‘The Lonely Man': Western Reflections on Bonds That Endure
The Western genre has long carried a fascination with reinvention. There are many tales of men drifting westward to carve out new lives, sometimes fleeing the past, and sometimes chasing an imagined future. They also might return to a place they thought they'd permanently left behind.
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Leader Live
42 minutes ago
- Leader Live
UK military chief meets US counterparts for Ukraine talks
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin met senior US defence officials alongside other European military chiefs in Washington DC on Wednesday to discuss military options to secure peace in Ukraine. He later attended a virtual meeting of Nato's military committee, described by its chairman Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone as 'candid'. On Tuesday evening, Admiral Radakin, the chief of the defence staff, had dined with his US counterpart General Dan Caine. The meetings come amid renewed planning for a 'coalition of the willing', led by the UK and France, that would guarantee Kyiv's security in the event of a ceasefire. Earlier in the week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron co-chaired a meeting of the coalition, in which members of the group also discussed the possibility of further sanctions on Russia. Western security guarantees, strongly resisted by Moscow, are one of the central issues for any peace deal for Ukraine, which fears Russia could otherwise use a ceasefire to regroup and launch a renewed invasion. So far, only the UK and France have indicated they could commit troops to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine. In an interview on Tuesday Donald Trump ruled out an American ground contribution but suggested the US could be willing to provide some form of air support. His special envoy, Steve Witkoff, had earlier suggested the US could offer Ukraine a mutual defence agreement similar to Nato's Article 5, without Kyiv formally joining the alliance. Renewed talks among the 'coalition of the willing' follow last week's summit between Mr Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska as the US president continued to push for an end to a conflict he had promised he could finish on his first day in office. Those talks appeared to result in little progress towards a deal, but sparked concern among some in Europe that Mr Trump could seek to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into accepting a deal without sufficient security guarantees. On Monday, Sir Keir and Mr Macron joined other European leaders in travelling to Washington in a show of support for Mr Zelensky during a meeting with Mr Trump. Meanwhile, the UK and Russia traded sanctions as London sought to increase the pressure on Moscow to end its invasion. Europe minister Stephen Doughty unveiled sanctions on a series of organisations linked to Kyrgyzstan's financial services sector, saying they had been involved in Kremlin attempts to 'soften the blow of our sanctions by laundering transactions through dodgy crypto networks'. Russia in turn sanctioned 21 individuals, including former Labour MP Denis MacShane, several journalists, and the Government-appointed independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall.
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Trump dangles Ukraine security guarantees, risks backlash from own base
WASHINGTON: Donald Trump's newfound if vague willingness to entertain security guarantees for Ukraine could be a game-changer, but the US president's right-wing base is already warning him not to go too far. After a campaign last year spent bashing predecessor Joe Biden over billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, and Trump's public upbraiding of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February, Trump has considered promises to Kyiv to end the Russian invasion. He has ruled out ground troops as well as Nato membership, siding with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in blaming Ukraine's aspirations for the Western alliance for the February 2022 invasion. But after Trump welcomed Putin to Alaska on Friday, Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff said the Russian president had agreed to a "concession" of the United States offering "Article Five-like protection" for Ukraine, referring to Nato's binding promise that an attack on one is an attack on all. Some observers doubted Witkoff's understanding of Putin, noting that Moscow publicly has insisted on guarantees for Russia. But Trump has said "we'll give them very good protection" and has spoken of providing US airpower to enforce any agreement. Little is known about what US airpower would entail, but it could support a deployment of European troops to Ukraine mulled by France and Britain. If the United States agreed to enforce control of the Ukrainian skies, it would be an "incredible green light for greater ambition" by Europeans on security, said Kristine Berzina, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund. European leaders showed striking unity and solidarity by coming together to Washington on Monday to back Zelenskyy in talks with Trump, she said. "For there to be