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    Trump won’t say if US still committed to defense of NATO nations ahead of summit: ‘It depends on your definition’

    President Donald Trump on Tuesday refused to state whether he would commit the United States to continued support of the mutual defense provision in the NATO treaty that saw America’s allies come to her aid after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on New York and Washington.Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while flying to The Hague for the alliance’s annual leader-level summit, the president was asked if he was still committed to Article Five of the North Atlantic Treaty, which states that an attack against one member is considered an attack against all of the organization’s 32 member nations.Trump, who often refused to voice U.S. support for the collective defense pact during his first term — and only did so begrudgingly when pressed on the matter — declined to say for sure.He replied: “It depends on your definition. There’s numerous definitions of Article Five. You know that, right?”The president added that he was nonetheless “committed to being … friends” with the other members of the alliance because he had “become friends with many of those leaders” and was “committed to helping them.”When pressed to explain his comments and given another chance to voice support for mutual defense, he told reporters he was “committed to saving lives” and “committed to live and safety” while promising to give his “exact definition” of Article Five once he arrived in The Hague rather than doing so “on the back of an airplane.”( More

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    What are sleeper cells and why are the FBI on alert for them after Trump’s strikes on Iran?

    The United States has ramped up its monitoring of Iranian sleeper cells as President Donald Trump’s strikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites decisively propelled the U.S. into Israel’s war. Following Saturday’s strikes, which Trump claimed “totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites of Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, both White House and FBI officials have been on high alert for Iranian sleeper cells. Sleeper cells comprised of spies or terrorists hiding out in the U.S. or Western countries, remain inactive, often living quiet and unassuming lives working regular jobs until they are ordered to act on a mission. (Think Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, the fictional Cold War-era KGB spies who pose as the typical American couple with kids in suburban DC in FX’s series The Americans.)According to reports, Iran may now try to activate these covert spies after the U.S. joined Israel’s strikes against Iran. Even before Trump ordered U.S. involvement in the strikes, FBI Director Kash Patel increased efforts to surveil potential sleeper agents linked to Hezbollah – a U.S.-designated terror organization backed by Iran, sources told CBS News. U.S. authorities are monitoring potential Iranian sleeper cells in the wake of President Donald Trump’s strikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday.The increased surveillance started earlier this month, after Israel’s Operation Rising Lion offensive began, according to the report. Both current and former administrations have worried about the threat of Iranian operatives, especially after Trump ordered Iranian General Qasem Soleimani to be assassinated in January 2020. In the wake of his killing, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and other agencies ramped up their resources to counter potential threats. Since then, prosecutors have also charged several U.S.-based individuals with plotting to kill both Trump and his national security adviser John Bolton. A recent U.S. Department of Homeland Security threat assessment found that the intelligence community expects Iran to remain the primary source of terrorism and continue to advance plots against the U.S., according to NewsNation. “As the conflict in the Middle East escalates and Iran is being targeted, the regime thinks to itself, ‘OK, we are on our last throes, and therefore we will go out with a bang, quite literally,’” Barak Seener, a senior fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, told NewsNation before the U.S. joined the strikes. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine speak during a news conference Sunday at the Pentagon after the U.S. military struck three sites in Iran, directly joining Israel’s effort to destroy the country’s nuclear program. More

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    Zelensky issues warning to Putin after Russian leader’s two-hour ceasefire call with Trump

    Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a warning to Vladimir Putin following the Russian leader’s two-hour call with Donald Trump.In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the call with Putin on Monday (19 May) went “very well” and the conditions of the ceasefire would be “negotiated between the two parties”.Speaking at a press conference following the call, Mr Zelensky warned his country “will accept no ultimatums”.He said: “We will not give away our land, our territories and our people, our homes.” More

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    Trump bullying Starmer has got him what he wants in US-UK trade deal, says MP

    Donald Trump bullying Keir Starmer has got him what he wants in the US-UK trade deal, an MP has claimed.Liberal Democrat MP Calum Miller voiced his opinion on the historic deal, when he appeared on BBC Question Time on Thursday (8 May).Responding to an audience member, Mr Miller said the deal is a victory of Trump as he called for more active negotiation with Europe.He said: “We’ve just shown him that by bullying us, he can get what he wants.” More

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    Defence secretary grilled on UK-US trade deal: ‘People are concerned’

    Defence secretary John Healey has been grilled on reports of a UK-US trade deal.Donald Trump revealed his administration has reached an agreement with a “highly respected country” on Wednesday (7 May), and is expected to announce the deal with the UK at a news conference at about 3pm UK time today.Appearing on Sky News this morning, Mr Healey was grilled about the trade deal.He said: “I am not going to preempt what the prime minister or president may say, but what this reminds us is the US is an indispensable ally for the UK, both on economic and national security grounds.” More

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    Watch live: JD Vance holds press conference during India trip to discuss trade deal

    Watch live as US vice president JD Vance holds a press conference during his trip to India on Tuesday (22 April) as New Delhi looks to avoid tariffs and negotiate a bilateral trade deal with Washington.Mr Vance is accompanied by his wife, Usha Vance, whose parents are from India, along with their children and officials from the US administration. The couple will visit historical sites in the cities of Jaipur and Agra, including the Taj Mahal.Mr Vance met prime minister Narendra Modi on the first day of his largely personal visit.The two leaders were expected to hold discussions on bilateral ties outlined in February when Mr Modi met president Donald Trump in Washington.The US is India’s largest trading partner and the two countries are now holding negotiations aiming to seal a bilateral trade agreement this year. They have set an ambitious target of more than doubling their bilateral trade to $500bn by 2030. If achieved, the trade deal could significantly enhance economic ties between the two countries and potentially strengthen diplomatic ties as well. More

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    Watch: Marco Rubio hints US may drop Russia-Ukraine peace talks

    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has hinted America may be ready to “move on” from Russia-Ukraine peace talks if there is not progress in the coming days.Rubio made his comments to reporters in Paris after a marathon day of landmark talks among US, Ukrainian and European officials, on Thursday (17 April).Rubio said:”The president has spent 87 days at the highest level of his government, repeatedly taking efforts to bring this war to an end. We are now reaching a point where we need to decide and determine whether this is even possible or not, which is why we’re engaging both sides.” More

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    British and French military chiefs discuss plans to build on ‘formidable capabilities’ of Ukrainian army in peacekeeping talks

    British and French military chiefs have met their counterparts in Ukraine to discuss how Sir Keir Starmer’s “coalition of the willing” can “build on the formidable capabilities of the Ukrainian army”.Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the chief of the UK defence staff, was in Kyiv this week for talks on the structure, size and make-up of the Ukraine force, in the event of a peace deal between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin. Sir Tony said: “The UK is ironclad in our support for Ukraine, which is why we’re stepping up for a just and lasting peace. “Our meetings looked at how we can build on the formidable capabilities of the Ukrainian army and put them in the strongest possible position to deter Russian aggression.Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin (Andrew Matthews/PA) More