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Hundreds of rescuers on Tuesday continued their search for people swept away by catastrophic Texas floods that killed more than 100 people, officials said, amid threats of more heavy rain.As of Tuesday morning, authorities in worst-hit Kerr County had recovered the bodies of 87 victims, Sheriff Larry Leitha told reporters.The deceased include at least 27 girls and counselors who were staying at a youth summer camp on the Guadalupe River over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.”At present, five Camp Mystic campers and one counselor still remain unaccounted for,” Leitha added.At least 108 flood-related deaths were reported across central Texas, according to local officials.During a Cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump said he would travel to Texas with First Lady Melania Trump on Friday, and credited his strong ties with the state’s Republican governor as having helped the rescue effort.”We brought in a lot of helicopters from all over… They were real pros, and they were responsible for pulling out a lot of people. And we got them there fast, and Texas had some good ones too, but the response has been incredible,” Trump said.Trump, who previously said that disaster relief should be handled at the state level, earlier this week signed a major disaster declaration, activating fresh federal funds and freeing up resources.- ‘Extremely treacherous’ -Ben Baker with the Texas Game Wardens said search and rescue efforts involving helicopters, drones and dogs were extremely difficult because of the water and mud.”When we’re trying to make these recoveries, these large piles can be very obstructive, and to get in deep into these piles, it’s very hazardous,” Baker said. “It’s extremely treacherous, time-consuming. It’s dirty work, the water is still there.”He added that special attention was being paid to the first responders’ mental state, particularly given that the bodies of children were being recovered.In the town of Hunt, the epicenter of the disaster, an AFP team saw recovery workers combing through piles of debris with helicopters flying overhead, as hopes dimmed for finding any survivors.Javier Torres, 24, was digging through mud as he searched for the body of his grandmother, after having located the remains of his grandfather. He also discovered the bodies of two children, apparently washed up by the river.Officials warned that with more heavy rain forecast, recovery efforts would be rendered even more difficult.”We’ve had some reports of maybe some additional water coming in, obviously, that’s going to impact the search and recovery efforts,” said Baker. He said the weather may impact aerial patrol patterns, but “it won’t deter them.”Meanwhile, questions intensified over whether Trump’s funding cuts had weakened warning systems, and over the handling of the rescue operation.During an at-times tense news conference, Baker skirted a question on the speed of the emergency response.”Right now, this team up here is focused on bringing people home,” he said.Shel Winkley, a weather expert at the Climate Central research group, blamed the extent of the disaster on geography, the remnants of tropical storm Beryl, and exceptional drought, when dry soil absorbs less rainfall.”This part of Texas, at least in the Kerr County flood specifically, was in an extreme to exceptional drought. So that’s the worst drought conditions that you can have, and we know that since May, temperatures have been above average,” Winkley told reporters.The organization’s media director, Tom Di Liberto, said staffing shortages at the National Weather Service had contributed to the disaster.”What happens, and this is shared not only in Texas but weather forecast offices across the country, is that the people with the most experience dealing with these extreme (events), but also communicating it, have left in a lot of places, so you can’t necessarily replace that experience,” Di Liberto said.

