Connect with us

Politics

‘His request, not mine’: Trump says Starmer demanded a meeting

Published

on

Spread the love

Donald Trump has said Keir Starmer demanded a meeting with the US president sometime in the coming weeks, adding that it was ‘his request, not mine.’

The Prime Minister teed up his ‘forthcoming’ visit to the US during an impromptu call with President Trump last night.

Answering questions on his call with the PM, Mr Trump said: ‘I just signed a letter to him. He asked for a meeting and I agreed to the meeting.

‘We’re going to have a friendly meeting – very good. We have a lot of good things going on but he has to come and see me and I just accepted his asking.’

Mr Trump said that Sir Keir plans on visiting ‘next week or the week after’ but seems unsure as to the specific topics of discussion.

When queried on the subject of conversation, Mr Trump responded: ‘I don’t know, it was his request not mine.

‘But you know, I’ve met him twice already. We get along very well – he’s a very nice guy.’

The PM was having dinner with Mark Burnett in Downing Street when the special envoy to the UK was called by the president.

Keir Starmer was having dinner with Mark Burnett (left) in Downing Street when the special envoy to the UK was called by the president

 

Sir Keir was passed the phone and chatted to Mr Trump for a few minutes – although they do not appear to have touched on points of tension such as Ukraine or trade tariffs

 

Despite the discussion, it is understood a date has yet to be finalised for Sir Keir’s trip to the White House – although it is expected to happen soon

 

Sir Keir was handed the phone and chatted to Trump for a few minutes – although they do not appear to have touched on points of tension such as Ukraine or trade tariffs.

A No10 spokeswoman said: ‘The Prime Minister was pleased to host President Trump’s special envoy to the United Kingdom, Mark Burnett, at Downing Street last night, during which he took a call from President Trump and discussed his forthcoming visit to the US.’

She added: ‘Mr Burnett and the Prime Minister agreed on the unique and special nature of the UK-US relationship, the strength of our alliance and the warmth of the connection between the two countries.’

Despite the discussion, it is understood a date has yet to be finalised for Sir Keir’s trip to the White House – but it is expected to happen soon.

Sir Keir aligned himself with European allies this morning after Mr Trump’s bombshell conversation with Vladimir Putin.

In a phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky, the PM spelled out his view that there can be ‘no talks about Ukraine without Ukraine’ and the process of Kyiv joining Nato is ‘irreversible’.

Mr Trump and the Russian dictator had ‘a lengthy and highly productive’ phone conversation earlier this week, during which they agreed that talks to end the conflict should start ‘immediately’.

But any peace deal is expected to see Russia keep territory it has annexed since 2014, including the Crimean peninsula – a huge blow to Kyiv after three years of fighting for freedom.

Mr Zelensky has been warning that the US does not appear to have a plan for a peace deal

 

Foreign Secretary David Lammy met US Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference this morning

There was also deep disquiet that Ukraine joining Nato – an official policy of the alliance – had been effectively ruled out.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump is demanding that European Nato powers commit to spending 5 per cent of GDP on defence – a level the US itself does not reach. The UK is one of the biggest spenders but has yet to set out a timetable to hit 2.5 per cent.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said Sir Keir and Mr Zelensky spoke this morning, ahead of an anticipated meeting between the Ukraine leader and US Vice President JD Vance in Munich later.

‘The Prime Minister began by reiterating the UK’s concrete support for Ukraine, for as long as it’s needed.

‘He was unequivocal that there could be no talks about Ukraine, without Ukraine.

‘Ukraine needed strong security guarantees, further lethal aid and a sovereign future, and it could count on the UK to step up, he added.

‘The Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s commitment to Ukraine being on an irreversible path to NATO, as agreed by Allies at the Washington Summit last year.

‘Discussing the upcoming third anniversary of Ukraine’s courageous defence of its sovereignty in the face of Russia’s barbaric full-scale invasion, the leaders agreed that it would be an important moment to demonstrate international unity and support for Ukraine.

‘The leaders also reflected on the Prime Minister’s visit to Kyiv last month, and the President updated on his plans at Munich Security Conference.

‘They agreed to stay in close contact.’

Meeting Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference this morning, Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the US-UK relationship as ‘more than just an alliance, it’s a covenant between two partners’.

