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…

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…

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.

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.

French PM faces scrutiny over sexual abuse claims at Catholic school

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Wednesday battled to contain a new controversy after lawmakers urged him to explain whether he was aware of widespread claims of sexual abuse of minors at a Catholic school. Prosecutors in France have been inve…

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.

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.

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…

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.

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.

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.

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…

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…

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.

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…

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.

US Defence Secretary praises Poland as ‘model NATO ally’ during visit

US Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth has lauded Poland as a “model NATO allyโ€ in his first visit to Warsaw on Friday, where he met with President Andrzej Duda and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Wล‚adysล‚aw Kosiniak-Kamysz.

Graham: Ukraine should automatically join NATO if Russia invades again

Republican senator says US should continue to send weapons to Ukraine.

Is this the end of NATO?

โ€œWeโ€™ve now got an alliance between a Russian president who wants to destroy Europe and an American president who also wants to destroy Europe,” one diplomat said.

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.

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.

Belgium leading new โ€˜one-stop shopโ€™ for medicines, simplifying pharma market

Belgiumโ€™s Deputy Prime Minister, Frank Vandenbroucke, called the EUโ€™s joint health technology assessment a model of European cooperation, improving medicine evaluation, reducing costs, and strengthening price negotiations.

New Geo-Political Challenges and the Past and Future of EU-Greenland Relations

  

Ulla Neergaard, Professor of EU Law, University of Copenhagen

Photo credit: Gordon Leggett, via Wikimedia Commons 

 

*This contribution draws upon Ulla
Neergaardโ€™s forthcoming work, โ€œโ€˜Eurarcticโ€™: Colonialism and EU-Greenland…

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.

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.

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.

Criminals use AI chatbots too

SNEAK PEEK โ€” Criminals use AI chatbots to commit fraud, Europolโ€™s chief AI officer warns. โ€” The U.K. switches from โ€˜AI safety to โ€˜AI security.โ€™ โ€” The Munich Security Conference is working hard to make killer AI cool. Good morning and welcome to Morning Tech. This is Pieter. #TGIF (unless youโ€™re in Munich, then the [โ€ฆ]

Trump triggers Western anger over โ€˜appeasementโ€™ talks with Putinย 

EU and British politicians warn America against caving to the Kremlin’s demands on Ukraine. ย 

Brussels power couples โ€”ย 2025 edition

Love is in the air in the halls of power.

Russia should rejoin G7, Trump says

Moscow never would have invaded Ukraine if it still had a seat at the table, the president insisted.

Was India’s Modi snubbed by Macron at the Paris AI summit?

Out-of-context videos have fuelled a false rumour that French President Emmanuel Macron “ignored” India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was his co-chair of the Paris AI Action summit. Initially sourced back to pro-Russian media outlets, the falseh…

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.

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.

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.

What’s next? Austria’s political crisis deepens after failed coalition talks with far right

PRESS REVIEW โ€“ Thursday, February 13: The political crisis in Austria deepens after coalition government talks fail once again and far-right leader Herbert Kickl gives back the mandate to form a coalition. What’s next? Also: French Prime Minister Fran…

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.

Reynolds hits โ€˜resetโ€™ on competition

SNEAK PEEK โ€”ย  The government is giving the CMA a โ€˜resetโ€™. The CMA will try to show itโ€™s got the message. โ€”ย Peter Kyle explains the U.K.โ€™s AI summit statement snub. โ€”ย MPs pick up where peers left off on copyright. Good morning and happy Thursday, This is Tom, back home. You can get in touch with [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.

Jordan and Egypt unite against Trumpโ€™s vision for Gaza

The countriesโ€™ leaders clarified their โ€œshared positionโ€ that Palestinians should not be displaced from Gaza just a day after the king of Jordan met with Trump.

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.

JD Vance and Germanyโ€™s likely next chancellor to discuss Ukraine, trade

Friedrich Merz has pledged to take a leading role in uniting the continent in its response to U.S. President Donald Trump.

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.

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.