Donald Trump’s MAGA base is up in arms after his administration effectively shut down conspiracy theories related to notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that have become an obsession for the US president’s diehard supporters.Trump’s Department of Justice and the FBI said in a memo made public Sunday there is no evidence that the disgraced financier kept a “client list” or was blackmailing powerful figures.They also dismissed the claim that Epstein was murdered in jail, confirming his death by suicide, and said they would not be releasing any more information on the probe.It marked the first time Trump’s officials had publicly scotched the stories — pushed by numerous right-wing figures, notably including the FBI’s top two officials, before Trump hired them.The backlash was swift and brutal from his “Make America Great Again” movement — who have long held as an article of faith that “Deep State” elites were protecting Epstein’s most powerful associates in the Democratic Party and Hollywood.”Next the DOJ will say ‘Actually, Jeffrey Epstein never even existed,'” furious pro-Trump conspiracy theorist Alex Jones tweeted. “This is over the top sickening.”Trump has managed to avoid much of the direct blame over the fiasco, with ire instead being directed at FBI director Kash Patel and his deputy Dan Bongino.But the lion’s share of the fury has been reserved for Attorney General Pam Bondi, who assured Fox News she had the Epstein client list on her desk and would get to the truth — in remarks endorsed by the White House.Bondi was already on thin ice with MAGA after distributing binders labeled “The Epstein Files” to influencers at the White House that turned out to contain largely already public information and no new revelations.”President Trump should fire (Bondi) for lying to his base and creating a liability for his administration,” far right influencer Laura Loomer posted on X.”She is an embarrassment and she doesn’t do anything to help Trump.”- Trump riled -White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was pressed about the controversy and said that Bondi was actually talking about Epstein-related paperwork as a whole — sparking even more MAGA fury.”This is what happens when the dog catches the car. Or, to put a finer point on it, when you and the people around you become the very ‘Deep State’ you have spent years attacking,” CNN analyst Chris Cillizza wrote on his Substack newsletter.  Epstein died by suicide in a New York prison in 2019 after being charged with sex trafficking.Trump — who has denied visiting the US Virgin Islands home where prosecutors say Epstein sex trafficked underage girls — said ahead of his election he would have “no problem” releasing files related to the case.The president appeared exasperated when he was asked by a reporter about Epstein at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.”Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?… Are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable,” Trump said. It is one of a number of schisms that have opened in the MAGA movement in recent days, with supporters angry over Trump’s announcement that weapons supply to Ukraine would resume.Trump’s fiercely isolationist base was already upset at the president’s bombing of Iran nuclear sites and his statements calling for an easing of immigration raids on farms.Beyond its insights into the power dynamics that animate Trump’s supporters, the affair has raised concerns that MAGA disillusionment will damage Republican prospects in the next election cycle. The row comes with Trump under pressure from the launch of a new political party by his estranged former close aide Elon Musk, who had a bitter public split with the president over federal spending. When the Trump-Musk feud blew up last month, Musk alleged that Trump was named in the Epstein files.”How can people be expected to have faith in Trump if he won’t release the Epstein files?” Musk asked on his social media platform X, after Trump’s cabinet meeting. 

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he would not extend an August 1 deadline for higher US tariffs to take effect on dozens of economies, while announcing plans for a 50 percent duty on copper imports.The copper levy would come after a probe into imports of the metal, broadening a slate of sector-specific tariffs Trump has imposed since returning to the White House.”Today we’re doing copper,” he told a cabinet meeting Tuesday. “I believe the tariff on copper, we’re going to make it 50 percent.”Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC shortly afterward that the rate will likely be implemented at the end of July or on August 1.Trump also said Washington would soon make an announcement on pharmaceuticals, but officials would allow manufacturers time to relocate their operations into the country.”We’re going to give people about a year, a year and a half to come in, and after that, they’re going to be tariffed,” he said. “They’re going to be tariffed at a very, very high rate, like 200 percent.”Apart from copper and pharmaceuticals, Trump has ordered probes into imports of lumber, semiconductors and critical minerals that could lead to further levies.Lutnick told CNBC that US studies on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors would be completed by the end of the month, with Trump to set policies thereafter.Beyond tariffs impacting sectors, Trump separately slapped a sweeping 10 percent tariff on goods from almost all trading partners in April.These would have swiftly risen to steeper levels for dozens of economies including the European Union and Japan, but Trump paused their implementation until July 9.The president this week again delayed their reimposition, pushing it to August 1 while insisting there would be no further delay.- ‘No extensions’ -“No extensions will be granted,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “There will be no change.”The clarification came after Trump told reporters Monday night that the August 1 deadline was “firm, but not 100 percent firm.”In a push for further trade deals, Trump also sent letters to more than a dozen partners on Monday, including key US allies Japan and South Korea.Products from both countries would be hit with 25 percent duties, Trump wrote in near-identical documents to leaders in Tokyo and Seoul.Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand, South Africa and Malaysia were among other countries facing duties between 25 percent and 40 percent.Most countries receiving the letters so far saw US tariffs at similar or unchanged rates from those threatened in April, although some like Laos and Cambodia received notably lower levels.In his messages to foreign leaders, Trump warned of further escalation if there was retaliation against his levies.Lutnick said 15 to 20 more letters could go out in the next two days.- ‘Two days off’ -Trump insisted Tuesday that “big money will start coming in on August 1.”US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added at the cabinet meeting that tariff income could exceed $300 billion by year-end.The Trump administration is under pressure to show results after promising a flurry of deals following its tariff threats.Trump said Washington was “probably two days off” from sending the EU a letter setting out an updated tariff rate for the bloc.”They’re very tough, but now they’re being very nice to us,” he said. “We are talking to them.”So far Washington has only struck two pacts, with Britain and Vietnam, besides an agreement to dial back staggeringly high tit-for-tat levies with China.Lutnick said he expects to start a “bigger trade conversation” between Washington and Beijing in early August, alongside Bessent and US trade envoy Jamieson Greer.And US talks with Britain are ongoing over steel and aluminum.Trump recently doubled US tariffs on imports of both metals to 50 percent while exempting the UK from this increase. But Washington could double the levy on UK steel and aluminum too starting Wednesday, if it determined that London had not complied with the terms of their deal.In threatening tariff hikes on various countries, Trump cited in his letters a lack of reciprocity in trading ties.

