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 …

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.

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 …

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…

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.

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 

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…

As the US walks away, Europe needs to step up for Ukraine. But does it have the will?

Russia is relying on strength of numbers, and Putin may not honour a peace dealAfter three years of Russiaโ€™s attempt to occupy and annex Ukraine, the country continues to put up a fierce resistance.Russia is suffering more than 1,500 casualties a day a…

France hails a young heroine: Violette, conqueror of the waves

The 23-year-old has become the youngest solo sailor to race around the world. Now itโ€™s hoped her example will inspire a more intrepid generationWhen she set sail around the world from the west coast of France three months ago, Violette Dorange was bare…

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.

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

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

The downfall of the World Trade Organization

What we see before us now is a dysfunctional and paralyzed colossus. And itโ€™s time to reevaluate this institution, which is no longer fit for purpose.

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.

Vance brings a wrecking ball to diplomatic gathering in Munich

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

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…

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

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

Security is the new safety

SNEAK PEEK โ€”ย ย The U.K. AISI drops โ€œsafetyโ€ for โ€œsecurityโ€ as it rebrands for the Trump era. โ€”ย DSIT and Anthropic ink a new partnership. โ€”ย Whatโ€™s happened to the porn review? Good morning and happy Friday, This is Tom, unable to find where Iโ€™ve hidden my wifeโ€™s Valentineโ€™s card. You can get in touch with your news, [โ€ฆ]

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 has sold Ukraine down the river โ€“ and shown the UK what ‘America first’ means in practice | Gaby Hinsliff

A superpower that once built alliances across the west is dramatically reorienting itself โ€“ and so too must its former alliesWrapped in a flag and clutching a beer, Marc Fogel looked understandably overwhelmed. The 63-year-old teacher from Pennsylvania…

Live: Zelensky, Vance set to meet in Munich ahead of security conference

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US Vice President JD Vance are set to meet in Munich on Friday, days after US President Donald Trump announced he would hold bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war in …

Europe lacks a master plan for Donald Trumpโ€™s new world disorder

There is a “mix of fear and denial,” according to one European official who spoke to POLITICO.

The Guardian view on Trump and Putin: Ukraineโ€™s future must not be decided without it | Editorial

The US president wants to end this war โ€“ and is happy to do so on Russian termsUkraine and its European allies braced for the worst when Donald Trump won a second term. But the scale of his surrender to Russian aggression has still shocked them. On Wed…

โ€˜I feel angry and betrayedโ€™: Ukrainians react to Donald Trumpโ€™s call to Putin

While some Kyiv residents express relief over possible end to war, others predict further Russian attacks in futureThe first thing Olena Litovchenko thought, when she read the news of Donald Trumpโ€™s phone call to Vladimir Putin on Wednesday evening, wa…

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.

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.

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.

Belarus frees three detainees including US citizen and journalist

Journalist with US-funded broadcaster among those in release hailed by ambassador as โ€˜big day for team Americaโ€™Belarus has released three detainees including a veteran journalist for a US government-funded broadcaster and a US citizen, the White House …

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.

Trumpโ€™s defense secretary calls Ukraineโ€™s return to old borders โ€˜unrealisticโ€™

The Defense secretaryโ€™s comments at NATO headquarters signal the Trump administration will support stopping Russian efforts in Ukraine โ€” with caveats.

Russian missile strike on Kyiv kills at least one, sparks fires, Ukraine says

A Russian missile strike on Kyiv early Tuesday morning killed at least one civilian, injured three others, and sparked fires across the city, Ukrainian officials confirmed. The attack comes as prospects for renewed peace talks increase following Presi…

UK dances to Vanceโ€™s tune

SNEAK PEEK โ€” Where does the Paris summit leave the U.K.โ€™s AI policy? โ€”ย MPs tackle the data bill, amendments and all. โ€”ย Patrick Vallance sets out his plan to remake science. Good morning and welcome to Wednesday, This is Tom, heading back to London from a gloomy City of Light. Come and say hi if youโ€™re [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…

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.

Zelenskyy proposes to trade land with Putin, offers to return Kursk

If U.S. president can convince Moscow to negotiate an end to hostilities with Kyiv, Ukraine leader is ready to talk business on occupied territories.

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.

Zelenskyy: Europe cannot guarantee Ukraineโ€™s security without America

Exclusive: In extended interview with the Guardian, Ukraineโ€™s president says he will offer US firms lucrative reconstruction contracts to try to get Trump onsideIf Donald Trump withdraws US support for Ukraine, Europe alone will be unable to fill the g…

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.

Press release – EP Conference of Presidents’ statement on EU support for Ukraine

Statement of the Conference of Presidents on continuing the unwavering EU support for Ukraine, after three years of Russiaโ€™s full-scale war of aggression. Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

Time to sign?

SNEAK PEEK โ€” JD Vance lands in Paris as the U.K. tries to get on message.ย  โ€”ย Peter Kyle says an AI bill will avoid upsetting voluntary agreement with AI labs. โ€”ย The U.K.โ€™s own mini-summit kicks off in London. Good morning and happy Tuesday, This is Tom, coming to you from a cold press room in [โ€ฆ]

Ukraine โ€˜may be Russian somedayโ€™, Trump says ahead of Zelenskyy meeting with Vance

US president also says he wants a return on US aid given to Ukraine such as rare minerals, in interview with Fox NewsUS president Donald Trump has floated the idea that Ukraine โ€œmay be Russian somedayโ€, as his vice-president JD Vance gears up to meet U…

Hamas must release remaining hostages by midday Saturday, Trump warns

โ€œAfter that, I would say, all hell is going to break out,โ€ he threatened.