He added: ‘We are committed to increasing defence and encourage our friends across Europe to do the same, and of course we have got important issues to discuss on Ukraine and how we support Ukraine at this difficult moment, and also broader issues of UK-US security.’

Mr Vance said: ‘Honestly, we have a lot in common, and the special relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States will remain very strong.

‘We are going to talk about something that he and I spoke about a couple of years ago, which is our shared belief that Europe really should take a big role in its own security, and I’m glad the Foreign Secretary agrees with me on that.

‘I think there are other issues of common agreement, I’m sure we will talk about Russia-Ukraine.’

Politicians from across parties voiced alarm in the Commons yesterday after the US president’s call with Putin.

Read more

 

Politics

Trump moves to restore some terminated foreign aid programmes

Published

on

Spread the love

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday moved to reinstate at least six recently canceled US foreign aid programs for emergency food assistance.

The quick reversal of decisions made just days ago underscored the rapid-fire nature of Trump’s cuts to foreign aid.

It has resulted to programmes being cut, restored then cut again, disrupting international humanitarian operations.

USAID Acting Deputy Administrator Jeremy Lewin, who has previously been identified as a member of billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, asked staff in an internal email to reverse the terminations.

Lewin also asked to restore awards to the World Food Programme in Lebanon, Syria, Somalia, Jordan, Iraq and Ecuador.

The administration has also reportedly resumed four awards to the International Organization for Migration in the Pacific region,

“Sorry for all the back and forth on awards. There are a lot of stakeholders and we need to do better about balancing these competing interests — that’s my fault and I take responsibility,” Lewin said.

Ekwutosblog reported on Monday that the Trump administration had ended life-saving aid programmes for more than a dozen countries including Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia and Syria, totaling over $1.3 billion.

Stand Up For Aid, an advocacy group of current and former US officials said World Food Programme contracts canceled on Lewin’s orders last weekend for Lebanon, Syria, Somalia and Jordan totaled more than $463 million.

 

Many of the terminated programmes are said to have been granted waivers by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio following an initial round of cuts to foreign aid programs.

As of the time of filing this report, the State Department has not commented about restoring the awards.

Continue Reading

Politics

INEC Chairman, Mahmood not sacked – Spokesman

Published

on

INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu
Spread the love

By Omeiza Ajayi, ABUJA

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has disclaimed social media reports that its Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has been sacked by President Bola Tinubu.

A viral WhatsApp message had indicated that Mahmood was sacked and replaced with one Prof. Olamilekan.

“INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmud Yakubu has been replaced with Prof. Bashiru Olamilekan by President Tinubu,” the message, which had no attribution, read.

In response to a message from Vanguard, the Chief Press Secretary CPS to the INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, simply said: “Please, disregard. It is not true.”

Yakubu, who is rounding off his second tenure in office, is expected to exit the system towards the end of the year.

The process of appointing an INEC chairman is the President nominating a candidate and forwarding his particulars to the Department of State Services, DSS, for profiling.

After such screening, the President thereafter takes the name to the National Council of State for its advisory review. Based on the outcome, the President sends the name to the Senate for screening and confirmation.

Presidency, too

The Presidency also debunked the widespread report claiming that President Tinubu has sacked Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC chairman.

The Senior Special Adviser to the President on Digital and New Media, O’tega Ogra, described the news as false.

Continue Reading

Politics

BREAKING: Rivers State Sole Administrator Vice Admiral Ibot-Eke Ibas Rtd Appoints Local Government Sole administrators And Reconstituted RISIEC Board.

Published

on

Spread the love

Vice Admiral Ibot-Ete Ibas, the newly appointed Sole Administrator of Rivers State, has indeed made some key appointments.

As the administrator, he has appointed local government sole administrators and reconstituted the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RISIEC) board.

This move is part of his efforts to oversee the state’s affairs, following President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State due to persistent political crisis and instability.

Local Government Sole Administrators: Ibas has appointed administrators to manage the local governments, ensuring effective governance and stability at the local level.

RISIEC Board: The reconstituted board will oversee electoral processes in the state, ensuring fairness and transparency.

As a seasoned naval officer and diplomat, Vice Admiral Ibas brings his expertise to the role.

His background includes serving as the 22nd Chief of Naval Staff and Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ghana.

His experience will likely shape his approach to managing the state’s affairs and addressing the current challenges.

Continue Reading

Trending