Summary
Vladimir Putin has agreed to a limited 30-day ceasefire in the form of a stop to attacks on energy and infrastructure during a high-stakes phone call with US president Donald Trump. The Russian president refused to commit to the full ceasefire sought by the US to end the war in Ukraine, but Washington said talks aimed at moving toward a broader peace plan would begin “immediately”.
The White House said the two sides agreed to hold “technical negotiations” on a maritime ceasefire, and, further, full ceasefire and permanent peace. While a statement said Putin had indeed issued an order to the Russian military to suspend strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, the Kremlin made clear, maximalist demands for the fighting to end: an end to mobilization of Ukrainians and rearming its armed forces, and an end to all foreign military aid and intelligence sharing for Ukraine.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, welcomed the proposal to stop strikes on energy targets, something Ukraine had already proposed in its own talks with the US in Saudi Arabia. He said he hoped to speak to Trump to get more details about the talks.
Zelenskyy also told reporters that he hoped Kyiv’s partners would not cut vital military assistance for Ukraine. He said he had spoken on the phone to key allies the French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz, and was confident assistance would continue.
Macron, Scholz and the UK’s prime minister Keir Starmer welcomed the progress made towards a ceasefire. Amid fears that Washington could prioritise securing a deal over protecting Ukraine’s interests, Scholz insisted a full truce must follow this “important first step”, and he and Macron stressed that Ukraine must be involved in peace talks. Starmer also said the goal of negotiations must be a “just and lasting peace for Ukraine”.
My colleagues Pjotr Sauer and Shaun Walker note that if upheld, a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure would mark the first partial ceasefire in more than three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But Russia has given no indication that it plans to halt its own regrouping during the ceasefire, raising fears in Kyiv that Putin may use the pause to prepare for further hostilities. There was also no indication that Putin had abandoned any of his most hardline objectives in the war in Ukraine.
That’s it from me, thank you so much for reading along. Jakub will be back tomorrow. In the meantime, you can read more on the limited ceasefire here:
Updated
As we’ve been reporting Moscow stopped short of giving Washington the full unconditional 30-day ceasefire it sought when Donald Trump spoke to Vladimir Putin earlier today.
Reuters reports that Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he believed Russia was clearly opposed to the idea, which Kyiv agreed to in principle at last week’s talks with US officials in Jeddah.
In a quickly organised online briefing following the Trump-Putin call, Zelenskyy told reporters that Russia had launched more than 1,300 guided bombs, eight missiles and nearly 600 long-range strike drones at Ukraine since the talks in Saudi Arabia.
Ukraine itself proposed the idea of ceasefire on energy infrastructure during the talks, he added.
“This was part of our proposal for the sky and for the sea. With the mediation of the American side, if they are the guarantors of control over the implementation of this ceasefire,” he said.
Zelenskyy also told reporters that he hoped Kyiv’s partners would not cut vital military assistance for Ukraine.
We are in constant communication. I am confident that there will be no betrayal from our partners and that the assistance will continue.
He made the remark when asked about an earlier comment by Putin, who emphasized that any resolution of the conflict would require an end to all military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said the demand by Putin, as well as another seeking to curtail Ukraine’s campaign to draft civilians into the armed forces, looked aimed at weakening Ukraine.
Updated
UK's Starmer welcomes progress towards Ukraine ceasefire
Echoing the sentiments of Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz, Downing Street has welcomed “the progress President Trump has made towards a ceasefire” following his call with Vladimir Putin, but insisted negotiations must lead to a “just and lasting peace for Ukraine”.
This report is from Reuters.
Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of trying to launch cross-border attacks on Tuesday, each saying its forces had repelled attempted incursions.
Both sides said their forces were in full control of their territory on their own side of the border and had inflicted losses on enemy troops.
Russia’s defence ministry, in a statement reported by Russian news agencies, said Russian forces had thwarted five Ukrainian attempts to push across the border into its southwestern Belgorod region.
