Free Republic

President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan quietly sought to arrange a meeting between senior U.S. and Iranian officials in Istanbul this week amid Israel's escalating war with Iran. But the effort collapsed when Iran's supreme leader — in hiding due to fears of assassination — couldn't be reached to approve it, according to three U.S. officials and a source with direct knowledge of the matter. -snip- Behind the scenes: Trump received a phone call from Erdoğan on Monday while meeting with G7 leaders in Canada. Erdoğan proposed hosting a meeting in Istanbul the next day between U.S. and...

Boris Johnson urged Donald Trump to back Ukraine in a one-on-one meeting on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention. -snip- The former prime minister, who enjoys warm relations with his former counterpart, shared an image of himself posing with Trump on Tuesday. Mr Johnson said: “Great to meet president Trump who is on top form after the shameful attempt on his life. “We discussed Ukraine and I have no doubt that he will be strong and decisive in supporting that country and defending democracy.” -snip- In particular, he has argued that Trump, whom he has endorsed in November’s US...