Trump says he is open to trade talks; EU officials coming
'They would like to do a different kind of a deal and we're always open to talk, including to Europe. In fact, they're coming over. They'd like to talk.'
Trump stepped up his trade war on Saturday, saying he would impose a 30 percent tariff on most imports from the EU and Mexico from next month, adding to similar warnings for other countries including Asian economic powerhouses Japan and South Korea.
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Asharq Al-Awsat
30 minutes ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Ukraine to Boost Domestic Arms Production to Counter Russia's Invasion, Says Zelensky
A new Ukrainian government approved Thursday will race to expand domestic arms production to meet half the country's weapons needs within six months as it tries to push back Russia's invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Meanwhile, Switzerland said Thursday that the US Defense Department had informed it that Washington is diverting a Swiss order for Patriot air defense systems to help Ukraine, which badly needs to improve its response to increasingly heavy Russian aerial attacks. Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine The Swiss Defense Ministry, which in 2022 ordered five Patriot systems, said Thursday it has been informed by the US Defense Department that it will 'reprioritize the delivery of Patriot systems to support Ukraine.' It was not immediately clear whether the Swiss-ordered Patriots would go directly to Ukraine or would replace units in other European countries that may be donated to Kyiv, The AP news reported. Delivery to Switzerland of the systems, worth billions of dollars, was scheduled to begin in 2027 and be completed in 2028. But the Swiss government said Washington informed it of the delay on Wednesday, adding that it was unclear how many systems would be affected. The need to adequately arm Ukraine's military is pressing as Russia looks to drive forward its summer offensive after three years of war and pounds Ukrainian cities with hundreds of drones and ballistic and cruise missiles. It remains unclear when the promised US-made weapons, especially the Patriot systems, might reach Ukraine. Trump has agreed to send the weaponry, but it will be paid for by European countries. No timeframe for foreign weapons in Ukraine The US Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, said he couldn't give a timeframe for when Ukraine might get extra foreign weapons. 'We are all moving with haste to facilitate this and get this done. Things are actually moving very quickly, but I can't verify a date that this will all be completed. I think it's going to be an ongoing movement,' he told reporters in Brussels. 'The plan is that there will be American-made defense equipment, capabilities, that will be sold to our European allies, that they will provide to Ukraine,' he said. British Defense Secretary John Healey said Thursday he and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius will chair a meeting of Ukraine's allies on Monday to discuss US President Donald Trump's weapons plans. Healey said US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO leader Mark Rutte will attend the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, told The Associated Press Thursday that 'preparations are underway' for weapons transfers to Ukraine and that NATO is working 'very closely' with Germany to transfer Patriot systems. Grynkewich said at a military event in Wiesbaden, Germany, that he had been ordered to 'move (the weapons) out as quickly as possible.' He said the number of weapons being transferred is classified. German Defense Ministry spokesperson Mitko Müller said Wednesday he couldn't confirm that anything is currently on its way to Ukraine. Rutte, the NATO chief, said in Washington on Monday that the alliance is coordinating the military support with funding from allies in Europe and Canada. He said there were commitments from Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada, 'with more expected to follow.' Ukraine now makes 40% of its own weapons Ukraine's domestic defense manufacturing already accounts for almost 40% of weapons used by the Ukrainian military, according to Zelensky. As uncertainty grows about how many more weapons shipments Western countries can provide — and how quickly — Ukraine is keen to increase its output and widen its strikes on Russian soil. 'What we need is greater capacity to push the war back onto Russia's territory — back to where the war was brought from," Zelensky said late Wednesday in his nightly video address. 'We must reach the level of 50% Ukrainian-made weapons within the first six months of the new government's work by expanding our domestic production.' Ukraine has also developed its own long-range drones, which it uses to strike deep inside Russia . Russian air defenses shot down 122 Ukrainian drones overnight, the country's defense ministry said Thursday. The wave of drones caused flights to be grounded at airports in Moscow and St. Petersburg, although most of the drones were reportedly destroyed over the border regions of Bryansk and Kursk. Meanwhile, Russia attacked Ukraine with 64 Shahed and decoy drones overnight, killing at least one person, the Ukrainian air force reported. The assault centered on the industrial Dnipropetrovsk region, officials said. In other developments: Russia on Thursday sent to Ukraine 1,000 bodies, including some of the country's fallen soldiers, the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said. At the same time, Russia received the bodies of 19 soldiers, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky said. The exchange was part of a deal reached at direct peace talks last May and June that produced few other agreements between the sides.
Arab News
38 minutes ago
- Arab News
Tourist magnet Barcelona to cut cruise ship capacity
Spain's second-largest city hosts one of the world's busiest ports for cruise trafficCruise passenger numbers grew by 20 percent between 2018 and 2024BARCELONA: Barcelona unveiled on Thursday a plan to reduce the number of cruise passengers arriving at its port, part of a wider trend to combat overtourism in Europe's most popular city of Barcelona and the port authority signed an agreement to reduce the number of cruise ship terminals from seven to five by 2030, cutting traveler capacity from 37,000 to 31, second-largest city hosts one of the world's busiest ports for cruise traffic, having received 3.65 million such passengers in 2024, according to Barcelona's Tourism passenger numbers grew by 20 percent between 2018 and 2024, Barcelona's Socialist mayor Jaume Collboni said in a statement.'For the first time in history, limits are being set on the growth of cruise ships in the city,' Collboni demolition of three existing cruise terminals and the construction of a new one will cost 185 million euros ($215 million), adding to previous investments since a first protocol was signed in has helped drive the dynamic Spanish economy, making it the world's second most-visited country with a record 94 million foreign visitors last the boom has fueled anger about unaffordable housing and concern that mass visitor numbers are changing the fabric of neighborhoods, sparking protests in tourism its Mediterranean beaches and world-famous cultural landmarks such as the Sagrada Familia basilica, Barcelona is on the front line of mass tourism, receiving millions of visitors every announced last year a plan to scrap around 10,000 tourist rental apartments by 2028 in an attempt to ease local in Europe, the popular Italian city of Venice introduced a charge for day visitors last year, while Greece is implementing a tax on cruise ships docking at its islands.
Arab News
38 minutes ago
- Arab News
No visit by Trump to Pakistan ‘scheduled at this time' — White House official
ISLAMABAD: No visit to Pakistan by US President Donald Trump has been scheduled, a White House official confirmed on Thursday, contradicting media reports in Pakistan that claimed he would arrive in the country in mid-September. At least two Pakistani media outlets had reported that Trump was expected to visit Islamabad around September 18. The reports fueled speculation about a possible South Asia tour that could include a rare presidential trip to Pakistan. However, Trump is already scheduled to travel to the United Kingdom from September 17 to 19, where he is expected to meet members of the royal family and participate in events hosted by Buckingham Palace, according to a previously issued statement from the palace. Separately, Indian media have reported that Trump may also stop in New Delhi in September, though exact dates have not been confirmed by the White House. In response to an Arab News query regarding a potential Pakistan visit, the White House said on background: 'A trip to Pakistan has not been scheduled at this time.' Geo and ARY news channels had said earlier on Thursday that Trump was expected to visit Pakistan in September. But both later withdrew their reports. If Trump does end up visiting Pakistan, it would be his first to Pakistan as president and the first by a US president since George W. Bush's trip to Islamabad in 2006. US-Pakistan relations saw a major boost when Trump hosted Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House last month in an unprecedented lunch meeting.
