Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy rejects โ€˜quick winโ€™ ceasefire sought by US

โ€˜We will not sign just anything in order to be applauded,โ€™ Ukrainian president insists; European leaders pressed on sending troops to enforce peace. What we know on day 1,091 The US is trying to โ€œpleaseโ€ Vladimir Putin as it aims for a โ€œquick winโ€ by …

US โ€˜backstopโ€™ vital to deter future Russian attacks on Ukraine, says Starmer

British prime minister says force would need protections such as air cover that only US can provide Keir Starmer has urged Donald Trump to provide a US โ€œbackstopโ€ to a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine, saying it is the only way to deter Russia fr…

Europeโ€™s leaders find no quick response to Trumpโ€™s bombshell on Ukraine

Top European leaders could not find common ground on issues including sending peacekeepers in Ukraine.

US must provide โ€˜backstopโ€™ to deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again, says Starmer โ€“ video

Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, has called on the US to provide a ‘backstop’ to deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again after meeting with European leaders for emergency talks on the war. Starmer said US president Donald Trumpโ€™s comments aski…

US ‘wants to please Putin’: Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview broadcast Monday that the US is trying to “please” Moscow after a shock policy shift on the Ukraine war under President Donald Trump. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Europe’s cu…

European leaders hold emergency talks, fearing that Trump has abandoned age-old allies

European leaders sought to form a united front Monday at emergency talks in Paris, called after a U.S. diplomatic blitz on Ukraine which has thrown a once-solid alliance into turmoil and left the Europeans questioning the reliability of their key tran…

The death of NATO? Europe in crisis over Trump-Putin talks

European leaders are meeting in Paris for an emergency summit on Ukraine, following last weekโ€™s call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. With NATOโ€™s most powerful member sidelining its allies in talks with Russia, is the U.S. still a reliable par…

European leaders race to respond after US policy shift on Ukraine

European leaders sought to find a unified response at an emergency summit in Paris Monday following a shock policy shift on the war in Ukraine by US President Donald Trump. The talks were held as Washington and Moscow’s top diplomats were due Tuesday …

Parliamentโ€™s right-wing majority puts EU ethics body in the crosshairs

Lawmakers claim right-wing coalition is using procedural tricks to “obstruct” implementation.

โ€˜Allo โ€˜Allo! Europeโ€™s leaders get together dans Paris for emergency sommet | John Crace

Emmanuel Macron, Kier Starmer and others discuss Trump, Russia and Ukraine at hastily arranged conferenceEmmanuel Macron: Bienvenu รก Paris.Keir Starmer: Bonjour, Monsieur le President. Thank you for organising this โ€œonce-in-a-generationโ€ summit at such…

Germanyโ€™s Scholz: Itโ€™s โ€˜inappropriateโ€™ to discuss sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine

Ukraine doesn’t have to accept whatever peace plan Russia and the United States present, Scholz added.

Europe tries to shore up fragile unity as it realises it cannot rely on US

Leaders arrive at Paris summit for urgent talks on Ukraine after week that showed how far values have divergedEurope live โ€“ latest updatesThey came smiling, but the task was immense. After dozens of summits at which a hesitant and discordant EU had fai…

Syrian delivery driver who rammed car into attacker hailed as hero in Austria

Villach mayor praises Alaaeddin al-Halabi, who intervened in knife attack that killed 14-year-old and injured five othersA Syrian migrant living in Austria has been hailed as a hero after he rammed his car into an attacker, bringing down a radicalised …

What Marielle Knows review โ€“ teenagerโ€™s telepathic powers reveal parentsโ€™ secrets and lies

In this fantasy-satire of bourgeois family life, a girl is suddenly able to see everything her messed-up parents are up toHere is a high-concept satire of bourgeois family life with all its secrets and lies from German film-maker Frรฉdรฉric Hambalek; it …

Pacte vert : le revirement de Macron indigne ses alliรฉs

Lโ€™offensive antirรฉglementation du prรฉsident a semรฉ le doute sur son hรฉritage ร  matiรจre dโ€™รฉcologie et suscitรฉ la colรจre de nombreux membres de son propre parti.

