62 h. ago Putin says western troops in Ukraine would be ‘legitimate targets’ as European countries pledge security support – Europe live

Macron says 26 nations have offered security guarantees for Ukraine as Zelenskyy meets Slovakia’s Fico amid tension over Russian energy suppliesMacron says 26 countries ready to supply postwar military backing for UkraineHere is the full quote from the Kremlin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, via Reuters.“I have no doubt that if the presidents consider it necessary, their meeting can be organised very quickly. Just as the meeting in Alaska was quickly organised,” Peskov told the Russian news outlet Argumenty i Fakty, referring to last month’s Trump-Putin summit. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Macron says 26 nations ready to provide postwar military backing to Ukraine

French president says allies would either deploy ‘reassurance force’ troops to Ukraine, or be present in the area on land, sea or in the airTwenty-six nations have pledged to provide postwar security guarantees to Ukraine, including an international force on land and sea and in the air, Emmanuel Macron said after a summit at which European leaders sought to pin down Donald Trump on the level of support he is willing to give Kyiv.“The day the conflict stops, the security guarantees will be deployed,” the French president told a press conference at the Élysée Palace in Paris, standing alongside Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago European leaders press Trump over peacekeeper plan for Ukraine

Leaders ask president on call to detail security guarantees US could give to European force in event of ceasefireEuropean leaders have made fresh efforts to pin down Donald Trump on the level of support he is willing to give Ukraine to push back a Russian advance, and asked him to detail the security guarantees he would provide to any European peacekeeping force inside Ukraine in the event of a lasting ceasefire.European leaders spoke with Trump by video call on Thursday after first holding a meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing” in Paris, co-chaired by Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Macron says Trump to outline Ukraine security guarantees in days

26 countries at Paris summit of ‘coalition of the willing’ committed to potential contributions after a ceasefire

Politics

3 d. ago U.S. envoy Witkoff meets European leaders on Ukraine security

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met with European leaders in Paris on Thursday to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine

Politics

3 d. ago Macron says ‘Coalition of the Willing’ will finalise ‘robust’ Ukrainian security guarantees – Europe live

Leaders who are gathered in Paris are expected to speak to Donald Trump this afternoonThe Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof is next.Belgium’s Bart de Wever, Finland’s Alexander Stubb, and the EU’s Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa are the first leaders arriving at the Élysée Palace, welcomed by Macron on the doorstep. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Leaders gather for ‘Coalition of the Willing’ talks on Ukraine security guarantees – Europe live

Emmanuel Macron says Europe ready to provide such guarantees at meeting in Paris todayRutte gets also asked about his views on Russia’s opposition to the deployment of any Nato troops to Ukraine as part of security guarantees.He says:“But why are we interested in what Russia thinks about troops in Ukraine? It’s a sovereign country. It’s not for them to decide. Russia has nothing to do with this. Ukraine is a sovereign nation. If Ukraine wants to have security guarantee forces in Ukraine to support the peace deal, it’s up to them. Nobody else can decide about it. “Do you really think if he would not have been elected president united states, that Italy, Canada, Spain, Slovenia, Belgium and Luxembourg would have committed to do 2% this year? Do you really think that the whole of Nato would have committed to 5% committed to 5% including 3.5% core defence spending at the Nato Summit in The Hague?”“He took that leadership role, and it is not easy to solve this, but he is absolutely commi...

Politics

4 d. ago Trump says ‘you’ll see things happen’ if US is unhappy with Putin’s decisions – Europe live

Trump makes comments while meeting Polish president Karol Nawrocki after Putin warns Russia will use ‘military means’ to achieve objectives if diplomacy failsPutin was also asked about the prospect of more EU sanctions against Russia or its allies, including China and India.He said the leaders did not discuss this during their recent conversations.“I think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. We will see.Otherwise, we will be forced to resolve all our objective objectives through military means.” Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago ‘Let him come to Moscow,’ Putin says about peace talks with Zelenskyy – Europe live

Russian president questions legitimacy of Ukrainian government as Zelenskyy ramps up diplomatic efforts in Denmark and Polish president prepares to meet Donald TrumpPutin was also asked about the prospect of more EU sanctions against Russia or its allies, including China and India.He said the leaders did not discuss this during their recent conversations.“I think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. We will see.Otherwise, we will be forced to resolve all our objective objectives through military means.” Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago ‘Coalition of the willing’ to meet on Thursday, Élysée confirms – Europe live