It said the attacks sought to disrupt talks between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump aimed at reaching a settlement to the war.
Ukraine’s military said its forces had “successfully halted all attempts by the occupiers to secure a foothold” inside the Sumy region.
Ukrainian forces launched a mass incursion into the Kursk region last August, though Russian troops have recovered much of the territory initially seized and have reported considerable gains against Ukrainian forces over the past week.
Russian forces last year pushed their way into the Kharkiv region and have in recent weeks been intensifying attacks on the Sumy region.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would support a US proposal to stop strikes on energy infrastructure, and said he hoped to speak to US president Donald Trump about his talks with Vladimir Putin.
Here’s more from the Ukrainian president via Reuters.
“...The two sides, Ukraine and Russia, are able to not strike energy infrastructure. Our side will support this,” Zelenskyy told reporters during an online briefing.
He added that Ukraine would support any proposals that lead to a “stable and just peace.”
The Ukrainian leader said that after the Putin-Trump call he himself spoke by telephone with French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz, two key European allies.
He also told reporters that he hoped Kyiv’s partners would not cut vital military assistance for Ukraine and that it would continue.
He made the remark when asked about an earlier comment from the Kremlin emphasizing that any resolution of the conflict would require an end to all military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine.
Updated
It’s worth noting the equivalence implied in the wording of the limited ceasefire agreement between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin regarding attacks on energy and infrastructure during the war.
The Kremlin’s readout (in Russian) said Trump put forward “a proposal for the parties to the conflict to mutually refrain from attacks on energy infrastructure facilities for 30 days”.
Meanwhile the White House readout said Trump and Putin had agreed “the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire”.
The Kremlin has continually claimed, falsely, that it has never attacked power plants used to generate electricity for civilians. For instance, following last month’s bilateral talks in Riyadh, Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said:
We clarified [to the US] that we have never threatened systems supplying power to civilians, and that only the sites directly supplying the Ukrainian armed forces have been our targets.
But repeated attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been a key element of Russia’s war effort. Just one example was a few months ago on Christmas Day, where a massive Russian aerial attack used cruise missiles to target energy infrastructure across Ukraine, which Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned as “inhuman”. The attack left half a million people in Kharkiv region without heating, in temperatures just a few degrees celsius above zero, while there were blackouts in the capital, Kyiv, and elsewhere.
More recently, just over a week ago Zelenskyy said Moscow launched overnight attacks on Ukraine’s energy and gas infrastructure. It targeted facilities in several regions, including Odesa and Poltava, using nearly 70 cruise and ballistic missiles and almost 200 attack drones.
“All of this was directed against infrastructure that ensures normal life,” the Ukrainian president wrote on social media.
Kyiv has demonstrated a growing willingness to target energy installations and fuel facilities in Russia in retaliation.
Updated
Ukraine would support proposal to stop strikes on energy infrastructure, Zelenskyy says
We’re now getting lines from Reuters with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s reaction to the Trump-Putin call.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine would support a US proposal to stop strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, and said he hoped to speak to US president Donald Trump about his talks with Vladimir Putin.
The White House said earlier that Putin and Trump agreed during a phone call to a limited 30-day ceasefire on energy infrastructure targets and that talks aimed at moving toward a broader peace plan would begin “immediately.”
Zelenskyy told reporters during an online briefing:
I think it will be right that we will have a conversation with President Trump and we will know in detail what the Russians offered the Americans or what the Americans offered the Russians.
Updated
'Historic' German spending package is 'good news for Europe', says Macron
On his Berlin visit, French president Emmanuel Macron praised Germany’s “historic” spending package on defence and infrastructure as “good news for Europe”, AFP reported.
In a meeting with Germany’s outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz, Macron congratulated him “on the historic vote of the Bundestag which is good news for Germany and good news for Europe”.
Earlier today Germany’s parliament voted in favour of unleashing historic levels of spending to boost the military of Europe’s biggest economy and inject its infrastructure with investments worth hundreds of billions of euros.
