UK backs Trump's Putin ultimatum with urgent '50-day drive' to strengthen Ukraine's position
The call to action was issued by U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey during a virtual meeting with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) on Monday, the British Ministry of Defense announced.
The Defense Ministry did not immediately answer Fox News' Digital's questions about what type of commitments Healey wants to see from allied nations in support of Kyiv.
At the top of the meeting, the British defense secretary said "[Trump] started the clock on a 50-day deadline for Putin to agree to peace or to face crippling economic sanctions.
"And as members of this UDCG, we need to step up in turn with a 50-day drive to arm Ukraine on the battlefield and to help push Putin to the negotiating table," he added.
Healey urged nations to utilize the NATO sales agreement announced by Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte last week to more quickly and efficiently arm Ukraine on the battlefield.
While the U.S.-NATO sales agreement is not an unusual deal as Washington, D.C., for decades has sold its arms to NATO allies, the announcement was significant because it signaled a turning point in the U.S.'s continued support for Ukraine, which has remained a question since Trump was re-elected in November.
"We sell arms to allies all the time and if they want to give them to Ukraine then we authorize an export license, and they then transfer the arms to Ukraine," Mike Ryan, who formally served as deputy assistant secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy, told Fox News Digital. "So, the significance is that one, the Europeans are stepping up their support for Ukraine. Two, the American taxpayer is getting a break. Three, Europe is buying more American arms [which is] good for the trade deficit, and four, Ukraine is getting the help it needs."
The Monday meeting will be the fourth time Healey has chaired the defensive group in support of Kyiv, and the third such event that he has done so alongside German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
A major point of discussion is expected to be the quick transfer of Patriot Battery Missiles for Ukraine – five of which Berlin is set to confirm shipment of on Monday following his meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week.
"Boris and I have agreed to partner in providing critical air defense missiles to Ukraine," Healey said before announcing a near $54 million defensive pledge to Ukraine, and by extension, Europe's security.
The announcement is on top of the more than $6 billion in military aid the U.K. has sent Ukraine this year alone.
"This is a critical moment we meet at a critical time, a time for all allies and partners to share the burden, to support Ukraine, both in the fight now and to secure the peace future," Healey added.
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Trump tariffs live updates: Trump says pharma tariffs could go to 250%, threatens EU if it fails on investment pledge
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Trump says he will 'substantially' raise tariffs on India President Trump said on Monday he will "substantially" raise tariffs on India. Stocks still remained in rally mode following Friday's sell-off. "India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits," wrote Trump on Monday morning. "They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA," he added. President Trump's sweeping tariffs are set to come into full effect later this week. Last week, Trump announced a 25% tariff on goods from India, plus an additional import tax because of the country's purchasing of Russian oil. President Trump said on Monday he will "substantially" raise tariffs on India. Stocks still remained in rally mode following Friday's sell-off. "India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits," wrote Trump on Monday morning. "They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA," he added. President Trump's sweeping tariffs are set to come into full effect later this week. Last week, Trump announced a 25% tariff on goods from India, plus an additional import tax because of the country's purchasing of Russian oil. Swiss prepare 'more attractive offer' to US to avert 39% tariff Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. EU to suspend US tariff countermeasures for 6 months The European Union announced on Monday that it would suspend its two packages of US tariff countermeasures for 6 months. This follows the trade deal the US and EU reached last week Sunday. Reuters reports: Read more here. The European Union announced on Monday that it would suspend its two packages of US tariff countermeasures for 6 months. This follows the trade deal the US and EU reached last week Sunday. Reuters reports: Read more here. Swiss gold trading takes spotlight in trade talks with Trump President Trump's tariffs on Switzerland were prompted by the country being the world's largest hub for gold refining. Gold flows in from places like South America, Africa and gets processed in Switzerland and then exported to countries like the US. This