Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap from me, Jakub Krupa.
Here are the three things to take away from today’s blog:
French president Emmanuel Macron pledged to expand and modernise the Louvre museum in Paris, with a new entrance and a separate room for the Mona Lisa (16:53) to inspire a new generation of artists with “passion for France and Europe” (17:11). The expansion, expected to be completed by 2031, should be “a part of the national narrative, … but … also part of the message that France wants to deliver to the world,” he said. But in a controversial move, he suggested that the cost would be partially covered by higher ticket prices for non-EU visitors (16:30).
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen with German, French and NATO leaders to discuss European security, including the suggestions from US president Donald Trump that he could try and take control over Greenland. Speaking this afternoon, she said that Europe’s security situation remains difficult and urged Europe to step up to the challenge, but sought to play down the risks of any conflict over Greenland (16:36). Her foreign minister was more blunt, saying: “Trump will not have Greenland” (14:46).
Serbian prime minister Miloš Vučević resigned from his post, just a day after Serbian students staged a daylong blockage of a major traffic intersection in Belgrade with the support of farmers, stepping up pressure on the president, Aleksandar Vučić. (12:10) The wave of student-led demonstrations began as a protest against government corruption after the collapse of a roof of a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad on 1 November, which killed 15 people. Vučić is due to address the nation later today, amid speculations about the country’s future path with potential further protests or snap elections (13:29).
That’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today. See you tomorrow.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
Updated
Macron hints at differentiated pricing for non-EU visitors
In a line that is likely to raise some eyebrows, Macron also announces plans for differentiated pricing for EU and non-EU visitors.
He told culture minister, Rachina Dati, to “prepare a higher, differentiated pricing for foreign visitors from non-EU countries” from 2026.
The new measure will be one of multiple sources of funding for the revamp, including further contribution from the museum’s own resources, ticket sales, and partnerships, as well as the income from the Louvre Abu Dhabi license.
The “new Louvre” will be able to handle up to 12 million visitors, up from just under 9 million at the moment.
New Louvre to spark 'passion for France, Europe,' Macron says
In his speech, Macron lauds the Louvre, recalling a famous line from French impressionist and painter Paul Cézanne that the museum is “the book in which we learn to read.”
“I believe that what we are thinking about, what we want, is to allow many other Cézannes to learn to read here, to find for some the truth in painting, for others, a passion for France, Europe,” he says.
He does not offer any figures, but news agencies note that it is estimated to run into “hundreds of millions of euros.”
Louvre to get a new space for Mona Lisa with a 'grand new entrance,' Macron says
Macron announces major plans for a “redesigned, restored, enlarged Louvre,” which he wants to become “the epicentre of the history of art for our country and beyond.”
The plan – named, you guessed it, the New Renaissance – involves moving the world’s most famous portrait, the Mona Lisa, to a room of its own, and creating a new entrance by 2031 “at the latest.”
This will “rebalance the way of visiting” the museum and “reopen it, give it back to Parisians in terms of access,” with further redevelopment plans for the surrounding area.
Updated
The Louvre 'a part of national narrative,' Macron says
Back in Paris, Emmanuel Macron outlines his thinking about the urgent need to invest in the Louvre after recent reports of issues facing visitors.
He says he accepts that some may see it as extravagant to increase culture spending “when the world seems to be going in all directions” and amid a budgetary deadlock in the French parliament, but he believes this is the right thing to do.
This museum is part of the national narrative, … but it is also part of the message that France wants to deliver to the world.
Europe's security situation 'never been so difficult,' Danish PM says, but plays down 'military threat to Greenland' from Trump
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen has been speaking to the media in the last few minutes, as part of what has been a whirlwind tour of Europe with meetings in Berlin, Paris, and now the final one with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte in Brussels.
Her meetings focus on broader European security challenges, but with added focus on recent comments from US president Donald Trump about Greenland and his broader, publicly expressed frustration with some European and Nato allies.
“We have never in my lifetime found ourselves in such a difficult time as now. There is only one way through this, and that is ever closer and stronger European cooperation,” she said, as reported by Danish media.
But she insisted that there was “no military threat to Greenland or Denmark” despite recent comments from US president Donald Trump, as she mounted a spirited defence of transatlantic cooperation within Nato.
“Transatlantic cooperation is absolutely crucial for our common security and safety, and I will do everything I can to hold on to the alliance that has given peace and stability since the second world war, not only to Denmark, Europe, and the US, but the entire world.”
