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US allies rebuff Trump's request for support in Strait of Hormuz

Allies of the United States said they had no immediate plans to send ships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, rebuffing a request by President Donald Trump for military support to keep the vital waterway open. Trump called on nations to help police the strait after Iran responded to US-Israeli attacks by using drones, missiles and mines to effectively close the strategic channel off its shores for tankers transporting a fifth of global oil supply. Most NATO countries, several of whom have been at the sharp end of criticism from Trump in recent months, are usually wary of angering the White House but are now signalling reluctance to become embroiled in the conflict with Tehran. “What does (...) Donald Trump expect a handful or two handfuls of European frigates to do in the Strait of Hormuz that the powerful US navy cannot do?” German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said in Berlin on Monday, as he downplayed threats by Trump that failing to come to Washington’s aid could have conseque...
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Zelenskiy says Ukraine wants money, technology in return for Middle East drone help

Ukraine wants money and technology ‌in return for helping Middle Eastern nations defend against Iranian kamikaze drones, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, after Kyiv sent specialists to four countries in the region. Zelenskiy told reporters ​in comments cleared for release on Sunday that each of ​the three teams sent to the Middle East consisted of ⁠dozens of people, who will conduct expert assessments and demonstrate how drone ​defences should operate. Gulf states have expended large quantities of air-defence missiles to ​counter Iran’s attack drones and have sought Ukraine's expertise in downing them. Kyiv downs Russian drones every night using an array of weaponry including cheaper, smaller drones or ​jamming equipment. Zelenskiy has said that almost a dozen countries across the world ​have sought help from Ukraine on how to counter these attacks. Read: Russia is supplying Iran with Shahed drones, Zelenskiy says He said earlier this ‌week ⁠that teams had been sent to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, while another official said specialists had also been to a US military base in Jordan. "This is not about being involved in operations. ​We are not at ​war with ⁠Iran," Zelenskiy said. "This is about protection and a thorough, complete assessment on our part of how to counter the ​Shaheds,” he added, referring to Shahed drones developed by ​Iran. He ⁠said that what Ukraine will get in return for the assistance still needed to be discussed. "Honestly, for us today, both the technology and the funding ⁠are important." Zelenskiy ​also said that he was unsure whether ​Ukraine and the US would sign a deal on drone co-operation, which Kyiv has sought ​to agree for months.

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