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…

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…

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…

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…

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 …

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 …

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 …

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 …

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…

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…

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…

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…

Trumpโ€™s betrayal of Ukraine has emboldened Putin and pulled the rug from under Nato allies | Simon Tisdall

The ramifications of the presidentโ€™s appeasement of Russia will be felt widely, not least in the alliance he recklessly underminedIn Graham Greeneโ€™s 1955 novel, The Quiet American, Alden Pyle, a CIA agent, reckons he has all the answers to conflict in …

Athens resists as investors swoop on the cityโ€™s โ€˜neighbourhood of the godsโ€™

The district of Plaka dates to neolithic times but a new wave of development is luring more tourists โ€“ and local people are fighting backIn a neoclassical building in Athens on the oldest street of one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the western world,…

Europe will not be part of Ukraine-Russia peace talks, US envoy says

Keith Kellogg tells countries to offer concrete solutions and boost spending instead of complaining about talks roleEurope will be consulted โ€“ but ultimately excluded โ€“ from the planned peace talks between Russia, the US and Ukraine, Donald Trumpโ€™s spe…

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…

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…

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…

Thanks to Trump, it is now in Europeโ€™s self-interest to compensate Africa for slavery | Liliane Umubyeyi

As the US rips up its rules-based order and threatens sovereign nations, this is the time to make allies. Reparations might helpImagine this: a continent scarred by centuries of violence and exploitation, now standing united to demand justice. This wee…

Trump and Vance are courting Europeโ€™s far right to spread their political gospel

US vice-presidentโ€™s speech and meeting with Germanyโ€™s AfD chief signal administrationโ€™s wider plans for continentThe Trump administration is making a big bet on Europeโ€™s hard right.Speaking at a conference of Europeโ€™s leaders in Munich on Friday, the U…

โ€˜Thought crimeโ€™ and cancelled elections: how do JD Vanceโ€™s claims about Europe stand up?

US vice-president told litany of tales of Europeโ€™s rights infringements in speech to leaders at defence gatheringJD Vance stuns Munich conference with blistering attack on Europeโ€™s leadersIn JD Vanceโ€™s confrontational and pugnacious speech at the Munic…

Zelenskyy tells Vance Ukraine needs โ€˜security guaranteesโ€™ before any Putin talks

Ukrainian leader appears reassured after Munich bilateral, having feared he could be bounced into peace negotiationsEurope live โ€“ latest updatesVolodymyr Zelenskyy has said during a meeting with the US vice-president, JD Vance, that his country wants โ€œ…

Italian โ€˜mysticโ€™ may face trial after DNA match with blood on Virgin Mary statue

Blood on statue at pilgrimage site near Rome came from woman declared โ€˜fraudโ€™ by Roman Catholic church, test suggestsEurope live โ€“ latest updatesA self-styled mystic who drew hundreds of pilgrims to a town near Rome by claiming that a statue of the Vir…

Pope Francis cancels events after being admitted to hospital

Pontiff to receive treatment for bronchitis after having difficulty breathing during meetingPope Francis has cancelled his scheduled events over the next few days after being hospitalised, the Vatican said.The pontiff, who has been suffering from bronc…

Goa man found guilty of rape and murder of Irish backpacker eight years ago

Family of Danielle McLaughlin say justice has finally been achieved after Vikat Bhagat convicted in IndiaThe family of a young Irish woman raped and murdered in India eight years ago have said justice has finally been achieved after a man was convicted…

Munich car attack believed to have had Islamist motive, says prosecutor

Gabriele Tilmann says suspectโ€™s online communications point to extremism but investigators have found no links to jihadist groupsGerman police and prosecutors have said the Afghan suspect in a car ramming in central Munich that injured at least 36 peop…

Russian drone detonates on Chornobyl nuclear plant containment shell

Attack during night before Munich Security Conference started fire but did not cause radiation leak, says KyivEurope live โ€“ latest updates
A Russian drone carrying a high-explosive warhead struck the protective containment shell of the Chornobyl nucle…

French citizens fail language tests for foreigners seeking residency

Stricter requirements could lead to 60,000 people being refused permission to remain, report findsEurope live โ€“ latest updatesThe French government has been accused of making its new language tests for foreigners seeking residency or nationality so har…

Revealed: fugitive Dutch drug lord has been in Sierra Leone for at least two years

Sources place Johannes Leijdekkers in west African country since at least December 2022One of Europeโ€™s most-wanted drug lords has been living in Sierra Leone for at least two years, spending time at nightclubs and house parties, sources have told the G…

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…

Vance to meet Zelenskyy as European leaders call for unity over Ukraine

Macron leads chorus of politicians demanding US adopt coordinated approach at security talks in MunichEurope live โ€“ latest updatesThe US vice-president, JD Vance, will face calls for greater consultation and coherence when he meets European leaders, in…

Zelenskyy demands โ€˜real security guaranteesโ€™ before peace talks; Vance accused of โ€˜trying to pick a fightโ€™ with EU โ€“ as it happened