She accepted, however, that Europe’s cooperation with the Trump administration “will be different,” also pointing to his comments on trade.
“But I have believed for a long time that, regardless of what happens in the US, Europe must stand stronger in its own right,” she said.
She also pointed out that Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen spoke with his US counterpart Marco Rubio last week, and there are other talks with the US administration “on several different levels,” but declined to give what politicians love to call “a running commentary” on all details.
Macron speaks at the Louvre
Slightly later than originally planned, but Macron is about to start his speech at the Louvre now.
The title, as seen on the museum’s wall, seems to be “The New Renaissance,” which to a cynical eye looks seems to suggest he is about to splash a lot of money there.
You will find our live stream at the top of this page and I will bring you the latest lines from his speech here.
'Why not,' French foreign minister on European troops in Greenland
Meanwhile, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot did not rule out the possibility of European troops in Greenland.
“Why not, since it is a matter of security,” Barrot told Sud Radio on Tuesday.
He stressed, however, that “that is not the wish expressed by Denmark, but it is a possibility”.
He also played down the prospect of any conflict, saying “it won’t happen.”
Serbian president to address nation tonight
Macron to speak about the Louvre's future
After a busy schedule of meetings this morning, French president, Emmanuel Macron, will speak at the Louvre later this afternoon where he is expected to unveil details of new investment, which could involve major overhaul after complaints about the state of the museum.
One of the largest arts centres on the planet and the world’s most visited museum, the Louvre attracts more than 8 million people a year. When it was modernised in the 1980s, it was designed to welcome 4 million visitors a year, yet now handles more than double that number and is increasingly stressing out its visitors.
Macron visits the Louvre after a memo, written by its director Laurence des Cars for the French culture minister, Rachida Dati, leaked to the media on Thursday, sounded the alarm over the state of the Paris museum.
Visiting the Louvre is a physical ordeal; accessing the artworks takes time and is not always easy.
Visitors have no space to take a break. The food options and restroom facilities are insufficient in volume, falling below international standards. The signage needs to be completely redesigned.
Here is our European community affairs correspondent Ashifa Kassam with the full story:
'Trump will not have Greenland,' Danish foreign minister says
Donald Trump “will not have Greenland,” Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen insisted.
“Trump will not have Greenland. Greenland is Greenland. And the Greenlandic people are a people, also in the sense of international law,” he said, according to AFP.
He added that “this is also why we have said time and again that it is ultimately Greenland that decides Greenland’s situation.”
‘It’s a direct message,’ Danish foreign minister on Scholz’s ‘to whom it may concern’ comments
Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen has offered his take on German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s pointed remark addressed to “whom it may concern” that “borders must not be moved by force.”
He told Danish broadcaster TV2:
It’s a direct message … to ‘whom it may concern,’ and it would be everyone who thought about doing something like that. Putin, who is running an illegal war of aggression in Ukraine, or president Xi in Beijing, who has some thoughts about Taiwan, and also others who may have similar thoughts.
As a lighthearted lunchtime music break, let me bring you a song that appeared to be a source of inspiration for Danish prime minister Frederiksen as she is jetting all over Europe this afternoon, as per Danish broadcaster TV2.
Asked about her talks in Berlin and Paris, she said:
Sebastian once sang ‘You are not alone’, and there is no country big enough to handle all the world’s challenges.
Here is the song:
Denmark has 'full backing to maintain respect of borders,' PM Frederiksen says
We are just getting some news lines from Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen’s briefing with the media after her meeting with Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
She is touring European capitals in reaction to Donald Trump’s comments that he would want Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, to be under US control. Earlier today, she also met with German chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin.
She said that there was a “clear message from friends in the Nordic countries and Europe and also outside Europe” that “there must of course be respect for territories and the sovereignty of states.”
“This is crucial for the international community we have built together since the second world war,” she said.
Asked if she would use the reassurances she got in future conversations with Trump, she said: “I can use everything we are doing right now. Otherwise I wouldn’t do it.”
“Everything we do is to put not only Denmark, but also Europe in the best possible position,” she said, according to Danish broadcaster TV2.
She will be in Brussels next, meeting Nato secretary general Mark Rutte.
The moment Vučević announced his resignation - video
And here is the moment Vučević announced his resignation at a press conference earlier today:
EU calls for dialogue, backs right to protest peacefully in Serbia after PM's resignation
Let me bring you a bit more from the European Commission’s news briefing today, with their reaction to the resignation of Serbian prime minister Miloš Vučević.