The package has been hailed by some as a necessary measure to give Germany the fiscal heft it needs to ensure national and European security, but by others as a “highly risky bet” that will be a burden for generations to come.
The German chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz told MPs the package was mainly motivated by “Putin’s war of aggression against Europe”, listing a range of suspected Russian sabotage “taking place every day” against Germany. He said these included attacks on critical infrastructure, arson attacks, spying and disinformation campaigns, as well as broader “attempts to divide and marginalise the European Union”.
Acknowledging that his funding plans were viewed with concern by many who feared the burden of debt, Merz said it was time to acknowledge the new era in which Germany found itself, not least having to be independent from the US.
For more on that, here is my colleague Kate Connolly’s full report:
Updated
Trump says discussed elements of Ukraine peace deal in 'productive call' with Putin
Donald Trump said his call with Vladimir Putin was “a very good and productive one” and the agreement for Russia to end attacks on energy infrastructure came “with an understanding that we will be working quickly to have a complete ceasefire”.
“Many elements of a contract for peace were discussed,” he said, adding: “That process is now in full force and effect, and we will, hopefully, for the sake of humanity, get the job done!”
He wrote on his platform Truth Social:
My phone conversation today with President Putin of Russia was a very good and productive one. We agreed to an immediate Ceasefire on all Energy and Infrastructure, with an understanding that we will be working quickly to have a Complete Ceasefire and, ultimately, an END to this very horrible War between Russia and Ukraine. This War would have never started if I were President! Many elements of a Contract for Peace were discussed, including the fact that thousands of soldiers are being killed, and both President Putin and President Zelenskyy would like to see it end. That process is now in full force and effect, and we will, hopefully, for the sake of Humanity, get the job done!
European leaders welcome 'first step' towards ceasefire, repeat calls for Ukraine to be part of talks
We’re starting to get reaction from European leaders to the very limited ceasefire agreed during the Trump-Putin call, maintaining that a total ceasefire must follow – and there must be no decisions made without Ukraine and over Ukraine’s head.
At a news conference in Berlin with French president Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, the outgoing German chancellor, said that while the agreement to end Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is “a good start” and an important first step, “there cannot be an agreement without Ukraine”.
The next step must be a complete ceasefire for Ukraine and as quickly as possible. Of course it is clear that we both agree on this too.
Macron echoed the need for Ukrainian involvement.
We have been promoting peace since day one and that cannot be achieved without Ukraine taking part in talks.
Updated
As we’ve been reporting, some progress towards a ceasefire seems to have been made during the more than two-hour-long call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. But, as expected, Moscow has laid out stiff demands for a full truce.
As Bloomberg (paywall) reported this morning, Putin wants a halt to all arms shipments to Ukraine as a prerequisite to any agreement to fully pause the war. The Kremlin readout outlines that a priority for Russia remains “the need to stop forced mobilization in Ukraine and rearm the Ukrainian Armed Forces”, and a key condition for preventing escalation of the war is “complete cessation of foreign military aid and the provision of intelligence information to Kyiv”.
As my colleague Pjotr Sauer reported earlier, Europe is likely to be uneasy about agreeing to this condition, as the UK and European Union are ramping up efforts to deliver fresh military aid packages to Kyiv as soon as possible. European leaders fear that any such agreement would produce a scenario in which Russia simply rearms to attack Ukraine again after the ceasefire ends, while Ukraine would be left unable to prepare a defence.
Updated
On that note, that’s all from me Jakub Krupa, but I’m leaving you with Lucy Campbell to guide you through the evening as we expect to learn more about what was discussed between Trump and Putin.
Stay with our coverage on Europe Live.
US-Russia hockey games floated in Putin-Trump talks
Curiously, the Russian readout also includes an amusing line that the two leaders appeared to discuss Putin’s idea to “organise hockey matches in the United States and Russia” between Russian and American players performing in the NHL and the Russian equivalent, the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League).