gold trade makes Switzerland's exports to the US look large and the refiners don't get to keep most of the profits. Bloomberg News: Read more here. President Trump's tariffs on Switzerland were prompted by the country being the world's largest hub for gold refining. Gold flows in from places like South America, Africa and gets processed in Switzerland and then exported to countries like the US. This gold trade makes Switzerland's exports to the US look large and the refiners don't get to keep most of the profits. Bloomberg News: Read more here. Greer says US-China talks 'about halfway there' on rare earths US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Sunday that rare earths were a key focus in last week's Stockholm talks. He told CBS the US had secured supply commitments from China but noted the two sides are "about halfway there." Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Sunday that rare earths were a key focus in last week's Stockholm talks. He told CBS the US had secured supply commitments from China but noted the two sides are "about halfway there." Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Swatch CEO calls on Swiss president to meet Trump to solve tariff dispute Swiss stocks took a hit on Monday as the market reopened after a holiday. Worries about the impact of President Trump's 39% export tariffs and a push for drugmakers to lower prices have caused tension in the market. In addition, Swatch Group ( Chief Executive Nick Hayek called on Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter to meet President Trump in Washington to negotiate a better deal than the 39% tariffs announced on Swiss imports into the United States. Hayek told Reuters on Monday he was confident an agreement could still be reached before the tariffs, which were announced on Friday, went into effect on Aug. 7. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Swiss stocks took a hit on Monday as the market reopened after a holiday. Worries about the impact of President Trump's 39% export tariffs and a push for drugmakers to lower prices have caused tension in the market. In addition, Swatch Group ( Chief Executive Nick Hayek called on Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter to meet President Trump in Washington to negotiate a better deal than the 39% tariffs announced on Swiss imports into the United States. Hayek told Reuters on Monday he was confident an agreement could still be reached before the tariffs, which were announced on Friday, went into effect on Aug. 7. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Malaysia agrees to boost tech, LNG purchases from US as part of trade deal Reuters reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. Trump presses India, China to halt Russian oil buys as trade talks roll on The US and China are making progress on a trade deal, but a major sticking point remains: Washington wants Beijing to stop buying oil from Iran and Russia. China has pushed back, saying it will secure energy based on its own national interests. 'China will always ensure its energy supply in ways that serve our national interests,' China's Foreign Ministry posted on X on Wednesday following two days of trade negotiations in Stockholm, responding to the U.S. threat of a 100% tariff. 'Coercion and pressuring will not achieve anything. China will firmly defend its sovereignty, security and development interests," the ministry said. In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rejected pressure from President Trump, encouraging people to buy local goods. India has not told its oil refiners to stop purchasing Russian oil, and those decisions remain up to each company. 'The world economy is going through many apprehensions — there is an atmosphere of instability,' Modi said at a rally in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. 'Now, whatever we buy, there should be only one scale: we will buy those things which have been made by the sweat of an Indian.' The US and China are making progress on a trade deal, but a major sticking point remains: Washington wants Beijing to stop buying oil from Iran and Russia. China has pushed back, saying it will secure energy based on its own national interests. 'China will always ensure its energy supply in ways that serve our national interests,' China's Foreign Ministry posted on X on Wednesday following two days of trade negotiations in Stockholm, responding to the U.S. threat of a 100% tariff. 'Coercion and pressuring will not achieve anything. China will firmly defend its sovereignty, security and development interests," the ministry said. In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rejected pressure from President Trump, encouraging people to buy local goods. India has not told its oil refiners to stop purchasing Russian oil, and those decisions remain up to each company. 'The world economy is going through many apprehensions — there is an atmosphere of instability,' Modi said at a rally in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. 'Now, whatever we buy, there should be only one scale: we will buy those things which have been made by the sweat of an Indian.'