The European Commission spokesperson on EU enlargement, Guillaume Mercier, said this:
So we are aware of the resignation of the prime minister of Serbia. We would not comment specifically on this resignation as this is an internal politics matter. …
We will not speculate on a future government. What I could say is that obviously we encourage all political actors to return to dialogue and refrain from escalating tensions.
He also said that the freedom of assembly is “a fundamental right which needs to be both protected and exercised peacefully, and in full respect to the rule of law and the public order.”
Mercier said the EU was “concerned about incidents against demonstrators,” and reiterated that “authorities must protect assembly participants from harm or violence,” reminding that these values are “at the core of the European Union and which the EU expects all candidate countries to embrace.”
Serbia has been a EU candidate country since 2012.
But the latest progress report noted a number of issues, saying that civil society groups “operate in a difficult environment” with “verbal attacks and smear campaigns ..., including by high-level officials,” and “corruption is prevalent in many areas and remains an issue of concern.
‘Serbia at a crossroads’ - analyst
Serbian prime minister Miloš Vučević’s resignation will be seen as an attempt to dissipate public anger over the perceived lack of justice after last year’s Novi Sad tragedy, an analyst told the Guardian.
Marta Szpala, a senior fellow at the Centre for Eastern Studies in Warsaw, said that Serbian populist president Aleksandar Vučić will be looking to see if the move could calm down the protests that engulfed the country in the last few months.
Vučević’s decision to step down comes after Vučić, a close European ally of US president Donald Trump, demanded a comprehensive government reshuffle last night.
His gamble seems to be that this resignation will satisfy the protesters and help him bring the protests under control.
Alternatively, he can call a snap election, seeking to regain control of the narrative and take advantage of a decentralised and very diverse social movement behind the protests.
He would hope to capitalise on the fact that there is no strong, united political structure in place to challenge his rule, as the opposition was expecting the next vote to be in 2027.
She also pointed to repeated allegations of irregularities during past elections making it difficult for opposition parties to have faith in the electoral process.
Szpala said the protesters’ want to see officials responsible for the Novi Sad accident brought to justice, with full transparency on what caused the canopy to collapse amid broader frustrations with wide-spread allegations of corruption and what they see as dysfunctional state institutions.
In the meantime, European Commission spokesperson on foreign affairs, Anitta Hipper, had this to say when asked about Greenland at the commission’s daily news briefing:
The EU remains steadfast in our commitment to international law, rule-based order. We are in close cooperation ... with Denmark, and also with Greenland. We are working with our partners, and the US is a partner. We are stronger when we are working together.
We have no further comments on this.
Hope that’s clear for everyone.
Updated
Denmark's Frederiksen meets Macron on her Greenland tour of the EU
As mentioned earlier, Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen continues her European tour to show the EU’s unity over Greenland, and she has just been to see French president Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace.
No comments to the press this time.
Up next, Brussels, where Frederiksen will meet Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte.
PM Vučević resigns after student protests across Serbia
Speaking at a press conference in Belgrade, Vučević defended his government’s record, but admitted that Serbia “seemed to be stuck” with focus on the deadly collapse of a concrete canopy at a train station in Novi Sad last year and lamented “deep divisions in our society” it caused.
Vučević was mayor of Novi Sad when the renovations began.
He claimed, without offering any evidence, that students protests were supported by foreign powers and accused opposition of trying to make political capital on the accident.
He said he made his decision to resign after an incident last night in which a group of students was attacked in Novi Sad, with one woman seriously injured. She has since been released from hospital at her request.
Serbian state media reported that the incident broke out after students put anti-government stickers and graffiti in front of an office of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, or SNS.
“I expect the perpetrators of the attack will be arrested,” he said, condemning the attack.
But Vučević said “if there is any hope for us to return to social dialogue, we must talk.”
His government will remain in place until a new cabinet is picked or a snap election is called. A decision on next steps needs to be made within 30 days.
Updated
Serbian prime minister Vučević resigns
Serbian prime minister Miloš Vučević has resigned in the last few minutes.
His resignation comes just a day after Serbian students have staged a daylong blockage of a major traffic intersection in Belgrade with the support of farmers, stepping up pressure on the president, Aleksandar Vučić.
The wave of student-led demonstrations began as a protest against government corruption after the collapse of a roof of a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad on 1 November, which killed 15 people.
