17 h. ago Macron and Starmer talk Trump, boats and Ukraine – but Brexit is the ghost at the banquet | Rafael Behr

The prime minister has repaired broken relations with France, but Britain still looks perilously isolated in a world of shifting alliancesGilded carriages and royal banquets are not essential tools of modern diplomacy, but nor are they obsolete. In a digital age, when intergovernmental business could easily be conducted online, the analogue grandeur of a state visit feels potent as a bestowal of favour.This week Emmanuel Macron is the beneficiary. In September it will be Donald Trump. The sequence is not meant to indicate preference. Both relationships are special, say officials. There are enough champagne receptions and sleepovers at Windsor Castle to go around.Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnistOne year of Labour, with Pippa Crerar, Rafael Behr and more On 9 July, join Pippa Crerar, Raf Behr, Frances O’Grady and Salma Shah as they look back at one year of the Labour government, its current policies and plans for the next four years Continue reading...

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26 h. ago Trump slams Putin’s ‘bulls***’ amid Russia’s ongoing Ukraine war

Donald Trump has called out Vladimir Putin’s “bulls***” whilst discussing the ongoing Russian war and Ukrainian peace talks.

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27 h. ago Trump rips into Putin for 'bull****' as Ukraine peace talks unravel despite dictator's 'nice' front

President Donald Trump ripped into Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, accusing him of 'bull****' in negotiations to end war with Ukraine.

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6 d. ago Trump and Putin speak after Pentagon stops Ukraine missile shipments

Phone call comes after a top Pentagon official ordered a halt to any arms shipments bound for Kyiv’s defense

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6 d. ago Ukraine's president arrives in Denmark for talks with key European backers

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Denmark as the Nordic country launches its European Union presidency

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2 w. ago Ukraine's Zelensky meets the King and PM in London ahead of Nato summit as UK vows to help Kyiv gear up military production in Russia war

The Ukrainian president arrived in Downing Street for talks ahead of the Nato summit in the Netherlands, having had lunch with the King.

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2 w. ago Defence spending target of 5% GDP a ‘quantum leap’ in security, says Nato’s Rutte– Europe live

Ukrainian president to hold talks with UK PM after meeting with kingFor more updates on the Israel-Iran war, including US president Donald Trump’s call to “make Iran great again”, you can also follow our live blog here run by Jane Clinton:Let’s stop for a moment on that question of the EU-Israel association agreement, which sees Spain calling for immediate suspension of the deal, while Germany appears to be distancing itself from it. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Putin declares ‘all of Ukraine is ours’ in latest blow to peace talks

Putin also hinted that Moscow stands ready to use a nuclear weapon if Kyiv’s forces used a so-called ‘dirty bomb’ - but Ukraine has denied it would ever do so

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2 w. ago Putin says he would only meet Zelenskyy in ‘final phase’ of talks – Europe live

Putin’s comments come as fighting continues and Ukraine says Russia avoiding peace talksFor what it’s worth, Russia’s Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he was ready to meet with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy but only during a “final phase” of negotiations “so as not to sit there and divide things up endlessly, but to put an end to it”.But his broader comments were not really conciliatory, and will do little to raise hopes of a negotiated settlement.“The strikes were carried out against military industries, not residential quarters.” Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Trump disbands US group that looked for ways to pressure Russia into peace talks with Ukraine

‘It lost steam toward the end because the president wasn’t there,’ an official said

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3 w. ago Keir Starmer says G7 will discuss Russia sanctions at summit if Putin holds out on ceasefire talks

Leaders will hold talks on the war in Ukraine and spiralling conflict in the Middle East as they gather at a major global summit in Canada.

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3 w. ago Starmer: G7 will discuss Russia sanctions if Putin holds out on ceasefire talks

Leaders will hold talks on the war in Ukraine and spiralling conflict in the Middle East as they gather at a major global summit in Canada.

Politics

3 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv repatriates more bodies of fallen soldiers amid major exchange with Russia

Ukraine says return in line with deal reached in Turkey while Russia hands over 1,200 bodies; Moscow claims capture of another Sumy village. What we know on day 1,207Ukraine has repatriated more bodies of fallen soldiers in accordance with an agreement reached during peace talks in Istanbul, Ukrainian officials said Friday. Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said Russia had returned 1,200 bodies, and “according to the Russian side, the bodies belong to Ukrainian citizens, in particular military personnel”. The repatriation of the bodies was carried out with the help of Ukraine’s armed forces, the country’s security service, the interior ministry and other government agencies, its statement said. Forensic experts would now work to identify the remains. The repatriation marks one of the war’s largest returns of remains.Russia says its forces have captured another village in Ukraine’s north-eastern Sumy region amid its ramped-up offensive there. M...

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3 w. ago Ukraine repatriates more bodies of fallen soldiers in line with an agreement with Russia

Ukrainian officials say Ukraine has repatriated another 1,200 bodies in line with an agreement reached during peace talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations

Events

3 w. ago Putin mocking Trump with attacks on Ukraine, Poland says, as European foreign ministers meet for defence talks – Europe live

Ministers to discuss Weimar+ model joined by Nato secretary general and EU foreign policy chief ahead of Nato summit later this monthEuropean foreign ministers are now arriving in Rome for their Weimar+ meeting on security and Ukraine.Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said his country needs “at least 10 years” to raise defence spending and comply with new targets to be agreed by Nato, adding that a deal on them could soon be reached, Reuters reported. Continue reading...

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