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.

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…

British MPs already want a vote on sending troops to Ukraine

Labour MPs โ€” and opposition lawmakers too โ€” are asking for a parliamentary say on any British escalation.

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.

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.

Germanyโ€™s Merz again rules out coalition with far right, but opens door to center-left parties

Signaling a pivot, Germany’s likely next chancellor suggested he’d consider governing with the center left โ€” but not the AfD or the liberals.

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.

Can Starmer save Ukraine?

Sky Newsโ€™ deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politicoโ€™s Anne McElvoy look at the day ahead in British politics. Although itโ€™s recess, Sam and Anne explain why this week could be a major moment in British politics as they discuss whether the transatlantic alliance has collapsed. Anne shares her insider analysis from the Munich Security [โ€ฆ]

UK marketplace sellers face โ€˜second Brexitโ€™ hit from Trumpโ€™s US import rules

End of โ€˜de minimisโ€™ policy for Chinese goods also expected to hit bigger fashion retailers such as Asos and BoohooMany UK-based independent sellers on marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon could suffer a significant hit to US sales from planned changes …

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,…

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.

Die Quadrell-Analyse: Merz lรคchelt, Scholz wรผtet

โ€“ Erstmals Viererrunde vor der Wahl: Wie das Quadrell lief. โ€“ Gipfel nach der Sicherheitskonferenz: Zu welchen Lรถsungen die EU-Regierungschefs heute in Paris kommen kรถnnten, damit die USA und Russland nicht ohne sie รผber die Ukraine verhandeln. โ€“ Im 200-Sekunden-Interview: Franziska Brantner. Die Co-Chefin der Grรผnen zu den europรคischen Perspektiven fรผr die Ukraine, deutschen Friedenstruppen [โ€ฆ]

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.

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.

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.

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…

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.

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 …

US and Israel have common strategy on Gaza, Netanyahu says

Israeli leader declares “full cooperation and coordination” with Washington as Marco Rubio starts Mideast tour.

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.

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.

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…

Trump has left a void that the EU and Britain must fill together | William Keegan

America is in retreat from its underappreciated good works around the world. Europe needs to act โ€“ and Brexit only hinders this essential responseIn July 1817, Lord Amherst, the leader of a British delegation to China, stopped on his return journey at …

Senator Warner: Democratsโ€™ โ€˜brand is really badโ€™

Ideological purity and cultural disconnect cost the party the last election.

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.

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.

Sicherheitskonferenz: Was ist die Antwort auf Trump und Vance?

โ€“ JD Vance: Auf der Bรผhne konfrontativ, in Hintergrundgesprรคchen diplomatisch. Was vom Auftritt des US-Vizeprรคsidenten am ersten Tag der Sicherheitskonferenz bleibt. โ€“ Jens Spahn im POLITICO Pub im Gesprรคch, wie die deutsche und europรคische Politik der Regierung Trump gegenรผbertreten sollte und welche Mรถglichkeiten Friedrich Merz hat, sollte er wirklich Kanzler werden.ย  Das Berlin Playbook als [โ€ฆ]

Scholz slams Vanceโ€™s support for far right as โ€˜interferenceโ€™ by โ€˜outsidersโ€™

‘We will decide for ourselves what happens to our democracy,’ German chancellor tells the U.S.

Trump asks Zelenskyy for half of Ukraineโ€™s rare earths: NBC News

U.S. officials told NBC that handing over half of its valuable minerals would be a way for Kyiv to reimburse the U.S. for the billions of dollars in weapons and support.

Ukraine could become the EUโ€™s โ€˜Afghanistan,โ€™ Viktor Orbรกn claims

The Hungarian leader repeated Kremlin talking points in an interview with Tucker Carlson.

