Biden warns Europe losing confidence in US under Trump will change course of modern history
Helen Livingstone
Joe Biden has accused Donald Trump of “modern-day appeasement” in his approach to Russia and expressed fears that Europe would “lose confidence in the certainty of America” in his first interview since leaving the White House in January.
“He [Vladimir Putin] believes it [Russia] has historical rights to Ukraine,” Biden told the BBC. Anybody who thought the Russian president would stop if Kyiv conceded territory, as recently proposed by Trump, “is just foolish”, he said.
Speaking in Delaware as the Allied nations mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, Biden said Trump’s stance was “modern-day appeasement” in reference to the attempts of British prime minister Neville Chamberlain’s to appease Adolf Hitler in the 1930s.
He also said he feared Europe was going to lose confidence in the “certainty of America and the leadership of America” and that a breakdown of US-Europe relations under Trump “would change the modern history of the world”.
Biden said the leaders of European nations would be left “wondering, well, what do I do now? … Can I rely on the United States? Are they going to be there?
“I fear our allies around the world are going to begin to doubt whether we’re going to stay where we’ve always been in the last 80 years,” he said.
Biden told Nick Robinson that he found the extraordinary meeting in the Oval Office between Trump and Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy “beneath America”.
He went on to condemn Trump’s calls for the US to take back the Panama canal, make Canada the 51st American state and seize Greenland.
Key events
Russia ‘asking for too much’, says JD Vance, as he says both sides need to talk to each other directly to end war in Ukraine
Vance says the Trump administration wants Russia and Ukraine to agree on some guidelines for talking to each other directly, which he says would be necessary to end the war.
Vance says the US views the concessions that Russia had sought as too much.
Certainly the first peace offer the Russians put on the table, our reaction to it was: ‘You’re asking for too much.’
The Russians are asking for a certain set of requirements, a certain set of concessions, to end the conflict. We think they’re asking for too much.
But he says he is not that pessimistic about the chances for ending the conflict and direct talks between Russia and Ukraine is the next step the US wants to see.
Right now we would like the Russians and Ukrainians to agree to some basic guidelines for sitting down and talking to one another … We think that is the next big step we would like to take … We think it’s probably impossible for us to mediate this entirely without at least some direct negotiation between the two.
‘We are very much real friends’: JD Vance says he believes US and Europe ‘are on the same team’
In marked contrast to his remarks back in February, Vance says he believes the US and Europe “are on the same team” and it was “ridiculous” to think a wedge could be driven between them.
He says he has a tendency to think of foreign policy purely in terms of “transactional values” – in terms of “what does American get out of it?” at the expense of the moral and humanitarian side of issues.
Vance says he believes that “fundamentally we have to be – and we are – on the same civilizational team”.
He and Trump believe this means “a little bit more European burden-sharing on the defense side” and “all of us” rethinking the “security posture of the last 20 years” which is “not adequate for the next 20 years”.
I do think we’re in one of these phases where we’re going to have to rethink a lot of big questions, but I do think we should rethink those big questions together. That’s a fundamental belief of both me and the president.
He adds:
I still think that this European alliance is very important but I think that for it to be important and for us to be real friends with each other – and I think we are very much real friends – we’ve got to talk about the big questions.
JD Vance to deliver remarks at Munich Leaders Meeting in Washington DC
The vice-president JD Vance is due on stage at the Munich Leaders Meeting on global security taking place in Washington DC shortly for a Q&A led by Wolfgang Ischinger, a former German diplomat who chairs the annual Munich Security Conference.
Vance’s appearance earlier this year at that conference was nothing short of stunning and one of the most significant moments in the second Trump administration so far. As my colleague Patrick Wintour reported at the time, European leaders were left stunned as Vance “launched a brutal ideological assault on the continent, accusing its leaders of suppressing free speech, failing to halt illegal migration and running in fear from voters’ true beliefs”.
In a hostile, chastising speech that openly questioned whether current European values warranted defence by the US, Vance painted a picture of European politics infected by media censorship, cancelled elections and political correctness. He said:
If you are afraid of the voices, the opinions and the conscience that guide your very own people … If you’re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you, nor for that matter is there anything you can do for the American people.
His disdain for Europe was also further revealed in leaked messages during the Signalgate scandal in which he told defense secretary Pete Hegseth: “I just hate bailing out Europe again.”