There is no mention of that in the US readout.
According to both parties, Trump and Putin agreed on a limited stop in attacks on energy infrastructure, but it seems that Trump was unable to push Putin into a broader ceasefire, which would include land and sea operations.
The agreed format – with focus on energy infrastructure and further talks on stopping hostilities at sea – appears to be closer to the much narrower original proposal made by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and first publicly floated by French president Emmanuel Macron.
On other issues, there doesn’t appear to be much progress, with major differences remaining.
But we still need to hear more about the details of what was agreed.
Updated
Putin agrees to 30-day ceasefire in attacks on energy infrastructure, but long lists of conditions, demands remain for further progress
The Kremlin readout, in Russian, is more extensive, and gives us a glimpse into Putin’s arguments – and a long list of conditions and demands on his side.
It says the Russian side “outlined a number of significant points” requiring further consideration, including on “effective control” over any ceasefire along the line of conflict, and Russia’s demand to stop mobilisation of Ukrainians and rearming of its armed forces alongside its broader request to “eliminate the root causes of the crisis.”
The statement also added Moscow’s “key condition” to prevent further escalation of the conflict in a demand to “completely cease” foreign military aid and intelligence sharing for Ukraine.
But the readout confirms that Putin has agreed to a 30-day ceasefire on energy infrastructure, and says the Russian leader has already issued relevant orders.
The Kremlin’s text also says that Putin “responded constructively” to proposal of a ceasefire at sea, with further negotiations expected on this issue.
The statement also says that Putin informed Trump of plans for a Russian-Ukrainian swap of 175 prisoners of war on each side, and “as a gesture of goodwill” a further release of 23 “seriously wounded” Ukrainian servicemen.
The readout also covered their discussions on the Middle East and the Red Sea, as well as broader push to “normalise bilateral relations.”
Updated
Russia agrees to limited energy and infrastructure ceasefire in Ukraine, White House says
Russia has agreed to a limited energy and infrastructure ceasefire as part of the US-led initiative to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the White House has confirmed.
In a statement released after Donald Trump’s call with Vladimir Putin, the White House said the two sides agreed to hold “technical negotiations” on a maritime ceasefire, and, further, full ceasefire and permanent peace.
“These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East,” the White House said.
Trump and Putin also “agreed that a future with an improved bilateral relationship between the US and Russia has huge upside,” with “enormous economic deals and geopolitical stability.”
Readout of President Donald J. Trump’s Call with President Vladimir Putin
Today, President Trump and President Putin spoke about the need for peace and a ceasefire in the Ukraine war. Both leaders agreed this conflict needs to end with a lasting peace. They also stressed the need for improved bilateral relations between the United States and Russia.The blood and treasure that both Ukraine and Russia have been spending in this war would be better spent on the needs of their people.
This conflict should never have started and should have been ended long ago with sincere and good faith peace efforts. The leaders agreed that the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, as well as technical negotiations on implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace. These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East.
The leaders spoke broadly about the Middle East as a region of potential cooperation to prevent future conflicts. They further discussed the need to stop proliferation of strategic weapons and will engage with others to ensure the broadest possible application. The two leaders shared the view that Iran should never be in a position to destroy Israel.
The two leaders agreed that a future with an improved bilateral relationship between the United States and Russia has huge upside. This includes enormous economic deals and geopolitical stability when peace has been achieved.
Updated
Russia and Ukraine to swap 175 prisoners of war, Kremlin says
We’re getting first lines from the Kremlin, via Reuters, confirming that the two leaders discussed Ukraine and agreed that Ukraine and Russia will swap 175 prisoners of war.
These early reports say the pair agreed to “set up expert groups on Ukrainian settlement” to work further on the issue.
They also say the two discussed Middle East, and energy.
We will bring you more soon.
Both the Kremlin and the White House have now confirmed the call is over.
US broadcaster CBS News and Russian state news agency TASS are reporting that the Trump-Putin phone call has now concluded.
