
Donald Trump prioritises 'food and safety' in Gaza as he hosts Kier Starmer
Mr Trump said food and safety must be the priority as the conflict drags on, with ceasefire talks at an impasse.
He said he also planned to discuss the humanitarian situation with Starmer during his visit on Monday.
'We're giving a lot of money and a lot of food, and other nations are now stepping up,' Mr Trump said. 'It's a mess. They have to get food and safety right now.'
The crisis in Gaza is a priority for the two leaders, but talks also expected to include the bilateral trade deal and efforts to end Ukraine war.
The US President said he told Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu that the fight in Gaza against the Hamas militant group would have to be conducted in a different way after the latest talks on a ceasefire and hostage release agreement fell apart last week.
UK officials said Mr Starmer had developed a plan for peace in Gaza that prioritised deliveries of immediate humanitarian aid shipments into the war zone as well as charting a path to a two-state solution.
Mr Starmer hopes to promote a UK-led plan 'in the coming days' with his cabinet and with other international allies, including Arab states.
The Prime Minister's spokesman added that it was a matter of 'when, not if' the UK recognises Palestine as a state, but that it must be one of the steps along a pathway to peace.
The pair met at Mr Trump's luxury golf resort in Turnberry, on Scotland's west coast, before travelling on together later to a second championship estate owned by Trump in the east, near Aberdeen.
Hundreds of police officers were guarding the perimeter of the Turnberry course and the beach that flanks it, with a helicopter hovering overhead, although there was no sign of protesters outside the course.
Mr Trump said he expected Mr Starmer would be pleased with the US-EU trade agreement announced on Sunday. 'The Prime Minister of the UK, while he's not involved in this, will be very happy because you know, there's a certain unity that's been brought there, too,' Mr Trump said. 'He's going to be very happy to see what we did.'
Mr Starmer had hoped to negotiate a reduction in steel and aluminium tariffs as part of the talks, but Trump ruled out any changes to the 50 per cent steel and aluminium duties for the EU. He has said the trade deal with Britain is 'concluded', though British officials are pressing for more access to those US markets.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The National
an hour ago
- The National
Democrats ask US State Department to stop funding GHF and return to UN-led aid delivery
More than 20 Democratic senators are urging President Donald Trump 's administration to end its support for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in the wake of the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians at or near aid sites under its control. Since May 27, the GHF has been solely in charge of aid distribution in Gaza, where in recent weeks dozens of Palestinians have starved to death. Several reports have alleged that the GHF's private guards or the Israeli military have shot desperate Palestinians as they have sought food at aid sites. 'We urge you to immediately cease all US funding for GHF and resume support for the existing UN-led aid co-ordination mechanisms with enhanced oversight to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches civilians in need,' the senators, led by Chris Van Hollen, said in a letter addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly denied starvation is occurring in Gaza, but President Donald Trump on Monday conceded that what is happening in the enclave is ' real starvation '. 'I see it, and you can't fake that,' Mr Trump said while on a visit to Scotland. 'We have to get the kids fed.' He said the UK and other European countries would join in providing aid to Gaza 'so we're going to set up food centres where people can walk in with no boundaries', he said. Shocking images of malnourished children have emerged in recent days, prompting accusations that Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war. Since May, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while waiting for food near GHF centres, according to the UN. That number prompted the senators to ask whether the State Department had its own assessment of the number of Palestinians killed since GHF took over aid distribution in the enclave. 'Does the State Department assess that civilians have been killed in or around the GHF distribution sites?' the senators wrote. 'If so, how many have been killed and who was responsible for their deaths? Has the State Department requested information from the Israeli government or from GHF and contractors on the ground concerning any incidents of civilian harm?'