I’ll bring you any key lines from Vance this morning.
Trump plans to announce US will call Persian Gulf ‘Arabian Gulf’ or ‘Gulf of Arabia’, officials say
A fan of renaming gulfs, Donald Trump plans to announce while on his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the United States will now refer to the Persian Gulf as the “Arabian Gulf” or the “Gulf of Arabia”, the Associated Press reports, citing two US officials.
The move has prompted a push back from Iranian leaders who called it “politically motivated”. On Wednesday, Iran’s current foreign minister weighed in, saying that names of Middle East waterways do “not imply ownership by any particular nation, but rather reflects a shared respect for the collective heritage of humanity”. Abbas Araghchi continued on X:
Politically motivated attempts to alter the historically established name of the Persian Gulf are indicative of hostile intent toward Iran and its people, and are firmly condemned.
Any short-sighted step in this connection will have no validity or legal or geographical effect, it will only bring the wrath of all Iranians from all walks of life and political persuasion in Iran, the US and across the world.
The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century and it has become an emotive issues for Iranians, although usage of “Gulf of Arabia” and “Arabian Gulf” is dominant in many countries in the Middle East. The US military for years has also unilaterally referred to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf in statements and images it releases.
Trump can change the name for official US purposes, but he can’t dictate what the rest of the world calls it, as he has found several months after he declared that the US would refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”.
Trump administration to stop US research on space pollution, in boon to Elon Musk
Tom Perkins
The Trump administration is poised to kill federal research into pollution from satellites and rockets, including some caused by Elon Musk’s space companies, raising new conflict-of-interest questions about the billionaire SpaceX and Starlink owner.
The pollution appears to be accumulating in the stratosphere at alarming levels. Some fear it could destroy the ozone layer, potentially expose some people to higher levels of ultraviolet radiation or help further destabilize the earth’s climate during the climate crisis.
The two research projects would’ve had the potential to eventually lead to new regulations, costs or logistical challenges for Musk’s companies and the commercial space industry, experts say.
They were part of the office of atmospheric research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), which the Trump administration is now proposing to kill. The administration says it is “eliminating the federal government’s support of woke ideology”, but critics say it’s protecting a prolific donor and political ally.
“Obviously there’s political motivation, and Elon Musk’s business interests are tied up in Noaa’s work,” said Tim Whitehouse, executive director of the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility non-profit, which has filed a Freedom of Information Act request for emails around the projects.
These are programs the government wanted to build up, that had bipartisan support, and suddenly they’re being gutted with no rhyme, reason or adequate explanation.
‘Maduro did not close our bureau – Trump did’: Voice of America journalists speak out
Lauren Gambino
Carolina Valladares Pérez, a Washington-based correspondent for the government-funded international news service Voice of America, has reported from places where press freedom is severely restricted – war zones and autocratic states – in the Middle East and across Latin America. Intimidation and threats from state officials were not unusual – but she always managed to get the story out.
Now for the first time in her career, Valladares Pérez says she has been silenced – not by a faraway regime, but by the government of the United States.
“Nicolás Maduro did not close our bureau,” she said, of Venezuela’s authoritarian leader. “Donald Trump closed it. I find this astonishing.”
Valladares Pérez is one of hundreds of VOA journalists who remain shut out of their newsroom nearly two months after Trump signed a late-night executive order aimed at dismantling their parent company, the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM). The journalists had been hopeful they might be able to return to their broadcasts this week – VOA was even included in the rotation of news outlets assigned to cover the president as part of the White House press pool – but whiplashing court orders have clouded their path forward.
“We have 3,500 affiliates around the world – these are television stations, radio stations, digital affiliates, who depend on our content,” said Patsy Widakuswara, VOA’s White House bureau chief, who is the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the president’s authority to gut an agency chartered by Congress.
The void is going to be filled by our adversaries – it already is.
UK in talks with US officials over movie tariffs, says minister
Britain is in “active discussions” with US officials over the extraordinary 100% tariff on all movies produced outside the US proposed by Donald Trump, as it tries to protect one of its biggest creative industries.
“We are already in active discussions with the top of the US administration on this subject. We are working hard to establish what might be proposed, if anything, and to make sure our world-beating creative industries are protected,” creative industries minister Chris Bryant told parliament.
Reuters reports that Bryant noted that Trump had not given any details about his proposal, adding that it was not clear how tariffs could be applied to the film industry, with productions often created and developed across different locations and countries.
