The US has been trying to broker peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv for months, but Vladimir Putin – who started the war in February 2022 – has repeatedly dragged his heels.
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Even when Trump has offered to resolve the conflict on terms favourable to the Kremlin with very few concessions, Putin has resisted.
Instead, the White House has reportedly suggested Kyiv recognise Russia’s illegal annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula Crimea to secure peace.
But the Ukrainian president has already rejected this idea, telling reporters on Tuesday: “There is nothing to talk about. This violates our Constitution. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine.”
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In a lengthy post on Truth Social on Wednesday, the US president hit back.
Trump accused Zelenskyy of “boasting” that Ukraine will not legally recognise the occupation of Crimea.
He said: “This statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia in that Crimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President Barack Hussein Obama, and is not even a point of discussion.
“Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?”
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He continued: “It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War.
“He has nothing to boast about!
“The situation for Ukraine is dire — He can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country.
“I have nothing to do with Russia, but have much to do with wanting to save, on average, five thousand Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, who are dying for no reason whatsoever.
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“The statement made by Zelenskyy today will do nothing but prolong the ‘killing field,’ and nobody wants that!
“We are very close to a Deal, but the man with “no cards to play” should now, finally, GET IT DONE. I look forward to being able to help Ukraine, and Russia, get out of this Complete and Total MESS, that would have never started if I were President!”
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Before he was re-elected last year, the US president promised to resolve the conflict within 24 hours.
Now, more than three months after his January inauguration, Trump and his top team have repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the whole peace process unless they see significant process.
Trump’s secretary of state Marco Rubio also surprised western allies when he announced – at the last minute – that he would be skipping the planned peace discussions in London on Wednesday, citing scheduling issues.
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The whole occasion was then downgraded from a meeting between senior ministers to officials.
However, they won’t be getting them from the questions asked by reporters like Cara Castronuova, who works for Lindell TV, a news network created by My Pillow big cheese Mike Lindell.
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Castronuova, a former boxer, became the subject of much social media mockery on Friday when she asked a question at the White House’s press briefing that seemed like it could have been composed by press secretary Karoline Leavitt herself.
“Will you guys also consider releasing the president’s fitness plan? He actually looks healthier than ever before — healthier than he did eight years ago, and I’m sure everybody in this room could agree,” Castronuova asked. “Is he working out with Bobby Kennedy and eating less McDonald’s?”
Leavitt was obviously happy to end the press gathering with a softball question like that.
“I can confirm the president is in very good shape, as you see on a near daily basis here,” she said.
REPORTER: President Trump looks healthier than ever before. I’m sure everybody in this room could agree. Is he working out with Bobby Kennedy and is he eating less McDonald’s?
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REPORTER: President Trump looks healthier than ever before. I’m sure everybody in this room could agree. Is he working out with Bobby Kennedy and is he eating less McDonald’s?
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The great leader is the most handsome man in the galaxy, is it his amazing genes or eating at McDonald’s? Brought to you by McDonald’s, you’re lovin’ it or else
— Aleksandar Djokic (Александар Джокич) (@polidemitolog) April 11, 2025
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The great leader is the most handsome man in the galaxy, is it his amazing genes or eating at McDonald’s? Brought to you by McDonald’s, you’re lovin’ it or else
— Aleksandar Djokic (Александар Джокич) (@polidemitolog) April 11, 2025
— The Nicest Boy on this Website and App (@bikivindaloo) April 11, 2025
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How much do you want to bet Americans are told by his doctor that “Trump could run a 5k today, in scorching conditions of 110 degrees, and win” if he chose to.
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How much do you want to bet Americans are told by his doctor that “Trump could run a 5k today, in scorching conditions of 110 degrees, and win” if he chose to.
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Keir Starmer was cornered by a journalist today over his lack of contact with Donald Trump since the US president unveiled his new trade tariffs.
The president hit the UK with a baseline 10% tax on imports heading into the US on April 2.
That came on top of his 25% global levy on cars, steel and aluminium products.
While the 10% tax was much less than many other trading partners – the EU was slapped with a 20% tariff – it was still more than some, such as Russia, who got away without any new tariffs at all.