a meaningful difference on the ground in Ukraine, it can't just be diplomatic alignment. It can't just be the heads of state being in lockstep for a few days at a time," she said. "Instead, they have to be ready to actually move and to show to Trump, 'We have everything ready; we just need x from you to make this work.'" Trump, however, could also authorise a much smaller air deployment, such as one focused on reconnaissance that would see limited numbers of US planes in the Ukrainian skies. "President Trump said some things in his meetings with the European leaders and Zelenskyy and I am betting a huge sum of money that there are people around Trump who are going to spend a lot of time walking that back," said Debra Cagan, a former senior US policymaker now at the Atlantic Council. "What I mean by that is that they're going to try a very de minimis approach to security guarantees, to do as little as possible to carry that out," she said. She said that any successful strategy needed to have components on land and air as well as sea, including keeping the crucial Black Sea ports open for Ukraine. Trump retains a strong hold on the Republican Party, but has already seen some dissent within his hard-right base, which backed him in part for his dismissive attitude to foreign involvement. Outspoken Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who earlier criticised Trump for bombing Iran, said she believed voters would be "appalled" by more support for Ukraine as they struggle with day-to-day concerns. "America is broke," she told conservative host Megyn Kelly. "At some point we have to start saying no to the rest of the world." Trump-aligned Senator Tommy Tuberville said it would be an "impossible sell" to voters still shaken by the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to start another long-term US military commitment, according to The Hill newspaper. Trump, however, has tried hard to portray the war as belonging to Biden and has spoken openly of his desire for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Netanyahu says Israel has ‘work' to do to win over Gen Z
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A recent Gallup poll also showed only six per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds in the US had a favourable opinion of Mr Netanyahu. LONDON - Israel has 'work' to do in winning over young people in the West as polls show collapsing support, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted to a UK-based podcast in an interview aired on Aug 20. Protests against Israel's actions in Gaza have become increasingly common in capitals across the West , attracting large numbers of young people. A recent Gallup poll also showed only six per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds in the United States had a favourable opinion of Mr Netanyahu, and just nine per cent approved of Israel's military action in Gaza. On the 'Triggernometry' podcast, Mr Netanyahu was asked whether Israel could lose the backing of Western governments once 'Gen Z' – those born between around 1997 and 2012 – assumes power. 'If you're telling me that there's work to be done on Gen Z and across the West, yes,' he responded. But he said opposition to Israel among Gen Z stemmed from a wider campaign against the West and repeated his unproven claim of an orchestrated plot against Israel and the West, without saying who was behind it. Israel's defence minister approved a plan on Aug 20 for the conquest of Gaza City and authorised the call-up of around 60,000 reservists , piling pressure on the Palestinian militant group Hamas as mediators push for a ceasefire. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Israel says it has taken first steps of military operation in Gaza City Singapore 3 Sengkang Green Primary pupils suspended for bullying classmate, with 1 of them caned: MOE Singapore 18 persons nabbed and 82 vapes seized in HSA ops in Raffles Place and Haji Lane Business Chinese brands like Pop Mart, BYD, Joocyee expanding into S'pore as gateway to Asean market Life Why should we bear the burden of budget meals and app discounts, some S'pore hawkers ask Singapore Religion growing in importance for Singaporeans: IPS study Asia 'Disastrous, useless': New Zealand to overhaul high school qualification to lift falling standards Opinion Malaysia: The cost of public doubt over high-profile criminal cases Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's offensive has killed at least 62,122 Palestinians, most of them civilians, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said, in figures the United Nations deem reliable. Since returning to the White House in January, US President Donald Trump has offered Israel ironclad support. Mr Netanyahu told the podcast, which bills itself as promoting free speech with 'open, fact-based discussion of important and controversial issues', that Mr Trump 'has proven an exceptional, exceptional friend of Israel, an exceptional leader.' 'I think we've been very fortunate to have a leader in the United States who doesn't act like the European leaders, who doesn't succumb to this stuff,' he added, referring to countries including France and the UK that have vowed to recognise a Palestinian state. AFP