Ukraine will not accept a Saudi-talks peace deal, says Zelenskyy

EU and Ukraine have been excluded from high-stakes negotiations between top Russian and US officialsEurope live โ€“ latest updatesVolodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine would not recognise any peace agreements made without its participation, as top …

Poland to Europe: Donโ€™t play games with Trump, spend more on defense

The Polish PM is adamant that Europe must not break ties with the U.S.

People (Ludzie) review โ€“ multi-thread epic offers raw tales from the Russia-Ukraine war

The brutalising reality of the battlefield connects five different stories in this anti-war dramaThis portmanteau film โ€“ produced by Warsaw Film School and released for the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine โ€“ is in the Come and See …

UKโ€™s Starmer to meet Trump next week

Prime minister heads to Washington to meet with US president as European capitals fret over Ukraine’s future.

Looser state aid rules aim to stoke clean tech demand

A European Commission draft sets out ways for governments to subsidize and boost clean-tech investments.

What are Ukraineโ€™s critical minerals โ€“ and why does Trump want them?

Zelenskyy has rebuffed USโ€™s initial attempt to take control of minerals as downpayment for its aid in war with RussiaEurope live โ€“ latest updatesUkraineโ€™s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has rebuffed an initial attempt by the US to corner his countryโ€™s…

Ukraine will not accept results of any US-Russia talks held without them, Zelenskyy says โ€“ video

Ukraine’s president has said his country would not accept the outcome of talks between the US and Russia if his country was not involved. Zelenskyy was on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates where he told reporters that he was not informed of…

Pope Francis to stay in hospital because of โ€˜complex clinical pictureโ€™

Vatican statement says pontiff, 88, is being treated for a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tractPope Francis will remain in hospital for as long as required after tests undertaken in recent days showed a โ€œcomplex clinical pictureโ€, the Vatic…

Europe at โ€˜turning pointโ€™ as leaders meet in Paris to discuss Ukraine crisis

Ursula von der Leyen urges โ€˜emergency mindsetโ€™ in response to US decision to enter bilateral talks with RussiaEurope live โ€“ latest updatesEuropeโ€™s security is โ€œat a turning pointโ€, the president of the European Commission has said, as leaders from majo…

‘Why should we invite them?’: Lavrov ridicules European presence at Ukraine peace talks โ€“ video

Russia’s foreign minister has dismissed the prospect of a place for Europe at talks between the US and Russia to end the fighting in Ukraine. Speaking at a press conference alongside his Serbian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov said: ‘If they are going to we…

US tensions overshadow final campaign phase in run-up to German election

Simmering tensions between Europe and the United States are overshadowing the final week of election campaigning in Germany on Monday, with the debate more heated than ever amid controversy over alleged US interference in favour of the far right.

France tries five suspected IS militants over kidnap of four journalists in Syria

One suspect, Mehdi Nemmouche, is serving a life sentence for a 2019 attack on a Jewish museum in BrusselsFive suspected Islamist terrorists accused of kidnapping and torturing four French journalists covering the war in Syria have gone on trial in Pari…

Intercepted review โ€“ phone taps are a chilling glimpse into Russian soldiersโ€™ minds in Ukraine

Recordings of fightersโ€™ wiretapped phone calls are juxtaposed with images of wartime destruction in Oksana Karpovychโ€™s compelling war documentaryVietnam saw the advent of the visible war, documented by TV cameras; but the Russia-Ukraine war perhaps rep…

Russia says ‘no reason’ to invite Europeans to Ukraine truce talks as top Russia, US officials to meet in Saudia Arabia

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov accused Europe of wanting to ‘continue war’ in Ukraine, as Russian and US officials prepare to meet in Saudi Arabia and European leaders convene in Paris for an emergency summit in response.

