Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet at the White House as European leaders arrive for Ukraine peace talks
The White House has said the two leaders will meet first for a bilateral meeting, before they are joined by European leaders in a few hours' time.
They will be joined by British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
The White House has also said NATO chief Mark Rutte and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen will be in attendance.
This meeting was organised in a matter of days and has brought together the most powerful people in Europe and North America.
It will surely be an interesting day.
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ABC News
18 minutes ago
- ABC News
Hamas accepts Arab ceasefire proposal on Gaza as Palestinian death toll passes 62,000
Hamas has said it has accepted a new proposal from Arab mediators for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as Israel indicates its positions have not changed. At the same time, Gaza's Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll from 22 months of war has passed 62,000. US President Donald Trump appeared to cast doubt on the long-running negotiations that Washington has mediated as well. "We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!!" he posted on social media. Israel announced plans to reoccupy Gaza City and other heavily populated areas after ceasefire talks appeared to break down last month, raising the possibility of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, which experts say is sliding into famine. Plans to expand the offensive, in part aimed at pressuring Hamas, have sparked international outrage and infuriated many Israelis who fear for the remaining hostages taken in the October 7, 2023, attack that started the war. Hundreds of thousands took part in mass protests on Sunday calling for their return. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said mediators were "exerting extensive efforts" to revive a US proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, during which some of the remaining 50 hostages would be released and the sides would negotiate a lasting ceasefire and the return of the rest. Mr Abdelatty told The Associated Press they were inviting US envoy Steve Witkoff to join the ceasefire talks. Mr Abdelatty spoke to journalists during a visit to Egypt's Rafah crossing with Gaza, which has not functioned since Israel seized the Palestinian side in May 2024. He was accompanied by Mohammad Mustafa, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, which has been largely sidelined since the war began. Mr Abdelatty said Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani had joined the talks, which include senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, who arrived in Cairo last week. Mr Abdelatty said they were open to other ideas, including for a comprehensive deal that would release all the hostages at once. Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, told the AP that the militant group had accepted the proposal introduced by the mediators, without elaborating. An Egyptian official, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks, said the proposal includes changes to Israel's pullback of its forces and guarantees for negotiations on a lasting ceasefire during the initial truce. The official said it was almost identical to an earlier proposal accepted by Israel, which had not yet joined the latest talks. Diaa Rashwan, head of the Egypt State Information Service, told the AP that Egypt and Qatar had sent the Hamas-accepted proposal to Israel. An Israeli official said Israel's positions, including on the release of all hostages, had not changed from previous rounds of talks. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak with the media. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas has been disarmed, and to maintain lasting security control over Gaza. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Mr Netanyahu said in a video addressing the Israeli public that reports of Hamas's acceptance of the proposal showed that it is "under massive pressure". Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200, mostly civilians, in the attack that ignited the war. About 20 of the hostages still in Gaza are believed by Israel to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals. Gaza's Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll from the war had climbed to 62,004, with another 156,230 people wounded. It does not say how many were civilians or combatants, but says women and children make up around half the dead. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The UN and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties. Israel disputes its toll but has not provided its own. The ministry said 1,965 people had been killed while seeking humanitarian aid since May, either in the chaos around UN convoys or while heading to sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israeli-backed American contractor. Witnesses, health officials and the UN human rights office say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired toward crowds seeking aid. Israel says it has only fired warning shots at people who approached its forces. GHF said its armed contractors had only used pepper spray or fired into the air on rare occasions to prevent deadly crowding. Experts have warned that Israel's ongoing offensive is pushing Gaza toward famine, even after it eased a complete two-and-a-half-month blockade on the territory in May. Gaza's Health Ministry said on Monday that five more people, including two children, died of malnutrition-related causes. It says at least 112 children have died of malnutrition-related causes since the war began, and 151 adults have died since the ministry started tracking adult malnutrition deaths in June. Amnesty International on Monday accused Israel of "carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation". Israel has rejected such allegations, saying it allowed in enough food and accusing the UN of failing to promptly deliver it. UN agencies say they are hindered by Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of law and order in the territory, around three-quarters of which is now controlled by Israel. The UN World Food Programme said on Monday that UN partner organisations reported that community kitchens in north and south Gaza produced 380,000 daily meals daily last week — far fewer than the more than 1 million daily meals they produced in April. AP