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Then Trump U-turned this week and announced most tariffs would be reduced to 10%, aside from China – taking away any trade advantage the president had handed to the UK had over competitors altogether.
So ITV News’ Carl Dinnen asked the prime minister today in Doncaster: “Have you spoken to President Trump since he put a 10% tariffs on all goods coming from here to the United States?”
Starmer replied: “My team are in contact with the President’s team every day.”
“So you haven’t spoken to him?” Dinnen pushed.
The PM hit back: “Well, I’ve spoken to him frequently both on the phone and I’ve met him a number of times.”
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The reporter said: “Yeah but not since he put the tariffs on.”
Starmer replied: “The teams are discussing every day, and seeking to do what we can to mitigate the tariffs –”
Dinnen cut in: “With respect prime minister, it feels like he’s not taking your calls. Is that what’s happening?”
The prime minister pushed back: “No, not at all, you have to understand that the UK and the US – our teams talk all of the time, whether that’s on defence, on security, on intelligence, and on trade, on a deal.
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“That is constantly going on. That’s what you would expect of two very close allies. But at the same time, I’m clear this is a change that, in my view, isn’t temporary, and therefore we’ve got to do the hard graft of making sure we are turbocharging our own economy.”
He listed the work he’s been focused on in the UK and his conversations with other world leaders to “lower trade barriers”.
“My focus every day has to be on what’s in the national interest in the United Kingdom,” the prime minister said.
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Starmer has been phoning plenty of other world leaders since Trump’s “Liberation Day” announcement on April 2.
That includes the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman, the prime minister of Singapore Lawrence Wong, the prime minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni and the prime minister of Australia Anthony Albanese.
He has also spoken to President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and leader of the German Christian Democratic Union party Friedrich Merz.
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But, despite Trump’s apparent silence towards the UK, Starmer has avoided criticising the president directly, only admitting that he is “disappointed” by the decision.
The UK is pushing to secure a trade deal with the States, and hoping it could mean Britain secures some tariff exemptions, too.
‘With respect prime minister, it feels like Trump’s not taking your calls…’@carldinnen grills Starmer on whether he’s spoken to Donald Trump since he put 10% tariffs on the UK
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‘With respect prime minister, it feels like Trump’s not taking your calls…’@carldinnen grills Starmer on whether he’s spoken to Donald Trump since he put 10% tariffs on the UK
They ransacked federal agencies and axed jobs together, but US President Donald Trump’s expanding tariffs are apparently too much for even right-hand man Elon Musk.
So much so that Musk privately appealed to Trump to reverse the market-tanking measures in an “attempted intervention,” The Washington Post reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.
But Musk’s alleged entreaty apparently didn’t work because Trump continued to saber-rattle on the trade war front, threatening to tack on 50% tariffs for Chinese goods.
Musk has expressed misgivings about the sweeping tariffs on his X platform but aimed his criticism at the likes of Trump adviser Peter Navarro, who is behind the strategy.
The Post dubbed Musk’s disagreement with the president as their “highest-profile disagreement” since Trump named him the leader of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
On Monday, Musk struck a somewhat conciliatory tone on the social platform he owns. He shared a post from a US trade rep that supported the “historic” tariffs and listed “unfair” trade practices of exporters. “Good points,” Musk wrote.
As a piece of political theatre, it took some beating.
Sitting down in the Oval Office for his first face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump since his re-election, Keir Starmer reached into the inside pocket of his suit and produced an envelope.
The prime minister could barely contain his excitement as he told the president: “It is my pleasure to bring from His Majesty the King a letter – he sends his best wishes and his regards, of course – but he also asked me to bear this letter and bring it to you.”
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In it, King Charles invited Trump to come to the UK for a second state visit, an unprecedented honour for a sitting president.
“The answer is yes,” Trump told the PM. “I look forward to being there and honouring the King.”
But if Starmer hoped that appealing to Trump’s love of the Royal Family would spare the UK when it came to his “reciprocal” tariffs, he was very much mistaken.
And while that was less than the levy imposed on many other nations, and the EU, it still has the potential to cause huge damage to the UK economy and send unemployment soaring.
