Trump has given Ukraine a chance to stop Putin in his tracks
With Mark Rutte, Nato Secretary General, seated beside him in the Oval Office, Trump said he was 'very unhappy' that his conversations about the peace deal with Putin were followed by Russian bombings in Ukraine:
I speak to Putin a lot about getting this done, and I always hang up and say, 'That was a nice phone call.' I go home and tell the First Lady, 'I spoke with Vladimir today. We had a wonderful conversation.' She says, 'Oh, really? Another city was just bombed … I don't wanna say he is an assassin, but he is a tough guy. It's been proven over the years. He fooled a lot of people. He fooled Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden, but he didn't fool me.'
Ukrainians will greet this news with great relief: their country's survival has relied on the erratic moods within Trump's administration that have led to three halts in military aid since January. Now, Ukraine can expect a continuous flow of weapons to the front line. The 17 Patriots interceptors will protect civilians as well as soldiers from Russian missile attacks. But this new deal doesn't mean that Trump has taken Ukraine's side – rather, he is frustrated with Putin's unwillingness to stop.
When Trump failed to quickly deliver any kind of a ceasefire, he had two options to choose from: either to abandon Ukraine and risk its collapse during his term or continue Joe Biden's policy of aiding its resistance. Both options must have been hard to swallow, given that Trump repeatedly lashed out at Biden for the chaotic retreat from Afghanistan and for pouring billions of taxpayer dollars into Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelensky handed Trump a way out at the Nato summit two weeks ago, offering a scheme under which the EU pays for American-made weapons and gifts them to Ukraine. It was a dream business offer Trump couldn't resist.
As for Putin, Trump has given him a 50 day deadline to finish the summer offensive. The Russian troops seized about 215 sq miles of territory last month, a record this year. They are yet to make a breakthrough but much can change before September.
Putin's plan to crush Ukraine when American aid dries up may have failed, but he still has an overwhelming advantage in manpower and weapon quantities. According to Ukrainian intelligence, some 30,000 North Koreans will soon join the fight. Konstantin Kosachev, vice speaker of Russia's Federation Council, wrote on his Telegram that Trump's announcement won't affect Russia's stance:
And in 50 days, oh how much can change – both on the battlefield and in the mood of those in power in the US and Nato.
When summer, the best season for the ground offensive, ends, Trump believes Putin will come to the negotiating table. He is even concerned that, with all the weapons received, Ukraine may feel 'emboldened' to continue the fight and refuse the peace deal. Rutte was right to dismiss his doubts. 'Ukraine wants a peace deal and they will stay committed to that, there is no doubt', he said. 'You and I will make sure of it.' Ukraine's best chance is to use this time – and America's weapons – to stabilise the front line and stop the Russian advances once and for all.
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The Guardian
25 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Slovakia blocks EU move to impose new sanctions package on Russia
Update: Date: 2025-07-15T15:45:07.000Z Title: Kaja Kallas Content: EU foreign policy chief says 'ball is in Slovakia's court' after leader Robert Fico blocked 'imbecile' proposal to ban Russian gas imports from 2028 Tom Ambrose (now) and Jakub Krupa (earlier) Tue 15 Jul 2025 17.45 CEST First published on Tue 15 Jul 2025 09.27 CEST From 4.59pm CEST 16:59 EU foreign policy chief is now briefing the media after today's foreign affairs council in Brussels. She begins by talking about Ukraine and Russia: 'Russia's bombing campaign has reached record levels, and we see increasing use of banned chemical weapons by Russia in Ukraine. All this shows that Russia does not want peace.' She then confirms that Slovakia blocked the adoption of the 18th package of sanctions today as she says: 'I'm really sad that we didn't reach this agreement today. I must say that we were really close to reassuring Slovakia. The commission has delivered what they asked for. Now, the ball is in Slovakia's court, and we must get this deal done. It has been already two months. Sanctions are necessary to starve Russia of the means to wage this war, and the European Union will keep rising the cost, so stopping its aggression becomes the only path forward to Moscow.' She adds that she welcomes Trump's announcements last night, but says the EU 'would like to see the US to share the burden'. 'America and Europe are working together, and if we are working together, this can put the pressure on Putin to negotiate seriously. The only way to get Putin to end this war is to force his hand,' she said. 5.45pm CEST 17:45 EU foreign ministers will discuss Russian frozen assets during an informal meeting at the end of August, EU foreign policy chief said on Tuesday after a meeting with the ministers in Brussels. 'It's important that everybody hears everybody's arguments, and then we can also come up with compromises to address these sensitivities', Kallas said. 5.25pm CEST 17:25 Joseph Gedeon Marjorie Taylor Greene has criticized Donald Trump over his new pledge to send 'billions of dollars' worth of weapons to Ukraine, accusing him of breaking a campaign promise by continuing the very aid that Republicans spent years blocking under Joe Biden. 'MAGA did not vote for more weapons to Ukraine,' the Georgia congresswoman, one of Trump's most staunch allies in Washington, wrote on X on Tuesday, referring to the 'Make America great again' moniker adopted by Trump's base of supporters. 