#diplomacy

#diplomacy

After acknowledging that maintaining this link currently requires great patience and diplomatic courage, in an implicit reference to the unpredictable and arbitrary behavior of U.S. President Donald Trump, Felipe VI stressed that it is an indispensable framework [] that emerged from the ashes of the Second World War and has fostered the flourishing of democracies, stability, growth, and the development of multilateralism.

In an interview with the Guardian, Richard Hermer, the government's most senior law officer and a close ally of Keir Starmer, said that in a complicated and dangerous world, leaders should be able to use statecraft to consider other factors when establishing whether to hold allies to account. In his first public comments since Britain's reaction to the US attack on Venezuela and threats toward Greenland, Hermer refrained from singling out the Trump administration,

Just before Zelensky and his delegation arrived at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, the U.S. and Russian presidents spoke in a call described as "productive" by Trump and "friendly" by Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov. Ushakov, in Moscow, said Putin told Trump a 60-day ceasefire proposed by the European Union and Ukraine would prolong the war. The Kremlin aide also said Ukraine needs to make a quick decision about land in the Donbas.

The rhetoric and optics of the Russian president Vladimir Putin's visit to India last week allude to the strength of the bilateral relationship: Narendra Modi greeted Putin at the airport with a hug, and the leaders shared a car journey (echoing the limo diplomacy when Putin and Donald Trump met in Alaska earlier this year). In his remarks, Modi referred to Putin as my friend and the India-Russia relationship as a guiding star, built on mutual respect and deep trust that had stood the test of time.

US and Ukrainian officials will begin a third straight day of talks in Miami on December 6, with senior Ukrainian and US negotiators jointly saying that "real progress" depends on Moscow's desire to end the war. "Both parties agreed that real progress toward any agreement depends on Russia's readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace, including steps toward de-escalation and cessation of killings," said a US summary of the ongoing talks posted late on December 5.

Trump told reporters in the White House Oval Office on Wednesday that Witkoff and Kushner had "a reasonably good" meeting with Putin, but later said the discussions were "very good". Their impression was that Putin would "like to see the war ended ... their impression was very strongly that he wants to make a deal," Trump said, but stressed he didn't know if a deal was possible.

Reducing trade barriers and tackling organised crime were among the topics they discussed. Both men agreed they would speak again soon. I stressed the urgency of strengthening cooperation with the US to combat international organised crime, Lula said in a social media post following the call. President Trump stressed his full willingness to work with Brazil and that he will give full support to joint initiatives between the two countries to confront these criminal organisations.

President Trump had set a deadline of Thursday for Ukraine to accept a deal to give up territory to Russia, including territory that Russia has not captured on the battlefield in almost four years of war. But now that deadline seems to be shifting and the terms of the deal changing. The White House says there's been, quote, 'tremendous progress' in talks this week, but more negotiations are needed.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground.

Abbas Araghchi said only diplomacy worked, and disclosed fresh requests had come from intermediaries to reopen negotiations with the Trump administration. He said Iran did not have any undeclared nuclear sites, and Tehran could not yet allow the UN nuclear inspectorate to visit bombed nuclear sites for security reasons. Araghchi is treading a difficult path since Iran does not want be seen to be acting from a position of weakness,

In recent years, Britain has become the villain of choice in Moscow's eyes. It has been accused of plotting drone strikes on Russian airfields, blowing up the Nord Stream pipeline, directing terrorist raids inside Russia, and even abetting last year's gruesome Islamic State concert attack in Moscow. This week, a new charge was added to the pile: Russian authorities claimed that British intelligence had tried and failed to lure Russian pilots into defecting to the west.

China cautioned its citizens against visiting Japan, a popular destination for Chinese tourists, "in the near future" late Friday. "Recently, Japanese leaders have made blatantly provocative remarks regarding Taiwan, severely damaging the atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges," China's embassy in Japan said in a statement. It added that the situation presents "significant risks to the personal safety and lives of Chinese citizens in Japan." Following the announcement, three Chinese airlines, Air China, China Southern and China Eastern, offered full refunds or changes to Japan itineraries for free through December 31.

The office of president is seen as a largely ceremonial role which involves hosting heads of state at the official residence, Aras an Uachtarain in Phoenix Park, Dublin, and other diplomatic and civic engagements. The president must also consider whether legislation passed by the parliament complies with the constitution, and if they believe it does not, in consultation with the Council of State, they can refer it to the Supreme Court.

The office of president is seen as a largely ceremonial role which involves hosting heads of state at the official residence, Aras an Uachtarain in Phoenix Park, Dublin, and other diplomatic and civic engagements.

Hours later, Trump posted on his social media site that he'd had "a great call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of Israel, and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, of Kazakhstan" and that Kazakhstan is the "first Country of my Second Term to join the Abraham Accords, the first of many."

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged Germany to avoid making temporary disagreements appear public after Berlin postponed a planned visit by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. According to Beijing, Wang told Wadephul in a phone call that Germany should refrain from "unfounded accusations that contradict the facts." He said both countries should build a "more stable and sustainable political framework" to keep relations on the right track.

Kim Yong Nam, the former ceremonial head of North Korea for over two decades, has died at the age of 97, state media reported on Tuesday. State broadcaster Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the former diplomat died of multiple organ failure on Monday. Kim Jong Un visited his remains "to express deep condolences over his death," it said.

They've got concerns around global imbalances; we share a lot of those concerns, and I think building up personal relationships is something that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has done incredibly well with Donald Trump, but also right through our government and their administration building up those relationships: myself with Scott Bessant; our business secretary with Howard Lutnick; but also the prime minister's business advisor Varun Chandra, the work that he's done both with Ambassador [Jamieson] Greer and with Howard Lutnick.