27 h. ago Iran threatens protesters with the death penalty in bid to curb nationwide unrest as Starmer and European leaders condemn deadly crackdown

Video footage has shown buildings ablaze and violent clashes as anti-government demonstrations rage in cities across Iran, marking the most serious challenge to the regime in years.

Events

31 h. ago Trump 'destroying world order' with recent actions European leaders warn

The German President said the US has gone 'far beyond' what is acceptable as critics accuse Trump of breaking international law

Events

37 h. ago Donald Trump torn apart for 'destroying world order' as European leaders give warning

German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier claimed Donald Trump had gone 'far beyond' what was acceptable and warned of weaker nations being preyed on if world politics turns into a 'den of robbers'

Events

42 h. ago Why Spain’s prime minister has broken ranks in Europe – and dared to confront Trump

Outrage at the US, close ties with Venezuela and mounting domestic challenges have prompted Pedro Sánchez to take a standSpain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, rarely utters the words “Donald Trump” in public. Since the US president took office, Sánchez has typically referred to the US administration and its president without explicitly naming him. This was initially interpreted as a calculation designed to avoid personal confrontation, but even without using Trump’s name, Sánchez has managed to deliver harsher criticism of the US president’s aggression than any of his fellow European leaders.This week, Sánchez did not wait for a joint EU statement to issue judgment on the US’s illegal military intervention to capture the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro: he swiftly joined Latin American countries in condemning it. A few hours later he went even further, saying the operation in Caracas represented “a terrible precedent and a very dangerous one [which] reminds us of past aggressi...

Politics

47 h. ago Keir Starmer launches frantic bid to calm crisis over Greenland by trying to persuade Trump that NATO can defend Arctic without US takeover

European leaders have backed Denmark in a dispute with the US, which threatens to tear the Nato alliance apart.

Politics

63 h. ago WW3 fears increase as Putin allies call for 'nuclear response' to US and UK over tanker

This is a breaking news story and is being constantly updated by our reporters as the breaking news story develops

Events

2 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Allies yet to provide details of security guarantee, Zelenskyy says

Ukrainian president says he has received no ‘unequivocal answer’ from European allies about how they would defend Ukraine if Russia attacked again. What we know on day 1,415Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he has received no “unequivocal answer” from European allies about how they would defend Ukraine if Russia attacked again after a peace deal was reached. On Tuesday, European leaders and US envoys announced they had agreed key security guarantees for Kyiv, including a European multinational force that would be deployed if a ceasefire could be reached. But when asked if he was sure that European allies would step in and defend his country in the event of another Russian invasion, Zelensky said on Wednesday he had no “clear” answer on that.“I personally very much want to get a very simple answer: yes, if there is aggression again, all partners will give a strong response to the Russians. And that’s the exact question I put to all our partners. And so far I haven’t receiv...

Events

3 d. ago Dithering EU leaders start squabbling among themselves as Trump unleashes chaos: European officials left floundering by Maduro capture and growing threat of Greenland invasion

Blind-sided European leaders have been left floundering by Donald Trump following his capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and the re-emerging threat of an invasion of Greenland. 

Politics

3 d. ago Starmer and Macron hit back at Trump after US said it could use military force to seize Greenland: European leaders insist they will 'not stop defending' Nato borders

A joint statement from leaders including Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to defend Greenland's 'territorial integrity'.

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4 d. ago Watch in full: Trump speaks as European leaders push back on Greenland threats

Watch as Donald Trump spoke at a House Republicans retreat on Tuesday, 6 January, as European leaders insisted they would “not stop defending” Greenland’s territorial integrity in the face of continued threats from the US president to annex it.

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4 d. ago ‘Coalition of the willing’ to give press update with US reportedly ready to support a post

European leaders hold press conference after Paris meeting earlier today with US officials Their statement also says they “will not stop defending” the UN Charter principles, “including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders”.Nato has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European allies are stepping up.” Continue reading...

