Donald Trump

March 6, 2025 10:14 AM

Trump exempts some automakers from Canada, Mexico tariffs for one month

U.S. President Donald Trump will exempt automakers from his punishing 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico for one month as long as they comply with existing free trade rules, the White House said on Wednesday, a development that halted at least for now Wall Street's steepest skid in nearly three months. Trump is also open to hearing about other products that should be exempted from the tariffs, which took effect Tuesday, the White House said. But Trump made clear he was not calling off his tr...

March 6, 2025 9:04 AM

Trump warns Hamas as US holds unprecedented talks for Gaza hostages

The United States broke a longstanding diplomatic taboo by holding secret talks with Hamas on securing the release of U.S. hostages held in Gaza, Reuters reported on Wednesday, while President Donald Trump warned of "hell to pay" should the Palestinian militant group not comply. U.S. hostage affairs envoy Adam Boehler has the authority to talk directly with Hamas, the White House said when asked about the discussions, which broke with a decades-old policy against negotiating with groups that th...

March 5, 2025 2:14 PM

Trump hails ‘reclaiming’ of Panama canal after BlackRock-led group’s deal to buy stake

U.S. President Donald Trump has hailed a deal led by U.S. firm BlackRock to buy most of the $22.8 billion ports business of Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison which includes assets along the Panama Canal. The deal will give the U.S. consortium control of key Panama Canal ports amid White House calls to remove them from what it claims is Chinese ownership. On the first trading day after the deal's announcement, CK Hutchison stock soared nearly 25%. "My administration will be reclaiming the Pan...

March 4, 2025 5:36 PM

Ukraine says it will do all it can to maintain US ties after Trump pauses aid

Ukraine said on Tuesday it would do all it can to maintain its ties with the United States, after President Donald Trump paused military aid to Kyiv in the most dramatic step yet in his pivot towards closer ties with Russia. Trump has upended U.S. policy on Ukraine and Russia, culminating in an explosive confrontation at the White House on Friday, when Trump upbraided President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for being insufficiently grateful for Washington's backing. "President Trump has been clear that ...

March 4, 2025 11:52 AM

Trade wars erupt as Trump hits Canada, Mexico, China with steep tariffs

U.S. President Donald Trump's new 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada took effect on Tuesday, along with a doubling of duties on Chinese goods to 20%, launching new trade conflicts with the top three U.S. trading partners. The tariff actions, which could upend nearly $2.2 trillion in two-way annual U.S. trade went live at 12:01 a.m. EST (0501 GMT), hours after Trump declared that all three countries had failed to do enough to stem the flow of the deadly fentanyl opioid and its pr...

March 4, 2025 8:46 AM

Trump halts all U.S. military aid to Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump has paused military aid to Ukraine following his clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week, said a White House official, deepening the fissure that has opened between the two one-time allies. "President Trump has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution," said the official on Monday, speaking on the condit...

March 3, 2025 9:19 AM

UK, European leaders join forces to draft Ukraine peace plan to take to US

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday European leaders had agreed to draw up a Ukraine peace plan to present to the United States, a vital step for Washington to be able to offer security guarantees that Kyiv says are essential to deter Russia. At a summit in London just two days after Volodymyr Zelenskiy clashed with U.S. President Donald Trump and cut short a visit to Washington, European leaders offered a strong show of support to the Ukrainian president and promised to do mor...

February 28, 2025 10:04 AM

Russia, US hold talks, Putin says contacts inspire hope

Russian and U.S. teams held six hours of talks in Turkey on Thursday to try to restore normal functioning of their embassies, and Vladimir Putin said initial contacts with Donald Trump's new administration had inspired hope. The talks, focused narrowly on conditions for each other's diplomats, provided an early test of the two countries' ability to reset wider relations, amid a Trump administration outreach effort that has alarmed Washington's European allies and Kyiv. The Kremlin last year de...

February 28, 2025 9:14 AM

Trump dodges plea from Britain’s Starmer for Ukraine security guarantee

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that a minerals deal with Ukraine is the security guarantee Kyiv needs against Russia, brushing aside a plea from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for a commitment of U.S. military support. Starmer, who was meeting Trump at the White House for the first time since the U.S. leader took office, turned on the charm, saying peace in Ukraine had only become possible because of Trump. Starmer also delivered an invitation from King Charles for a future s...

February 27, 2025 9:56 AM

Trump confirms Zelenskiy visit to sign Ukraine minerals deal

U.S. President Donald Trump said Volodymyr Zelenskiy would visit Washington on Friday to sign an agreement on rare earth minerals, while the Ukrainian leader said the success of the deal would hinge on those talks and continued U.S. aid. Under the deal, which Ukraine's prime minister has called "preliminary," Kyiv would hand some revenue from its mineral resources to a fund jointly controlled by the U.S. The agreement is central to Ukrainian attempts to win strong support from Trump as he see...