Latest news with #Ukraine war
Khaleej Times
12 hours ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Trump opens Scottish golf course and vows 'peaceful world'
Donald Trump officially opened his new golf course in Scotland on Tuesday, ending a five-day trip in which the US president signed a major trade deal with the EU and gave Russia less than two weeks to end the Ukraine war. To the sound of bagpipes, secret agents and golfers criss-crossed the sprawling complex on the Aberdeenshire coast, waiting for the president to tee off. "We started with a beautiful piece of land, but we made it much more beautiful, and the area has ... really, really welcomed us," Trump said before cutting the ribbon. "We'll play it very quickly, and then I go back to (Washington) DC and we put out fires all over the world," he added. "We have a world that's got some conflict, but we've ironed out a lot of it. We're gonna have a great and peaceful world." Trump's campaign song, the Village People's "YMCA", blared out after the ribbon cutting, as fireworks exploded in the background. The president then teed off with son Eric, who led the project. "This will be a tremendously successful place and a place where people can come and enjoy life," the US leader said, highlighting how his trip has again blurred the lines between his presidency and his business interests. "We wanted this to be the greatest 36 holes anywhere on Earth. And there's no question that that's been achieved," said Eric Trump. "This was his Mona Lisa," he said of his father's connection with the course. "Sculpting the dunes, sculpting the land, that was always his painting," he added. The new course features the world's largest natural bunker, dunes and greens overlooking the sea, with a "focus on environmental sensitivity", said a press release. Visible out to sea were the offshore wind turbines that Trump unsuccessfully tried to block. The president again spoke out against wind power as he hosted European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday. It was one of the many issues Trump addressed during free-wheeling press conferences at his other golf complex in Turnberry, western Scotland over the past days. With Von der Leyen, he announced a trade agreement in which the EU resigned itself to 15 per cent tariffs on goods entering the United States, a deal heavily criticised across the continent. At a press conference Monday with Starmer, Trump promised more aid for Gaza, gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a "10 or 12 day" ultimatum to cease hostilities in Ukraine. "I really felt it was going to end. But every time I think it's going to end he kills people," Trump said of the Russian leader. "I'm not so interested in talking (to him) anymore," he added. Trump also criticised London mayor Sadiq Khan at the press conference and waded back into UK politics on Tuesday when he took to his Truth Social platform to urge the government to cut taxes and incentivise oil drilling in the North Sea, denouncing wind turbines as "ugly monsters". "Incentivise the drillers, FAST. A VAST FORTUNE TO BE MADE for the UK, and far lower energy costs for the people," he wrote. Trump played golf at Turnberry on Saturday and Sunday on a visit that mixed leisure with diplomacy. He is to fly back to Washington on Tuesday.
Malay Mail
12 hours ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Trump opens Scottish golf course and vows ‘peaceful world'
BALMEDIE (United Kingdom), July 29 — Donald Trump officially opened his new golf course in Scotland today, ending a five-day trip in which the US president signed a major trade deal with the EU and gave Russia less than two weeks to end the Ukraine war. To the sound of bagpipes, secret agents and golfers criss-crossed the sprawling complex on the Aberdeenshire coast, waiting for the president to tee off. 'We started with a beautiful piece of land, but we made it much more beautiful, and the area has... really, really welcomed us,' Trump said before cutting the ribbon. 'We'll play it very quickly, and then I go back to (Washington) DC and we put out fires all over the world,' he added. 'We have a world that's got some conflict, but we've ironed out a lot of it. We're gonna have a great and peaceful world.' Trump's campaign song, the Village People's 'YMCA', blared out after the ribbon cutting, as fireworks exploded in the background. The president then teed off with son Eric, who led the project. 'This will be a tremendously successful place and a place where people can come and enjoy life,' the US leader said, highlighting how his trip has again blurred the lines between his presidency and his business interests. 'We wanted this to be the greatest 36 holes anywhere on Earth. And there's no question that that's been achieved,' said Eric Trump. 'This was his Mona Lisa,' he said of his father's connection with the course. 'Sculpting the dunes, sculpting the land, that was always his painting,' he added. Trade deal The new course features the world's largest natural bunker, dunes and greens overlooking the sea, with a 'focus on environmental sensitivity', said a press release. Visible out to sea were the offshore wind turbines that Trump unsuccessfully tried to block. The president again spoke out against wind power as he hosted European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday. It was one of the many issues Trump addressed during free-wheeling press conferences at his other golf complex in Turnberry, western Scotland over the past days. With Von der Leyen, he announced a trade agreement in which the EU resigned itself to 15 percent tariffs on goods entering the United States, a deal heavily criticised across the continent. At a press conference Monday with Starmer, Trump promised more aid for Gaza, gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a '10 or 12 day' ultimatum to cease hostilities in Ukraine. 