This live blog is now closed. You can read our latest reporting here:Zelenskyy says Ukraine needs โ€˜security guaranteesโ€™ before any Putin talksVance stuns with blistering attack on Europeโ€™s leadersExplainer: how do Vanceโ€™s Europe claims stand up?Pope Fr…

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…

Ukraine war: Macron warns against โ€˜capitulationโ€™ as Trump suggests Russia may not make concessions

French president says yielding to Vladimir Putin would be โ€˜bad news for everyoneโ€™ amid fears of US and Russia deciding continentโ€™s future securityEmmanuel Macron has warned against a peace deal over the Ukraine war that would amount to โ€œcapitulationโ€ a…

Spanish food without tomatoes and chilli? 14th-century cookbook shows you how

Recipes for offal and spice-heavy dishes in Book of Sent Sovi show how transatlantic travel reshaped cuisineForget gazpacho, patatas bravas or the tang of paprika in your chorizo. Such dishes may be considered staples of the Mediterranean diet but a ne…

Global disunity, energy concerns and the shadow of Musk: key takeaways from the Paris AI summit

AI Action Summit ends with US vice-president criticising European regulation and warning against cooperation with ChinaPolitical and business leaders descended on Paris this week for the third annual artificial intelligence summit with the technology c…

Ukraine war briefing: Stray Russian drones โ€˜hit Moldova and Romaniaโ€™

Ukrainian neighbours summon Russian ambassadors citing crashes and explosions on their soil; Europe โ€˜would help Ukraine resist without US helpโ€™. What we know on day 1,087See all our Ukraine war coverageMoldova and Nato member Romania announced they had…

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…

Pete Hegseth says โ€˜everything is on the tableโ€™ to end Ukraine war

US defence secretary suggests cutting number of American troops in Europe could even be part of a deal with RussiaEurope live โ€“ latest updatesThe US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, has said โ€œeverything is on the tableโ€ to bring peace to Ukraine and su…

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…

EU failed to Trump-proof Europe and now faces humiliation over Ukraine

As Putinโ€™s actions again disrupt the start of a Munich security conference, Brussels largely has itself to blameEurope live โ€“ latest updatesThe start of the Munich security conference has a habit of being disrupted by a display of power by Vladimir Put…

Norway to open protected rivers to hydropower plants

Green politicians describe plan as โ€˜a historic attack on Norwegian natureโ€™The Norwegian parliament has voted to open up protected rivers to hydropower plants, prompting fury from conservation groups who fear for the fate of fish and other wildlife.The …

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…

Zelenskyy says Ukraine won’t accept any peace deal made by Trump and Putin alone โ€“ย video

The Ukrainian president has said peace negotiations cannot be left to Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin alone, after the two leaders had a phone conversation on the future of the war on Wednesday. He said it was ‘unpleasant’ that Trump had spoken to Russ…

Polish court orders retrial of woman found guilty of helping terminate pregnancy

Judgment against Justyna Wydrzyล„ska overturned in symbolic moment for abortion rights movementA Polish court has ordered a retrial in the case of an activist found guilty of helping a woman to terminate her pregnancy in a symbolic moment for Polandโ€™s a…

At least 28 injured after car hits union rally in โ€˜suspected attackโ€™ in Munich โ€“ video

A 24-year-old Afghan man has driven a car into a trade union demonstration in Munich, injuring at least 28 people including children, some of them critically, according to German police. The Bavarian state premier, Markus Sรถder, told reporters the inci…

Germany says US concessions to Russia before Ukraine peace talks are regrettable โ€“ย video

Germany’s defence minister, Boris Pistorius, said he regretted that the US administration had made ‘concessions’ to Russia before peace talks with Ukraine had even started, as he attended a Nato meeting in Brussels on Thursday.Donald Trump said on Wedn…

โ€˜There is fear of what lies aheadโ€™: Germans divided as snap election looms

Voters share which party they are backing on key issues from immigration to economic stagnation amid a fractured political landscapeโ€œI live in Germanyโ€™s oldest city, founded by the Romans over 2,000 years ago,โ€ said Gregor, 59, from Trier, a town of ab…

Ukraine war briefing: Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine, say European ministers

If we canโ€™t join Nato we must build our own, says Zelenskyy; Russian trial begins over explosion that crippled Kerch bridge. What we know on day 1,086 Nothing about ending Russiaโ€™s war against Ukraine should be decided without the Ukrainians, Europea…

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 has spoken to Putin and agreed to negotiate Ukraine ceasefire

US secretary of defence Pete Hegseth says Ukraine would have to cede territory, alarming Kyiv and European alliesDonald Trump has said that he and Vladimir Putin have agreed to begin negotiations to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, as the secretary of de…

โ€˜No doubtโ€™ kiss Luis Rubiales gave Jenni Hermoso was not consensual, court told

Prosecutor tells sexual assault trial that Spanish player has no reason not to tell the truth about what happenedThere is no doubt the kiss Luis Rubiales gave Jenni Hermoso after her triumph with Spain at the 2023 Womenโ€™s World Cup was non-consensual, …

โ€˜The far right wants us to play by their rulesโ€™: Can German Greens survive โ€˜witch-huntโ€™?