โ€˜I fear free speech is in retreat,โ€™ JD Vance rebukes Europeโ€™s leaders โ€“ video

In a chastising speech on Friday that openly questioned whether current European values warranted defence by the US, the US vice-president painted a picture of European politics infected by media censorship, cancelled elections and political correctnes…

Meloni: Russia โ€˜offended the entire Italian nationโ€™ by rejecting Third Reich comparison

The Italian prime minister stood by her presidentโ€™s comparison of Russia to Nazi Germany.

JD Vance meets with leader of far-right German political party backed by Musk

The vice president met with the leaders of all four major German political parties โ€” including Alice Weidel, leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany.

American citizen arrested in Russia for weed gummies, state media says

He is the latest in a long string of U.S. citizens detained by Moscow on drug charges.

Vance brings a wrecking ball to diplomatic gathering in Munich

The U.S. vice president roasted the continent’s way of governing itself.

US Democrats slam Vance Munich speech as โ€˜hypocrisyโ€™

The U.S. vice president’s admonition of Europeโ€™s policies splits American lawmakers.

Boris Johnson: Europe acting like โ€˜headless chickensโ€™ on Ukraine

Former prime minister โ€” who has lobbied Donald Trump to back Ukraine โ€” says European nations should ‘man up and step up’ by increasing defense spending.

Latvia moves to ban tourist trips to Russia, Belarus

Riga wants to reduce the risks of human rights violations of Latvian citizens in those countries, and prevent their recruitment as spies.

JD Vance attacks Europe over migration, free speech

JD Vance stunned the audience with his broadside on the way Europe is run.

Von der Leyen demands trigger of emergency clause to massively boost defense spending

European Commission president announces plan at Munich Security Conference.

American troops in Europe are not โ€˜forever,โ€™ US defense chief warns

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has a “stark” message for European allies.

German prosecutors confirm Islamic extremism in Munich attack, stoking election debate

A suspected Islamist attack in Munich has ignited fierce political debate on security and migration just over a week before Germanyโ€™s federal election.

Musk will face consequences for interfering in German election, says front-runner Merz

The next German government’s response could be political, legal, or possibly target Musk’s gigafactory near Berlin, center-right leader says in interview.

Putin is capable of attacking NATO country โ€˜next year,โ€™ Zelenskyy warns

Ukrainian leader implores the West to “stop this crazy guy.”

Ukraine on โ€˜irreversible pathโ€™ to Nato membership, Starmer tells Zelenskyy

Prime minister uses call with Ukraine president to restate UK support in face of Trump interventionsโ€ข Europe live โ€“ latest updatesUkraine remains on โ€œan irreversible pathโ€ towards Nato membership, Keir Starmer has told Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a phone ca…

โ€˜Hallelujahโ€™: Orbรกn predicts Trump-Putin talks will โ€˜reintegrateโ€™ Russia into Europe

“That’s what we’ve been waiting for,” Hungarian prime minister says.

Trumpโ€™s return is an โ€˜electroshockโ€™ for Europe, says Macron

Europe needs a change of mindset on the economy and defense, Macron tells the Financial Times.

Ein Spaziergang mit dem Bundeskanzler

Die aktuellen Umfragen sprechen eine klare Sprache: Es kรถnnte eng werden fรผr Olaf Scholz. Wie blickt er selbst auf seine Zukunft als Kanzler? Was passiert, wenn Friedrich Merz und die Union stรคrkste Kraft werden? In diesem Gesprรคch gibt Scholz Einblicke in seine Strategie, spricht รผber die zerbrochene Koalition, die wirtschaftlichen Herausforderungen und die zunehmende politische [โ€ฆ]

Brussels power couples โ€”ย 2025 edition

Love is in the air in the halls of power.