EU top brass plans Kyiv visit amid US-Russia talks

The trip will take place in a show of solidarity as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine hits the three-year mark, one EU official said.

โ€˜Itโ€™s Trumpโ€™s worldโ€™: European leaders divided on how to navigate โ€˜cacophonyโ€™

Many feel JD Vanceโ€™s speech in Munich shows Trump 2.0 is a far more disruptive and chaotic force than their worst fearsAs European leaders meet in Paris to prepare an answer to their apparent exclusion from the talks about Ukraineโ€™s future, the existen…

โ€˜Freezingโ€™ Ukraine war would allow Russia to threaten NATO, Latvian intelligence warns

Pausing hostilities, which U.S. President Trump has vowed to do, would free up Kremlin resources to threaten countries across the alliance, the report says.

A Picture to Remember review โ€“ memories of a Donetsk happy childhood before the war

Olga Chernykhโ€™s portrait of life in war-torn Ukraine, based on home videos, examines how bonds and memories persist through trauma, loss and distanceFormally inventive and emotionally resonant, Olga Chernykhโ€™s documentary feature debut highlights the p…

Marco Rubio arrives in Riyadh, Zelenskyy jets into UAE, as Ukraine talks expected to begin

U.S. secretary of state lands in Saudi Arabia as EU leaders prepare for crisis summit in Paris.

Live: Ahead of Paris talks, Sweden says ‘not ruling out’ peacekeepers in Ukraine

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would deploy troops to Ukraine if needed, a pledge reiterated by Sweden on Monday just hours before European leaders meet in Paris to address Washington’s shock policy shift on the war. France has warned that EU …

Europe live: Ukraine will not accept US-Russia talks outcome if it is not involved, says Zelenskyy, as EU leaders meet for summit

Ukrainian president says his government has not been invited to planned talks on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, while EU leaders meet over Ukraineโ€™s futureSwedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson told Reuters that deploying Swedish troops to Ukraine as part of…

As the US retreats, Europe must look out for itself โ€“ so is Macronโ€™s nuclear offer the answer? | Simon Tisdall

Development of a joint defence shield would be politically explosive for Keir Starmer. But itโ€™s an idea whose time has comeThe startling contempt for Europeโ€™s intensifying security concerns displayed by Donald Trump and his henchmen has brought an old,…

‘Playing with fire’: European leaders convene for emergency meeting in Paris

PRESS REVIEW โ€“ Monday, February 17: European leaders flock to Paris to discuss an uncertain future, as US President Donald Trump excludes both Ukraine and Europe from peace talks with Russia. Elsewhere, an investigation by The Observer reveals that Go…

Europeโ€™s desperate bid to shape Ukraineโ€™s Trump deal in Munich

In this episode, host Giada Santana and Chief Diplomatic Correspondent Alexandra Brzozowski go through highlights and lowlights from the Munich Security Conference.

Friends of Russian anti-war singer cast doubt on official version of his death

Vadim Stroykin reported to have killed himself by jumping from a ninth-floor window during visit by security servicesNo one knows exactly what happened in the final moments of Vadim Stroykinโ€™s life.The 59-year-old Russian singer-songwriterโ€™s vibrant ca…

โ€˜They wanted to attack meโ€™: Aurore Clรฉment on violent premieres and smuggling bananas for Brando

As the film that caused havoc at its Paris premiere resurfaces, the great French actor looks back on an extraordinary career, from the furore of Meetings With Anna to the meltdown of Apocalypse Nowโ€˜People stood up and started to yell,โ€ says Aurore Clรฉm…

Stรฉphane Sรฉjournรฉ, en mission pour le nuclรฉaire au sommet de lโ€™Europe

Les difficultรฉs politiques et รฉconomiques de l’Allemagne sont une bonne occasion de marquer des points ร  Bruxelles en matiรจre nuclรฉaire, estiment ses partisans.