We will bring you any official lines as soon as we get them.
We are still waiting to hear from the White House or the Kremlin, but…
We just got this line via Reuters from Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin’s special envoy on international economic and investment cooperation, reportedly saying that:
Under the leadership of president Putin and president Trump, the world has become a much safer place today.
Let’s wait and see what that means.
Ukraine's Yermak lays out Kyiv's 'red lines' as Trump-Putin call continues
Central and eastern Europe correspondent
Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak laid out Kyiv’s so-called “red lines” on Tuesday, prior to the Trump-Putin call.
“Ukraine will not discuss neutral status or a reduction in numbers of our armed forces. We will never recognises any temporarily occupied territory as Russian,” he wrote on Telegram.
Zelenskyy arrives in Finland
In the meantime, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Finland, where he is due to meet with the country’s leaders.
Zelenskyy said the talks will cover defence support, investments in Ukrainian weapons production, and European integration, as well as any lessons that Ukraine could draw from Finland’s experience in civil protection.
He also repeated his call for “strengthening sanctions against Russia and coordinating efforts for a dignified end to the war.”
He added:
Europe must be at the negotiating table, and everything that concerns European security must be decided together with Europe.
Finland’s president Alex Stubb said in a social media post that he was “honoured” to welcome Zelenskyy and his wife to Finland. The two leaders will appear at a joint press conference on Wednesday, according to a plan of the visit.
In an interview with BBC News earlier today, Stubb said that any future security arrangement for Ukraine would need to build on the strenght of Ukraine’s army, which he called “the most modern and the strongest in Europe,” and adding to that further European help “in one way or another,” and “some kind of backup by the US.”
We’re still waiting for the Trump-Putin call to end.
We will bring you first lines from both the White House and the Kremlin, and reactions from elsewhere, as soon as we get them.
Germany votes for 'historic' spending package - analysis
Berlin correspondent
Germany’s parliament has voted in favour of unleashing historic levels of spending to boost the military of Europe’s biggest economy and inject its infrastructure with investments worth hundreds of billions of euros.
The conservatives of Friedrich Merz and the Social Democrats (SPD), who are likely to form a new coalition following last month’s election, led the drive for the creation of a €500bn fund and relaxation of its constitutionally protected debt rules. They secured the last-minute backing of the Greens, which was needed to push the plans through the outgoing parliament.
Hailed by some as a necessary measure to give Germany the fiscal heft it needs to ensure national and European security, and by others as a “highly risky bet” that will be a burden for generations to come, the package received the backing on Tuesday of 513 MPs, with 207 voting against, and no abstentions. The minimum required was 489 votes.
Having passed the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, the legislation will on Friday go to the Bundesrat, the upper house, which represents the governments of Germany’s 16 federal states.
Full story:
Furious AfD leader Weidel says Merz's proposals would be ruinous for Germany
Berlin correspondent
A visibly furious Alice Weidel, co-leader of the anti-Euro, Kremlin-friendly, anti-immigrant far-right Alternative für Deutschland has delivered an excoriating verdict on the bazooka funding package, calling it a “historical day” on which Germany had decided to take on a “gigantic debt” with which generations to come, in particular young people, would be inordinately burdened.
The election “losers”, Social Democrats and Greens, she said were “popping champagne corks” because they “can now spend more money on their programmes than they were ever able to when they were in government,” thanks to the debt brake relaxation legislation passed in the Bundestag today.
As for Friedrich Merz, she said, he had “broken all his election promises”, having “held an election campaign based on conservative-political change”, which he immediately “ditched on election night”.
“This is nothing other than election fraud worse than anything I’ve ever seen in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany,” she said.
Weidel, flanked by her party colleague, Tino Chrupalla, said all parties who voted for the legislation had been “open-eyed”, and Merz had “brought their votes”. Taxpayers, young people and consumers would bear the brunt of the policies, she said.
