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      Ukraine and UK in talks over ‘landmark’ digital trade deal to help war-torn country

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      For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails The UK and Ukraine have kicked off talks on a “landmark” digital trade agreement, aimed at providing support for Ukrainian jobs, livelihoods, and families after Russia’s invasion. The […] More

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      Moscow ‘rubbing its hands with glee’ over Boris Johnson departure and will ‘exploit it if they can’

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      “The clown is going,” said Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia’s parliament after the fall of Boris Johnson. “He is one of the main ideologues of the war against Russia until the last Ukrainian. European leaders should think about where such a policy leads.”Maria Zakharova, spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry in the Kremlin, declared: “The moral of the story is: do not seek to destroy Russia: it cannot be destroyed. You can break your teeth on it – and then choke on them.”Mr Johnson may regard these insults as badges of honour. He certainly will not object to being called the leader in the support of Ukraine against Russian aggression: although the volume of America’s military and financial support to Kyiv outweighs those from other Western states.But the UK is now leaderless, without a prime minister who wields any authority. To continue with the Russian theme, Boris Johnson is now the head of a Potemkin government – a false and hollow structure. This could continue for months, and it is a vulnerable place for the country to be in these uncertain times.Recommended More

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      ‘I won’t miss him’: French finance minister attacks Boris and Brexit

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      A French government minister has lashed out at Boris Johnson claiming that his resignation demonstrates populism and Brexit were not a good mix.Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, also added that the outgoing prime minister’s legacy amounted to very little and, for good measure, that he personally would not miss Johnson.Scandal-ridden Johnson announced on Thursday he would quit as Prime Minister after he dramatically lost the support of his ministers and most Conservative lawmakers, but said he would stay on until his successor was chosen.Asked for his reaction to Johnson’s decision, Le Maire told France Info radio: “It proves, in any case, that Brexit mixed up with populism does not make for a good cocktail for a nation.”“Personally, I won’t miss him,” added Le Maire.Recommended“What Boris Johnson will leave behind him, I do not think it will be particularly brilliant,” Le Maire also said.The UK and France had a testy relationship with Boris Johnson as prime minister, mostly centered on the fallout from Brexit.Mr Johnson has been accused in France of “making a mockery” of London-Paris relations over his handling of the ongoing migrant crisis, and he also oversaw a stand-off over fishing rights.Most significantly, relations have soured over the UK’s threat and dangled to break international law by triggering Article 16 of the Northern Ireland protocol. More

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      in UK Politics

      Biden says ‘close cooperation’ with UK will continue after Johnson announces resignation

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      President Joe Biden on Thursday said UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement that he would step down as the UK’s head of government once Conservative Party members choose a successor will not put a damper on the close relationship between Washington and London.In a statement to The Independent, Mr Biden did not mention Mr Johnson or his impending exit from Number 10 Downing Street, but said the US and UK remain “the closest of friends and Allies” and stressed that “the special relationship” between the American and British people “remains strong and enduring”. “I look forward to continuing our close cooperation with the government of the United Kingdom, as well as our Allies and partners around the world, on a range of important priorities,” Mr Biden said. “That includes maintaining a strong and united approach to supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Putin’s brutal war on their democracy, and holding Russia accountable for its actions”.The outgoing British leader, who was born in the US but renounced his American citizenship years ago, has had a warm relationship with Mr Biden since the American president assumed office in January 2021.At the 2021 Group of Seven summit in Cornwall — one of Mr Biden’s first trips abroad as president — Mr Johnson described his American counterpart as “a breath of fresh air” as the two men signed a “New Atlantic Charter” which “reaffirm[ed] their commitment to work together to realise our vision for a more peaceful and prosperous future” by building on the alliance cemented by Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill more than eight decades prior. Mr Johnson has also praised Mr Biden’s willingness to tackle climate change as an existential threat to humanity during a September 2021 visit to the White House.RecommendedThe two leaders have also worked closely together as they coordinated the west’s response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. They also caused a row when the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia announced last year that Australia would purchase nuclear-powered, conventionally-armed submarines made with American and British technology. The move so incensed French President Emanuel Macron that he temporarily recalled the nation’s ambassador to the United States. But despite the friendly relations between the two leaders, White House officials have declined to weigh in on Mr Johnson’s political troubles, which they’ve characterised as an internal British matter that is out-of-bounds for public comment. More