European carmakers in crossfire of US-EU trade war

German automakers would face increased costs while already under pressure from heightened competition.

Trump team to visit Ukraine this week, Zelenskyy says

A “serious” American delegation will visit Ukraine, the Ukrainian president said.

Muskโ€™s shadow hangs over Macronโ€™s AI summit

The special relationship that the French president tried to nurture with the tech billionaire never really bore fruit.

Zelensky to meet JD Vance at Munich Security Conference on Friday, Kyiv says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to discuss the Trump administration’s push for an end to the almost three-year war between Russia and Ukraine with US Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference this Friday, a source in the …

Macron picks close ally to lead court that could decide Le Penโ€™s fate

Richard Ferrand’s appointment drew criticism even before being made official.

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

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

Ukraineโ€™s teen soldiers: the cadets who hold the countryโ€™s future in their hands

Photojournalist Jelle Krings joined youngsters training to become Ukraineโ€™s next generation of soldiers at a military school in Kyiv. The recruits spend two years studying academic topics as well as learning how to fight โ€“ all under the threat of Russi…

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]

EU considers giving countries wiggle room to boost defense spending

The move would allow governments with overstretched budgets more flexibility under the bloc’s debt and deficit rules.

Inside the new plan to seize Russiaโ€™s shadow fleet

European countries are pushing for new powers to squeeze Moscowโ€™s shadow fleet after a spate of incidents in the Baltic Sea.

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.

Merz and Scholz clash on migration, economy and Trump: โ€˜How dumb can somebody be?โ€™

Center-right and center-left chancellor candidates clashed in a fiery debate, exposing deep divisions just weeks ahead of a national election.

The โ€˜Gaza-ificationโ€™ of the West Bank

With a cease-fire holding in Gaza, Israel shifts its war to the West Bank.

Man arrested after three people injured in suspected knife attack in Dublin

Three men taken to hospital, two with serious injuries, after incident in Stoneybatter neighbourhoodA man has been arrested after three people were injured in a suspected knife attack that has left a Dublin neighbourhood in โ€œa state of shockโ€.Irish pol…

The real significance of Trumpโ€™s tariffs

It represents another major effort to expand presidential authority.

Trump says he has spoken with Putin about ending Ukraine war

Trump tells the New York Post that he has a plan to end the war but declined to go into detailsDonald Trump has said he held talks with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, over a negotiated end of the three year Russia-Ukraine war, indicated that Ru…

As Trump steamrolls Washington, courts flex their power to slow him down

Numerous federal district judges around the country have blocked major portions of Trumpโ€™s early agenda โ€” but Supreme Court showdowns loom.

The Future of Temporary Protection in Tรผrkiye: Return of Syrians after the Fall of Assad

 

Dr. AyลŸe Dicle
Ergin, Assistant
Professor, Bilkent University Faculty of Law

 

Photo credit: Henry
Ridgwell, Voice of America news, via Wikimedia
Commons

 

As of today, the vast majority of
approximately 2.8
million Syrians in Tรผr…

Trump says heโ€™s spoken with Putin about ending Ukraine war: NY Post

Russian leader “wants to see people stop dying,” Trump tells the newspaper in an interview.

Ukraine war briefing: Kim Jong-un vows ongoing support for Russiaโ€™s โ€˜just causeโ€™

North Korean leader also pledged further development of nuclear forces; UK foreign secretary says no imminent peace talks with Russia. What we know on day 1,082See all our Ukraine war coverageNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has pledged his ongoing supp…

Baltic states regain energy autonomy to counter Russian threat

On Saturday, the three Baltic states disconnected their electricity grids from Russia’s. This marked the end of decades of work to gain energy independence in electricity, gas and oil, against a backdrop of hybrid warfare in the Baltic Sea.

Baltics disconnect from Russian grid: Decrease โ€˜vulnerability to Russian blackmailโ€™

Three Baltic nations โ€“ Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania โ€“ disconnected from Moscow’s power grid to join the EU’s electricity network in an attempt to decrease their “vulnerability … to Russian blackmail”, FRANCE 24 Chief Foreign Editor Rob Parsons said…

Baltic nations switch from Russian power grid to EU network

The three Baltic states on Saturday cut ties with Russia’s power grid to join the European Union’s network, the culmination of a years-long process that gained urgency with Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuaniaย โ€“ all former Sovie…

Hands On, Eyes Closed? CJEU Grand Chamber hearing on Frontexโ€™s role in unlawful pushbacks (WS and Others v Frontex, C-679/23 P)

 Jan-Hendrik Seelow, Dutch
Council for Refugees*

*The Dutch Council for Refugees has
closely worked with the applicantโ€™s counsel to support the case from the
beginning Photo credit: Francesco Placco, via Wikimedia Commons

Introduction

It is a f…

Inside USAIDโ€™s undoing

Aides to the president and Elon Musk suspected USAID officials were trying to go around a funding freeze.

Zelenskyy signals diplomatic push to win over Trump

Kyiv wants to secure the U.S. administration on its side before any peace talks with Russia.

Hamas releases 3 Israeli hostages in latest cease-fire swap

The Palestinian militant group freed Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy in a prisoner exchange.

EU must propel global climate momentum to fill the gap left by Trump

Europe has the potential to play an important role, but it will have to move fast, and be smart and more united than before.