Trump hails โ€˜great friendshipโ€™ with Indian PM Modi at White House meeting โ€“ US politics live

Pair meet in Oval Office, while US president says new tariffs may cause โ€˜short-termโ€™ price risesTrump threatens new tariffs on USโ€™s trade partners in latest warningWhat are reciprocal tariffs and how will they affect US consumers?Donald Trump said he p…

The heartlessness of the deal: how Trumpโ€™s โ€˜America firstโ€™ stance sold out Ukraine

The US president does not care who controls east Ukraine, so long as he can access the rare earth minerals underneathIn Donald Trumpโ€™s world, everything has its price.There is no place for sentiment in his politics. Common values cannot secure loans fo…

Kremlin: Ukraine can be part of peace talks โ€” but main players will be US and Russia

โ€œOur main counterpart in this process is Washington,โ€ Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Trumpโ€™s Ukraine call with Putin leaves UK sounding at odds with reality

Statements that there can be no negotiations without Kyiv ring hollow when the US president has just sidelined itEurope live โ€“ latest updatesIn the aftermath of Donald Trumpโ€™s incendiary call with Vladimir Putin, UK ministers and officials have had to …

US reins in demands on Ukraine amid alliesโ€™ outcries

โ€œEverything is on the table,โ€ the Defense secretary said with no mention of concessions he demanded the day before.

Qatar plans to rein in future French investments amid โ€˜witch huntโ€™ into PSG boss

Nasser al-Khelaรฏfi is under formal investigation again, but Paris denies that has affected Doha’s plans in France.

Trumpโ€™s Ukraine bombshell puts British support to the test

Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to be a โ€œsteadfastโ€ backer of Ukraine. But Britain is cash-strapped and struggling to build links.

โ€˜We will soon be nextโ€™: German leaders sound alarm on Trumpโ€™s Ukraine plan

Berlin wants more robust military spending following a bombshell move by the Trump administration to negotiate a peace deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine just the latest Trump wheeze for Labour to try to defend and disown | John Crace

It was left to the poor junior defence minister Maria Eagle to walk that particular tightrope in the CommonsIn his ghostwritten 1987 bestseller, The Art of the Deal, Donald Trump delivers his own version of the American Dream. Get as much as you can fo…

Karim Bouamrane : lโ€™ambition derriรจre la com

Le mรฉdiatique maire de Saint-Ouen rรชve dโ€™un rรดle national, et peine ร  sโ€™en cacher.

Court says European Parliament must release confidential harassment reports

New judgement sets a precedent for greater transparency in future cases

Trump kept Germanyโ€™s Scholz in the dark about his Ukraine peace plan

Based on talks with Trump, Scholz had expected Washington to continue its support for Kyiv, he told POLITICO

Von der Leyen aide held secret talks with Trump team amid trade war

Bjoern Seibert visited Washington ahead of high-level contacts between the Commission president and J.D. Vance.

NATO ministers plead for Ukraine to be involved in Trump-Putin peace talks

But alliance chief Mark Rutte was keen to downplay fears that Europe and Kyiv are being sidelined.

Trump’s actions transform ‘dissent within Canadian populace’ into staunch ‘anti-American sentiment’

Buffeted by tariffs and threats from Washington, the European Union and Canada seek an economic rapprochement and to diversify trade away from the United States. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on a looming trade war, FRANCE 24’s Franรงo…

Rassismus-Vorwurf: Scholzโ€™ Stinkefinger-Moment

โ€“ ร„uรŸerung gegenรผber Joe Chialo: Ein unbeobachteter Moment holt den Kanzler wenige Tage vor dem Wahlsonntag ein und bringt ihn in eine Situation, wie sie zuletzt Peer Steinbrรผck hatte. โ€“ Im 200-Sekunden-Interview: FDP-Chef Christian Lindner erklรคrt, weshalb er nun eine Deutschland-Koalition aus CDU, SPD und FDP favorisiert. โ€“ Vor der Mรผnchner Sicherheitskonferenz: Trump kรผndigt Verhandlungen [โ€ฆ]

Trumpโ€™s uphill battle to make NATO allies hit his mega defense spending target

There is broad agreement to boost defense spending โ€” but the U.S. president’s call for 5 percent of GDP is too much for most European countries.

