3 h. ago European foreign ministers demand peace in Ukraine as Zelenskyy challenges Putin to meet him – Europe live

EU foreign policy chief accuses Moscow of ‘playing games’ and insists peace talks cannot take place with Ukraine ‘under fire’Pope Leo then says that one of the most important challenges he sees is how to “promote communication that can bring us out of the Tower of Babel in which we sometimes find ourselves, out of the confusion of loveless languages that are often ideological or partisan.”Curiously, he then turns to artificial intelligence, which he hails its “immense potential,” but also warns that it “requires responsibility and discernment in order to ensure that it can be used for the good of all, so that it can benefit all of humanity.”“Let us disarm communication of all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred, let us free it from aggression. We do not need loud, forceful communication, but rather communication that is capable of listening and of gathering the voices of the weak who have no voice.” Continue reading...

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4 h. ago Zelenskyy challenges Putin to meet him for peace talks after Trump and European leaders increase pressure – Europe live

Ukrainian and Russian presidents have not communicated directly since Moscow launched invasion And the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is speaking now, and she’s striking a very similar tone, pointedly referring to over 100 Russian drones reportedly targeting Ukraine overnight.“We have to put pressure on Russia to really want peace and to sit down and to talk with Ukraine,” she says, accusing Moscow of “playing games.” Continue reading...

Politics

18 h. ago Zelenskyy challenges Putin to meet in person for peace talks

Ukrainian president proposes face-to-face meeting after Russian leader suggests he is open to talks in TurkeyUkraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy has challenged Vladimir Putin to meet in person for peace talks in Istanbul on Thursday and urged Russia to accept a 30-day truce, in a dramatic turn after a weekend of diplomatic flurry.His comments came after the US president, Donald Trump, pressured him to agree “immediately” to Putin’s offer of negotiations this week with Russia, but upped the stakes by suggesting the enemies meet “personally”. Continue reading...

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21 h. ago Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine is 'ready to meet' as he welcomes Vladimir Putin's calls for peace talks

Mr Zelensky was speaking after Vladimir Putin effectively rejected a ceasefire proposal but instead called for the resumption of direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15.

Politics

44 h. ago Putin ‘called out’ by Starmer, Trump and European leaders to agree Ukraine truce – or face ‘massive’ sanctions

Labour prime minister also threatens to increase military aid to Zelensky in symbolic show of solidarity in Kyiv as he says Europe and the US president ‘speaking with one voice’, weeks after White House showdown

Politics

47 h. ago Ukraine war live: European leaders tell Putin to agree to unconditional ceasefire by Monday or face ‘massive’ sanctions

European leaders, in coordination with Donald Trump, are proposing a 30-day unconditional ceasefire starting 12 MayIt is the first time the leaders of the four European nations (France, the UK, Germany and Poland) have made a joint visit to Ukraine, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).“We are clear the bloodshed must end. Russia must stop its illegal invasion,” the leaders said in a joint statement, adding:Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace.We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine. Until Russia agrees to an enduring ceasefire, we will ratchet up pressure on Russia’s war machine. Continue reading...

Politics

48 h. ago European leaders discuss Ukraine peace efforts with Donald Trump

Ukraine’s foreign minister said ‘Ukraine and all allies are ready for a full unconditional ceasefire on land, air, and at sea for at least 30 days’.

Politics

48 h. ago Ukraine war live: Zelenskyy and European leaders hold ‘fruitful’ phone call with Trump

Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz and Donald Tusk are in Ukraine for talks with ZelenskyyIt is the first time the leaders of the four European nations (France, the UK, Germany and Poland) have made a joint visit to Ukraine, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).“We are clear the bloodshed must end. Russia must stop its illegal invasion,” the leaders said in a joint statement, adding:Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace.We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine. Until Russia agrees to an enduring ceasefire, we will ratchet up pressure on Russia’s war machine. Continue reading...

Politics

49 h. ago European leaders ‘have discussed Ukraine peace efforts with Donald Trump’

Ukraine’s foreign minister said ‘Ukraine and all allies are ready for a full unconditional ceasefire on land, air, and at sea for at least 30 days’.

