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Von der Leyen arrives in Scotland ahead of talks with Trump

Von der Leyen arrives in Scotland ahead of talks with Trump

RTÉ News​11 hours ago
The European Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen has arrived in Scotland ahead of talks with US President Donald Trump on an EU-UK trade agreement.
Discussion are expected to get under way in the late afternoon, and have been described as a "final negotiating session".
Upon his arrival, Mr Trump said that there was a 50:50 chance of striking a deal.
Ms von Der Leyen landed in Glasgow last night and will make her way to Turnberry on the west coast, where she will meet with him.
According to officials on the European side, there is optimism that a deal can be struck, but not certainty.
Negotiators are understood to have taken talks to a point where it was now felt that the leaders had to agree on final concessions.
Talks are expected to get underway at around 4pm this afternoon.
If a deal is struck it will be an agreement in principle, with a final document issued at a later date.
It is understood the deal will involve a baseline tariff of 15% on EU goods.
However, should the leaders fail to reach an agreement the US has threatened to impose a 30% tariff rate from first of August.
The European Union has also promised that reciprocal measures will follow.
Yesterday, Mr Trump was spotted playing a round at the famous course, which he purchased back in 2014.
A massive security operation was in place as the President played golf on the course.
He drove his own golf buggy, but a heavy security presence saw Mr Trump flanked by a fleet of similar vehicles.
Even before he took to the course, police officers and military personnel could be seen searching the area around the Trump Turnberry resort - which has had a metal fence erected around it as part of heightened security measures.
No protesters were seen while he was golfing on Saturday - but hundreds of people gathered in both Edinburgh and Aberdeen for demonstrations against his visit organised by the Stop Trump Coalition.
After spending some time at his South Ayrshire resort, Mr Trump will head to Aberdeenshire, where he is expected to open a second course at his Trump International golf resort in Balmedie.
During his time in the north-east, Mr Trump is also due to meet Scottish First Minister John Swinney.
Speaking ahead of the talks, Mr Swinney said it was his responsibility to "raise global and humanitarian issues of significant importance, including the unimaginable suffering we are witnessing in Gaza" with the US President.
Saying he wanted to "ensure Scotland's voice is heard at the highest levels of government across the world" Mr Swinney added: "That is exactly what I will do when I meet with President Trump during his time in Scotland."
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