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…

Pope Francis, sensing he is close to death, moves to protect his legacy

The battle to succeed Pope Francis is likely to be highly politicized, particularly given the pontiff’s recent clash with Catholic U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

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…

Ukraine and European allies have reasons to be worried about peace deal, expert says

FRANCE 24’s Mark Owen speaks to Natia Seskuria, Associate Fellow at Royal United Services Institute. She says that the signals coming from the Trump administration give European allies and particularly Ukraine “reason to be really worried” about the p…

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.

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…

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.

Macron and Trump have โ€˜frank conversationโ€™ minutes before European meeting on Ukraine

The call came before the French president welcomed a group of European leaders in Paris.

EUโ€™s approach to advanced artificial intelligence โ€“ Time for a โ€œCERN for AIโ€? [Advocacy Lab Content]

On 30 January, Euractiv hosted a discussion on the European Commissionโ€™s “CERN for AI” initiative and what a European AI Research Council could look like in practice.

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.

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…

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…

Nuclear sidelined in leaked rules on state aid for clean tech

A draft of updated rules on permissible state aid within the forthcoming Clean Industrial Deal has no explicit mention of nuclear power, despite recent signals from the European Commission executive that it was beginning to see the technology as integr…

‘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…

Ukraine will not participate in Russia-US talks, Zelenskyy says from UAE

The Ukrainian leader said he will be in Turkey while Russia and the US speak in Riyadh.

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.

Press release – MPs and MEPs meet to discuss economic, budgetary, and social concerns

The annual European Parliamentary Week will take place on Monday and Tuesday, bringing MEPs together with MPs from member states and EU candidate countries.Committee on Economic and Monetary AffairsCommittee on Employment and Social Affairs Source : ยฉ …

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.

EU leaders meet in Paris over Trump policy shift on Ukraine

European leaders were due to meet in Paris on Monday to address Washington’s shock policy shift on the war in Ukraine, as Britain declared itself ready to dispatch peacekeeping troops to Ukraine. US President Donald Trump sidelined Kyiv and its Europe…

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.

Press release – Cost of living and environment are the main concerns of young people in the EU

An EP survey of EU citizens aged 16-30 shows social media is their main information source, and that the majority are also aware of the risks of online disinformation. Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

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 …

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…

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.

UK โ€˜readyโ€™ to send peace-keepers to Ukraine, PM Starmer says

Ahead of a crunch meeting in Paris on Monday, the U.K. leader commits to putting British troops in harm’s way to secure lasting peace.

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

US plans to hold Ukraine peace talks without Europeans

After the Munich Security Conference, which highlighted the rift that now separates the US from the EU, the Elysรฉe is set to convene a European summit on Monday. The Ukrainian president has said Moscow plans to create 15 new armed divisions this year.

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.

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…

Europeans are right to be angry with Donald Trump, but they should also be furious with themselves | Andrew Rawnsley

The betrayal of Ukraine is a final warning to the UK and its continental allies to put a lot more energy and money into rebuilding their defencesIt was, Sir Keir Starmer told members of his inner circle, one of his most meaningful visits abroad. In the…

France planning to host informal European summit on Ukraine, diplomatic sources say

France is in talks with its allies about holding an informal European summit on Ukraine on Monday, diplomatic sources said Saturday.ย Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg earlier said that Europe would not have a role in Ukraine peace talks plann…

Trump team to start Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Saudi Arabia

Negotiators from Kyiv will be joining the talks that launch in the coming days.

Vanceโ€™s week of waging war on EU tech law

The U.S. vice president attacked Europe’s regulations governing American Big Tech giants and online speech.

Macron calls emergency European summit on Trump, Polish minister says

It was not immediately clear which European leaders would be invited to the emergency meeting.

JD Vanceโ€™s Munich speech laid bare the collapse of the transatlantic alliance

The US vice-president was hypocritical and insensitive, but bracingly clear in his resetting of relationshipsโ€ข Europe live โ€“ latest updatesSince 1963, the Munich Security Conference has seen many consequential speeches, notably Vladimir Putin announcin…

Europe quietly works on plan to send troops to Ukraine for post-war security

A group of European countries has been quietly working on a plan to send troops into Ukraine to help enforce any future peace settlement with Russia, AP has reported, saying the UK and France are at the forefront of the effort.

German chancellor hits back after Vance tirade at security conference โ€“ video

Olaf Scholz has responded strongly in defence of his stance against the far right and said Germany will not accept people who ‘intervene in our democracy’, a day after the US vice-president, JD Vance, attacked European governments for the way they soug…

ล efฤoviฤ to visit Washington as trade war looms

The European Commission is trying to head off a transatlantic trade conflict.

Scholz calls for reform of German debt brake right after election

The chancellor, who is trailing in the polls ahead of the Feb. 23 snap election, expressed confidence that Germany will have a parliamentary majority to loosen the debt brake.

โ€˜No space and place for complacencyโ€™ over European defence, Latvian defence minister tells Euronews

EU leaders are trying to come up with solutions to boost joint financing in defence with the Commission estimating the bloc needs to invest โ‚ฌ500 billion over the coming decade.

Rutte: NATO spending target will be โ€˜considerably more than 3 percentโ€™

“The U.S. is rightly asking for a rebalancing of that,” said Rutte. “It’s totally logical.”

Zelenskyy says time has come to create an ‘armed forces of Europe’ โ€“ video

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, told the Munich Security Conference on Saturday that the time has come for the creation of a European army. ‘Our army alone is not enough, we need your support,’ he said, adding that the ‘old days’, when th…

Republicans struggle with unified response to Trumpโ€™s plan for Ukraine peace talks

Lawmakersโ€™ reactions underscore the challenge Republicans face as they try to make sense of the administrationโ€™s efforts to end the Ukraine war.