1 hour ago Keir Starmer and European leaders scramble to halt Donald Trump handing parts of Ukraine to Russia's Vladimir Putin at Alaska summit

The Prime Minister will join a call at lunchtime with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky , France 's Emmanuel Macron and Germany 's Friedrich Merz.

Politics

3 h. ago Trump alone in a room with Putin is a recipe for disaster – just look to their last meeting

The two plan to meet behind closed doors Friday in Alaska to discuss ‘land swapping’. What will happen this time?The lessons of Helsinki are clear: putting Donald Trump alone in a room with Vladimir Putin is an unpredictable – and often dangerous – affair.It was 2018 when the two leaders met at the invitation of Sauli Niinistö, the Finnish president, to discuss a collapse in US-Russia relations, accusations of elections interference, and the grinding war in east Ukraine, among other topics. Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago Trump swallowing Putin’s lies is a bigger threat to Ukraine than bombs | Rafael Behr

In Alaska the Russian leader will claim to want peace, but only on his terms – and play on the president’s desperation to ‘make a deal’ quicklyWars do not have to be won. Total victories loom largest in the popular imagination because those are the stories nations always tell to sustain patriotic feeling. The fuller version of history is written in stalemates.That is worth remembering when Donald Trump meets Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Both leaders have incentives to pretend that Ukraine’s fate can be settled decisively without any Ukrainians at the negotiating table. That doesn’t make it so. Continue reading...

Politics

7 h. ago You really can see Russia from Alaska, and other things to know ahead of Friday's Trump

When U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Alaska on Friday, it will be the latest chapter in the 49th state’s long history with Russia — and with international tensions

Politics

19 h. ago Russian forces break through Ukraine frontline days before Putin

Around 100,000 Russian troops are believed to have travelled at least 10km north of the Ukrainian frontline - days before upcoming peace talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin

Politics

19 h. ago Russia 'breakthrough' in Ukraine: Putin races to grab territory with lightning advance days before meeting with Trump that could end war for good

The gains came just days before US President Donald Trump was to meet Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska for talks on the war.

Politics

23 h. ago Hurry, hurry, hurry! It’s Trump’s great Ukraine giveaway. Bargains galore, if your name is Vladimir Putin | Marina Hyde

The Art of the Deal, the Art of War: I doubt the US president has read or understood either. If Zelenskyy is a worried man, who can blame him?Good to have it confirmed that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will be talking about Ukraine behind its back on Friday in Alaska, as the US president rambled through a press conference on Monday in which he explained that Putin “wasn’t going to mess with me” and that Ukraine was going to have to accept new borders. And listen – you’ll agree that territorial pronouncements mean so much more coming from a guy whose staff once shamelessly redrew a hurricane impact map to stop him looking stoopid. It’s a true honour for the Ukrainians to see their country effectively carved up by someone who would prefer to post-rationalise any old crap with a Sharpie than admit he doesn’t have the first clue about it and cares even less.Leave it to the tasteful visionary behind the Gaza Riviera to categorise what he’s doing as trying to get back some of Ukraine’s...

Politics

23 h. ago Land swaps with Russia are not only unpopular in Ukraine. They're also illegal

A peace deal that requires Kyiv to accept swapping Ukrainian territory with Russia would not only be deeply unpopular

Events

26 h. ago Keir Starmer to speak with Donald Trump after US President warns Ukraine must do a 'land swap' with Russia's Vladimir Putin... but he'll try to recover 'oceanfront property'

The Prime Minister is set to join other European leaders for a videoconference with Mr Trump and US Vice-President JD Vance on Wednesday.

Politics

27 h. ago Zelensky warns Trump not to trust Putin ahead of crunch Ukraine and Russia talks

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has warned Donald Trump not to trust Russian leader Vladimir Putin ahead of their bilateral summit in Alaska this Friday (15 August).

