported. "He delivered the bad news dead-eyed, then screen-to-black, followed by employees locked-out of their laptops." Mr Cannon-Brookes did nothing illegal. And he's no doubt a very busy man - but what signal does that "dead-eyed" message send about his concern for the mere minions in his company? The chasm between the rich and the rest of us is widening. A study done at the University of NSW found that "the gap between those with the most and those with the least has blown out over the past two decades, with the average wealth of the highest 20 per cent growing at four times the rate of the lowest 20 per cent". There was a time when people with serious money still seemed to believe they were part of the general community. It still felt like they were in the same boat as the rest of us - maybe in a cabin on an upper deck rather than steerage, but at least in the same boat. That is no longer true. We live in a world where wealth seems untrammelled, a world of flaunted money; private schools; private hospitals; private jets; gated communities; special access; special treatment in the Qantas Chairman's Lounge. Where will it all end? Whatever became of Australia's famed egalitarianism? HAVE YOUR SAY: Send your thoughts to echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - News Corp's revenue rose by 2 per cent to US$8.5 billion (A$13.1 billion), despite fading income from its news media. - Australian music legend Col Joye, famous for his hit single Bye Bye Baby, has died aged 89. The ARIA Hall of Fame inductee, whose career spanned almost 67 years, was the first homegrown rock and roll singer to have a number one record Australia-wide. - A woman charged with selling Friends star Matthew Perry the dose of ketamine that killed him is headed for a September trial. THEY SAID IT: "Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them, makes them soft where we are hard, and cynical where we are trustful, in a way that, unless you were born rich, it is very difficult to understand. They think, deep in their hearts, that they are better than we are because we had to discover the compensations and refuges of life for ourselves. Even when they enter deep into our world or sink below us, they still think that they are better than we are. They are different." - F. Scott Fitzgerald. YOU SAID IT: I opined, slightly tongue in cheek I thought, that the voting age should be raised, Many of you agreed. But Christopher did not: "Calling it the 'cult of youth' tells us all we need to know about your biases. This Echidna is not the Echidna I like to read each morning - middle-aged drivel." I should say that I dream of being middle-aged. Andrea (68) also disagreed, though with less anger: "My partner (73) and I would prefer to lower the voting age - in our experience, most young people are thoughtful and caring and concerned for their future - while at the same time introducing an age cap on voting, say 70 or 75." Others agreed with me. Brian went a step further, suggesting a test: "There should be some form of exam to show that a person understands the fundamentals of what they're voting for." Lynette said: "I wouldn't have wanted my children or grandchildren to vote at 16. They think they know everything about life but know very little. Twenty-one is a better age." Deb felt: "Lower the voting age? Sounds like the only answer that the many scared, weak and shallow politicians have to try to protect themselves from the scrutiny of an ageing and much wiser population." John said: "Let them grow up first, we, when younger were a little fast to judge everything. Some maturity solves these problems and common sense fights back. So NO to younger age voting." I should say, finally, that I have some sympathy with Christopher's view. "The point of democracy (like a jury) is that it gathers the views of all to get a better collective decision - and worthwhile differing perspectives come from all groups, young and old, male and female, black and white, poor and rich." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The marvellous journalist Tina Brown has a very telling story in her latest column on Substack. Very shortly after the attacks on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, she and hyper-rich, former media mogul and current convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein managed to get into the still-smoking ruins of Ground Zero, she as a journalist, he as a voyeur. "He was itching for the inside track, as if it was a VIP area at a U2 concert. 'Get us in,' he commanded Matt Hiltzik, his comms guru and fixer, who could have secured an all-access pass to Kim Jong Un's private compound in 20 minutes, if that was Harvey's demand. "It was raining, so the dust stuck to our feet as we tramped past the ghostly figures of ash-covered first responders and gazed up at the anguished, twisted metal that was once the Twin Towers. It was here, in this epic site of tragedy and loss, that I heard Harvey yell at his Afghan driver, 'Assan! Get me a Diet Coke!' It arrived, of course, but was deemed 'not cold enough'." Tina Brown's observation is: "Everyday asshole behavior becomes a badge of power." Forgive the crudity and the American spelling - but I think she has a point. Not all rich people behave badly, but there is an unattractive sense of entitlement among many of them. Where once the rich behaving badly seemed disgraceful, now it seems a badge of pride. Think of Jeff Bezos' disgusting wedding, which, to my mind, showed a contempt for ordinary people through its flaunting of gross wealth. Maybe I'm just being a snob but wealth now seems more showy and vulgar. Trump's golden toilets might be symbols of our time. The Australian psychologist Martina Luongo wrote (citing an article in an American academic journal): "The research highlights that people with more money tend to have an increased sense of self-importance and inflated self-esteem. They often feel that they are entitled to more positive experiences than others, which can lead to feelings of superiority and grandiosity." It's true that we in Australia don't have the shocking examples of moneyed entitlement evident in the United States - no Weinstein, Epstein, or, let's face it, Trump. But, all the same, we do have entitlement - that sense that the rich are entitled to jump the queues that the little people must stay in. Or not dirty their hands too much. Billionaire eco-warrior and private jet traveller Mike Cannon-Brookes recently told more than a hundred staff they were surplus to requirements, according to the Australian Financial Review and The Australian. He did so, they said, over a video message. "The progressive billionaire couldn't even set aside some time for a Zoom, or organise a town hall," the Financial Review reported. "He delivered the bad news dead-eyed, then screen-to-black, followed by employees locked-out of their laptops." Mr Cannon-Brookes did