HuffPost UK can reveal that Trump’s actions – which have also sent markets around the world into freefall and increased the chances of a global recession – have breathed new life into the campaign to block his state visit.
Thousands of voters have so far backed a campaign set up by the Stop Trump Coalition in the wake of the tariff announcement, filling in an online form to lobby their local MP.
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“Donald Trump has started a global trade war,” say the group. “This threatens to cause a new worldwide recession. It can’t be allowed to succeed.
“The Starmer strategy of trying to be Trump’s friend isn’t working. It is only holding the government back from responding to Trump’s tariffs, or criticising the other outrageous actions he takes daily.
“It is time to cancel the visit and stand up for ourselves.”
While Trump’s invitation was officially a decision for the King alone, everyone knows that No.10 was the driving force behind it.
This has allowed Downing Street to insist that it is ultimately a decision for Buckingham Palace when – or if – the visit does end up going ahead.
A poll by Ipsos taken before Trump’s tariff announcement showed that the British public are evenly split on whether we should be rolling out the red carpet for him once again. Some 46% were in favour, with 44% against.
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Keiran Pedley, director of UK politics for the company, said Starmer now “faces a delicate balancing act”.
“The US president is unpopular in Britain and the public were already split down the middle on whether the visit should go ahead last month.,” he told HuffPost UK.
“It is hard to see how his announcements on tariffs would have made the visit more popular. However, there are political and diplomatic realities to contend with, and Starmer will be keen to get the balance right.”
Trump unveiled the tariffs he was slapping on countries around the world at a White House press conference.
via Associated Press
The PM does have plenty of political cover at Westminster, however, with even parties which are instinctively hostile to Trump refusing to join the growing clamour for the state visit to be cancelled.
Calum Miller, the Lib Dems’ foreign affairs spokesperson, said: “Trump has turned his nose up at the special relationship between the UK and the US by slapping the same tariffs on Britain as he has on Iran.
“His appalling treatment of President Zelenskyy still looms large in many of our minds, so I understand how great the temptation is to cancel his state visit.
“But we have to remember that Trump thinks of himself as a ‘deals’ man. The one thing he thinks he understands is a negotiation – and the state visit is our ace in the hole when it comes to dealing with the president.
“The government should keep all options open and be tough in talks ahead of any visit to try to end this trade war before it starts.”
Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Greens, said the visit should not have been offered in the first place, but stopped short of saying it should not happen.
“I can’t imagine many Brits will be thrilled to see Starmer rolling out the red carpet for a man that has proposed the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, blamed Zelenskyy for the war in Ukraine, and is now wreaking havoc on the global economy with his tariffs,” she said.
Trump with Queen Elizabeth II laugh during a Buckingham Palace banquet at his last state visit to the UK in 2019.
via Associated Press
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It may well be that the solution for the PM will be found in a classically British political fudge.
Would it really be all that surprising if no suitable date could be found in the King’s packed diary to squeeze in the visit before Trump leaves office in 2029?
That would spare the monarch – who is thought to be no great fan of the president either – some embarrassment while also avoiding a political firestorm for Starmer.
The most likely outcome, however, is that it will go ahead, although probably not until nearer the end of Trump’s four-year term.
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Starmer will hope that an economic deal is done with the US by then, sparing the UK the worst of Trump’s tariffs, while also drawing some of the sting from the state visit controversy.
Whatever happens, his eagerness to be the King’s messenger boy will be added to the growing list of political mis-steps he has made since enter No.10 last July.
The diagnosis was delusional on Truth Social early on Thursday.
US President Donald Trump cast himself as a doctor performing surgery in a post regarding his “Liberation Day” onslaught of trade-war escalating tariffs.
“The operation is over!” Trump wrote. “The patient lived, and is healing. The prognosis is that the patient will be far stronger, bigger, better, and more resilient than ever before. Make America great again!”
If healing can be defined as global markets plummeting after Trump’s announcement of a 10% across-the-board tariff on foreign goods (plus much more for major trade partners like China and the European Union), then congratulations, “Dr Trump.”
But we’re thinking he could use a dose of reality.