Stรฉphane Sรฉjournรฉ is on a nuclear mission as EU industry chief

With Germany embroiled in political and economic difficulties, nuclear advocates see an opportunity to score points in Brussels.

Angry farmers push Poland away from Ukraine

After nearly three years of war in Ukraine, protests by Polish farmers are opening up social and political fractures in a once-unshakeable alliance.

How von der Leyen blindsided Brussels with her deregulation drive

The Commission president is pushing a sweeping, rapid and centralized agenda to โ€œsimplifyโ€ EU rules โ€” and not everyone in Brussels is thrilled.

Macronโ€™s U-turn against EU green rules triggers internal revolt

The French president’s anti-regulation push has thrown his environmental legacy into doubt and angered many in his own party.

Germanyโ€™s labor market โ€” long the envy of Europe โ€” is losing its shine

For the first time in a decade, the number of unemployed is closing in on 3 million โ€” and there’s more to come.

Victims of international crimes need justice โ€” and the ICC

We call on the EUโ€™s member countries and institutions to be the voice of human dignity globally, and to mobilize, defend and support the court.

The fight for Europe is on

At a time of intensifying great power competition, the EU has to choose between becoming a satrap of the U.S. or breaking free to steer its own course โ€” and it must decide quickly.

Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy waves away first US bid for critical minerals

President says draft deal did not guarantee Ukraineโ€™s security; diplomatic chaos as US and Russia meet in Riyadh and Macron convenes Europe crisis talks. What we know on day 1,090 Continue reading…

UK PM says ready to send troops to Ukraine if needed as part of peace deal

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday he was “ready and willing” to put UK troops on the ground in Ukraine, as part of any postwar peacekeeping force, to ensure the security of Britain and Europe. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, the UK Prime Mini…

Starmer ready to put British troops on the ground in Ukraine if peace deal reached

It is understood to be the first time the PM has been explicit about sending British peacekeepers to UkraineKeir Starmer has said he is prepared to put British troops on the ground in Ukraine if there is a deal to end the war with Russia, acknowledging…

Islands review โ€“ sexual tension and dangerously polite encounters

This intriguing noir mystery with a twist in its tale sees a couple befriend a tennis coach at a holiday resort with unnerving resultsGerman film-maker Jan-Ole Gerster has created an intriguing noir mystery starring Sam Riley and Stacy Martin. It has v…

Rubio says talks in Saudi Arabia meant to be opening step toward peace

โ€œOne phone call does not make peace,โ€ the secretary of State said.

The Guardian view on JD Vance in Munich: Europe must stand up for its values | Editorial

The vice-presidentโ€™s speech on Friday was another wake-up call for European leaders. On defence and in other areas, they need to chart their own courseIn 2007, Vladimir Putin delivered a speech to the Munich security conference that stunned western dip…

Ukraine recaptures frontline village amid signs of slowing Russian advance

Pischane in Donetsk back under Kyivโ€™s control as Zelenskyy renews call for fighting to end โ€˜with a just and lasting peaceโ€™Ukraine has recaptured a village on the frontline in the countryโ€™s east, amid signs Russiaโ€™s advance may be slowing down and as Pr…

Rally against Germany’s resurgent far right draws thousands in Berlin

One week out from Germany’s general election, tens of thousands of people gathered in Berlin to protest the growing support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. A quarter of a million people joined a similar rally in Munich last week…

Putin likely to strike NATO nations next, Ukraine leader warns

The Ukrainian president says he wonโ€™t accept a peace agreement if his country is iced out of talks.

