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Starmer, Trump Hold Phone Talks on Ukraine, Contested Island Deal
(MENAFN) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump held telephone discussions Tuesday covering imminent Ukraine peace negotiations and a disputed agreement involving the strategically vital Diego Garcia military installation.
The conversation addressed Ukraine's deteriorating situation, including overnight Russian bombardments, according to a statement from the prime minister's office.
Starmer characterized Russian forces' "fierce attacks" on Ukraine's critical infrastructure, including energy systems, as "particularly depraved" as temperatures dropped below minus 20C (-4F), conveying this assessment directly to Trump.
The White House announced Tuesday that the US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will attend trilateral negotiations with Russia and Ukraine in the United Arab Emirates' capital Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and Thursday.
The leaders also addressed the Chagos Islands sovereignty transfer, which encompasses the Diego Garcia base, acknowledging its critical strategic value.
"The leaders agreed their governments would continue working closely to guarantee the future operation of the base and speak again soon," the statement added.
Parliamentary consideration of the UK's Chagos handover arrangement was postponed last month following sharp criticism from Trump.
Controversy intensified after Trump denounced the agreement between Britain and Mauritius as "an act of great stupidity."
Last May, the UK and Mauritius signed a deal to transfer sovereignty over the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius, ending over two centuries of British rule, in exchange for allowing the US and UK to continue operating the strategically important Diego Garcia military base for the next 99 years.
The pact remains unimplemented, awaiting domestic ratification procedures.
The Chagos Archipelago, a group of seven atolls comprising over 60 islands in the central Indian Ocean, is located about 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of the Maldives.
The conversation addressed Ukraine's deteriorating situation, including overnight Russian bombardments, according to a statement from the prime minister's office.
Starmer characterized Russian forces' "fierce attacks" on Ukraine's critical infrastructure, including energy systems, as "particularly depraved" as temperatures dropped below minus 20C (-4F), conveying this assessment directly to Trump.
The White House announced Tuesday that the US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will attend trilateral negotiations with Russia and Ukraine in the United Arab Emirates' capital Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and Thursday.
The leaders also addressed the Chagos Islands sovereignty transfer, which encompasses the Diego Garcia base, acknowledging its critical strategic value.
"The leaders agreed their governments would continue working closely to guarantee the future operation of the base and speak again soon," the statement added.
Parliamentary consideration of the UK's Chagos handover arrangement was postponed last month following sharp criticism from Trump.
Controversy intensified after Trump denounced the agreement between Britain and Mauritius as "an act of great stupidity."
Last May, the UK and Mauritius signed a deal to transfer sovereignty over the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius, ending over two centuries of British rule, in exchange for allowing the US and UK to continue operating the strategically important Diego Garcia military base for the next 99 years.
The pact remains unimplemented, awaiting domestic ratification procedures.
The Chagos Archipelago, a group of seven atolls comprising over 60 islands in the central Indian Ocean, is located about 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of the Maldives.
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