The Lib Dem leader, who has a long-running feud with the world’s richest man, also hit out at the government reportedly preparing to water down its tax on tech firms in order to agree a trade deal with America.
That came after Davey said Musk “clearly knows nothing about Britain” at the height of the row over child grooming gangs.
In an interview with Channel 4 News, Davey was asked what he would do to threaten Trump amid fears of a global trade war.
He said: “Let’s put tariffs on Teslas. You know, let’s look at the tech bros. I mean, I’m told that No. 10 in the talks, they’ve discussed cutting the digital services tax, which is a tax paid by very large, 20 multinationals in the tech industry, mostly American.
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“It’s a very modest tax. They’ve had a monopoly for ages and the idea that we would give up that tax on these hugely wealthy people, including of course Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, at the same time we’re cutting aid to the poorest in our world and welfare benefits in the UK, that would be, I think, unthinkable.”
Keir Starmer has refused to join the likes of Canada and the EU in threatening retaliatory tariffs against the US.
He said said the government will instead continue to negotiate the terms of a trade deal with Washington which ministers hope will see the tariffs of British imports either reduced or removed completely.
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However, the government has put the White House on notice by giving British firms until May 1 to set out how retaliatory tariffs will effect them.
A 417-page list of US products that could have tariffs imposed them has already been drawn up by the government.
Trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “It remains our belief that the best route to economic stability for working people is a negotiated deal with the US that builds on our shared strengths.
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“However, we do reserve the right to take any action we deem necessary if a deal is not secured.”
Europe is trying to “occupy” Ukraine by offering to send peacekeeping troops to the war-torn country, according to a Russian diplomat.
UK prime minister Keir Starmer has offered to put British boots on the ground to support Kyiv if Russia agrees to the US’s peace plans – and as long as there is an American security guarantee.
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Some EU countries and Nato allies have already indicated they would join this plan, as part of Starmer’s “coalition of the willing”.
Moscow has not agreed to a permanent truce yet, nor has Donald Trump agreed to provide a security backstop to a peacekeeping plan, so any such plan is still a long way off.
But Rodion Miroshnik – Putin’s so-called “ambassador-at-large” for Ukraine’s alleged “crimes” – attempted to cast doubt on the offer to send a “reassurance force” on Wednesday.
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According to the Russian state news agency TASS, Miroshnik said: “The Europeans have announced a project to build a reassurance force that, according to the organisers, will be sent to Ukraine after a peace agreement is signed.
“This could, in fact, be viewed as a blatant occupation of Ukraine by Europe.”
It was Vladimir Putin who invaded Ukraine in 2022 and who continues to occupy a fifth of its sovereign territory.
Moscow has even claimed Ukraine would have to formally cede that occupied land in any permanent truce.
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But Miroshnik still bizarrely alleged Europe wants to “take control over [Ukraine’s] political regime militarily while retaining external governance of this land regardless of how negotiations may end.”
Ukraine has actually welcomed any physical support from its allies, and asked for at least 200,000 troops to deter any future Russian aggression.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week that Kyiv was meeting with several countries “who are ready to deploy a contingent in one form or another”.
Donald Trump has said he “couldn’t care less” if his tariffs push up the prices of foreign cars in America.
In comments which will increase fears of a global trade war, the US president also said the swingeing import taxes he is bringing in will be permanent.
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Trump has said he plans to impose 25% tariffs on all foreign-built cars imported into the States from April 2.
The move is designed to boost the American car industry by reducing demand for foreign vehicles.
Britain currently sells more than £6 billion-worth of cars to the US, meaning the policy could have a major impact on the UK economy.
In addition, Trump wants to impose tariffs on steel imports and on all countries, like the UK, which charge VAT.
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Chancellor Rachel Reeves has also been warned by the Office for Budget Responsibility that all of the spare cash she hoped to have would be wiped out if Trump goes ahead with his plans.
Asked what his message was to car bosses, Trump said: “The message is congratulations, if you make your car in the United States, you’re going to make a lot of money.
“If you don’t, you’re going to have to probably come to the United States, because if you make your car in the United States, there is no tariff.”