'I really felt it was going to end. But every time I think it's going to end he kills people,' Trump said of the Russian leader. 'I'm not so interested in talking (to him) anymore,' he added. Trump also criticised London mayor Sadiq Khan at the press conference and waded back into UK politics on Tuesday when he took to his Truth Social platform to urge the government to cut taxes and incentivise oil drilling in the North Sea, denouncing wind turbines as 'ugly monsters'. 'Incentivize the drillers, FAST. A VAST FORTUNE TO BE MADE for the UK, and far lower energy costs for the people,' he wrote. Trump played golf at Turnberry on Saturday and Sunday on a visit that mixed leisure with diplomacy. He is to fly back to Washington today. — AFP
Irish Times
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Donald Trump tells Moscow to reach peace deal with Kyiv in 10-12 days or face severe tariffs
Donald Trump has given Russia '10 or 12 days' to reach a peace deal with Ukraine. The US president slashed the 50-day deadline he had issued to Moscow earlier this month to end Europe's biggest war since 1945 or face 'severe' tariffs on its trade. Ukraine welcomed Mr Trump's intention to bring the deadline forward by almost a month and his admission he was 'very disappointed' by Russian president Vladimir Putin and 'not so interested in talking [to him] any more'. 'I'm going to make a new deadline of about 10 or 12 days from today. There's no reason in waiting … I want to be generous, but we just don't see any progress being made,' Mr Trump said beside British prime minister Keir Starmer in Scotland on Monday. READ MORE Earlier, as the leaders stood on the steps of his hotel in Turnberry, Mr Trump said: 'We thought we had it settled numerous times. And then president Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like Kyiv and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever. You have bodies lying all over the street, and I say, 'That's not the way to do it'.' Mr Trump said he had 'spoken to president Putin a lot. I always got along with him very well', but was now 'very disappointed in him'. Since Mr Trump started his second term at the White House in January, Ukraine has urged him to put more pressure on Russia to abandon its full-scale invasion of almost three-and-a-half years, which he said he would be able to end 'in one day' during his re-election campaign. Kyiv agreed in March to a US proposal for a full 30-day ceasefire if Russia also pledged to stop fighting, but over summer the Kremlin's forces have intensified ground attacks on eastern Ukraine and drone and missile strikes across the country. Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy , quickly thanked Mr Trump on social media 'for standing firm and delivering a clear message of peace through strength' and for 'shortening the timeline he gave Putin, because he believes the answer is obvious'. 'Putin respects only power – and that message is loud and clear. When America leads with strength, others think twice,' Mr Yermak said. Mr Zelenskiy is pushing for a peace summit with Putin, but says Ukraine will not accept terms that would amount to capitulation – including demands currently set out by Moscow. The Kremlin insists it respects Mr Trump's push for peace and is willing to hold talks, but only when Ukraine accepts the permanent occupation of five of its regions, abandons any hope of joining Nato and complies with other restrictions on its sovereignty. Mr Trump announced on July 14th he would impose 'severe' tariffs on some Russian exports and on countries that buy them unless a peace deal was agreed within 50 days. The main target would be oil, which is still a huge revenue-earner for the Kremlin and a major contributor to its war chest. Russia's army enjoys a large advantage over Kyiv's forces in numbers and arms supplies and it continues to make slow gains in parts of eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian troops are holding their ground in most areas and claim to have retaken some territory in the northern border region of Sumy in recent days. Russian national airline Aeroflot cancelled dozens of flights on Monday due to what it called an IT fault. Two pro-Ukrainian hacker groups said they had destroyed thousands of the company's servers and stolen a vast amount of passenger and other data.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Trump and Starmer to discuss Gaza ceasefire and US-UK trade at president's Scottish golf course: Live updates
Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer will today meet at the President's Scottish golf course where they are expected to discuss details of a US-UK trade deal, the war between Russia and Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Prime Minister will travel to Ayrshire, where the US president is staying at his Turnberry golf resort, for wide-ranging discussions. The two leaders have built a rapport on the world stage despite their differing political backgrounds, with Mr Trump praising Sir Keir for doing a 'very good job' in office ahead of their talks on Monday. 07:32 Welcome to our live coverage of Trump and Starmer's meeting in Ayrshire today! Good morning - welcome to our live coverage as President Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer are set to meet on his golf course in Turnberry, Scotland today! As we anticipate the meeting between the two world leaders, here is what we know to expect of today's meeting: Starmer and Trump are expected to discuss the prospect of a ceasefire in the Middle East and how to apply pressure on Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. They are also expected to talk one-on-one about advancing implementation of the UK-US trade deal, signed on May 8. The PM is also expected to welcome the President's administration working with Qatar and Egypt to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza. A Number 10 spokesperson said it was expected they will discuss 'what more can be done to secure the ceasefire urgently, bring an end to the unspeakable suffering and starvation in Gaza and free the hostages who have been held so cruelly for so long'. The war in Ukraine will also be up for discussion with both politicians 'set to talk about their shared desire to bring an end to the barbaric war' according to Number 10, and expected to 'reflect on progress in their 50-day drive to arm Ukraine and force Putin to the negotiating table '. After a meeting at the course, Starmer and Trump will travel on together for a further private engagement in Aberdeen.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
EU tells China ties have ‘reached inflection point' at tense Beijing summit
Xi Jinping asked European officials to 'properly handle differences and frictions' as the 25th China - EU summit got underway in Beijing amid simmering tensions over trade and the Ukraine war. 'The current challenges facing Europe do not come from China,' state news agency Xinhua quoted the Chinese leader telling European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Antonio Costa on Thursday. The summit marks 50 years of the establishment of EU-China ties. Expectations are muted as the summit is being held under the shadow of growing trade tensions and hawkish EU rhetoric towards Beijing. Ms von der Leyen earlier this month accused China of using its manufacturing overcapacity to flood global markets and of 'enabling Russia's war economy'. The two sides differ significantly on the Ukraine war as China backs Russia's position on the conflict while the EU provides military, economic and diplomatic support to Kyiv. In addition to Mr Xi, Ms von der Leyen and Mr Costa are expected to meet premier Li Qiang, the Chinese foreign ministry said. Mr Xi urged the EU officials at the summit to "adhere to open cooperation and properly handle differences and frictions" after Ms von der Leyen warned that the bloc's ties with China were at an 'inflection point' and called for a rebalancing of trade ties with the world's second largest economy. 'Improving competitiveness can't rely on 'building walls and fortresses'. 'Decoupling and breaking chains' will only result in isolation,' Mr Xi added, according to Xinhua. He also urged the European leaders to "make correct strategic choices" in a veiled criticism of their recent hawkish stances on China. 'It is hoped the European side will keep the trade and investment market open and refrain from using restrictive economic and trade tools," he said, reiterating China's position on global trade in the wake of America's imposition of sweeping tariffs on almost all major countries. The EU delegation was expected to bring up the subject of electric vehicles and Beijing's export controls on rare earths. The controls temporarily stopped European automotive production lines when they were first announced in May in response to the US tariffs. The EU, meanwhile, has targeted Chinese exports of electric vehicles, among other goods, over the last year and its officials have repeatedly complained about Chinese industrial overcapacity. 'As our cooperation has deepened, so have imbalances,' Ms von der Leyen told the Chinese president during the meeting in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. 'We have reached an inflection point,' she added, asking China to 'come forward with real solutions'. The EU's trade deficit with China surged to a historic high of £265bn last year. In spite of their differences, Beijing and Brussels agreed on a joint statement on climate, an area of mutual cooperation. They agreed to strengthen climate action, signalling renewed cooperation between two of the world's largest polluters at a time of rising global tensions and waning US leadership. They committed to submit new 2035 climate targets, scale up renewable energy, and deepen cooperation on methane, adaptation and green technology ahead of the COP30 climate summit in Brazil. 'This joint statement sends an important signal that climate cooperation can still rise above geopolitical tensions,' said David Waskow, international climate director at the World Resources Institute. 'Stronger leadership from these two major emitters is critically needed to rekindle global momentum after the US stepped away from the Paris Agreement again.' Climate advocates said the pledge could help stabilise the multilateral process but warned that concrete ambition was still lacking. 'The EU–China statement sends a timely message,' Andreas Seiber of told The Independent. 'But the level of ambition remains far too low… aligning with the 1.5C limit requires urgent, credible action, especially with COP30 fast approaching.'
