It's a very transactional presidency, and our job is to navigate this, to always remember that the friendship between the United States and the United Kingdom runs very deep. It's a good relationship. It's enduring, and I think it will outlast all the personalities involved.
This year's conference comes at a time of strained ties between Europe and the United States, after Trump threatened to take over Greenland and criticised "decaying" and "weak" European nations. Russia's war against Ukraine, set to enter its fifth year this month, is high on the agenda, alongside efforts by European NATO members to raise their defence budgets, in line with Trump's demands, out of concern that Moscow could seek to expand into their territory.
The closure of the international humanitarian law cell follows a review by Olly Robbins, the permanent secretary at the Foreign Office dismissed last week by the prime minister over the Peter Mandelson scandal.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's warm welcome on a visit to China this week marks a thaw in icy relations with Beijing. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in China this week with a large delegation of businesspeople and cultural figures. He received a warm welcome from Chinese President Xi Jinping. But the visit got a frosty reception from the White House, with United States President Donald Trump calling Starmer's trip dangerous.
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.
