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Latin America has navigated a minefield of economic and military coercion since Donald Trump’s return to the White House.Some leaders have fought back, some acquiesced. Some played possum.No country was left untouched by what many view as a return to US interventionism in what the Trump administration has taken to calling “our hemisphere.””Every Latin American country has a position of asymmetry with the United States. That is a baseline position,” said Alejandro Frenkel, international relations professor at Argentina’s San Martin University.Here is an overview of the tumult — and the varying responses:- ‘Whatever Trump wants’ -At one extreme, ideological ally Javier Milei of Argentina “does whatever Trump does and whatever Trump wants,” analyst Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank in Washington told AFP.In desperate need of a powerful backer in his efforts to revive a long-ailing economy, Milei has been a vocal Trump cheerleader and has offered US manufacturers preferential access to the Argentine market.Trump lifted restrictions on Argentinian beef imports in a reciprocal deal and gave the country a multi-billion dollar lifeline.Also firmly in the Trump camp is gang-busting President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador — the first country to accept hundreds of migrants expelled under the second Trump administration.Rights groups said the men were tortured, but Bukele won concessions including a temporary reprieve for over 200,000 Salvadorans to live and work in the United States and send home much-needed dollar remittances.In Ecuador, President Daniel Noboa agreed to receive deported migrants and praised Trump’s military deployment and bombing of alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and Pacific.Noboa won closer US cooperation in his own fight on gangs.- ‘Rude and ignorant’ -Colombia’s leftist leader Gustavo Petro has openly clashed with Trump, calling him “rude and ignorant” and comparing him to Adolf Hitler.Petro repeatedly denounced the Trump administration’s treatment of migrants and the “extrajudicial executions” of more than 80 people in strikes on alleged drug boats.He joined China’s Belt and Road infrastructure Initiative as he positioned Colombia closer to Beijing.The Trump administration has responded by accusing Petro of drug trafficking and imposing sanctions.Trump removed Bogota from a list of allies in the fight against narco trafficking, but the country escaped harsher punishment — possibly as Washington awaits the right’s likely return in 2026 elections.Fellow leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil has also tussled with Trump.But he is more “pragmatic and firm,” says Oliver Stuenkel, an international relations professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Sao Paulo. Lula denounced foreign “interference” after Trump imposed punishing import tariffs on Brazil in retaliation for the coup trial against his right-wing ally Jair Bolsonaro.Twenty-five years ago, when the United States was its main trading partner, “Brazil would have had to make significant concessions,” said Stuenkel. But “Brazil now exports more to China than to the United States and Europe combined.” – ‘Silent diplomacy’ – Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has fewer options. Her country sends more than 80 percent of its exports to the United States, with which she is renegotiating a trade agreement.Sheinbaum has responded to Trump’s often harsh rhetoric about Mexican drug cartels and migration with what analysts dub “silent diplomacy” — hashing out issues behind closed doors.The president upped intelligence sharing, drug seizures and arrests of cartel leaders, and has escaped the worst of Trump’s tariff wrath.But she stood firm, insisting there can be no “subordination,” after Trump mulled military strikes on drug sites in Mexico.Also walking a tightrope is Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino, who under US pressure withdrew his country from China’s Belt and Road Initiative.He also allowed the sale of ports owned by a Hong-Kong-based conglomerate on the Panama Canal, which Trump had threatened the United States would be “taking back.”- No provocation -In its own category is Venezuela, which fears that a large-scale US naval deployment in the Caribbean is aimed at ousting President Nicolas Maduro.The Venezuelan strongman is widely regarded as having stolen two re-elections and has few allies or economic backers.Under pressure, Caracas agreed to free American prisoners as Washington allowed Chevron to continue operations in the country with the world’s biggest known oil reserves.Venezuela has shifted to readiness mode in the face of the military buildup.But the Venezuelans are “trying hard not to provoke the US,” said Guillaume Long, a senior research fellow at the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research and a former Ecuadoran foreign minister.