Trumpโ€™s plan for Ukraine a great deal โ€” โ€˜for the Kremlin,โ€™ Kyivโ€™s backers say

“Letโ€™s not mince words about what this represents: a surrender of Ukraineโ€™s interests and our own, even before negotiations begin,โ€ says U.S. Senator Adam Schiff.

Trump announces first meeting with Putin in Saudi Arabia

The meeting will happen in the “not too distant future,โ€ Trump said.

Vance enters the world stage. Can he speak for Trump?

The vice president faces a perennially difficult task as he attempts to take the MAGA mantle.

Trump-Putin Ukraine peace talks mustnโ€™t exclude Kyiv, EU allies warn

U.S. and Russian leaders spoke on the phone Wednesday about ending the war โ€” and agreed to start negotiations โ€œimmediately.โ€

Trump says he and Putin will negotiate to end the war in Ukraine

The president says he and the Russian leader spoke and are eager to work together.

Outcry in Irelandโ€™s parliament as PM slams opposition โ€˜liesโ€™ โ€ฆ in Irish

Prime Minister Micheรกl Martin accuses opposition chief of telling lies โ€” but his use of โ€œbrรฉagaโ€ draws a blank from the Sinn Fรฉin leader. It highlights a parliament struggling with the national language.

‘A lose-lose scenario’: World leaders vow to retaliate against Trump’s metal tariffs โ€“ video

The US’s decision to to resume 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports will fuel inflation and create a ‘lose-lose scenario’, the EU trade commissioner, Maroลก ล efฤoviฤ, told the European parliament on Tuesday. He added that the EU ‘will be respondin…

The EU must not be a โ€˜dwarfโ€™ in Washington, says Germanyโ€™s likely next chancellor

The bloc has to get tougher in the age of Donald Trump, argues Friedrich Merz.

Heathrowโ€™s long take-off

Sky Newsโ€™ deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politicoโ€™s Anne McElvoy look at the day ahead in British politics. Growth spends another day on the agenda โ€“ as Heathrow gets ready to announce a multibillion-pound expansion plan. How feasible are some of the proposals and the timescale for them? At the same time โ€“ thereโ€™s [โ€ฆ]

Wednesday briefing: Inside the US presidentโ€™s chaos machine

In todayโ€™s newsletter: From the the AI arms race to support for Ukraine to UK diplomatic love bombing, a look at four of the most pressing developments from WashingtonGood morning.Few words can fully capture the first few weeks of Donald Trumpโ€™s presid…

Merz, Scholz und das Nervenspiel nach der Wahl

โ€” Vorbereitungen fรผr den Tag nach dem Wahlsonntag: Wie sich die Parteien auf den 24.02. vorbereiten, wer mit wem zuerst spricht, wo politische Karrieren befรถrdert und womรถglich beendet werden. Einblicke von Rasmus Buchsteiner dazu. โ€” Im 200-Sekunden-Interview: Bundesinnenministerin Nancy Faeser รผber Migrations-Streit, Terror-Schutz und den Zwist zwischen Union und SPD รผber Zurรผckweisungen an der Grenze. [โ€ฆ]

The big fat Greek plot to defraud the EU

โ€œFarmers” raked in millions of euros for land they didnโ€™t own or work.

How to watch the German election like a pro

Germany’s election will be a gauge of how far the world’s third biggest economy has swung to the right.

Russia could start a major war in Europe within 5 years, Danish intelligence warns

An updated threat assessment warns of the consequences of a divided NATO and an absent U.S.

French PM says heโ€™ll sue media outlet that alleged he didnโ€™t act after priest was accused of raping child

The allegations concern officials at the school that Bayrou’s own children attended.

German frontrunner Merz will take EU โ€˜to its grave,โ€™ says Scholz

Country’s role in Europe gets a surprise central focus in election campaign.

Russia lashes out at EU plans to seize its โ€˜shadow fleetโ€™ in the Baltic Sea

Moscow said any move to grab its oil exporting vessels would be seen as an attack against the country, after POLITICO revealed the new EU plans.