US President Donald Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would return to the White House for talks Tuesday in a bid to end the “tragedy” of the Gaza war, after Qatari mediators warned it would take time to seal a deal.The dramatic push came as Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said he hoped for an agreement on an elusive 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas by the end of the week.Trump said the second meeting in two days between the US and Israeli leaders — after he hosted Netanyahu at the White House on Monday — reflected that all sides wanted to reach an agreement.”It’s a tragedy, and he (Netanyahu) wants to get it solved, and I want to get it solved, and I think the other side wants to,” Trump told reporters at a cabinet meeting.Netanyahu, who was also meeting congressional leaders during his third trip to Washington since Trump returned to power, is due to meet Trump again at 4:30 pm (2030 GMT), the Israeli prime minister’s office said.Trump has strongly backed Netanyahu, especially over the recent Iran-Israel war, but has also been stepping up the pressure to end what he calls the “hell” in Gaza.Qatar however said Tuesday more time was needed for negotiations for a breakthrough between Israel and Hamas, as indirect negotiations extended into a third day in Doha.”I don’t think that I can give any timeline at the moment, but I can say right now that we will need time for this,” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said.- ‘Hopeful’ -Qatar, a mediator along with the United States and Egypt, said the meetings in Doha were focused on a framework for the talks, while a Palestinian official close to the negotiations said no breakthrough had been achieved so far.But Witkoff, who is set to join the talks in Doha this week, was upbeat.”We are hopeful that by end of this week we will have an agreement that will bring us into a 60-day ceasefire,” Witkoff said at Trump’s cabinet meeting.”Ten live hostages will be released. Nine deceased will be released.”On the ground, five Israeli soldiers were killed in combat in northern Gaza — one of the deadliest days this year for Israeli forces in the Palestinian territory.Gaza’s civil defence meanwhile reported 29 killed in Israeli strikes on Tuesday, including three children.Israel and Hamas began the latest round of negotiations on Sunday, with representatives seated in separate rooms within the same building.An Israeli official accompanying Netanyahu to Washington said the proposal under discussion was “80-90 percent of what Israel wanted.”But far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir opposed negotiations with Hamas, saying that “there is no need to negotiate with those who murder our fighters; they must be torn to shreds.”- ‘Difficult morning’ -Netanyahu described the loss of five soldiers in Gaza as a “difficult morning.” They were reportedly killed by improvised explosive devices near Beit Hanun in northern Gaza.According to the Israeli military, 450 soldiers have been killed in the Gaza military campaign.The war has created dire humanitarian conditions for Gaza’s more than two million people.Netanyahu said as he met Trump on Monday that Israel and the United States were close to a deal with neighboring countries on taking in Palestinians in Gaza — though Arab countries have rejected such plans.Earlier this year Trump proposed taking over the Gaza Strip and displacing its people, though he has been quieter on the plan in recent months.”I think President Trump had a brilliant vision. It’s called free choice. If people want to stay (in Gaza), they can stay; but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave,” Netanyahu said.The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.Of 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57,575 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The UN considers the figures reliable.burs-dk/bjt

President Donald Trump accused his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday of talking “bullshit” about Ukraine, saying that the United States would send Kyiv more weapons to defend itself.Trump’s expletive reflected his growing frustration with the Kremlin leader over the grinding war that Moscow launched more than three years ago.”We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump told reporters during a televised cabinet meeting at the White House. “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”Trump reiterated that he was “very unhappy” with Putin since their phone call last week made no progress on the Ukraine peace deal that the US president has pushed for since returning to power.Asked about his interest in a bill proposed by the