donald trump

Next US-Russia Talks to Take Place Sunday or Early Next Week: Kremlin

The Kremlin said Thursday that the next US-Russia talks could take place on Sunday or early next week, as Washington is also due to hold talks with Kyiv in Saudi Arabia in the coming days. US President Donald Trump spoke to both Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this week. "It may not be Sunday itself, the nuances ...

Europe Shifts Gears for the Trump Era

Barely a month ago, a phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin sent an unmistakable message across the Atlantic: the United States may not be there forever to keep Europe safe from an aggressive Russia. By the time the pair spoke again this week, a whirlwind of diplomacy had seen Europe juggle alliances and rewrite long-held rules – ...

Pressure from Washington: Lebanon on Edge

When a US envoy speaks this bluntly, the game has changed. Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East, did not hide his frustration with Lebanese officials’ handling of Hezbollah. He went even further, emphasizing that Washington no longer accepts Lebanon’s strategy of maneuvering and political jockeying, arguing that it ...

US Fed Holds Rates Again and Flags Increased Economic Uncertainty

The US Federal Reserve paused interest rate cuts again on Wednesday and noted an increase in economic uncertainty, as it navigates an economy unnerved by President Donald Trump's stop-start tariff rollout. Policymakers voted to hold the US central bank's key lending rate at between 4.25 percent and 4.50 percent, the Fed announced in a ...

Making Sense of Trump 2.0 and The Middle East

Elections matter. Only a few months ago, the Biden Administration struggled to assert its relevance amidst dramatic events in the Middle East. It had plenty to say, much of it contradictory, as it attempted to deal with the Democratic Party's split personality on Israel and the Palestinians while losing an election. The fragile ceasefires that ...

Russia and Ukraine Confirm Swap of 372 War Prisoners

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 372 soldiers in a prisoner swap brokered by the United Arab Emirates, Moscow and Kyiv said Wednesday. Prisoner swaps and the exchange of remains of killed soldiers is one of the only areas of cooperation between the warring countries since the Kremlin launched the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. The ...

Zelensky Warns Against Slowing aid, says will Speak to Trump

President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Wednesday against heeding a Kremlin call to halt military aid for his country and announced he would speak with US President Donald Trump later within hours. Russian leader Vladimir Putin issued the demand during a call with Trump on Tuesday, part of a rapprochement initiated by Washington that seeks to broker ...

Rocked by Trump, EU Seeks to Kickstart Defense Push

The EU on Wednesday will look to fire the starting pistol on plans to help member states bolster their defences, as Europe grapples with an aggressive Russia and the potential loss of US security protections. US President Donald Trump has turbocharged calls for Europe to rearm by casting doubt on Washington's central role in NATO and making ...

Zelensky Backs Energy Truce, But Needs 'Details' from Trump

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday said Ukraine was favorable to a US-proposed truce on strikes against energy infrastructure endorsed by Russia, but needed more "details" from Washington first. Speaking after a call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelensky also warned in an online briefing ...

Putin and Trump Agree on Halt to Ukraine Energy Attacks But No Ceasefire

Vladimir Putin agreed Tuesday in a call with Donald Trump to halt attacks against Ukrainian energy targets but would not accept an immediate full ceasefire and insisted that the West halt all military aid for Kyiv. The US and Russian leaders spoke for more than an hour and a half and both expressed hopes for repairing relations wrecked by ...

Three Questions for Khalil Helou on the End of the Truce in Gaza

As fighting in Gaza escalates with renewed hostilities and intensified strikes, uncertainty over the future of the Israel-Hamas conflict is deepening. With Palestinian sources reporting more than 400 deaths since Monday, This is Beirut spoke with General Khalil Helou to assess the dynamics at play, the potential impact on regional stability, and ...