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4 d. ago European leaders rally behind Greenland as US ramps up threats

Statement of support comes after presidential aide says ‘no one will fight US militarily over future of Greenland’ Europe live – latest updatesOne of Donald Trump’s top aides has ramped up the pressure on Denmark by questioning Copenhagen’s claim to Greenland, as leaders from major European powers rallied behind the Arctic territory.Stephen Miller, the US president’s deputy chief of staff for policy, also claimed military intervention would not be needed to take over island because “nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland”. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago European leaders’ Greenland statement in full after Trump threat: ‘belongs to its people’

The leaders issued a statement reaffirming that the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island ’belongs to its people’

Politics

4 d. ago Watch live: Trump speaks as European leaders push back on Greenland threats

Watch live as Donald Trump speaks at a House Republicans retreat on Tuesday, 6 January, as European leaders insisted they would “not stop defending” Greenland’s territorial integrity in the face of continued threats from the US president to annex it.

Politics

4 d. ago Greenland belongs to its people, say European leaders, as coalition of willing meets to discuss Ukraine in Paris – Europe live

Danish PM and leaders of UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland allude to Trump threats of takeover and say principles of UN charter must be upheldTheir statement also says they “will not stop defending” the UN Charter principles, “including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders”.Nato has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European allies are stepping up.” Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago European leaders warn Trump Greenland ‘belongs to its people’ after president’s threats

‘Greenland belongs to its people,’ said European leaders after Trump threats to annex territory

Events

4 d. ago Why managing Trump is far more important than defending international law for Starmer

Political editor David Maddox explains why Sir Keir Starmer could be the pivotal figure in Paris for the conference on Ukraine when European leaders know that they have to ‘manage’ Trump

Politics

4 d. ago Europe’s failure to condemn Trump’s illegal aggression in Venezuela isn’t just wrong – it’s stupid | Nathalie Tocci

The more European countries act as colonies, unable and unwilling to stand up to Trump, the more they’ll be treated as suchThere is no two without a three, as we say in Italian. After their complicit silence on Israel’s war crimes in Gaza and their tacit acceptance of the US/Israel attack on Iran, Europeans now hesitate to condemn the US’s audacious military operation to bring about regime change in Venezuela. With few notable exceptions – such as Spain, the Netherlands and Norway – most European leaders have fudged their response. Spain, in fact, has acted without its EU partners, condemning the US attack alongside a group of Latin American countries. European governments seem unable to utter in the same breath that, although Nicolás Maduro was an illegitimate dictator, the US attack to topple him is a gross violation of international law.The French president, Emmanuel Macron, the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, at least...

Events

4 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Russian strikes kill two and trigger hospital fire ahead of Paris peace talks

Overnight attacks trigger evacuations ‘under fire’ at Kyiv medical facility while European leaders gather to seek peace plan breakthrough. What we know on day 1,413Russian strikes on Ukraine early on Monday killed two people and forced night-time evacuations into freezing temperatures, a day ahead of Ukrainian allies meeting in France to revive diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting. Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will attend the Paris meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing” on Tuesday – being hosted by French president Emmanuel Macron – to discuss security guarantees as part of a peace proposal. Russia’s overnight strikes triggered a fire at a private medical facility in Kyiv, killing one person and wounding three others, authorities said. “Doctors and nurses were forced to evacuate the wounded under fire,” Ukraine’s prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, said on X. The attack also killed a man in his 70s in the neighbouring city of Fastiv, ...

Events

5 d. ago The Guardian view on Europe’s response to ‘America first’ imperialism: too weak, too timid | Editorial

Sir Keir Starmer and European leaders must defend the rule of international law, as a dangerous new world order emergesThe initial reaction of European leaders to Donald Trump’s illegal military intervention in Venezuela was not only weak, it also had the briefest of shelf lives. Refusing on Sunday to condemn the attack as a breach of international law, European Union member states called hopefully for “a negotiated, democratic, inclusive and peaceful solution to the crisis, led by Venezuelans”. The delusional nature of that response was laid bare as Mr Trump told reporters the same day: “We’re in charge.”So much for the restoration of democracy. The US president also repeated threats of further military action, should the repressive regime left behind when Nicolás Maduro was seized fail to do Washington’s bidding. As Mr Trump’s marginalising of the Nobel prize-winning opposition figurehead María Corina Machado illustrated early on, the will of Ven...

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