Ft Politics

Maga arrived in Chipping Norton this week, heralding an intense round of British diplomacy ahead of the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska on Friday. Ukraine is top of the agenda and both Prime Minister Keir Starmer and foreign secretary David Lammy have been doing their bit liaising between US vice-president JD Vance and President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders. In this week’s episode, host George Parker is joined by Europe editor Ben Hall and Whitehall editor David Sheppard to discuss how the UK is playing its hand on the global stage and the role of soft power in its negotiations. The FT Weekend Festival returns for our 10th edition on Saturday September 6 at Kenwood House Gardens in London. Get details and tickets hereFollow George on Bluesky or X: @georgewparker.bsky.social, @GeorgeWParker; Ben Hall @hallbenjamin and David Sheppard @OilSheppardWant to get in touch? Email politicalfix@ft.com  Want more? Free links:   Putin ha