Gulf Today
2 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Gold falls on US-EU trade deal agreement
Gold fell to a near three-week low on Monday as a US-European Union trade accord lifted the dollar and risk sentiment, while investors awaited fresh cues on rate policy from this week's Federal Reserve meeting. Spot gold fell 1% to $3,304.87 per ounce as of 10:10am, touching its lowest level since July 9. US gold futures were down 0.6% at $3,320.20 per ounce. The US dollar index rose to a one-week high, making bullion more expensive for overseas buyers. A weekend deal between US President Donald Trump and the European Commission imposed a 15% tariff on EU goods, half the rate initially threatened, easing fears of a broader trade war. That pact came on the heels of last week's US-Japan agreement, while US and Chinese officials will resume talks in Stockholm on Monday, aiming to extend their trade truce by another 90 days. However, a US trade representative said no major breakthrough was expected with China, noting discussions would focus on monitoring and implementing existing commitments. The US Federal Reserve is expected to keep its benchmark rate in the 4.25%-4.50% range when its two-day meeting concludes on Wednesday. Markets, meanwhile, continue to price in a potential September rate reduction. Gold tends to do well in a low-interest-rate environment. Elsewhere, spot silver was down 0.2% at $38.05 per ounce, while platinum fell 1.8% at $1,375.88 and palladium gained 0.5% to $1,226.25. Reuters


The National
2 hours ago
- The National
EU-US tariff deal draws mixed reaction with French calling it 'submission'
US President Donald Trump's tariff deal with the European Union drew mixed reviews from the bloc's leaders, with some criticising the agreement that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen struck. As part of the deal, the EU will pay a 15 per cent tariff on most goods, including cars, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. The rate is half of what Mr Trump had previously threatened to impose on imports from the bloc. The EU also agreed to purchase billions of dollars worth of US energy and weapons as part of the deal which also involves no tariffs on US exports to Europe. The EU defended the deal on Monday. 'I'm 100 per cent sure that this deal is better than a trade war with the United States,' Reuters reported EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic as saying. Ms von der Leyen said it was the 'best we could get'. Other leaders across the bloc, however, were less enthusiastic. 'It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, united to affirm their values and defend their interests, resolves to submission,' French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou wrote on X. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has a close relationship with Mr Trump, said the EU Commissioner did not stand a chance against the US President. 'It wasn't a deal that President Donald Trump made with Ursula von der Leyen. It was Donald Trump eating Ursula von der Leyen for breakfast,' he said on his podcast. The agreement was the latest announced by Washington in Mr Trump's attempts to reset the country's trade relations with its partners. As well as Japan, he announced deals with the UK and Vietnam, and has agreed to a truce with China under which the two economic powers will drastically lower tariffs on each other while negotiations continue. The EU-US agreement was similar to the one Mr Trump made with Japan, in which he set his so-called reciprocal tariffs at 15 per cent. Military dimensions "That was the template for this deal but that does not completely explain why the EU had to sign this deal,' Simon J Evenett, professor at IMD Business School in Lausanne, told The National. 'The principal reason the EU had to sign this deal is because of the continued US military support for Ukraine. That is the geopolitical overlay which created the imperative for the EU signing this deal. "Halving the tariff rate on the bloc would be an obvious attractive proposition for EU exporters, but we should be under no illusion about the importance of the military dimension here.' Together, the EU and US represent about 30 per cent of global trade in goods and services and 43 per cent of global gross domestic product, according to figures from the European Council and the Council of the EU. The EU and US trade in goods last year was valued at €867 billion ($1.01 trillion), with total transatlantic trade in goods and services valued at more than €1.68 trillion, the councils said. Leaders from Sweden and Denmark joined Mr Orban and Mr Bayrou in expressing disappointment with the agreement. Sweden's Minister for Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa noted that the deal would bring the highest tariff rate on Europe in nearly eight decades. 'The agreement doesn't make anyone richer but it may be the least bad option," he said on X. "Increased tariffs are primarily paid by the country's own citizens, which is why most wealthy countries have lowered tariffs against the rest of the world over the past 100 years." Some members of the bloc, however, defended the deal for bringing some clarity to the trade tension between the US and EU. 'This agreement has succeeded in averting a trade conflict that would have hit the export-orientated German economy hard,' Reuters quoted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as saying. Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo also said the agreement brings 'much-needed predictability' to Finnish companies and the world economy. 'Work must continue to dismantle trade barriers. Only free transatlantic trade benefits both sides the most,' he wrote. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who also has a friendly relationship with Mr Trump, said she considers it 'positive that there is an agreement'. 'But if I don't see the details I am not able to judge it in the best way,' she said.