Crimea is lost – Reeves ready to cut tariffs – Thousands queue to see Pope lying in state

Ukraine is back in Britain’s headlines after US President Donald Trump insisted that Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, is jeopardising a peace deal with Russia. The US has repeatedly threatened to walk away if Ukraine doesn’t sign the latest peace deal – which would include handing over Crimea.

This comes as Russian missile and drone attacks battered the Ukrainian capital overnight, killing at least nine people and injuring a further 63.

In the UK, the Chancellor is set to meet her American counterpart following her comments that the UK is prepared to cut tariffs on US car imports.

Thousands are filing past Pope Francis, who is lying in state ahead of his funeral on Saturday. The 88-year-old pontiff died on Easter Monday after a period of poor health.

India has announced new measures targeting Pakistan, just one day after 26 people were killed by gunmen at a tourist attraction in Indian-administered Kashmir. The measures include the closure of a border crossing, the suspension of a landmark water-sharing treaty, and the expulsion of diplomats.

A series of earthquakes near Istanbul have forced people to flee their homes and take to the streets. At least 151 people were injured, many after jumping from high places. Thankfully, there have been no reported deaths or major structural damage.

Crimea is lost, Trump tells Zelensky

• The Guardian says Trump warned Zelensky that “Crimea is lost.” It remains “unclear how Ukraine and its European allies, meeting in London yesterday, would respond to a plan largely constructed in their absence,” the paper says. The paper says
• The Daily Telegraph says Trump has said Zelensky is “to blame for no peace” following his refusal to concede Crimea to Russia. 
• The Times says Trump suggests Zelensky is the “key obstacle” to peace.
• The Daily Mail quotes the US president saying “back my peace or lose all of Ukraine” and calls the comments to Zelensky an “ultimatum.” 
• The Independent says the US president claims the end to the war is ‘very close’ but warns Zelensky is harming the process by refusing to recognise Russia’s occupation of Crimea -on day that Washington snubbed Keir Starmer’s London peace summit.

Reeves ready to cut tariffs on US car imports

• The FT says the chancellor told a crowd in Washington that the UK was ready to cut tariffs on US car imports, saying “we are not going to rush a deal.” The paper notes there was a sharp rise in global markets with hopes tied to the US-China trade war winding down.
• The Times says Britain is prepared to slash tariffs on US cars and agricultural products such as beef and chicken to secure a trade deal. “I believe in free trade, but I also believe it needs to be fair trade.” 
• The i says the chancellor is trying to “steal investors” from under Trump’s nose. The government is writing to investors declaring Britain the best place to do business in this uncertain world as, what the paper says, is part of her charm offensive.

Thousands queue to pay respects to Pope 

• The Daily Express says thousands of people queued at the Vatican to see Pope Francis’s body. Mourners waited about eight hours to pay their respects to the pontiff inside St Peter’s Basilica where he lies in state.
• Daily Mail says Pope Francis’s funeral will be held on Saturday in St Peter’s Square, setting the stage for a solemn ceremony which will draw in world leaders and captivate millions around the globe.
• The Guardian says thousands of people queued for hours under the hot spring sun in St Peter’s Square on Wednesday to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, whose simple wooden coffin has been placed on the main altar of the 16th-century basilica, where he will lie in state until Friday evening.