Trump’s bombshell announcement on Sunday left British film industry leaders aghast, with the UK, a regular location for some of Hollywood’s biggest movie productions, particularly vulnerable to any attempt by the US president to prevent American studios shooting overseas. Flummoxed entertainment executives have questioned both the timing of the proposed levy and how it could be enforced.
White House officials said “no official decisions have been made” on Monday and Trump appeared to soften his tone yesterday, saying he planned to meet and discuss the plans with film industry leaders. He said: “I’m not trying to hurt the industry, I want to help the industry … So we’re going to meet with the industry. I want to make sure they’re happy with it because we’re all about jobs.”
Patrick Wintour
Iran is aghast at reports from the US that Donald Trump is planning for the US to offer Saudi Arabia to change the name of the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Arabia, a move that would cause deep offence in Iran and have large diplomatic repercussions.
There has been a decades long dispute between Arab States and Iran about the appropriate terminology for the stretch of water, but historically dating back to the Greeks it has been called the Persian Gulf.
Intermediaries are trying to persuade Trump of the diplomatic folly of the move just as Iranian diplomats are trying to convince hardliners in Iran that Trump is serious about negotiating a balanced nuclear deal with Iran.
He would make the announcement as a gift to Saudi Arabia as part of his three day tour in the Gulf.
One source said “it is the height of stupidity, but we are trying to tell the Iranians that Trump will be there for four years, but the Persian Gulf will be there for thousands of years”.
The source added that Trump believes the move might be enough to persuade Arab states of the value of normalisation of relations with Israel, one of the great second term goals of Trump diplomacy.
Trump has already renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
Tom Perkins
The Trump administration is poised to kill federal research into pollution from satellites and rockets, including some caused by Elon Musk’s space companies, raising new conflict-of-interest questions about the billionaire SpaceX and Starlink owner.
The pollution appears to be accumulating in the stratosphere at alarming levels. Some fear it could destroy the ozone layer, potentially expose some people to higher levels of ultraviolet radiation or help further destabilize the earth’s climate during the climate crisis.
The two research projects would have had the potential to eventually lead to new regulations, costs or logistical challenges for Musk’s companies and the commercial space industry, experts say.
They were part of the office of atmospheric research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), which the Trump administration is now proposing to kill. The administration says it is “eliminating the federal government’s support of woke ideology”, but critics say it’s protecting a prolific donor and political ally.
“Obviously there’s political motivation, and Elon Musk’s business interests are tied up in Noaa’s work,” said Tim Whitehouse, executive director of the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility non-profit, which has filed a Freedom of Information Act request for emails around the projects.
Libya’s government of national unity said on Wednesday it rejects the use of Libyan territory as a destination for deporting migrants without its knowledge or consent.
The government also stated there is no coordination with the United States regarding the reception of migrants.
The statement comes after US officials indicated that president Donald Trump’s administration may deport migrants to Libya.
President Donald Trump’s administration may deport migrants to Libya for the first time this week, three US officials said on Tuesday, as part of his immigration crackdown and despite Washington’s past condemnation of Libya’s harsh treatment of detainees.
Two of the officials said the US military could fly the migrants to the north African country as soon as Wednesday, but stressed that plans could still change.
The Pentagon referred queries to the White House. The White House, state department and Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Reuters could not determine how many migrants would be sent to Libya or the nationalities of the individuals that the administration is considering for deportation.
The Republican president, who made immigration a major issue during his election campaign, has launched aggressive enforcement action since taking office, surging troops to the southern border and pledging to deport millions of immigrants in the United States illegally.
As of Monday, the Trump administration has deported 152,000 people, according to DHS.
President Donald Trump plans to announce on his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the US will refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, two US officials said on Tuesday.
Arab nations have pushed for a change to the geographic name of the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, while Iran has maintained its historic ties to the gulf.
The US officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. The White House and national security council did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although use of Gulf of Arabia and Arabian Gulf is dominant in many countries in the Middle East.
The government of Iran – formerly Persia – threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company’s decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps.
On Google Maps in the US, the body of water appears as Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf). Apple Maps only says the Persian Gulf.
US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent and chief trade negotiator Jamieson Greer will meet China’s economic tsar He Lifeng in Switzerland this weekend for talks that could be the first step toward resolving a trade war disrupting the global economy.