Marjorie Taylor Greene didn’t just resign from the US Congress — she detonated a political grenade on her way out, blasting open cracks in a dam that some fear could unleash a flood of Republican exits.The 51-year-old conservative provocateur stunned Washington last week with a blistering attack on President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda and the Republican leadership she accused of betraying voters. Her departure announcement immediately fueled talk that more exhausted or exasperated Republicans may follow — a dangerous prospect for a House of Representatives majority hanging by a thread.”The honeymoon’s over and some Republicans are realizing this isn’t what they signed up for,” political analyst Andrew Koneschusky, a former Senate staffer, told AFP.”The discontent is multifaceted — everything from the growing affordability crisis to the ongoing Epstein saga, the impact of trade wars, the concentration of executive power, the diminution of congressional power and the toxicity in our political discourse.”Greene’s four-page resignation read more like a manifesto than a farewell, blasting Trump, skewering Speaker Mike Johnson and denouncing a “Political Industrial Complex” serving elites while ordinary Americans struggle. Washington, she argued, isn’t gridlocked — it’s rotten: lawmakers face violent threats while serious legislation gathers dust, replaced by meaningless messaging bills and party loyalty tests.Johnson, she charged in a separate post, has “sidelined” Congress in “full obedience” to the White House, blocking votes on bills and smothering campaign promises made by Trump. – ‘Tinder box’ -Her critics have long branded her a chaos agent, but this time Greene’s fury is resonating. Indiana Republican Victoria Spartz posted that she couldn’t blame Greene for fleeing “an institution that has betrayed the American people.” Already, 41 House members plan to retire this term — unusually high halfway through — and Punchbowl News reported that more could follow as Republican lawmakers complain behind closed doors of being treated like “garbage.””More explosive early resignations are coming. It’s a tinder box,” said one, according to the politics news outlet. “Morale has never been lower.”The math is brutal: House Republicans hold a slim 219–213 majority even before Greene’s departure, and Democrats are eyeing an upset in next month’s special election in Tennessee. They should also pick up seats in Texas and New Jersey.Rank-and-file lawmakers have worked only a handful of days since July despite a $174,000 salary, and say they spend more time when they are in Washington on punitive resolutions and theatrics than governing. Frustration is now erupting in a surprising place: “discharge petitions,” an obscure tool allowing lawmakers to circumvent the leadership and force votes with 218 signatures. Once rare, they’ve become the rebellion weapon of choice. Last week, four Republicans defied Trump and Johnson to demand the release of documents on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Five discharge petitions have succeeded under Johnson — more than in the previous 30 years combined.- ‘Go along or get out’ -Meanwhile, the temperature in Congress is rising in more ways than one. Threats against lawmakers have surged, a situation that some say has worsened since the recent assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Greene and Democrat Jared Golden both cited rising political violence as reasons for stepping aside.Zoom out, and the picture looks even bleaker. Public trust is cratering: Pew reported in 2023 that only 26 percent of Americans view Congress favorably. The last Congress passed the fewest bills in decades. Oversight has also weakened, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center, with fewer hearings, thinner witness testimony and implementation of watchdog recommendations increasingly spotty.”This is one of the toughest environments to be a lawmaker. If you’re a Democrat, you’re out of power and there’s only so much you can do,” said Koneschusky.”If you’re a Republican, you can’t exercise independent policy or political judgment without risking retribution from the administration. Many Republicans seem to feel there are only two choices: go along or get out of the game.”

Foreign tourists visiting US national parks including the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone will now pay a hefty surcharge, the Trump administration announced Tuesday.The Department of the Interior, which operates the renowned US national parks, said that starting in 2026 visitors from abroad will have to pay $100 on top of the individual park fee to enter 11 of the most popular destinations in the system. The cost of an annual pass to all the parks will meanwhile more than triple to $250 for non-residents.”President Trump’s leadership always puts American families first,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum in a statement. “These policies ensure that US taxpayers, who already support the National Park System, continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations.”Long considered a jewel of American tourism, the 63 officially designated national parks receive hundreds of millions of visitors a year — nearly 332 million in 2024, according to the National Park Service.The standard cost of an “America the Beautiful” pass that offers unlimited annual access is currently a flat $80 for any purchaser.For day use, some parks charge fees by the vehicle, and others by the person — the annual pass covers all passengers plus the passholder, or up to four adults.Non-US residents who buy an annual pass will not be subject to the $100 surcharge on entry to the most visited parks, including Florida’s Everglades, Maine’s Acadia and California’s Yosemite, but that fee will apply to all other foreign visitors.The significant extra costs for most foreigners — US citizens and permanent residents won’t be impacted — follow President Donald Trump’s July executive order intended to “preserve” the parks for “American families.””Nonresidents will pay a higher rate to help support the care and maintenance of America’s parks,” read the Interior Department’s statement.The department also emphasized “patriotic fee-free days” for residents that would include President’s Day, Veteran’s Day and Trump’s birthday, which happens to fall on the annual observance of Flag Day.

