“Then, for more than 90-minutes on Tuesday night, Harris put Trump on the defensive, taunting him about the size of his crowds and pressing him over his shifting positions on abortion. It clearly rattled the former president, who took the bait again and again. With the race on a knife’s edge, and Trump’s support relatively stable despite his 34 felony convictions, an assassination attempt and the replacement of his Democratic opponent, Harris could hardly afford a shaky performance, much less a defeat. In the end, she delivered what fellow Californian, the governor Gavin Newsom, described as a “masterclass”.”

“If Harris was still relatively unknown to many Americans before the debate, she isn’t anymore. There’s a good chance that sceptical voters will like what they saw. … Already on the first topic, the country’s economic situation, Harris showed that she was better prepared than Trump. … On economics and domestic policy, Trump in particular performed poorly, simply repeating his anti-immigration mantra as the solution to all the problems. … With her strong performance in this debate, Harris has undoubtedly boosted her chances of winning the presidency.”

“Harris held up well in terms of content. … Doubts about her ability to perform expressed before the debate proved to be unfounded, even if she once again failed to justify the many U-turns she has made on various issues. The Democrat laid out her plans with verve, including tax cuts for middle-income groups and measures for the housing market. She also distanced herself from the incumbent president and presented herself as the leader of a ‘new generation’. However, to one question she had no answer: if her plans are so important, why is she not implementing them now, as vice president?”

President Joe Biden has signalled that Washington may lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of US-supplied long-range missiles against Russia.

The UK, France, Germany and the United States have imposed new sanctions on Iran, accusing the country of supplying Russia with ballistic missiles for use in Ukraine.

Vice President Kamala Harris faced off with former president Donald Trump during a 90-minute fiery TV debate in Philadelphia.