News of the meeting announced by Washington late Tuesday, and later confirmed by Beijing, sent US equity index futures sharply higher, while stock markets in China and Hong Kong also rose as Asian trading began on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
The talks come after weeks of escalating tensions that have seen duties on goods imports between the world’s two largest economies soar well beyond 100%, amounting to what Bessent on Tuesday described as the equivalent of a trade embargo.
The deadlock, alongside US president Donald Trump’s decision last month to impose sweeping duties on dozens of countries, has upended supply chains, roiled financial markets and stoked fears of a sharp downturn in global growth.
Biden warns Europe losing confidence in US under Trump will change course of modern history
Helen Livingstone
Joe Biden has accused Donald Trump of “modern-day appeasement” in his approach to Russia and expressed fears that Europe would “lose confidence in the certainty of America” in his first interview since leaving the White House in January.
“He [Vladimir Putin] believes it [Russia] has historical rights to Ukraine,” Biden told the BBC. Anybody who thought the Russian president would stop if Kyiv conceded territory, as recently proposed by Trump, “is just foolish”, he said.
Speaking in Delaware as the Allied nations mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, Biden said Trump’s stance was “modern-day appeasement” in reference to the attempts of British prime minister Neville Chamberlain’s to appease Adolf Hitler in the 1930s.
He also said he feared Europe was going to lose confidence in the “certainty of America and the leadership of America” and that a breakdown of US-Europe relations under Trump “would change the modern history of the world”.
Biden said the leaders of European nations would be left “wondering, well, what do I do now? … Can I rely on the United States? Are they going to be there?
“I fear our allies around the world are going to begin to doubt whether we’re going to stay where we’ve always been in the last 80 years,” he said.
Biden told Nick Robinson that he found the extraordinary meeting in the Oval Office between Trump and Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy “beneath America”.
He went on to condemn Trump’s calls for the US to take back the Panama canal, make Canada the 51st American state and seize Greenland.
Trump says ‘we just want to be friends’ as Canada PM torpedoes 51st state idea
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. I’m Tom Ambrose and I will be bringing you the latest news lines over the next hour or so.
Firstly, Donald Trump said he “just want[s] to be friends with Canada” after his first post-election meeting with the country’s prime minister, Mark Carney – who used the gathering to shoot down any prospect of his country becoming the 51st state.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump praised Carney – whose Liberal party won the federal election last week – for one of the “greatest political comebacks of all time”, and described the prime minister’s visit as “an honour” for the White House.
The amicable tone of Tuesday’s meeting marked a stark contrast with Trump’s hostile rhetoric over recent months, as he launched a trade war against his northern neighbour, belittled Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, and made repeated threats to crush Canada’s economy with the aim of annexing it.
Carney returned the praise, telling Trump he was a “transformational president” with a strong focus on the economy. But he shot down any idea that Canada might accede to joining the US as the 51st state – a proposal again floated by Trump in the meeting.
“As you know from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale,” Carney told Trump.
“That’s true,” said Trump.
“Having met with the owners of Canada over the course of the campaign … it’s not for sale,” said Carney. “Won’t be for sale, ever.”
“Never say never,” said Trump. Carney smiled and mouthed “never, never, never, never.”
For the full report on the meeting and further reaction, see here:
In other news:
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US treasury secretary Scott Bessent and US trade representative Jamieson Greer will meet with their Chinese counterparts later this week in Switzerland, in what could be the first step to negotiating an end to the trade war between the world’s two largest economies over tariffs imposed by Trump.
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Bessent also contradicted a previous claim from Trump that talks with China had been going on for weeks. “We haven’t had negotiations,” Bessent told Fox. “The world has been coming to the US, and China has been the missing piece.”
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Trump revealed to reporters that three more Israeli hostages have died in Gaza, meaning that just 21 of the hostages taken from Israel on 7 October 2023 remain alive. “I say 21, because, as of today, it’s 21. Three have died,” the president said.
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At the White House event on the 2026 World Cup, Trump learned from a reporter that Russia is banned from taking part, as a result of its invasion of Ukraine.
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Columbia University announced that it laid off nearly 180 researchers in response to the Trump’s administration’s decision to cancel $400m in funding over the Ivy League school’s handling of student protests against the war in Gaza.
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The Trump administration may deport migrants to Libya for the first time this week, three US officials tell Reuters.