'MAGA voted for no more US involvement in foreign wars.' Trump's Oval Office announcement on Monday with the Nato chief, Mark Rutte, represented a pivot from his longstanding position of wanting to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict quickly, and a U-turn on the administration's rhetoric towards European defence more broadly. The president said the sales would include a 'full complement' of weapons, including Patriot missiles. 'We will have some within days,' Trump said. Under the plan, he said European allies would swap existing Patriots for American-made systems and foot the bill by raising defense spending to 5% of GDP. Updated at 5.40pm CEST 5.12pm CEST 17:12 Jakub Krupa I'm handing the blog over to Tom Ambrose who will guide you through the rest of the afternoon. 5.12pm CEST 17:12 Asked what she meant by saying that the US could share more of the burden on helping Ukraine with the new military deliveries, Kallas says: 'Well, if we pay for these weapons, it's our support. it's European support, and we are doing as much as we can to help Ukraine. And therefore the call is that that everybody would do the same. If you promise to give the weapons, but say that somebody else who is going to pay for it is not really given by you, is it?' 5.07pm CEST 17:07 Separately, Kallas also spoke briefly about Georgia – worrying that 'the assault on democracy by the Georgian Dream is growing more severe' and saying that 'Georgia's democratic backsliding will come at cost' – and Moldova, stressing that the country is 'a prime target of Moscow's hybrid war' and warning that anyone attempting to destabilise the country will face EU sanctions. She later returns to Georgia, saying that suspending EU visa-free regime for Georgia could be on the table as the Georgian government needs to 'ensure and uphold the protection of fundamental rights of all Georgian citizens.' She says: 'They have been given a deadline until the end of August to comply with this. Then the question is, how do we then react if these recommendations have not been fulfilled? And as we hear that, for example, seven opposition leaders out of eight have been put in jail, this is not really in accordance with the you know, the first point that I pointed out.' She adds that the EU does not want to hurt Georgian people and take the visa-free movement away from them, but adds 'it is also an issue of credibility for the EU.' Updated at 5.10pm CEST 5.05pm CEST 17:05 Kallas was also asked about Fico's comments (15:56), addressing them in very general terms saying that 'if you go into negotiations or worries you have, [and] your sensitivities are addressed, then it's … important that you don't present any anything on top of it.' She says that further talks on technical level will continue on Wednesday, and suggests it's important to adopt the package to 'put the pressure on Russia,' but acknowledges that it's difficult to navigate the process with 27 member states. She declines to say if she sees Fico's as reasonable. 5.02pm CEST 17:02 On the Middle East, Kallas says there are 'positive signs' in the aftermath of last week's humanitarian deal between the EU and Israel when it comes to Gaza, but 'Israel needs to take more concrete steps to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground.' She added: 'I also presented ministers an inventory of different measures that could be taken in relation to the review done in June. So we had a discussion on this, and these are choices that the member states have to make. We will keep these options on the table and stand ready to act if Israel does not live up to its pledges. The aim is not to punish Israel. The aim is to really improve the situation in Gaza.' 4.59pm CEST 16:59 EU foreign policy chief is now briefing the media after today's foreign affairs council in Brussels. She begins by talking about Ukraine and Russia: 'Russia's bombing campaign has reached record levels, and we see increasing use of banned chemical weapons by Russia in Ukraine. All this shows that Russia does not want peace.' She then confirms that Slovakia blocked the adoption of the 18th package of sanctions today as she says: 'I'm really sad that we didn't reach this agreement today. I must say that we were really close to reassuring Slovakia. The commission has delivered what they asked for. Now, the ball is in Slovakia's court, and we must get this deal done. It has been already two months. Sanctions are necessary to starve Russia of the means to wage this war, and the European Union will keep rising the cost, so stopping its aggression becomes the only path forward to Moscow.' She adds that she welcomes Trump's announcements last night, but says the EU 'would like to see the US to share the burden'. 'America and Europe are working together, and if we are working together, this can put the pressure on Putin to negotiate seriously. The only way to get Putin to end this war is to force his hand,' she said. 3.56pm CEST 15:56 Slovak prime minister Robert Fico has just publicly responded to the earlier Reuters report on the European Commission's reassurances for the country as officials seek to break the deadlock on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia. Making the letter public on Facebook, Fico said the proposal was shared with leaders of other parties and rejected as insufficient, so the country will continue to delay the adoption of the latest round of sanctions on Russia. In the letter, first reported by Reuters (14:08), European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said officials worked on 'an ambitious and comprehensive work plan with Slovakia in recognition of the particular challenges stemming from national circumstances' and commited to 'addressing the specific challenges for Slovakia.' But Fico reiterated his opposition to 