Senate for further sanctions on Russia, Trump said: “I’m looking at it very strongly.”Trump’s criticism of Putin came a day after he said he would send more weapons to Ukraine, in a reversal of Washington’s announcement last week that it was halting some arms shipments.The US president, who alarmed Kyiv and western allies with his pivot towards Putin soon after returning to the White House, confirmed that decision on Tuesday.”Putin is not treating human beings right. He’s killing too many people. So we’re sending some defensive weapons and I’ve approved that,” Trump said.Trump has promised to immediately send 10 Patriot interceptors — anti-missile systems — to Ukraine, according to US news website Axios.He also urged Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth to push defense contractors to increase production of armaments.”We have to step them up, Pete, and let them make it at a much higher rate,” he said.- ‘Difficult’ -Moscow had no immediate reaction to Trump’s strongly-worded comments about Putin — which come just two weeks after he also cursed while talking about the conflict between Israel and Iran.But the Kremlin said that sending arms to Ukraine only serves to prolong the conflict.”It is obvious of course that these actions probably do not align with attempts to promote a peaceful resolution,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying in a briefing.Any pause in weapons deliveries poses a serious challenge for Kyiv, which is contending with some of Russia’s largest missile and drone attacks of the war.President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Ukraine will “intensify” talks with the United States on air defense.”We now have the necessary political statements and decisions, and they must be implemented as soon as possible to protect our people,” he said.Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and has shown little willingness to end the conflict despite pressure from Trump.Moscow said Monday that its forces captured its first village in Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region after advancing towards it for months.The village of Dachne is in an important industrial mining territory that has come under mounting Russian air attacks.Last month, Moscow said its forces had crossed the border into the Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time in its campaign.Russia also launched a fresh large-scale drone and missile barrage on Monday including on Ukraine’s military recruitment centers.Kyiv said it carried out a drone attack on a Russian ammunition factory in the Moscow region.Ukraine has so far denied any Russian foothold in Dnipropetrovsk. Ukraine’s military said earlier Monday its forces “repelled” attacks in Dnipropetrovsk, including “in the vicinity” of Dachne.Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea — that Moscow has publicly claimed as Russian territory.Describing the situation in Dnipropetrovsk as “difficult” for Kyiv’s forces, Ukrainian military expert Oleksiy Kopytko said Russia hopes to create some kind of buffer zone in the region.”Our troops are holding their ground quite steadily,” he told AFP.

United Airlines said Tuesday it would resume service between Tel Aviv and its Newark/New York hub on July 21, 10 days earlier than previously planned.The carrier joined a large group of international airlines that suspended service to Israel on June 13 as fighting between Israel and Iran closed off airspaces in the region. United subsequently said it would pause service with Tel Aviv through at least July 31.The restoration of service reflects the improved flying environment following a truce between the countries from late last month.”This resumption is in line with United’s longstanding commitment to serving Tel Aviv,” the airline said. “United service to Tel Aviv always follows a detailed assessment of operational considerations in the region and close consultation with the unions representing our flight attendants and pilots.”United had also said it would suspend daily service between Newark and Dubai. The company did not immediately reply to a query on the status of that service.American Airlines, which has not flown to Tel Aviv since October 2023, has “nothing new to share at this time regarding Tel Aviv service,” according to a spokesperson.”Customers who are planning travel to Israel can purchase tickets on aa.com on flights operated by our partner airlines that serve Tel Aviv,” the spokesperson said.American is part of the Oneworld Alliance, which includes British Airways and Qatar Airways, among others.Delta Air Lines, which also suspended service to Middle Eastern destinations, did not immediately respond to an AFP query.