Donald Trump said Tuesday he is sending his envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week as the US president seeks to close out a deal to end the war in Ukraine.Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that there were “only a few remaining points of disagreement” — but European leaders were skeptical, and Russian missiles continued to rain down on Ukraine.He also expressed hope to meet “soon” with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, “but ONLY when the deal to end this War is FINAL or, in its final stages.”Trump later told journalists aboard Air Force One that Witkoff may be joined in Moscow by the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.An initial US plan which was heavily weighted in Russia’s favor has been replaced by one taking in more of Ukraine’s interests, and an official familiar with the new version told AFP it was “significantly better.”However, US officials acknowledged that “delicate” issues remain.French President Emmanuel Macron threw cold water on the idea of a rapid solution, stating there is “clearly no Russian willingness” for a ceasefire or to discuss the new, more Ukraine-friendly proposal.Frantic discussions have been underway since the weekend when Ukrainian and US representatives huddled in Geneva to discuss Trump’s controversial, initial 28-point plan for settling the bloody conflict.The latest talks including US and Russian delegates were taking place in Abu Dhabi, US media reported. Leaders of a group of 30 countries supporting Ukraine also met by video on Tuesday.US negotiator Dan Driscoll emerged upbeat from meeting with Russian counterparts, with his spokesman saying: “The talks are going well and we remain optimistic.”The White House cited “tremendous progress,” while cautioning “there are a few delicate but not insurmountable details that must be sorted out.”But the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, continued unabated.On Tuesday night, Russia launched a major attack on Zaporizhzhia that damaged at least seven high-rise buildings and caused 12 people to be hospitalized, the head of the regional military administration said.The night before, powerful explosions rocked Kyiv beginning around 1:00 am local time, as Russian drones and missiles rained down, setting fires in apartment buildings. City officials said seven people were killed.Thick smoke, turning red and orange in the blizzard of Ukrainian air defense fire, rose over the capital as residents fled underground into metro stations, according to AFP reporters.- ‘Tough road ahead’  -Trump, who long boasted he could negotiate an end to the Ukraine war within 24 hours, announced last week that he wanted his proposal approved by Kyiv by this Thursday — the US Thanksgiving holiday.But the initial plan, pushing numerous Russian war aims, sparked alarm in Ukraine and Europe. Among its points were prohibitions on Ukraine ever joining NATO and the surrender of swaths of new territory to Russia.The updated plan clearly pleases Kyiv more. The official familiar with the text told AFP that one key improvement was raising a proposed cap on the country’s future military forces from 600,000 to 800,000 members.Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said Tuesday there was “common understanding on the core” of the deal between Ukraine and the United States.However, remaining details should be hammered out in direct talks “at the earliest suitable date,” he said.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned: “There’s still a long way to go and a tough road ahead.”Russia’s military occupies around a fifth of Ukraine, much of it ravaged by fighting. Tens of thousands of civilians and military personnel have been killed and millions have fled the east of the country.Ukrainian army Sergeant Ivan Zadontsev said negotiating was “healthy.””We also are getting tired of war. We need a break,” he told AFP.But the proposals by both Washington and the European Union “do not serve Ukraine’s national interests,” he said.burs-sms/wd/ksb

US prosecutors asked a judge on Tuesday to re-try the main suspect in the infamous New York kidnap and murder of a six-year-old boy 46 years ago.In a case that still haunts US parents and forever changed the handling of child abductions, Etan Patz vanished on May 25, 1979 after leaving his parents’ home in Manhattan to walk alone for the first time to the school bus stop.Pedro Hernandez, then 18 years old and working in a convenience store near the bus stop, was convicted at a second trial. But a federal appeals court ruled in July that Hernandez must be released or re-tried because of errors in the second trial’s conduct.”The state trial court contradicted clearly established federal law,” the appeals court found, after defense attorneys complained about instructions given to jurors.Hernandez was arrested in 2012 following a tip to detectives. He had told family members he killed a child in New York, CNN reported at the time.The first trial ended in 2015 with the jury failing to reach a unanimous verdict.At trial, Hernandez was accused of luring Patz into the basement of the convenience store with the promise of a soda, choking him and putting his body out with the trash.While there was no material evidence against him, Hernandez confessed to the killing in 2012. He later retracted his confession and pleaded not guilty.A defense lawyer previously said Hernandez is innocent and has an IQ of 70, which puts him in the bottom two percent of the population.”The District Attorney has determined that the available, admissible evidence supports prosecuting defendant on the charges of Murder in the Second Degree and Kidnapping in the First Degree in this matter, and the People are prepared to proceed,” said the letter seen by AFP.In the letter to judge Ellen Biben, Manhattan prosecutors said they were ready to discuss a retrial during a hearing scheduled for December 1.Etan’s disappearance shocked Americans and fueled a generation of hyper-vigilant parenting.His parents only discovered he was missing after he failed to come home from school at the end of the day. His body was never found, and the case was one of the city’s great unsolved crimes for decades.Photographer Stan Patz’s pictures of his son were the first of a missing child to be featured on milk cartons as part of a nationwide search.