News.com.au
18 minutes ago
- News.com.au
US politics live: Donald Trump hosts Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, days after summit with Vladimir Putin
Welcome to our live coverage of US politics. President Donald Trump is hosting his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, at the White House, in a follow-up to his summit with Vladimir Putin over the weekend. The pair spoke to reporters in the Oval Office before the start of a private meeting, and the mood was undoubtedly friendlier this time than it was during Mr Zelensky's last visit to Washington D.C. in February. On that occasion, Mr Trump told Mr Zelensky he had 'no cards' to play in negotiations with Russia, and Vice President J.D. Vance accused Ukraine of being insufficiently grateful for the United States' support. Today Mr Trump said he was hoping to set up a trilateral meeting between himself, Mr Zelensky and Putin, 'if everything works out'. 'I think we'll have a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that,' he said. There were a couple of encouraging moments for Ukraine. While Mr Trump stopped short of expressing support for Article 5-style security guarantees for Ukraine, which would essentially guarantee American help if it were attacked again in the future, he did seem to have softened on the idea. 'When it comes to security, there's going to be a lot of help,' said Mr Trump. 'They're the first line of defence. Because they're there, Europe. But we're going to help them also. We'll be involved.' But lurking in the background was the US President's earlier assertion, on social media, that responsibility for ending the war lies chiefly with Ukraine. One reporter, Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy, brought that up. 'So President Zelensky, you say in a post on Twitter today, 'Russia must end this war, which they started.' President Trump, you say, 'President Zelensky of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately if he wants to.' Which is it?' Mr Doocy asked. 'Well, I think that's true,' Mr Trump replied. The reporter jumped in again with another question before Mr Zelensky got a chance to address the first one. 'President Zelensky, are you prepared to keep sending Ukrainian troops to their deaths for another couple of years, or are you going to agree to redraw maps?' he asked. 'We live under, each day, attacks. You know, today there have been a lot of attacks, and a lot of wounded people, and a child has been killed, a small one, a year-and-a-half,' Mr Zelensky responded. 'So we need to stop this war, to stop Russia, and we need support from our American and European partners. We will do our best for this. 'We support the idea of the United States, of President Trump, to make a diplomatic way to finish this war.' After the press huddle, Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky proceeded with their private meeting. A second meeting, between Mr Trump and all the European leaders who accompanied Mr Zelensky to Washington D.C., was then convened.
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Australia news LIVE: Trump to call Putin after meeting Zelensky at White House; Hamas accepts Arab-mediated ceasefire; economic roundtable to begin
Latest posts Latest posts 6.50am Trump offers security guarantee to Ukraine US President Donald Trump signalled he would offer security guarantees to Ukraine to keep the peace once an agreement is struck with Russia, a vital component for European leaders concerned about future conflicts in Ukraine or elsewhere in Europe following the conclusion of the war. Speaking to media in the Oval Office, Trump said: 'We're going to work with Ukraine. We're going to work with everybody, and we're going to make sure that if there's peace, the peace is going to stay long-term. This is very long-term. We're not talking about a two-year peace, and then we end up in this mess again.' Trump stopped short of committing US troops to Ukraine, but said it was a matter that would form part of discussions with the high-powered European delegation accompanying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. 6.38am Hamas accepts Arab-mediated ceasefire Hamas has agreed to a 60-day ceasefire proposal with Israel that includes the return of half the hostages held in Gaza and Israel's release of some Palestinian prisoners, an Egyptian official source said. Senior Hamas official Basem Naim confirmed the group's approval on Facebook. Hamas said other Palestinian factions informed mediators of their approval as well. There was no Israeli response to the Hamas proposal itself, but an Israeli official confirmed it was received. Egypt and Qatar have been mediating between the sides with US support. 6.35am What's making news today By Daniel Lo Surdo Hello and welcome to the national news blog. My name is Daniel Lo Surdo, and I'll be helming our live coverage this morning. Here's what is making news today: US President Donald Trump will call Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin later today after Trump held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a high-powered European delegation in the White House to end the war in Ukraine earlier today. No ceasefire or peace deal has been struck, and according to Trump, won't be achieved until he, Zelensky and Putin meet for trilateral talks. The federal government's three-day economic reform roundtable will begin later today, with government, business and union leaders gathering in Parliament House to discuss measures to boost productivity. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has signalled plans to remove unnecessary regulation stalling building and housing approvals, and said that discussions at the roundtable would shape the federal budgets for the next three years. Hamas has agreed to a 60-day ceasefire proposal with Israel that includes the return of half the hostages held in Gaza and Israel's release of some Palestinian prisoners, an Egyptian official source said. Israel is yet to respond to the Hamas proposal, but an Israeli source confirmed it's been received. Egypt and Qatar have been mediating between both sides with US support.
