Evening briefing Friday 15th August

0:00This episode of the Times Radio News Briefing is sponsored by PwCWC. Staying competitive means getting ahead, not just keeping up. So how do business leaders cut through the noise and focus on what really matters. PwC takes you further with tech, from optimising the systems that put your data to work, to scaling AI from proof of concept to competitive edge. PwC helps you meet tomorrow's tech demands, so you can compete at a speed that rewrites the rules. Discover more at pwc.co.uk. Welcome to the Times Evening Briefing on Friday the 15th of August. Donald Trump says Ukraine will make the final decision on any changes of territory between it and Russia.

0:44He was asked about land swaps on Air Force One as he headed for Alaska and talks on the war with Vladimir Putin. They'll be discussed, but I've got to let Ukraine make that decision. And I think they'll make a proper decision. But I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine. I'm here to get them at a table. And I think you have two sides. Look, Vladimir Putin wanted to take all of Ukraine. If I wasn't president, he would right now be taking all of Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says the talks between the two presidents could last between six and seven hours. He also said officials will take part in meetings that were expected to be one-to-one, according to Russian state media.

1:25Boris Bondarev was a Russian diplomat until he resigned in protest in 2022. He's told Times Radio these talks are premature. Before you speak to Putin, before you talk to him in order that he stops his invasion, his war, you must be in a strong position yourself. And Trump is in no stronger position than Putin. At least Putin knows what he wants to achieve. What Trump wants to achieve, that's a big riddle still, and maybe even for himself. The King has led a national two-minute silence to mark 80 years since the victory over Japan. VJ Day marks the effective end of the Second World War. Buglers played the last post and the Red Arrows performed a flypast over the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

2:16Today's service is likely to be the last for many who served in Asia and the Pacific. These veterans say their contributions should be compared to those who fought Nazi Germany. It wasn't forgotten as far as we were concerned. You know, we lost people just like everyone else did. Over the last few years, they seem to be focusing on a lot of that, which is a good thing in a way. Diogo Jota's family are expected to be at Anfield this evening. Tributes will be paid to the Liverpool forward who died in a car crash with his brother Andre in Spain earlier this summer. Liverpool are kicking off their Premier League title defence against Bournemouth.

2:56Manager Arne Slott has told Talk Sport it'll be a moving occasion. We celebrate really well, and that's what we did a few months ago. But when there's grief or we have to mourn, then this club is also very special. Players have conducted themselves tremendous in this period of time, but our fans have showed their grief and support to Djogo, his brother and his family as well, in the best possible way. So I'm expecting it to be impressive, but also emotional. And you can follow the Times News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio online.

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