Meeting, co-chaired by France’s Emmanuel Macron and UK’s Keir Starmer, will focus on security guarantees for Ukraine and response to Russia’s refusal to end warEU transport spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen also offered a bit more detail on the issue of GPS jamming and its impact on operations.She said:“Generally, we have been seeing a quite a lot of such jamming and spoofing activities, notably in the eastern flank of Europe.Europe is the most concerned region in the or most affected region globally, on this.“We are, of course, aware and used to somehow to the threats and intimidations that are [a] regular component of Russia’s hostile behaviour.Of course, this will only reinforce even further our unshakable commitment to ramp up defence capabilities and support for Ukraine.”“This incident actually underlines the urgency of the mission that the President is carrying out in the frontline member states.” Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Europe has ‘pretty precise’ plan to send troops to Ukraine, von der Leyen says

Post-conflict security guarantees will be fully backed by US commitments, commission president tells FT

Politics

1 week ago Denmark summons US charge d’affaires over alleged attempts to interfere with Greenland’s status – Europe live

Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen says any attempt to interfere in kingdom’s internal affairs is unacceptableWe are getting big news just in from Denmark, which has summoned the US charge d’affaires in the country over alleged attempts to interfere with the status of Greenland, a long-term point of interest for the new US administration of Donald Trump.In a comment to public broadcaster DR, foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said that “any attempt to interfere in the Kingdom’s internal affairs will obviously be unacceptable.” Continue reading...

Society

1 week ago After a summer of submission to Trump, Europe knows it must defend Ukraine – and itself – alone | Paul Taylor

Can a European-led coalition really provide credible security guarantees? Past examples are not encouragingAfter an unusual August of geopolitical summitry, the reality is sinking in that Europe is on its own in defending Ukraine’s sovereignty and hence its own security against Russian aggression and cannot count on much support from the United States.The sense of strategic loneliness in an increasingly brutal global power contest follows a summer of submission in which the EU accepted a manifestly unbalanced trade deal imposed by Donald Trump and pledged improbably large investments in the US while European Nato members promised to boost their defence spending to an aspirational 5% of gross domestic product – all to appease Trump in hopes of keeping the US engaged in European security.Paul Taylor is a senior visiting fellow at the European Policy Centre Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Work with partners on security guarantees ‘must be accelerated,’ Zelenskyy says

Specifics on Ukraine’s defence should be detailed ‘in near future’ as Finnish president says Russia deploying a ‘typical’ delaying tacticA combat drone, presumed to be Ukrainian, went off course and exploded over Estonia without causing any casualties, the Baltic state and close Ukraine ally said on Tuesday, AFP reported.Pieces of the drone, which left a crater on crashing, were discovered by an agricultural worker near the south-eastern town of Tartu, 75 kilometres (45 miles) from the border with Russia. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago ‘Doesn’t feel like peace to me’: Ukrainians in the UK fear war will never end after Trump

‘Unless Ukraine is given real security guarantees, the war will resume,’ warn citizens who fled the country when Russia invaded

Politics

2 w. ago Zelenskyy rejects Russia’s demand to be involved in security guarantees

Ukrainian president says he does not ‘quite understand what guarantees the aggressor needs’

Events

2 w. ago Zelenskyy rebukes Russia’s demand to be involved in security guarantees

Ukrainian president says he does not ‘quite understand what guarantees the aggressor needs’

Events

2 w. ago Vance says it’s up to Europe to provide ‘lion’s share’ of Ukraine security guarantees

Vice President says it will up to neighbor states to provide ‘lion’s share’ of peacekeeping support to Kyiv if peace deal with Russia can be agreed

Events

2 w. ago Russia rules out European troops in Ukraine as Trump makes veiled threats

Moscow backs away from accepting western security guarantees for Ukraine as US president appears to vent frustration in Truth Social postMoscow threw Donald Trump’s Ukraine peace initiative into disarray on Thursday, insisting it must have a veto over any postwar support for the country as its forces carried out a large-scale overnight missile barrage.In a series of hardline remarks, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said European proposals to deploy troops in Ukraine after a settlement would amount to “foreign intervention”, which he called absolutely unacceptable for Russia. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Russia upends Trump peace efforts with ‘foreign intervention’ veto demand

Moscow appears to back away from accepting postwar western security guarantees for UkraineRussia-Ukraine war – live updatesMoscow threw Donald Trump’s Ukraine peace initiative into disarray on Thursday, insisting it must have a veto over any postwar support for the country as its forces carried out a large-scale overnight missile barrage.In a series of hardline remarks, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said European proposals to deploy troops in Ukraine after a settlement would amount to “foreign intervention”, which he called absolutely unacceptable for Russia. Continue reading...

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