Politics

49 h. ago Ukraine war live: Zelenskyy and European leaders hold ‘fruitful’ phone talk with Trump

Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz and Donald Tusk are in Ukraine for talks with ZelenskyyIt is the first time the leaders of the four European nations (France, the UK, Germany and Poland) have made a joint visit to Ukraine, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).“We are clear the bloodshed must end. Russia must stop its illegal invasion,” the leaders said in a joint statement, adding:Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace.We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine. Until Russia agrees to an enduring ceasefire, we will ratchet up pressure on Russia’s war machine. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Why Europe needs a common defence fund – outside the EU | Simon Nixon

It would be open to the UK, Norway and Switzerland, and give governments more bang for their buck as the continent rearmsOf all the shocks to have hit Europe over the past three months, none is more devastating than the realisation that the continent may no longer be able to count on a US security guarantee. Even if Donald Trump’s disdain for Europe had been telegraphed well in advance, few imagined a world in which a US president would publicly humiliate the head of state of a European ally in the Oval Office, cut off intelligence sharing in the middle of a war or cook up a one-sided peace deal with Russia over the heads of Kyiv and its European allies.What has made the shock worse is the brutal revelation of Europe’s inability to defend its own interests. Even as European leaders plead with Trump that a peace without robust security guarantees for Ukraine is no peace at all, their position is fatally weakened by the fact that they are in no position to provide those security guara...

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2 w. ago US Secy of State skips key London meet, Ukraine peace talks come to standstill

US Secy of State skips key London meet, Ukraine peace talks come to standstill  The Tribune

Politics

2 w. ago Ukraine, US, UK, France to meet in London on April 23 for peace talks, Zelensky says.

Ukraine, US, UK, France to meet in London on April 23 for peace talks, Zelensky says.  The Kyiv Independent

Politics

3 w. ago There is a way to turn Trump’s chaos into an opportunity. Here is what European leaders must do | Paul Taylor

The EU, the world’s biggest single market, can reposition itself and become less reliant on exporting goods to the US and ChinaThis is why America first doesn’t have to mean Europe last.Europeans have had plenty to mope about since Donald Trump entered the White House not quite three months ago. The US president has said that the EU was created to “screw the United States” and slapped punitive tariffs on European goods. He has cast doubt on the US commitment to defend Nato allies. He has cosied up to Vladimir Putin, insulted Volodymyr Zelenskyy and tried to settle Russia’s war in Ukraine on terms that would undermine European security. His vice-president has denigrated European democratic values, and his national security team has spewed venom in a Signal chat at “pathetic” Europe.Finally complete the European capital markets union and banking union to unleash the cross-border investment power of some €3tn in European savingsStrike trade deals with countries and regions around the w...

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3 w. ago US ready to abandon Ukraine peace deal if there is no progress, says Marco Rubio

Secretary of state threatens to pull plug ‘within days’, as Kyiv says it has signed mineral deal memorandumRussia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesThe US will abandon its efforts “within days” to broker a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine unless there are clear signs a settlement can be reached, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has said, as Kyiv says it has signed a memorandum with the US over a controversial minerals deal.Speaking in Paris on Friday after meeting European and Ukrainian leaders, Rubio said Donald Trump was still interested in a deal. But he added that the US president had many other priorities around the world and was willing to move on unless there were signs of progress. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago Giorgia Meloni to try to act as bridge between EU and US with Trump meeting

Italian PM’s summit with US president provokes trepidation among some European allies• Europe live – latest updatesGiorgia Meloni will attempt to burnish her credentials as a possible bridge between the EU and the US during a high-stakes summit with Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday, the first European leader to meet the US president since he announced and then paused some of his planned trade tariff hikes.Italy’s far-right prime minister, who has nurtured friendly relations with Trump, arrived in Washington on Wednesday night. The pair will have lunch at 12pm local time before the meeting in the Oval office, which will be attended by a pool of White House reporters and Italian journalists. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Giorgia Meloni aiming to act as bridge between EU and US in Trump meeting

Italian PM’s summit with US president has provoked trepidation among some European allies• Europe live – latest updatesGiorgia Meloni will attempt to burnish her credentials as a possible bridge between the EU and the US during a high-stakes summit with Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday, the first European leader to meet the US president since he announced and then paused some of his planned trade tariff hikes.Italy’s far-right prime minister, who has nurtured friendly relations with Trump, arrived in Washington on Wednesday night. The pair will have lunch at 12pm local time before the meeting in the Oval Office, which will be attended by a pool of White House reporters and Italian journalists. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Sudan’s news blackout stokes fear and confusion after refugee camp attacks

Families of those displaced wait for news from Darfur amid reports of hundreds killed by paramilitary RSFSudan’s information blackout has left relatives of those in Sudan’s Zamzam refugee camp struggling for news of their safety after it was overrun by militiamen at the weekend.As leaders across the globe prepared to meet for peace talks in London to pressure the backers of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army to agree a ceasefire, the RSF launched a deadly assault that led to it seizing Zamzam after weeks of tightening its siege. Continue reading...

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