As AfD says Germany is in grip of โ€˜eco-dictatorshipโ€™, Green party tones down mention of climate actionThe crowd had crammed into a concert hall in central Berlin to hear crunch-time election pitches from Robert Habeck and Annalena Baerbock, the high-pr…

Talks to form far-right-led coalition government in Austria collapse

Disagreements over key posts and issues like migration mean snap election is likely, with far-right Freedom party ahead in pollsEurope live โ€“ latest updatesAustriaโ€™s Freedom party (FPร–) has ended coalition talks with the conservatives on forming the co…

Europe cannot guarantee Ukraineโ€™s security without the US, Zelenskyy says โ€“ video

If Donald Trump withdraws US support for Ukraine, Europe alone will be unable to fill the gap, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested. ‘There are voices which say that Europe could offer security guarantees without the Americans, and I always say no,’ said …

US no longer โ€˜primarily focusedโ€™ on Europeโ€™s security, says Pete Hegseth

US defence secretary argues Europe should take lead in defending Ukraine and says restoring countryโ€™s pre-2014 borders is unrealisticEurope live โ€“ latest updatesDonald Trumpโ€™s newly appointed defence secretary told allies on his first international tri…

‘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…

Russia will not exchange Ukrainian land to reclaim parts of Kursk, Kremlin says

Putinโ€™s spokesperson rejects Zelenskyyโ€™s plan for transfer of Kyiv-held pockets of Kursk to help end warThe Kremlin has said that Russia will never consider exchanging occupied Ukrainian land for parts of its Kursk region, dismissing a proposal outline…

Flight costs from France to rise as government more than doubles air tax

โ€˜Solidarity taxโ€™ to go up in move criticised as โ€˜irresponsibleโ€™ by Air France, as Ryanair threatens to cut flights in countryThe cost of flights from France will rise next month when the government more than doubles its โ€œsolidarity taxโ€ on tickets.The …

Authoritarian leaders in former Soviet bloc seize on Muskโ€™s USAid crackdown

Regionโ€™s autocrats join in persecution of agency that provided aid and helped to build up civil society in 1990sAcross the former Soviet bloc, rightwing and autocratic government have their knives out for USAid, demanding data on grant recipients from …

Most Europeans see Trumpโ€™s US as more a necessary partner than ally, poll finds

Findings of survey prompt call for more โ€˜realistic, transactionalโ€™ EU approach towards WashingtonEurope live โ€“ latest updatesDonald Trumpโ€™s return to the White House has led to a โ€œremarkable shiftโ€ in Europeansโ€™ view of the US, according to a survey, w…

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…

China tops list of countries trying to silence exiled dissidents over past decade, study shows

Russia, Turkey and Egypt also among worst perpetrators of transnational repression around the globeA quarter of the worldโ€™s countries have engaged in transnational repression โ€“ targeting political exiles abroad to silence dissent โ€“ in the past decade, …

Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy prepared to offer swap of seized Kursk land

Ukrainian president does not say which Russian-held territory he would seek in return during any negotiations; Kyiv seeks recruits below draft age. What we know on day 1,085Volodymyr Zelenskyy will offer Vladimir Putin a swap of Ukrainian-occupied terr…

World leaders and tech bosses focus on innovation Paris AI summit โ€“ย video highlights

Collaboration and opportunity were at the centre of the talks, as JD Vance urged his โ€˜European friendsโ€™ to view the technology with โ€˜optimism rather than trepidationโ€™. The US and the UK refused to sign a declaration on โ€˜inclusive and sustainableโ€™ artif…

Beavers save Czech taxpayers ยฃ1m by flooding ex-army training site

Herbivorous rodents built a dam in area officials were planning to make a barrier to shield Klabava RiverBeavers have saved Czech taxpayers $1.2m (ยฃ1m) by flooding a protected former army training site where a long-stalled dam was planned.Officials had…

US schoolteacher held in Russia since 2021 released, White House says

Marc Fogel, 63, had been convicted of smuggling marijuana in to Russia and was sentenced to 14 years in prisonMarc Fogel, a Pennsylvania schoolteacher who has been held in Russia since 2021, has been released after a visit to Moscow by US special envoy…

French investigators say โ€˜all hypotheses remain openโ€™ in deaths of British couple

Prosecutor confirms body of Dawn Searle was found semi-clothed outside with head injuries caused by several blowsFrench police say they are still investigating the deaths of a British couple whose bodies were found in their rural home in Aveyron in the…

Police in Sicily arrest almost 150 people in mafia crackdown

More than 1,200 officers involved in dawn raids in and around Palermo, reportedly biggest operation against Cosa Nostra since 1984Italian police have arrested almost 150 people in a significant operation against the Sicilian mafia in Palermo, areas of …

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…