'imbecile' proposal to ban Russian gas imports from 2028, but said he was ready to negotiate on further guarantees that would make the proposal work for Slovakia, saying 'the best solution' would be to grant an exception to continue the existing gas delivery contract until its scheduled end in 2034. While the gas proposal is unrelated to the sanctions package, Fico said he was linking the two to leverage Slovakia's position in the talks, as sanctions required unanimity among the member states. In the meantime, the Slovak representative at today's foreign affairs council was told to request that the vote on the sanction package be delayed, he said. Updated at 4.04pm CEST 3.40pm CEST 15:40 Sam Levin In other news, we reported earlier today on a disturbing story of an Irish tourist jailed by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement for months after overstaying US visit by three days. From there, what should have been a minor incident became a nightmarish ordeal: he was detained by Ice in three different facilities, ultimately spending roughly 100 days behind bars with little understanding of why he was being held – or when he'd get out. 'Nobody is safe from the system if they get pulled into it,' said Thomas, in a recent interview from his home in Ireland, a few months after his release. Thomas asked to be identified by a nickname out of fear of facing further consequences with US immigration authorities. Despite immediately agreeing to deportation when he was first arrested, Thomas remained in Ice detention after Donald Trump took office and dramatically ramped up immigration arrests. Amid increased overcrowding in detention, Thomas was forced to spend part of his time in custody in a federal prison for criminal defendants, even though he was being held on an immigration violation. Thomas was sent back to Ireland in March and was told he was banned from entering the US for 10 years. Thomas's ordeal follows a rise in reports of tourists and visitors with valid visas being detained by Ice, including from Australia, Germany, Canada and the UK. In April, an Irish woman who is a US green card holder was also detained by Ice for 17 days due to a nearly two-decade-old criminal record. The arrests appear to be part of a broader crackdown by the Trump administration, which has pushed to deport students with alleged ties to pro-Palestinian protests; sent detainees to Guantánamo Bay and an El Salvador prison without presenting evidence of criminality; deported people to South Sudan, a war-torn country where the deportees had no ties; and escalated large-scale, militarized raids across the US. Read Thomas's story here: 2.49pm CEST 14:49 Meanwhile, Swedish defence minister Pal Jonson confirmed to Reuters that the country will contribute to efforts to boost arms supplies to Ukraine following US president Donald Trump's decision to supply billions of dollars of weapons. 'We welcome the American decision to make possible increased sanctions against Russia and to pave the way for the delivery of Patriots and other weapon systems to Ukraine,' Jonson said in an emailed comment to Reuters. 'Sweden will contribute,' he added, without offering further details. 2.39pm CEST 14:39 Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal has just confirmed he filed his resignation from the post, a day after president Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked his deputy, Yulia Svyrydenko, to lead the government after a reshuffle. In a Telegram message posted alongside a picture of his hand-written resignation note, he said: 'Thank you to our defenders who are holding the front and protecting Ukraine! Thank you to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the trust! Thank you to the entire team for their tireless work for our country! Glory to Ukraine!' Updated at 2.43pm CEST 2.17pm CEST 14:17 There is a major news story breaking in the UK about thousands of people being relocated to the UK as part of a secret £850m scheme set up after a personal data leak of Afghans who supported British forces. PA news agency reported that a dataset containing the personal information of nearly 19,000 people who applied for the Afghan relocations and assistance policy (Arap) was released 'in error' by a defence official in February 2022. The breach resulted in the creation of a secret Afghan relocation scheme – the Afghanistan Response Route – in April 2024. The scheme is understood to have cost about £400m so far, with a projected cost once completed of about £850m. Millions more is expected to be paid in legal costs and compensation. You can follow live updates here:
North Wales Chronicle
34 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
PM wants fewer jobless foreign nationals on benefits as first-time data released
The number has risen by almost a fifth (17%) in a year, from 514,961 in May 2024 to 604,914 in May this year. The figures, published by the Department for Work and Pensions on Tuesday, show the number of British and Irish nationals not in work and claiming universal credit (UC) has also risen over the same 12-month period. There were 4.3 million people in the Common Travel Area category – made up of people who live or work in the UK without any immigration restrictions – on UC in May. This rose from 3.5 million in May last year and was almost double the 2.8 million such claimants in May 2022, which is the earliest month for which data is available. In total there were 7.9 million people on UC – a payment to help with living costs and available for people on low incomes or those who are out of work or cannot work – in June. The vast majority – 6.6 million or (83.6%) – were British and Irish nationals and those who live or work in the UK without any immigration restrictions. Just over a third (34% or 2.7 million) of all those on UC were in work as of May. The