Trump rails against UKโ€™s โ€˜hugeโ€™ trade deficit as hopes of tariff exemption fade

British ministers are scrambling to avoid Trumpโ€™s tariffs.

At AI Summit, ‘Macron puts EU in front of contradiction: Falling behind yet fearful of accelerating’

President Emmanuel Macron announced France would slash through red tape to build artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, aiming to keep Europe in the running for the technology’s hoped-for benefits at a global summit in Paris. Co-hosted with Indi…

Virkkunen stands firm on American pushback against EU tech laws

SNEAK PEEK โ€” The EU plans to raise the American pushback against tech law with the U.S., said tech boss Henna Virkkunen. She also promised a more โ€œinnovation-friendlyโ€ AI regulatory framework. โ€” Rolling out AI should mean talking to workers and helping them gain new skills, said EESC president Oliver Rรถpke. Failing to get it [โ€ฆ]

Inside the divided coalition coming for the Green Deal

Intentionally or not, concerned businesses, the ascendant far right and traditional conservatives are coming together to rewrite green rules.

Riding out the Trump tiger until heโ€™s exhausted

How should one handle the 47th U.S. president? Kiss the ring, resist, offer deals and wait for exhaustion to set in.

As Trump torches overseas aid, will Britain step up?

Britain used to lead the world on international development. But in the era of right-wing populists, its Labour government is now treading carefully.

Ukraine war briefing: Power restrictions as Russia hits energy system

Trump says Ukraine โ€˜may be Russian somedayโ€™; Biden-approved weapons still flowing, says Kellogg. What we know on day 1,084See all our Ukraine war coverageUkraine implemented emergency power restrictions on Tuesday morning as the energy minister, German…

Greece presses France over missile sale to Turkey

Turkey wants to buy Eurofighters equipped with air-to-air Meteor missiles.

The Guardian view on Kosovoโ€™s election result: a gateway to rapprochement with the EU

A new coalition government may seek to rebuild bridges with western partners, at a perilous geopolitical momentSeventeen years after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia, its future remains shadowed and compromised by relations with Belgrade. More …

Musk says heโ€™s not coming to Paris for Macronโ€™s AI summit

Donald Trump’s top lieutenant says he has “critical work in Washington DC.”

The 9 AI power players at the Paris AI Action Summit

Academics can be as influential as tech bros in swaying policymakers to both invest in and set guardrails for the powerful technology.

Moldovaโ€™s Russia-backed breakaway region strikes deal to end energy crisis

Separatist leaders said they will take a Russian loan to pay for supplies despite an EU aid offer.

5 times politicians were humiliated by WhatsApp leaks

Numerous UK politicos have found their group chats getting two ticks โ€” from the entire British public.

Most victims in Swedish mass shooting had immigrant background, say police

Prime minister addresses nation to pay tribute to those โ€˜who wanted to contribute to a better societyโ€™Most of the people killed by a gunman in the Swedish city of ร–rebro last week had an immigrant background, police have said, after the prime minister …

UK could snub Macronโ€™s AI declaration after US criticism

French diplomat plays down importance of declaration as focus shifts to AI sovereignty.

Kosovo’s incumbent party set to win most seats in parliamentary election

Kosovo’s electoral commission announced that Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s ruling party was on track to win 41% of the vote, leaving it ahead but without a majority government, which could lead to coalition talks.

Britain ditches AI declaration, pitches for cash

SNEAK PEEK โ€” As the AI Action Summit kicks off, the U.K. is tempted against signing its main declaration. โ€” Peter Kyle takes his investment pitch to Paris. โ€” Back at home, thereโ€™s a backlash against the Home Office over encryption. Good Monday morning, This is Tom in Paris. You can get in touch with [โ€ฆ]

Franceโ€™s great AI hope sees opportunity in Chinaโ€™s chatbot success

Mistral AI co-founder says China’s artificial intelligence breakthrough offers inspiration for Europe in the global AI race.