nothing illegal. And he's no doubt a very busy man - but what signal does that "dead-eyed" message send about his concern for the mere minions in his company? The chasm between the rich and the rest of us is widening. A study done at the University of NSW found that "the gap between those with the most and those with the least has blown out over the past two decades, with the average wealth of the highest 20 per cent growing at four times the rate of the lowest 20 per cent". There was a time when people with serious money still seemed to believe they were part of the general community. It still felt like they were in the same boat as the rest of us - maybe in a cabin on an upper deck rather than steerage, but at least in the same boat. That is no longer true. We live in a world where wealth seems untrammelled, a world of flaunted money; private schools; private hospitals; private jets; gated communities; special access; special treatment in the Qantas Chairman's Lounge. Where will it all end? Whatever became of Australia's famed egalitarianism? HAVE YOUR SAY: Send your thoughts to echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - News Corp's revenue rose by 2 per cent to US$8.5 billion (A$13.1 billion), despite fading income from its news media. - Australian music legend Col Joye, famous for his hit single Bye Bye Baby, has died aged 89. The ARIA Hall of Fame inductee, whose career spanned almost 67 years, was the first homegrown rock and roll singer to have a number one record Australia-wide. - A woman charged with selling Friends star Matthew Perry the dose of ketamine that killed him is headed for a September trial. THEY SAID IT: "Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them, makes them soft where we are hard, and cynical where we are trustful, in a way that, unless you were born rich, it is very difficult to understand. They think, deep in their hearts, that they are better than we are because we had to discover the compensations and refuges of life for ourselves. Even when they enter deep into our world or sink below us, they still think that they are better than we are. They are different." - F. Scott Fitzgerald. YOU SAID IT: I opined, slightly tongue in cheek I thought, that the voting age should be raised, Many of you agreed. But Christopher did not: "Calling it the 'cult of youth' tells us all we need to know about your biases. This Echidna is not the Echidna I like to read each morning - middle-aged drivel." I should say that I dream of being middle-aged. Andrea (68) also disagreed, though with less anger: "My partner (73) and I would prefer to lower the voting age - in our experience, most young people are thoughtful and caring and concerned for their future - while at the same time introducing an age cap on voting, say 70 or 75." Others agreed with me. Brian went a step further, suggesting a test: "There should be some form of exam to show that a person understands the fundamentals of what they're voting for." Lynette said: "I wouldn't have wanted my children or grandchildren to vote at 16. They think they know everything about life but know very little. Twenty-one is a better age." Deb felt: "Lower the voting age? Sounds like the only answer that the many scared, weak and shallow politicians have to try to protect themselves from the scrutiny of an ageing and much wiser population." John said: "Let them grow up first, we, when younger were a little fast to judge everything. Some maturity solves these problems and common sense fights back. So NO to younger age voting." I should say, finally, that I have some sympathy with Christopher's view. "The point of democracy (like a jury) is that it gathers the views of all to get a better collective decision - and worthwhile differing perspectives come from all groups, young and old, male and female, black and white, poor and rich."
Sky News AU
3 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Kremlin says US-Russia talks on Ukraine 'useful and constructive' despite silence from President Donald Trump
United States President Donald Trump has remained silent on the outcome of talks between special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian officials over Ukraine, despite the Kremlin describing the meeting as "useful and constructive". Mr Witkoff flew to Moscow for last minute discussions following President Trump's threat to impose "very severe" sanctions on Russia unless it agreed to a ceasefire. Last week the US leader gave the Kremlin just "10 or 12 days" to strike a deal with Ukraine, a move which was initially met with derision. However, Russian officials now appear to have changed course, with Bloomberg and independent outlet The Bell both reporting the Kremlin may have pitched a moratorium on air strikes from both sides to Mr Witkoff in order to stave off President Trump's tariff threat. The US envoy spent three hours meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, alongside several senior advisors, on Wednesday, local time. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told Russian outlet Zvezda the two sides had exchanged "signals" on Ukraine and discussed the possibility of developing strategic cooperation between Moscow and Washington. "We had a very useful and constructive conversation," he said. "On our part, in particular on the Ukrainian issue, some signals were transmitted. Corresponding signals were also received from President Trump." Mr Ushakov declined to provide more specific details about the meeting, saying the Kremlin wished to wait until Mr Witkoff had reported back to the US President. President Trump has not yet commented on the talks, although Secretary of State Marco Rubio later confirmed he had spoken with the US envoy and expected to make further announcements "soon". Reuters also quoted a source as saying the US leader was speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by phone, likely to discuss the meeting between Mr Witkoff and President Putin. Sources close to the Kremlin also told the outlet Russia's President was unlikely to bow to President Trump's demands for a complete ceasefire as he believes he is winning the war in Ukraine. They added President Putin doubted any new tariffs would have a significant impact on Russia, given the existing effects of more than three years' worth of economic penalties levelled against the country since it launched its invasion. Doubts also remain about the prospect of an enduring peace agreement, given Russia's demands - which include a legally binding pledge NATO will not expand eastwards, Ukrainian neutrality, protection for Russian speakers, and acceptance of Russia's territorial gains in the war. President Zelenskyy has repeatedly insisted Ukraine would never recognise Russian sovereignty over its conquered regions and that the nation must retain its right to determine membership in international organisations such as NATO. With Reuters.