figures showed that the total number of UC claimants who are refugees, have EU settled status, arrived under a humanitarian route or have either limited or indefinite leave to remain in the UK has risen year-on-year, from 1.1 million in June 2024 to 1.2 million last month. The numbers in these categories on UC and out of work have also risen steadily over the past three years, with the Conservatives saying they have a 'clear, common-sense position' that the benefit 'should be reserved for UK citizens only'. The Government said it had 'inherited a broken welfare system and spiralling, unsustainable benefits bill' and was working on reforms including tightening rules on who can claim. The Prime Minister's spokesman said they will double the amount of time it takes to apply for settled status from five years to 10, limiting eligibility for the benefit. Asked whether Sir Keir wants to see the number of foreign nationals claiming benefits while unemployed reduced, his official spokesman said: 'Absolutely, we both want to see the overall numbers of immigration reduced and we've set out plans for that through the Immigration White Paper. 'Within that, we also want to see people making a contribution to the UK, and that's why in the White Paper we set out that we will be doubling the amount of time it takes to apply for settled status. 'That actually means that typically you can only access universal credit after you've lived here currently for five years, and we're doubling that to a starting point of 10 years, so that will obviously reduce those numbers.' The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said it had published the statistics 'following a public commitment to investigate and develop breakdowns of the UC caseload by the immigration status of foreign nationals in receipt of UC'. People with EU Settlement Scheme settled status who have a right to reside in the UK were the second largest group on UC, accounting for 9.7% (770,379), while 2.7% (211,090) of the total had indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Refugees accounted for 1.5% (118,749) of people on UC, while 0.7% (54,156) were people who had come by safe and legal humanitarian routes including under the Ukraine and Afghan resettlement schemes. A total of 75,267 people, making up 1% of the total on UC, had limited leave to remain in the UK, covering those with temporary immigration status. The rest – some 65,346 people – were either no longer receiving UC payments or had no immigration status recorded on digital systems, the DWP said. People can access UC only if they have an immigration status that provides recourse to public funds. Those with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) cannot claim most benefits, tax credits or housing assistance that are paid by the state. Asylum seekers do not have access to UC as they have NRPF but those granted refugee status – deemed to have been forced to flee their country because of a well-founded fear of persecution, war or violence – can claim the benefit. While refugees on UC had the lowest rate of employment at 22%, the department said those who have only recently been granted refugee status cannot be in employment at that point as asylum seekers are not permitted to work. Independent MP Rupert Lowe, an ex-member of Reform UK, had welcomed the pledge to publish the data, describing it as a 'huge win' for those who had 'relentlessly pushed for this'. He described the numbers as 'absolute insanity', posting on X: 'We cannot afford it. The country is BROKE.' Shadow home secretary Chris Philp branded the figures 'staggering' and claimed they are 'clear proof that the Labour government has lost control of our welfare system'. He said: 'Under Kemi Badenoch, we've set out a clear, common-sense position. Universal credit should be reserved for UK citizens only. This is about fairness, responsibility and protecting support for those who've contributed to this country.' But the Government said the proportion of UC payments 'to foreign nationals has already fallen since last July'. While the numbers of claimants who are refugees, have EU settled status, arrived under a humanitarian route or have either limited or indefinite leave to remain in the UK have risen year-on-year, the proportion has fallen. These categories account for 15.6% of the total UC claimants in June, down from 16.5% a year earlier when the Conservatives were still in government. The number of British and Irish nationals and those who live or work in the UK without any immigration restrictions – covering those in the Common Travel Area (CTA) – rose by almost a million from 5.6 million in June last year to 6.6 million last month. The proportion also rose slightly from 82.5% to 83.6%.
Telegraph
36 minutes ago
- Telegraph
The Daily T: Why has Trump changed his mind on Russia?
He was elected in 2024 promising to end the war between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours, and less than six months ago he halted the flow of military aid to Kyiv after giving President Zelensky a dressing down in the Oval Office. But Donald Trump now seems to have changed his tune on Ukraine. The President has announced that the US will resume the supply of weapons, via Nato, and also threatened 100pc tariffs on Russia if a deal isn't done. He also later told the BBC that he was 'disappointed' in Putin. Camilla and Tim speak to former economic advisor to Donald Trump, Carla Sands, who blames 'weak and flabby militaries throughout Europe' and a 'feckless' Joe Biden for the current situation in Ukraine, and believes Trump will get a deal despite Putin not being an 'honest broker'. Elsewhere, Camilla and Tim speak to Conservative MP James Cleverly, who was making a speech in Central London about countering the rise of Reform, and ask him if he's on manoeuvres for a leadership run.
