Much store has been placed over the past eight months in how foreign leaders prepare to interact with US President Donald Trump. From a European point of view, there has been a carousel of winners and losers.
Take, for example, a write-up in The Wall Street Journal of the golfing prowess of Finnish President Alexander Stubb and how that was key to the relationship between the two men. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer would have enjoyed the headline on Monday that said he was hoping to “exploit his curious relationship” with the US leader to the benefit of Ukraine.
Mr Trump appears to enjoy it all. Going back to his first term and the notorious handshaking with French President Emmanuel Macron, Mr Trump sees meeting European leaders as a kind of vaudeville performance. At the start of this week, he was boasting that Monday’s White House gathering on Ukraine was a big day in history. “Never had so many European Leaders at one time. My great honour to host them!!!”
Step back from all the stage management, and the reality is that Mr Trump and the new American political establishment see the Europeans as all one, not the individual performers that the news reports highlight.
The war in Ukraine appears to have reached the moment of truth. By abandoning demands for a ceasefire as a gateway to peace talks during his Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr Trump has established how the conflict can now end. For the Europeans, this means the transactional basis of US foreign policy going forward is a fundamental reality that cannot be wished away anymore. Nor even blunted by the kind of summit theatrics we have seen over recent months.
The Europeans must now follow through on the generational change the continent’s leaders have promised on its collective defence. This means all nations need to match the kind of uplift that Germany has promised.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived at the White House on Monday having promised to raise defence spending to 3.5 per cent of national gross domestic product by 2029. It also means that leaders must be more ruthless in the dollars versus euros choices that the Europeans are making when buying defence equipment. Put simply, to defend itself Europe must now more aggressively buy European as a long-term strategic play.
The third aspect of this is that the Europeans must show they are prepared to join in delivering what it takes to be robust in their own self-defence. That is why I describe this as a generational choice. It is surely true that the defence spending must go back to levels last seen during the Cold War. But it is also true that the population must be mobilised in civil defence and formal security roles in new and wider ways.
The war in Ukraine has already changed the trajectory of the European story. A decade that started with the Covid-19 pandemic has seen its growth and prosperity derailed by the subsequent decoupling from Russia. This isn’t just in terms of the cost of living, which was severely hit by the resources shock following the war. The wider outlook for the continent is also one of beleaguered choices between welfare and warfare with no real prospect of an economic revival.
It is not just Ukraine that is a frontline state. The Baltics and Scandinavians have that mentality, too. Alliances have been formed such as the 10-nation Joint Expeditionary Force, which stretches from Iceland through the UK to those northern frontline states.
Most European countries are on a trajectory to higher government spending, but the reforms in the security mentality are not yet as real as the scale of the challenge that the continent is facing. The retired British general Richard Barrons observed last week that no one was talking about a Russian invasion of the UK as a credible prospect, but he queried the readiness for a more wholistic threat landscape. This includes strengthening the digital sphere in the information age.
A society mobilised to take on these challenges is clearly just as vital as strong defences in Finland or elsewhere.
For now, the Europeans will seek to eke out as much of a security blanket from the US as they can feasibly obtain. That is why the cast at the White House on Monday was not just Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy but also included Mr Starmer, Mr Macron, Mr Merz, Mr Stubb, plus Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
It would be a fool’s paradise, however, to not see the writing on the wall. When the Signal chat involving American leaders was leaked during Washington’s confrontation with Yemen’s Houthis, Vice President JD Vance was shown asking why the US was bailing out European security. The intervention across the Red Sea was quickly curtailed.
France has long argued that at least two thirds of the coming European military build-up should be manufactured at home. Vulnerabilities of ordering from the US include long lead times and a de-prioritisation of the European inventory rebuild in areas such as ammunition. Other European countries openly push for the high-capability requirements on offer from the US. This pushes the longer-term restructuring of the continent’s defence industries into the long grass.
So while orders are flowing from a top-line increase in defence budgets, it is hard to shake the questions around adequacy. Not only is the spending rising as fast as pledged but also can Europe become strong enough, faster?
The answer to that question won’t be found in this week’s trip to Washington.
RESULT
Chelsea 2
Willian 13'
Ross Barkley 64'
Liverpool 0
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
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Teaching in coronavirus times
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Grubtech
Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
The years Ramadan fell in May
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
Results
2-15pm: Commercial Bank Of Dubai – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Al Habash, Patrick Cosgrave (jockey), Bhupat Seemar (trainer)
2.45pm: Al Shafar Investment – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Day Approach, Ray Dawson, Ahmad bin Harmash
3.15pm: Dubai Real estate Centre – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Celtic Prince, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
3.45pm: Jebel Ali Sprint by ARM Holding – Listed (TB) Dh500,000 (D) 1,000m; Winner: Khuzaam, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
4.15pm: Shadwell – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Tenbury Wells, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.45pm: Jebel Ali Stakes by ARM Holding – Listed (TB) Dh500,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Lost Eden, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson
5.15pm: Jebel Ali Racecourse – Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Rougher, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
A cryptocurrency primer for beginners
Cryptocurrency Investing for Dummies – by Kiana Danial
There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine.
Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.
Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.
Begin your cryptocurrency journey here.
Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104
MATCH SCHEDULE
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)
Liverpool v Roma
Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)
Europa League semi-final, first leg
Thursday, April 26
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (11.05pm)
Marseille v Salzburg (11.05pm)
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPECS
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Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