His resignation comes after president Vučić sought to open a dialogue with the protesters and indicated on Monday he would reshuffle the government.
The wave of student-led demonstrations began as a protest against government corruption after the collapse of a roof of a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad on 1 November, which killed 15 people.
On Monday, the demonstrators occupied the Autokomanda junction, where two major roads from the south-east converge on the way to Belgrade’s centre.
Frederiksen's 'top political speed dating' over Greenland - snap reaction
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen is expected in Paris shortly, where she is going to meet with French president Emmanuel Macron.
Our Nordic correspondent Miranda Bryant writes in on Frederiksen’s euro trip:
The last 24 hours have seen a raft of announcements – including on defence and tackling racism against Greenlandic people in Denmark – by the Danish government aimed at appeasing Greenlanders and the US as Donald Trump continues to target his attentions on attempting to acquire Greenland.
Now the Danish PM Mette Frederiksen is on a whistle stop European charm offensive to Berlin, Paris and Brussels in a bid to reassure her colleagues that Denmark has Europe’s full support if Trump follows through on his threats of a trade war.
In what Danish newspaper Berlingske describes as “a form of top political speed dating” she first met German chancellor Olaf Scholz and is later due to meet French president Emmanuel Macron and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte.
It has been a challenging January for Frederiksen which has seen Denmark singled out by the US and publicly threatened not just with tariffs but potential military intervention over Greenland.
On Sunday night, amid leaks of her reportedly “horrible” 45-minute call with the US president, she put on a show of Nordic unity by sharing a photo on social media of a very cosy looking dinner eating what looked like home-cooked food at a kitchen table with Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre, Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson and Finnish president Alexander Stubb.
• This post has been amended to make clear Donald Trump says he wants to acquire Greenland, a self-governing country within the kingdom of Denmark, not Denmark itself.
Updated
Ukraine update
Speaking of Ukraine, here’s our latest briefing to bring you up to date on what is happening there.
Veterans’ help and healthcare among NGOs whose USAid funding has been cut off; Hungary steps aside from blocking Russia sanctions.
Here is what we know on day 1,070 of the war:
And here are some moving pictures from Kyiv-based photographer Vic Bákin who turned his camera on the crumbling homes and young, shaven-headed recruits that have symbolised the war with Russia
Ukraine ceasefire favourable to Russia remains top global risk to EU, experts say
The EU Institute for Security Studies and the Robert Schuman Centre at the European University Institute in Florence have published their 2025 report on global risks to the EU this morning. And it does not make for pretty reading.
The report, compiled by the EUI’s Veronica Anghel based on submissions from foreign policy experts across Europe, says that a ceasefire in Ukraine that would be favourable to Russia remains “the highest risk” to the bloc, given Ukraine role “as a critical shield for EU interest.”
The experts also warned that US isolationism “is as dangerous for Europe as a Russian nuclear strike,” with the latter seen as “the least likely risk,” despite worries about “new Russian military action in non-Nato neighbouring states.”
(Anghel jokingly admitted that experts failed to foresee the Greenland crisis.)
The study also raised alarm about “the risk of a disruptive cyber-attack on EU infrastructure,” classified as one of the top threats. “Variations in infrastructure resilience and cybercrime awareness across member states are likely to challenge EU policy coherent,” it said.
It also made a pointed comment on “the risk of subsea sabotage … growing, prompting Baltic states to take increasingly assertive measures to protect subsea infrastructure.”
On migration, the report warned against “large-scale irregular migration from the Middle East and north Africa and sub-Saharan Africa to the EU,” with a separate warning that this topic “has been instrumentalised by far-right forces to fragment EU politics.”
Responding to the report, Nato’s director of policy planning, Benedetta Berti, said this:
This really exemplifies, to me, what has been our dominant strategic assumption for the past few years, which is we are in the most complex, volatile and dangerous security environment that we have seen as transatlantic community, as Europeans, in the few generations.
… This is, in a nutshell, what we’ve been saying for since 2022 … which is, we’re not at war, but we’re not at peace [either]. This is not a peacetime threat assessment.
Gulp.
The full report is here.
‘Borders must not be moved by force,' Scholz says in a swipe at Trump
Speaking alongside Frederiksen, German chancellor Olaf Scholz went further by making a very pointed remark on territorial integrity, which sounded like a swipe at Trump.