Wall Street stocks shrugged off early weakness Tuesday and joined European bourses in rising on continued hopes the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next month.The prospect for further interest rate easing helped offset lingering worries about whether artificial intelligence equities are overvalued while a trove of mixed US economic reports included some worrying signs that analysts said likely strengthened the Fed’s case for cutting rates.The market is rallying as “the chances of a December cut (…) have moved higher,” said Angelo Kourkafas, adding that softness in some of the reports “helps reinforce the fact that the Fed will be moving” towards a rate cut.All three US indices advanced, led by the blue-chip Dow index, which climbed 1.4 percent.Earlier, London, Paris and Frankfurt all pushed higher.US data releases pointed to slower than expected growth of retail sales in September, while producer prices increased in line with expectations.The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index dropped to its lowest level in seven months, with shoppers expressing greater worry about labor market conditions and the outlook for household incomes.”The economy can’t afford to lose the consumer, particularly ahead of the all-important holiday season,” said Bret Kenwell, at the eToro trading platform. “It’s something to watch moving forward.”Traders now see about a 90 percent chance of a rate reduction, against around 35 percent only last week.Most large US tech companies advanced Tuesday. An exception was Nvidia, which finished down 2.6 percent following a report in The Information that Facebook parent Meta could use Google chips in its data centers.Big-box retailer Best Buy surged 5.3 percent after reporting better-than-expected results as CEO Corie Barry pointed to a confluence in which “customers need to upgrade or replace their consumer electronics and new products and innovation are coming to market.”Oil prices retreated amid reports that a deal to end the war in Ukraine may be close, which, if confirmed, would allow Russia to export vastly more oil.- Key figures at around 2120 GMT -New York – Dow: UP 1.4 percent at 47,112.45 (close) New York – S&P 500: UP 0.9 percent at 6,765.88 (close)Nasdaq – UP 0.7 percent 23,025.59 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.8 percent at 9,609.53 (close)Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.8 percent at 8,025.80 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: UP 1.0 percent at 23,464.63 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.1 percent at 48,659.52 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 0.7 percent at 25,894.55 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.9 percent at 3,870.02 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1570 from $1.1521 on MondayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3165 from $1.3105Dollar/yen: DOWN at 155.97  yen from 156.89 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 87.86 pence from 87.91 penceBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 1.4 percent at $62.48 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.5 percent at $57.95 per barrelburs-jmb

Donald Trump said Tuesday he is sending his envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow as the US president seeks to close out a deal to end the war in Ukraine.Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that there were “only a few remaining points of disagreement” — but European leaders were skeptical and Russian missiles continued to rain down on Kyiv.He also expressed hope to meet “soon” with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, “but ONLY when the deal to end this War is FINAL or, in its final stages.”An initial US plan which was heavily weighted in Russia’s favor has been replaced by one taking in more of Ukraine’s interests. An official familiar with the new version told AFP it was “significantly better.”However, US officials acknowledged that “delicate” issues remain.French President Emmanuel Macron threw cold water on the idea of a rapid solution, stating there is “clearly no Russian willingness” for a ceasefire or to discuss the new, more Ukraine-friendly proposal.Frantic discussions have been underway since the weekend when Ukrainian and US representatives huddled in Geneva to discuss Trump’s controversial, initial 28-point plan for settling the bloody conflict.The latest talks including US and Russian delegates were taking place in Abu Dhabi, US media reported. Leaders of a group of 30 countries supporting Ukraine also met by video on Tuesday.US negotiator Dan Driscoll emerged upbeat from meeting with Russian counterparts, with his spokesman saying: “The talks are going well and we remain optimistic.”The White House cited “tremendous progress,” while cautioning “there are a few delicate but not insurmountable details that must be sorted out.”But the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, continued unabated.Powerful explosions rocked Kyiv beginning around 1:00 am (2300 GMT), as Russian drones and missiles rained down, setting fires in apartment buildings. City officials said seven people were killed.Thick smoke, turning red and orange in the blizzard of Ukrainian air defense fire, rose over the capital as residents fled underground into metro stations, according to AFP reporters.