US, European Aircraft Carriers Conduct Joint Naval Operations

 British aircraft carrier (Asharq Al-Awsat)
British aircraft carrier (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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US, European Aircraft Carriers Conduct Joint Naval Operations

 British aircraft carrier (Asharq Al-Awsat)
British aircraft carrier (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The aircraft carriers, USS Gerald Ford and the USS George Bush, are now engaged in a regularly scheduled multination operation to showcase the cohesion and interoperability of participants, the US Department of Defense announced on Friday.

Sabrina Singh, the deputy Pentagon press secretary, told reporters that the two American carrier strike groups, their embarked air wings and escorts will be operating in the North Atlantic Ocean, North Sea and Mediterranean Sea along with the UK Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth, Italian carrier ITS Cavour and the French FS Charles de Gaulle.

“These operations present an opportunity for allied nations to coordinate critical combat power throughout the Euro-Atlantic area while showcasing NATO cohesion and interoperability,” Singh explained, without directly referring to the altered security situation in Europe due to the Ukrainian-Russian war.

“It is also an opportunity to test allied cooperation and to practice NATO’s deter and defend concepts across all geographic areas, operational domains and functional areas of the alliance.”



Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Met Trump in Rome, Zelenskiy’s Office Says

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and first lady Olena Zelenska attend the funeral Mass of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, April 26, 2025. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and first lady Olena Zelenska attend the funeral Mass of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, April 26, 2025. (Reuters)
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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Met Trump in Rome, Zelenskiy’s Office Says

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and first lady Olena Zelenska attend the funeral Mass of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, April 26, 2025. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and first lady Olena Zelenska attend the funeral Mass of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, April 26, 2025. (Reuters)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has met US President Donald Trump in the Italian capital, where both leaders were attending the funeral of Pope Francis, a spokesman for Zelenskiy said.

No details were provided of the meeting, but it comes at a critical time in negotiations aimed at bringing an end to fighting between Ukraine and Russia.

Trump, who has been pressing both sides to agree a ceasefire, said on Friday that there had been productive talks between his envoy and the Russian leadership, and called for a high-level meeting between Kyiv and Moscow to close a deal.

Trump had previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.

The meeting in Rome is the first face-to-face encounter between Trump and Zelenskiy since an Oval Office meeting in February that turned into a shouting match.

Following that meeting, the United States cut off intelligence cooperation with Ukraine, which is critical to its efforts to stave off Russian attacks, though this was later restored.