Hundreds of rescuers on Tuesday continued their search for people swept away by catastrophic Texas floods that killed more than 100 people, officials said, amid threats of more heavy rain.As of Tuesday morning, authorities in the worst-hit Kerr County had recovered the bodies of 87 victims, Sheriff Larry Leitha told reporters.The deceased include at least 27 girls and counselors who were staying at a youth summer camp on the Guadalupe River over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.”At present, five Camp Mystic campers and one counselor still remain unaccounted for,” Leitha added.At least 108 flood-related deaths were reported in total across central Texas, according to local officials.Ben Baker with the Texas Game Wardens said search and rescue efforts involving helicopters, drones and dogs were extremely difficult because of the water and mud.”When we’re trying to make these recoveries, these large piles can be very obstructive, and to get in deep into these piles, it’s very hazardous,” Baker said. “It’s extremely treacherous, time consuming. It’s dirty work, the water is still there.”He added that special attention was being paid to the first responders’ mental state, particularly given that the bodies of children were being recovered.In the town of Hunt, the epicenter of the disaster, an AFP team saw recovery workers combing through piles of debris with helicopters flying overhead, as hopes dimmed for finding any survivors.Javier Torres, 24, was digging through mud as he searched for the body of his grandmother, after having located the remains of his grandfather. He also discovered the bodies of two children, apparently washed up by the river.Officials warned that with more heavy rain forecast, recovery efforts would be rendered even more difficult.”We’ve had some reports of maybe some additional water coming in, obviously, that’s going to impact the search and recovery efforts,” said Baker. He said the weather may impact aerial patrol patterns, but “it won’t deter them.”US President Donald Trump planned to visit Texas on Friday, as the White House slammed critics claiming his cuts to weather agencies had weakened warning systems.The president, who previously said disaster relief should be handled at the state level, has signed a major disaster declaration, activating fresh federal funds and freeing up resources.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he would not extend an August 1 deadline for higher US tariffs to take effect on dozens of economies, a day after he appeared to signal flexibility on the date.While Trump imposed a sweeping 10 percent tariff on goods from almost all trading partners in April, higher rates customized to dozens of economies were unveiled, then halted until July 9.But the president this week again delayed their reimposition, pushing it back to August 1.Trump insisted that there would be no further delay in the tariffs. “There will be no change,” he posted on Truth Social. He added that levies would start being paid on August 1, in line with letters now being sent out to trading partners.”No extensions will be granted,” Trump said.On Monday night, Trump had told reporters at a dinner that the August 1 deadline was “firm, but not 100 percent firm.”Pressed on whether the letters were his final offer, Trump replied: “I would say final — but if they call with a different offer, and I like it, then we’ll do it.”In a push for further trade deals, Trump sent letters to more than a dozen partners on Monday, including key US allies Japan and South Korea.Products from both countries would be hit with 25 percent duties, Trump wrote in near-identical letters to leaders in Tokyo and Seoul.Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand, South Africa and Malaysia were among other countries facing duties ranging from 25 percent to 40 percent.In his messages to foreign leaders, Trump warned of further escalation if there was retaliation against his levies.Most countries receiving the letters so far saw US tariffs at similar or unchanged rates from those threatened in April, although some like Laos and Cambodia saw notably lower levels.The Trump administration is under pressure to show results after promising a flurry of deals following the US president’s tariff threats.So far Washington has only struck two pacts, with Britain and Vietnam, besides an agreement to dial back staggeringly high tit-for-tat levies with China.In threatening tariff hikes on various economies, Trump cited in his letters a lack of reciprocity in trading ties.He also warned that goods transshipped to avoid higher duties would be subjected to steeper levels.But he added that if countries were willing to adjust their trade policies, Washington “will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter.”He said in the letters that tariffs could be modified “upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country.”