The menace of deindustrialization in the EU โ€” and what we can do about it

Policymaking is not accountancy: in the medium and long term, the EU will be better off keeping factories within its borders.

Kosovo faces political uncertainty as ruling party fails to secure election majority

PM Albin Kurti claims โ€˜victoryโ€™ and vows to form government but analysts warn of prolonged crisis and instabilityThe governing party of the prime minister, Albin Kurti, is on track to secure the most seats in Kosovoโ€™s parliament but will lack the numbe…

โ€‹โ€‹Justin Trudeauโ€™s not the only Canadian pushing for a UK trade deal

Pierre Poilievre โ€” frontrunner to be the next Canadian PM โ€” is also on board with push to reboot stalled talks amid Trump’s trade war.

Suggestions for U.S. success in the Middle East

An aide-mรฉmoire to Secretary of State Marco Rubio from a former adviser to Tony Blair.

Kosovo PM Albin Kurti wins election amid tensions with Brussels and Washington

His ruling party fell short of a majority and will need to find a coalition partner if it hopes to continue in power.

Kosovo’s PM party leads in parliamentary polls, may fall of majority

In Kosovo’s parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s ruling party led with the most seats but faced uncertainty in forming a majority. The election highlighted Kurti’s anti-Serbian agenda against the opposition’s economic promises. Withou…

Trump is rattling Europe. Heโ€™s sending Vance as his emissary.

The vice president will mingle with world leaders in Munich and Paris at a time when the White House has made clear itโ€™s not afraid to shred old alliances.

Kosovoโ€™s Kurti tops polls as second term likely to revive Belgrade-Pristina talks

After Sunday’s polls, Kosovoโ€™s stalled normalisation talks with neighbouring Serbia could see a revival but not become any easier. Exit polls showed incumbent Prime Minister Albin Kurtiโ€™s Vetรซvendosje party in first place, with 38.2% of Sundayโ€™s vote, …

Parliamentary elections in Kosovo: ‘Key issue is relationship with Serbia’

Polls opened in Kosovo on Sunday after a combative election campaign in which opposition candidates clashed with Prime Minister Albin Kurti over the economy, corruption and relations with the country’s old foe and neighbour Serbia. “As ever, with Koso…

Israel withdraws troops from key Gaza corridor under fragile cease-fire

Concerns are growing about talks on the second phase of the cease-fire deal.

Kosovo votes in parliamentary elections amid tensions with Serbia

Voters began casting ballots in Kosovo elections Sunday in a contest that pits combative incumbent Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s quest to stamp out Serbian influence against a fractured opposition’s vow to boost the economy. Condemned by the EU and the…

Super Bowl: The NFL team Trump loves to hate

The president has left a breadcrumb trail suggesting nothing would make him happier than to see the Eagles get slaughtered in the Super Bowl.

In Madrid, Europe’s far right looks to Trump as a role model

Patriots for Europe, the far-right group created in July in the European Parliament, held its first summit in the Spanish capital on Saturday. From Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, all see Trump as a harbi…

Kosovo votes in legislative elections seen as key test for PM Kurti

Kosovars cast their votes Sunday in a parliamentary election considered a key test for Prime Minister Albin Kurti as talks on normalising ties with rival Serbia remain stalled and foreign funding for one of Europe’s poorest countries in question.

Trumpโ€™s plan for โ€˜ethnic cleansingโ€™ in Gaza is illegal, says UN investigator

Navi Pillay, head of UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, also said she would support a charge of apartheid against Israel at the ICC.

Kosovo goes to the polls as the shadow of Trump looms large

Fears of partition that arose during Trumpโ€™s first administration have re-emerged as PM Albin Kurti navigates tense relations with both US and EUKosovo goes to the polls on Sunday in an election that could mark a crossroads in the young countryโ€™s hist…

Kosovo votes in parliamentary elections clouded by tensions with Serbia

Kosovars are voting Sunday in parliamentary elections that could determine who will lead the Kosovo side in negotiations with Serbia, which stalled last year. Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s party campaigned on a tough line with Serbia while the oppositi…