- ‘Tough road ahead’  -Trump, who long boasted he could negotiate an end to the Ukraine war within 24 hours, announced last week that he wanted his peace proposal approved by Kyiv by this Thursday — the US Thanksgiving holiday.But the initial plan, pushing numerous Russian war aims, sparked alarm in Ukraine and Europe. Among its points were prohibitions on Ukraine ever joining NATO and requiring the country to surrender swaths of new territory to Russia.The updated plan clearly pleases Kyiv more. The official familiar with the text told AFP that one key improvement was raising a proposed cap on the country’s future military forces from 600,000 to 800,000 members.Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said Tuesday there was “common understanding on the core” of the deal between Ukraine and the United States.However, remaining details should be hammered out in direct talks “at the earliest suitable date” Zelensky and Trump, he said.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned: “There’s still a long way to go and a tough road ahead.”Russia’s military occupies around a fifth of Ukraine, much of it ravaged by fighting. Tens of thousands of civilians and military personnel have been killed and millions have fled the east of the country.Ukrainian army Sergeant Ivan Zadontsev said negotiating was “healthy.””We also are getting tired of war. We need a break,” he told AFP.But the proposals by both Washington and the European Union “do not serve Ukraine’s national interests,” he said.burs-sms/wd/mlm

Liberal US states led by California on Tuesday said parents should continue to get their children immunized, contradicting what they said was “dangerous misinformation on vaccines and autism” issued by the federal government.The West Coast Health Alliance said it was “deeply concerned” by the anti-science mood that has overtaken the Centers for Disease Control under the leadership of vaccine skeptic Health Secretary Robert Kennedy. “Rigorous research of millions of people in multiple countries over decades provides high-quality evidence that vaccines are not linked to autism,” said a statement from the alliance, which groups California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii.”Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental condition with multiple contributing genetic and environmental factors. Suggesting it stems from any single cause, such as vaccination, misleads families who deserve accurate guidance.”The intervention comes after the CDC revised its website, using language that undermines its previous, scientifically grounded position.The new language accuses health authorities of having “ignored” research supporting a link and said the US health department “has launched a comprehensive assessment of the causes of autism.”A purported connection between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism stems from a flawed study published in 1998, which was retracted for including falsified data. Its results have not been replicated and are refuted by voluminous subsequent research.Kennedy has a long history of promoting dubious claims, many of which have become articles of faith among adherents to his “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement, a vital part of President Donald Trump’s fractious Make America Great Again (MAGA) coalition.The website edits last week were met with anger and fear by career scientists and other public health figures who have spent years combatting such false information.The West Coast Health Alliance came together in September in an effort to counter what many Democrats see as a dangerous turn towards conspiracy theories in the highest reaches of US government.Organizers say it is intended to “safeguard scientific expertise” and ensure public policy is informed by trusted and qualified voices.”Through this partnership, the four states will coordinate health guidelines by aligning immunization recommendations informed by respected national medical organizations, allowing all people in the United States to receive consistent, science-based recommendations they can rely on — regardless of shifting federal actions,” they said.