Events

29 h. ago EU leaders say Ukraine should have freedom to decide its future ahead of Trump

Statement on Ukrainian sovereignty endorsed by all European Union leaders except for Hungary’s Viktor OrbánRead all our coverage of the Ukraine warAll but one of the European heads of state and government have said that Ukrainians must have the freedom to decide their future, ahead of a high-stakes summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.“Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities,” the leaders said, adding that “we share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests.” Continue reading...

Politics

34 h. ago Donald Trump ridiculed after embarrassing slip up during Putin meeting announcement

Donald Trump appeared to forget where he and Russian President Vladimir Putin are meeting for their face-to-face later this week, mistakenly declaring he was "going to Russia"

Politics

36 h. ago Starmer set to speak to Trump alongside European leaders ahead of Putin meeting

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned on Monday that peace ‘must be built with Ukraine, not imposed upon it’.

Politics

42 h. ago Donald Trump snubs Zelensky from Putin meeting in brutal 'nothing happened' slam

Donald Trump is set for a face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin on Friday, but appears to have sidelined Volodymyr Zelensky from this week's discussions

Politics

44 h. ago Keir Starmer warns Donald Trump that Vladimir Putin can't be trusted 'as far as you can throw him' ahead of US President's talks with Russian leader

The US President is set to meet the Russian leader in Alaska later this week for peace talks over Ukraine .

Politics

52 h. ago Oil and gold prices retreat on Ukraine optimism; Fabergé sold to US investment firm – business live

Trump and Putin due to meet in Alaska on Friday; White House to clarify ‘misinformation’ about import tariffs on gold barsEuropean stocks have risen cautiously, while oil and gold prices have fallen further, amid optimism of over a potential Ukraine peace deal, ahead of talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska at the end of the week.The FTSE 100 index has turned positive and is trading by 0.3% higher 9,124. Continue reading...

Economics

59 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: US ambassador to Nato says Zelenskyy could attend Alaska summit but decision is Trump’s

Matthew Whitaker spoke as Europeans put pressure on US to include Ukrainian president in meeting with PutinThe US ambassador to Nato said on Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could attend this week’s US-Russia summit in Alaska, as European leaders push for Kyiv to be part of the negotiations. Ambassador Matthew Whitaker was asked on CNN whether Zelenskyy might join US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday. “Yes, I certainly think it’s possible,” he said. “Certainly, there can’t be a deal that everybody that’s involved in it doesn’t agree to. And, I mean, obviously, it’s a high priority to get this war to end.” Whitaker said the decision would ultimately be Trump’s to make. “If he thinks that that is the best scenario to invite Zelenskyy, then he will do that,” he said, adding that “no decision has been made to this point.”Germany warned the White House on Sunday against any deal hatched “over the heads of Europeans and Ukrainia...

Politics

66 h. ago Europe’s leaders raise pressure on Trump to involve Ukraine in Putin talks

Move comes as Germany warns White House against any deal hatched ‘over heads of Europeans and Ukrainians’Europe’s leaders have raised the pressure on Donald Trump to involve Ukraine in a planned summit with Vladimir Putin, as Germany warned the White House against any deal hatched “over the heads of Europeans and Ukrainians”.Speaking before a bilateral meeting expected to take place between the US and Russian leaders on Friday in Alaska, the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said he hoped and assumed that Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, would also be involved. Continue reading...

Politics

66 h. ago JD Vance says Zelensky meeting Putin would not be 'productive'

U.S. Vice President JD Vance previewed the anticipated meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska this week.

Politics

2 d. ago Zelenskyy welcomes European leaders’ demand peace talks must include Kyiv

Europe promises to ‘stand firmly’ with Ukraine as Trump and Putin prepare to meet for summit on FridayThe Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has welcomed a statement from European allies that insists the “path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine”, before a planned summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.In a joint statement issued on Saturday night, leaders from the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Poland and Finland, along with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stressed Kyiv must be included in any peace talks with Russia. Continue reading...

Politics