Starmer and Trump discuss Ukraine, Gaza

Gaza City [Gaza], December 22: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has spoken to US President Donald Trump for what will likely be their final phone call of 2025.
The two leaders discussed the war in Ukraine, the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza, and the appointment of a new ambassador to Washington DC when they spoke on Sunday afternoon, according to No 10.
Giving a readout of their call, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: "The Prime Minister spoke to the president of the United States, Donald Trump, this afternoon." "The two leaders began by reflecting on the war in Ukraine," she added. "The Prime Minister updated on work by the coalition of the willing to support any peace deal and ensure a just and lasting end to the hostilities."
"Turning to the Middle East, the leaders discussed the situation on the ground in Gaza," the spokeswoman explained.
The appointment of Christian Turner as the UK's ambassador to the US will "further deepen the relationship between the two countries," the prime minister is said to have told Trump, who spoke to Starmer from Mar-a-Lago, his estate in Florida.
A veteran diplomat, Turner, who is currently the UK's permanent representative to the United Nations, will take the job vacated by Peter Mandelson, who was sacked by Starmer in September after the extent of his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein was revealed.
The call between the prime minister and Trump comes just three days after the US government began releasing huge swathes of images and documents from the so-called "Epstein Files." The US president has faced pressure from his own supporters to publish the files, a request he had resisted for weeks. The trove of documents, including court records, footage and images, was uploaded on Friday night to the US Department of Justice website.
It included images of Britain's former Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Source: Qatar Tribune