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Trump does deal with Nato allies to arm Ukraine and warns Russia of severe sanctions

US president says he will supply Kyiv with billions of dollars of military equipment paid for by European allies
Kyiv hails US weapons deal as Moscow dismisses Trump’s sanctions threat
Donald Trump said he has sealed an agreement with Nato allies that will lead to large-scale arms deliveries to Ukraine, including Patriot missiles, and warned Russia that it will face severe sanctions if Moscow does not make peace within 50 days.
After a meeting with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, Trump said they had agreed “a very big deal”, in which “billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment is going to be purchased from the United States, going to Nato … And that’s going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield.”
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Trump’s hazy Ukraine arms announcement marks a tonal U-turn

EU will buy some US weapons for Kyiv as president credits Melania Trump for his disenchantment with Putin
Kyiv hails US weapons deal as Moscow dismisses Trump’s sanctions threat
For those looking for details, Donald Trump’s rambling half-hour press conference in the Oval Office with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, offered only a handful of clues. The US will sell weapons to Ukraine, the president said, with other Nato countries paying the bill – but otherwise specifics were scant.
No sums of money were mentioned – making it hard to calibrate how much of a difference the proposed weapon supply would make to Kyiv. Details were light on what munitions would be supplied though Trump mentioned complete Patriot missile systems and Rutte added there would be “missiles and ammunition” too.
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Trump expected to announce plan to sell Patriot defence systems to Ukraine

President says US will send Kyiv ‘sophisticated’ equipment ahead of announcement as frustration with Russia grows
Europe live – latest updates
Donald Trump has indicated that the US will announce a plan to sell Patriot air defence systems and other weapons to Ukraine later on Monday, amid growing White House exasperation with Russia’s refusal to agree to a ceasefire.
The president told reporters on Sunday as he returned from the Club World Cup final that the US would “send them various pieces of very sophisticated military and they’re going to pay us 100% for them”.
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US state department issues first of 1,350 termination orders after court lifted ban

Career diplomats and other staff begin receiving notices amid Trump administration cull of about 15% of workforce
The US state department has begun issuing the first of more than 1,350 termination notices as part of a huge reorganisation of America’s diplomatic corps under the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, according to internal documents and US diplomats at the state department on Friday.
Career diplomats and other staff began to receive the notices on Friday morning, days after the supreme court lifted a ban on the Trump administration moving forward with mass firings of government employees that will affect hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
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Netanyahu flies home without a Gaza peace deal but still keeps Trump onside

Israeli PM manages to avoid breach with US president through high-profile assurances he is seeking end to war
Benjamin Netanyahu arrived back in Israel on Friday without a ceasefire in the Gaza war despite heady predictions from US and Israeli officials that this week could provide a breakthrough in negotiations. But he did not come home completely empty-handed.
The Israeli PM’s visit was his third since Donald Trump’s inauguration, with several high-profile meetings at the White House, a nomination for Trump to receive the Nobel peace prize, and suggestions from Trump and the special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, that peace could be achieved in a week.
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Threats, delays and confusion: 10 key points to understand another week of Trump tariff turmoil

As the US president’s 9 July deadline came and went, the White House launched a range of new trade ultimatums at countries across the world
Donald Trump ramped up his trade rhetoric this week, firing off more than 20 letters to governments outlining new tariff rates if agreements aren’t reached by 1 August.
In April, Trump announced a 10% base tariff rate and additional duties ranging up to 50% for many other countries, although he later delayed the effective date for all but 10% duties until 9 July after market panic.
Trump informed powerhouse suppliers Japan, South Korea and a number of other nations at the start of this week that they will face tariffs of at least 25% starting from August unless they can quickly negotiate deals.
On Wednesday he announced more tariffs on countries like the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Algeria, as well as a 50% tariff on products from Brazil, tying the move to what he called the “witch-hunt” trial against its former president, Jair Bolsonaro. Trump crit..

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Zelenskyy urges west to hit Russia with sanctions after huge attack on Kyiv

Ukrainian president wants allies to speed up action against Putin after two killed in second night of major strikes
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Ukraine’s allies to speed up imposing new sanctions on Russia after another huge wave of strikes on his country’s capital killed two people, including a police officer, and left 23 wounded.
“Sanctions must be imposed faster, and pressure on Russia must be strong enough that they truly feel the consequences of their terror,” the Ukrainian president said on social media. He accused Moscow of “an obvious escalation”, with “constant strikes” and hundreds of Shahed drones launched every night.
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US issues sanctions against Francesca Albanese, UN official investigating abuses in Gaza

Trump administration targets special rapporteur for Palestinian territories, in latest action against critics of Israel’s war
The Trump administration announced on Wednesday it was issuing sanctions against an independent official tasked with investigating human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories.
The state department’s decision to sanction Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, is the latest effort by the US to punish critics of Israel’s 21-month war in Gaza and comes after a recent US pressure campaign to force the international body to remove her from her post failed.
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Lobbyists linked to Donald Trump paid millions by world’s poorest countries

Somalia, DR Congo and Yemen among states forced to sign deals and barter their minerals for aid or military support
Some of the world’s poorest countries have started paying millions to lobbyists linked to Donald Trump to try to offset US cuts to foreign aid, an investigation reveals.
Somalia, Haiti and Yemen are among 11 countries to sign significant lobbying deals with figures tied directly to the US president after he slashed US foreign humanitarian assistance.
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