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Asked if he was concerned about car prices going up, Trump said, “No, I couldn’t care less, because if the prices on foreign cars go up, they’re going to buy American cars.”
And asked if the tariffs would be permanent, Trump said: “Absolutely, they’re permanent, sure. The world has been ripping off the United States for the last 40 years and more. And all we’re doing is being fair, and frankly, I’m being very generous.”
She told Sky News: “We clearly want to see reductions in barriers to trade, not increasing barriers to trade. So obviously we’re very disappointed at the US decision to introduce tariffs, including around auto and steel and so on.”
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British officials are continuing negotiations with their US counterparts in a bid to agree an economic deal which could exempt the UK from the tariffs.
The home secretary added: “In the end, if you increase barriers to trade right across the world, that’s not good for the world economy, let alone any individual country as part of that.
“That’s why our approach to this is to try to seek new trade agreements across the world, including improving our trading relationship with the EU as well as the US. This is about removing barriers instead of increasing them.”
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Asked if the UK could retaliate by imposing its own tariffs on American imports, the home secretary said: “The prime minister has said that no option is off the table and we will continue to approach this in the UK national interest.”
The YouGov survey showed that 43% of of Brits believe the UK should improve trade with the bloc, compared to just 14% who think improving relations with Trump is the way to go.
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Keir Starmer has said he wants to reset Britain’s relationship with the EU, but has ruled out rejoining either the single market or the customs union.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is speaking about his historic Oval Office clash with US President Donald Trump, defending his decision to speak up for his country at a critical juncture in its war against Russia.
The two leaders sparred inside the White House in front of the whole world last month with Trump accusing his Ukrainian counterpart of “gambling with World War III” for arguing that Russian President Vladimir Putin can’t be trusted. The episode led to a temporary pause in US aid and intelligence sharing with the country.
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In an interview with Time released on Monday, Zelenskyy addressed the fact that Ukrainians rallied around him after his tense exchange with Trump rather than blame him for the diplomatic failure three years into the war.
Zelenskyy explained that Ukrainians “are very emotional, and when it comes to our sense of dignity, freedom, democracy, our people rise up and unite,” noting that his country expected the Trump administration to show that the U.S. still sees Kyiv as an ally.
“But in that moment there was the sense of not being allies, or not taking the position of an ally,” he said. “In that conversation, I was defending the dignity of Ukraine.”
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At the infamous White House meeting, the Ukrainian leader said he planned to gift Trump the championship belt of heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk. However, Zelenskyy chose to start out by showing Trump images depicting how badly Russia has treated Ukrainian prisoners of war.
“That’s tough stuff,” Trump said looking at the photos.
In his interview with Time, Zelenskyy defended his choice to give Trump the images, adding that he was hoping to appeal to the president’s humanity.
“What I wanted to show were my values,” Zelenskyy said. “But then, well, the conversation went in another direction.”
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After the meeting went off the rails, Zelenskyy left the White House early and never got the chance to give Trump the belt. However, Time reported that a White House staffer found the gift in the Oval Office and placed it in Trump’s dining room.
Since then, Russia and Ukraine have agreed in principle to a limited ceasefire after Putin rejected a US proposal for an unconditional ceasefire which was approved by Kyiv. A US delegation on Monday met with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia a day after holding a separate meeting with their Ukrainian counterparts to discuss the implementation of that agreement.
Meanwhile, White House envoy Steve Witkoff told Tucker Carlson Putin “has got huge respect” for Trump, suggesting that Zelenskyy made a mistake by crossing Trump when he visited the White House.
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“You saw what happened in the Oval Office with Zelenskyy and the president, right?” Witkoff said in an interview released on Friday. “Disrespecting him is not a healthy way to have a good relationship.”
“Hopefully we’ll chalk it up to a misunderstanding and we’ll get to a peace solution here,” he continued.
Zelenskyy also spoke out against granting Moscow major concessions with no reciprocation, citing Trump’s previous statement that Russia should rejoin the Group of 7 following its annexation of Crimea in 2014.
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“That’s a big compromise,” Zelensky told Time. “Imagine releasing Hitler from his political isolation.”
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