Donald Trump turned Washington’s fluffiest tradition into something a little tougher to carve on Tuesday — swapping holiday cheer for political score-settling as he pardoned two turkeys in the annual White House Thanksgiving ceremony.Since Abraham Lincoln’s day, presidents have occasionally spared a lucky bird from becoming dinner, though the ceremony didn’t become a yearly tradition until John F. Kennedy made it official in 1963.This year’s feathered VIPs — Waddle and Gobble of North Carolina — were meant to be the stars of a festive, bipartisan moment.But the Hallmark-card episode quickly turned into a holiday roast as Trump tore into Democrats, fumed about crime and even revived a conspiracy theory about Joe Biden’s pardoning process.Waddle was absent for reasons that were not immediately clear but Gobble showed up — and appeared grateful not to get cooked alongside Trump’s many targets.The president focused on Chicago, declaring once again that he could clean up crime in America’s third largest city if only Illinois Governor JB Pritzker — whom he branded a “fat slob” — would let him send in federal troops.Then came the Biden hit: Trump said US officials conducted a “very rigorous investigation” and discovered that last year’s turkey pardon was signed not by the then-president but by an autopen — rendering the whole thing invalid.Even the birds weren’t safe from becoming political props. Trump mused aloud about naming Waddle and Gobble after Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi — before stopping himself. “I realized I wouldn’t be pardoning them. I would never pardon those two people,” he remarked acidly.He then pivoted to economics, delivering a burst of cherry-picked statistics. “Egg prices are down 86 percent since March,” he declared. “And gasoline will soon be hovering around $2 a gallon.” He also boasted he had delivered the largest tax cuts in history.While egg prices have indeed fallen from their record highs, grocery costs overall are still rising. The national average for gasoline sits at $3.10 — slightly higher than this time last year, according to automotive services group AAA. And the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — which extends provisions of Trump’s 2017 tax law — ranks around the sixth-largest tax cut ever, not the biggest.As for Gobble, the bird carried on with remarkable composure for a turkey caught in the spotlight at a de facto campaign rally.The fowl were selected by North Carolina students in an online vote and will now retire to a comfortable post-pardon life back home.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said a Ukraine-Russia deal is “very close,” but European leaders were skeptical and Russian missiles continued to rain down on Kyiv.Trump, visibly frustrated at his failure to make good on last year’s election boast that he could quickly end the war, said “we’re getting very close to a deal.”An initial US plan which was heavily weighted in Russia’s favor has been replaced by one taking in more of Ukraine’s interests. And an official familiar with the new version told AFP that it was “significantly better.”However, US officials acknowledged that “delicate” issues remain.And French President Emmanuel Macron threw cold water on the idea of a rapid solution, stating that there is “clearly no Russian willingness” for a ceasefire or to discuss the new, more Ukraine-friendly proposal.Frantic discussions have been underway since the weekend when Ukrainian and US representatives huddled in Geneva to discuss Trump’s controversial, initial 28-point plan for settling the bloody conflict.Latest talks including US and Russian delegates were taking place in Abu Dhabi, US media reported. Leaders of a group of 30 countries supporting Ukraine also met by video on Tuesday.US negotiator Dan Driscoll emerged upbeat from meeting with Russian counterparts, his spokesman saying: “The talks are going well and we remain optimistic.”The White House cited “tremendous progress,” while cautioning “there are a few delicate but not insurmountable details that must be sorted out.”But the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, continued unabated.Powerful explosions rocked Kyiv beginning around 1:00 am (2300 GMT), as Russian drones and missiles rained down, setting fires in apartment buildings. City officials said seven people were killed.Thick smoke, turning red and orange in the blizzard of Ukrainian air defense fire, rose over the capital as residents fled underground into metro stations, AFP reporters said.- ‘Tough road ahead’  -Trump, who long boasted he could negotiate an end to the Ukraine war within 24 hours, announced last week that he wanted his peace proposal approved by Kyiv by this Thursday — the US Thanksgiving holiday.But the initial plan, pushing numerous Russian war aims, sparked alarm in Ukraine and Europe. Among its points were prohibitions on Ukraine ever joining NATO and requiring the country to surrender swaths of new territory to Russia.The updated plan clearly pleases Ukraine more. The official familiar with the text told AFP that one key improvement was raising a proposed cap on the country’s future military forces from 600,000 to 800,000 members.Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said Tuesday there was “common understanding on the core” of the deal between Ukraine and the US.However, remaining details should be hammered out in direct talks “at the earliest suitable date” between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump, he said.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned: “There’s still a long way to go and a tough road ahead.”Russia’s military occupies around a fifth of Ukraine, much of it ravaged by fighting. Tens of thousands of civilians and military personnel have been killed and millions have fled the east of the country.Ukrainian army Sergeant Ivan Zadontsev said negotiating was “healthy.””We also are getting tired of war. We need a break,” he told AFP.But the proposals by both the United States and EU “do not serve Ukraine’s national interests,” he said.burs-sms/iv