โ€˜The US is ready to hand Russia a winโ€™: newspapers on Europeโ€™s Trump shock

European papers express deep alarm at declaration of an โ€˜ideological warโ€™, while the NYT says Putin may soon โ€˜realise his dreamโ€™This yearโ€™s Munich security conference exposed the chasm in core values separating the Trump administration from most Europe…

Parents of Alexei Navalny join hundreds of mourners on the anniversary of his death โ€“ video report

The parents of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny joined hundreds of mourners at their son’s grave on Sunday to mark the anniversary of his death. Navalny died aged 47 on 16 February last year while being held in a jail about 40 miles north …

Zelenskyy says Russia will โ€˜wage war on Natoโ€™ if US support for Ukraine wanes

Ukrainian president tells NBCโ€™s Meet the Press that Putinโ€™s next targets may be Poland and LithuaniaVolodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday predicted Russia would โ€œwage war against Natoโ€ if the US stepped back from its support of Ukraine โ€“ and that he had seen i…

John Major: Trumpโ€™s US isolationism threatens global democracy

Former UK prime minister says US may regret ceding world stage to China and condemns โ€˜hypocriticalโ€™ JD Vance speechDemocracy around the globe is under threat from the retreat of Donald Trumpโ€™s US into isolationism and its likely replacement by China on…

Macron convenes European leaders for Ukraine summit amid tension with US

Paris meeting aims to retake initiative on talks about Ukraineโ€™s future as US and Russian delegates prepare to meetThe sudden transatlantic chasm over Ukraine will be laid bare on Monday when US officials start preliminary talks in Riyadh with Russian …

As US recedes, NATO scrambles to find a new leader

The Brits, French, and Germans all have their own ideas about how to defend the continent with Americaโ€™s plans in flux.ย 

The US said Ukraine would meet with Russia to discuss peace. That was news to Kyiv.

โ€œI do not know what it is,โ€ said Ukraineโ€™s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

France confirms emergency European summit Monday in Paris

The “main European countries” will discuss the continent’s security, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noรซl Barrot said.

Alexei Navalny supporters visit grave on first anniversary of his death

Queues of people risk possible arrest at Moscow cemetery while European leaders condemn KremlinEuropean leaders have condemned the Kremlinโ€™s โ€œultimate responsibilityโ€ in the death of Alexei Navalny, as supporters of Russiaโ€™s best-known opposition polit…

Austria stabbing that killed teenager was Islamist attack, minister says

Targeting of passersby in southern city of Villach had โ€˜IS connectionsโ€™, says interior ministerA stabbing that left a teenager dead and five others injured in southern Austria was an Islamist attack, Austriaโ€™s interior minister has said.โ€œIt is an Islam…

UK hopes to be a โ€˜bridgeโ€™ between Europe and Trumpโ€™s US, minister says

Jonathan Reynolds says Britain has not given up on persuading the US to allow Ukraine to join NatoEurope live โ€“ latest updatesThe UK hopes to act as a โ€œbridgeโ€ between Europe and Donald Trumpโ€™s US, the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, has said be…

UKโ€™s Starmer to attend emergency European summit in Paris

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noรซl Barrot said the “main European countries” would meet on Monday to discuss European security.

Navalny supporters mark first anniversary of his death as Russian opposition falters

Supporters of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny marked the first anniversary of his death on Saturday, risking retaliation from President Vladimir Putin. The opposition has been badly weakened since Navalnyโ€™s death as many members have fled int…

John Major accuses US of โ€˜cuddlingโ€™ up to Putin and condemns JD Vanceโ€™s Munich speech โ€“ as it happened

The former UK prime minister says democracy in Europe and across the globe is โ€˜under threatโ€™. This live blog is closedโ€˜We canโ€™t just be supineโ€™: UK Liberal Democrat leader urges Starmer to stand up to โ€˜bullyโ€™ TrumpFranceโ€™s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Ba…

โ€˜They may be Russian some dayโ€™: was this the week that changed the war in Ukraine?

As Donald Trump and his officials rip up three years of US rhetoric on supporting Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is walking an unenviable diplomatic tightropeVolodymyr Zelenskyy has had some tough weeks in the past three years, but this past one may be up t…