An imposter posing as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent AI-generated voice and text messages to high-level officials and foreign ministers, a report said Tuesday, the latest American official to be targeted by impersonators.A cable from Rubio’s office said the unidentified culprit was likely seeking to manipulate powerful officials “with the goal of gaining access to information or accounts,” the Washington Post reported.The impostor contacted at least three foreign ministers, a US state governor, and a member of Congress using both text messaging and the encrypted messaging app Signal, according to the cable dated July 3.Starting in mid-June, the impostor created a Signal account using the display name “Marco.Rubio@state.gov” to contact the unsuspecting officials, it added. “The actor left voicemails on Signal for at least two targeted individuals and in one instance, sent a text message inviting the individual to communicate on Signal,” said the cable. The contents of the messages were unclear.The cable added that other State Department personnel were impersonated using email.Responding to an AFP request for comment, the State Department said it was aware of the incident and was “currently investigating the matter.””The Department takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard its information and continuously takes steps to improve the department’s cybersecurity posture to prevent future incidents,” said a senior State Department official. The FBI has previously warned that since April, “malicious actors” have impersonated senior US officials to target their contacts, including current and former federal or state government officials.”The malicious actors have sent text messages and AI-generated voice messages — techniques known as smishing and vishing, respectively — that claim to come from a senior US official in an effort to establish rapport before gaining access to personal accounts,” the FBI said in May.In May, President Donald Trump said an impersonator breached the phone of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. US senators, governors and business executives received text messages and phone calls from someone claiming to be Wiles, the Wall Street Journal reported. The breach prompted a White House and FBI investigation, but Trump played down the threat, saying Wiles “can handle it.”Senior Trump administration officials have courted criticism for using Signal and other unofficial channels for government work.In March, then-national-security-adviser Michael Waltz inadvertently added a journalist to a Signal chat group discussing US strikes in Yemen. The episode led to Waltz’s ouster.With proliferating AI voice cloning tools — which are cheap, easy to use and hard to trace -– disinformation researchers fret the impact of audio deepfakes to impersonate or smear celebrities and politicians.Last year, a robocall impersonating then-President Joe Biden stoked public alarm about such deepfakes.The robocall urged New Hampshire residents not to cast ballots in a Democratic primary, prompting authorities to launch a probe into possible voter suppression and triggered demands from campaigners for stricter guardrails around generative AI tools.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky heads to Rome this week for a conference of world leaders and businesses aimed at boosting support for rebuilding his war-torn country as US military aid stalls.The Ukraine Recovery Conference takes place in the Italian capital on Thursday and Friday, with the goal of mobilising investments — notably private sector funds — for Kyiv as it faces its fourth year of conflict.The meeting, which will also be attended by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz among 15 heads of state and government, will focus on Ukraine’s long-term recovery.Ukraine hopes to sign agreements on energy, with its power grid regularly hit by Russian strikes, as well as cooperation in the defence industry.But Zelensky — who will fly in on Wednesday to meet Italy’s head of state, President Sergio Mattarella — stressed his country’s urgent need remained defending itself against intensifying Russian missile and drone attacks.”Ukrainian representatives will have a concrete set of tasks focused on immediate defence — the defence of our cities and our communities,” he said in an address on Monday night.Zelensky will open the conference — an annual event since Russia’s February 2022 invasion — on Thursday morning with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Italian officials said.The United States, formerly Ukraine’s biggest backer, will be represented by President Donald Trump’s envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg.Trump criticised the tens of billions of dollars in support and weapons sent to Kyiv under the Biden administration, and has announced no new military aid packages since taking office in January.But the president on Monday said the United States would send additional weapons to Ukraine, a few days after announcing he was halting some weapons shipments.- A long time -Donations of military, financial and humanitarian aid from European countries have so far filled the gap left by the US withdrawal, according to the Kiel Institute’s Ukraine Support Tracker.But whether European countries can sustain that level of support in the long run remains to be seen. “There is understanding that the war might continue for a long time,” noted analyst Tymofiy Mylovanov, head of the Kyiv School of Economics.At the same time, Ukraine is contending with “how difficult it is to secure support from the EU and from the United States in particular”, he said.The World Bank estimates that the reconstruction and recovery will cost $524 billion over the next decade, approximately 2.8 times the estimated nominal GDP of Ukraine for 2024.That recovery will be “difficult to achieve” without private investors, the Italian government said.More than 2,000 companies — around 500 of them Italian — are due to attend the Rome conference, as well as members of civil society.But convincing investors remains a challenge for Ukraine as the war grinds on, with talks pushed by Washington so far making no progress.”The recovery of our state is a real, daily process that continues despite constant shelling from Russia,” Oleksii Kuleba, minister for the recovery of Ukraine, insisted in a statement to AFP.”We will present specific achievements, examples of effective cooperation, and new projects that investors can join today,” he said.The Trump administration has adopted a more transactional approach to its Ukraine support.Washington and Kyiv in April signed a landmark minerals deal that will see them jointly develop Ukraine’s natural resources, with some revenues going to a joint recovery fund for the war-torn country. As well as investments, the Rome conference will address Ukraine’s hopes of joining the European Union and, after years in which many Ukrainians were called up to fight or fled, the question of human capital.