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BP fuels FTSE 100 but soft US data tempers gains
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'While the Fed will have to tread carefully with ongoing signals of an uptick in price pressures ahead, growth-related concerns are likely to dominate and should get the Fed moving when it comes to easing monetary policy,' it added. The dollar was mixed after the data. The pound rose to 1.3301 dollars late on Tuesday afternoon in London, compared with 1.3287 dollars at the equities close on Monday. The euro traded at 1.1579 dollars, higher against 1.1568 dollars. Against the yen, the dollar was trading higher at 147.42 yen compared with 147.30 yen. The yield on the US 10-year Treasury was at 4.20%, trimmed from 4.22%. The yield on the US 30-year Treasury was 4.77%, narrowed from 4.81% from Monday. Data showed growth in the UK's key service sector slowed but beat expectations in July, amid an 'unfavourable global economic backdrop' while optimism improved as US tariff concerns faded. The S&P Global UK services purchasing managers' business activity index fell to 51.8 points in July from 52.8 in June, but beat the July 24 flash reading of a sharper fall to 51.2 in July. The composite PMI meanwhile eased to 51.5 in July from 52.0 in June, outperforming the 51.0 flash reading. On the FTSE 250, Northampton-based building materials provider Travis Perkins climbed 5.6% as it reported improving revenue trends at its Merchanting business, while well-received results, including strong orders, supported industrial flow control equipment manufacturer Rotork up 6.6%. Close Brothers rose a further 6.8% after the favourable motor finance ruling but Domino's Pizza was off the menu, down 18%, after it lowered its annual outlook, with 'weak' consumer confidence keeping a lid on sales growth. Brent oil was quoted lower at 68.04 dollars a barrel in London on Tuesday, down from 69.20 dollars late on Monday. Gold firmed to 3,385.82 dollars an ounce against 3,372.82 dollars. The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were Smith & Nephew, up 177 pence at 1,331p, Fresnillo, up 86p at 1,520p, Diageo, up 89p at 1,904p, Melrose Industries, up 26.8p at 575p, and BP, up 11.4p at 417.4p. The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were Relx, down 90p at 3,814p, Lloyds Banking Group, down 1.8p at 80.7p, 3i, down 84p at 4,029p, Games Workshop, down 300p at 16, Experian, down 70p at 3,859p. Wednesday's local corporate calendar has half-year results from miner Glencore, insurance broker Hiscox and insurer Legal & General. The global economic calendar on Wednesday has eurozone retail sales and construction PMI readings in the UK and across Europe. Contributed by Alliance News
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- Yahoo
Rwanda agrees to take deportees from the US after migrant deal with UK collapsed
Rwanda on Tuesday became the third African nation to agree to accept deportees from the United States under the Trump administration's plans to send migrants to countries they have no ties with to get them off American soil. Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told The Associated Press in a statement that the East African country would accept up to 250 deportees from the US, with 'the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement' under the agreement. Ms Makolo did not provide a timeline for any deportees to arrive in Rwanda or say if they would arrive at once or in several batches. She said details were still being worked out. The US sent 13 men it described as dangerous criminals who were in the US illegally to South Sudan and Eswatini in Africa last month and has said it is seeking more agreements with African nations. It said those deportees' home countries refused to take them back. The US has also deported hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama under President Donald Trump's plans to expel people who he says entered the US illegally and are 'the worst of the worst'. Rwanda attracted international attention and some outrage when it struck a deal in 2022 with the UK to accept migrants who had arrived in the UK to seek asylum. Under that proposed deal, their claims would have been processed in Rwanda and, if successful, they would have stayed there. The contentious agreement was criticised by rights groups and others as being unethical and unworkable and was ultimately scrapped when Britain's new Labour government took over. Britain's Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that the deal was unlawful because Rwanda was not a safe third country for migrants. The Trump administration has come under scrutiny for the African countries it has entered into secretive deals with to take deportees. It sent eight men from South Sudan, Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar and Vietnam to South Sudan in early July after a US Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for their deportations. They were held for weeks in a converted shipping container at an American military base in Djibouti as the legal battle over their deportations played out. South Sudan, which is tipping towards civil war, has declined to say where the men are being held or what their fate is. The US also deported five men who are citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen and Laos to the southern African kingdom of Eswatini, where the government said they will be held in solitary confinement in prison for an undetermined period of time. A human rights lawyer in Eswatini said the men are being denied access to legal representation there and has taken authorities to court. Eswatini is Africa's last absolute monarchy. The king rules over government and political parties are effectively banned. Both South Sudan and Eswatini have declined to give details of their agreements with the US. Rwanda, a country of some 15 million people, has long stood out on the continent for its recovery from a genocide that killed more than 800,000 people in 1994. It has promoted itself under long-time President Paul Kagame as an example of stability and development, but human rights groups allege there are also deadly crackdowns on any perceived dissent against Mr Kagame, who has been president for 25 years. Government spokesperson Ms Makolo said the agreement with the US was Rwanda doing its part to help with international migration issues because 'our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation'. 'Those approved (for resettlement in Rwanda) will be provided with workforce training, healthcare and accommodation support to jumpstart their lives in Rwanda, giving them the opportunity to contribute to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the last decade,' she said. There were no details about whether Rwanda had received anything in return for taking the deportees. Gonzaga Muganwa, a Rwandan political analyst, said 'appeasing President Trump pays'. 'This agreement enhances Rwanda's strategic interest of having good relationships with the Trump administration,' he said.