Speaking in German, seemingly about Ukraine, he said:
We will support Ukraine in the distribution of its sovereignty and its freedom, as long as it takes. With our partners in Washington That is why we now agree that this war must end, but it must not be a dictated peace. Putin must be clear that he is sending his soldiers into a senseless battle. The inviolability of borders is a fundamental principle of international law. Russia broke this principle with its attack on Ukraine …
But then he went on:
The principle must apply to everyone. I made that clear again from this point a few days ago: Borders must not be moved by force.
Before adding, unusually, in English and with a stern look on his face:
To whom it may concern.
Updated
'Up to Europe to define the future of our continent,' Danish PM says in Berlin
Denmark’s Frederiksen spoke in Berlin over the last hour, where she begun her European tour meeting German chancellor Olaf Scholz.
She did not explicitly reference US president Donald Trump or Greenland, but let’s see if you can spot a certain theme or subtext in her comments.
This morning, we are facing more uncertain reality, a reality that calls for an even more united Europe and for more cooperation. Our ties are rooted in our history, our values, and in our interests, in Europe and also across the Atlantic. …
We need a stronger and a more resolute Europe standing increasingly in its own right, capable of defending and promoting Europe and the European interests. It is up to Europe to define the future of our continent. I think we have to take more responsibility for our own security. …
Europe, our continent, is based on the idea of that cooperation rather than confrontation will lead to peace, to progress, to prosperity, and let us honour that idea.
Updated
Now, quickly a final word on yesterday’s event in Oświęcim and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi German concentration camp in Auschwitz.
Our Europe correspondent Jon Henley was there and here is his report.
On a day of startling blue skies, Auschwitz survivors stood before princes and presidents on Monday to remind the world, perhaps for the final time, of the horrors they suffered there during one of the darkest moments of human history.
Beneath a white marquee erected in front of the gate to the former Nazi death camp, four former inmates – the youngest 86, the oldest 99 – warned world leaders on the 80th anniversary of its liberation against the danger of rising antisemitism.
For detailed minute-by-minute coverage, check our Europe live blog from yesterday.
Updated
Morning opening: With friends like these
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen travels to Berlin, Paris and Brussels at short notice today as she seeks to seek European unity in response to US president Donald Trump’s repeated plans to “get” Greenland.
“Denmark is a small country with strong allies. And it is part of a strong European community where together we can meet the challenges we face. … With war on the continent and changes in geopolitical reality, ... unity is crucial,” she said in a statement in Danish published last night.
Her trip comes after a similar show-of-unity meeting over the weekend when she hosted the prime ministers of Sweden and Norway and the president of Finland in Copenhagen for what looked like the cosiest, most relaxed dinner between world leaders ever.
But pictures can be deceiving.
On Monday, Denmark announced plans to invest £1.65bn ($2bn) to boost its security in the Arctic region with new ships, long-range drones, and satellites to help police the area. One of the priorities is tellingly named “asserting the sovereignty.” (No word on extra dog sleds, which Trump ridiculed last week.)
Defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the country’s intelligence services warned against a higher-than-usual threat level in the region. And presumably, they do not just mean the usual suspects in the Russians and the Chinese.
Even putting military pressure aside, the US is Denmark’s biggest export market, with pharmaceutical, machinery, and technical equipment top of the list. Any disruption – for example, through Trump’s favourite word, tariffs – would hurt and could easily escalate quickly as the EU would be expected to respond as a bloc.
Danish parliament speaker Søren Gade said this morning in the Danish press that Trump’s words on Greenland felt “like a kick in the gut” after years of close cooperation within Nato, with Danish troops joining US missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In a telling passage of his interview with the Politiken newspaper, he said he would usually trust the US and follow the country’s view on defence issues. Still, even he is bewildered by the current diplomatic crisis.
In line with what the Financial Times is reporting as a deliberate tactic to avoid further public confrontation with Trump, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas sought to play the situation down when she addressed reporters yesterday.
She backed Denmark but insisted that “we are not negotiating on Greenland,” and “we shouldn’t also go into speculation about what-ifs because this is not the situation right now.”
But the nerves are palpable, and Frederiksen will not want to take risks. That’s why she is off around Europe.
On Tuesday morning, she said that “we need a stronger and more resolute Europe, standing increasingly in its own right” in the context of growing Russian and Chinese challenges.
Could she mean someone else, too?
It’s Tuesday, 28 January 2025, and this is Europe live. It’s Jakub Krupa here.
Good morning.
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