The policy would be ruinous for Germany’s reputation as a stable economy, she predicted, adding “we’ll lose our top rating (triple A status)” as a place to do business and in so doing will destabilise the whole of the eurozone, she said.
It would be the “fatal bullet” for the Euro as a currency, “which will lose its value spectacularly in the coming years”.
It would, she added, “blow up in the face” of ordinary Germans, and was “very bitter”.
She did not allow journalists to ask any questions.
In a week’s time the AfD, which came second in the election on 23 February, will take its new seats as the main opposition in the 21st Bundestag.
Trump-Putin call still in progress, White House says
In the latest update, the White House has said a few minutes ago that the call between the two leaders was “still in progress”.
Final glimpse at the 20th Bundestag
Berlin correspondent
After announcing the legislation had passed, the smiling, outgoing Bundestag president Bärbel Bas declared the more than six hour session, as well as the entire 20th Bundestag, closed.
She thanked the workers who were due to come in as soon as the chamber was cleared, to start adjusting the seating for the new, slimmed down (by around 100 seats) 21st parliament, which would involve overtime and weekend working, she said.
She also thanked the stenographers and other staff, as well as visitors to the Bundestag who had followed the debate, as well as those who had watched on television.
The new parliament, she said, will meet in a week’s time on 25 March at 11am.
Before leaving the chamber, many MPs, a lot of whom it was their last time in parliament, lingered to chat and take selfies on mobile phones.
Hanna Steinmüller of the Greens could be spotted on the floor still bouncing her delightful three-month-old son on her hip, attracting the smiles of many colleagues.
'Largest fiscal regime shift since reunification' of Germany, Deutsche Bank economist says
And here’s a quick take from Robin Winkler, the chief German economist at Deutsche Bank Research, on today’s vote in the Bundestag:
After much nail-biting over the last fortnight, Germany’s outgoing parliament today decided to reform the constitutional debt brake. In our view, this is a historic fiscal regime shift, arguably the largest since German reunification.
Yet, as with reunification, a fiscal expansion does not guarantee success: the next government will need to deliver structural reforms to turn this fiscal package into sustainable growth.
The Bundesrat vote on the German reform is expected on Friday.
'The money is here' as Bundestag passes Merz's proposals - snap analysis
Berlin correspondent
Outgoing Bundestag President, Bärbel Bas, told MPs: “The bill has been adopted with the required majority”.
According to the vote passed, the Basic Law will in future include the stipulations that defence spending, civil defence, intelligence services and cybersecurity will be exempt from the debt rule, if they exceed one per cent of normal GDP.
The individual 16 states are also to be granted borrowing leeway in the future planning of their budgets. According to this, borrowing for the states as a whole will be limited to 0.35 percent of nominal GDP.
Arguably most importantly, a €500bn “special fund” will be established for additional investments in infrastructure (such as rail, bridges, and roads), to be funded via loans. But the funds can also be used “for additional investments to achieve climate neutrality by 2045.”
Now we await the next hurdle: the vote in the Bundesrat, the upper house, where the legislation also requires a two-thirds majority, which it is expected to get.
Quick with its headlines, Bild has written: “Das Geld ist da”: the money is here.
Updated
Trump-Putin phone call on Ukraine 'going well'
White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino posted a social media update on the call, confirming it’s under way:
Happening Now—President Trump is currently in the Oval Office speaking with President Vladimir Putin of Russia since 10:00am EDT. The call is going well, and still in progress.
Worth noting that 10am EDT is 2pm GMT or 3pm CET – meaning the call had been going on for almost an hour at the time Scavino posted his updated.
Updated
German spending package passed by Bundestag
The proposed package of spending, debt brake reforms has cleared the Bundestag, with 513 votes in favour, more than the 489 required for two-thirds majority.
207 votes were against.
Updated
Europe will always stand for sovereignty, territorial integrity, von der Leyen tells Denmark
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has been speaking at the Royal Danish Military Academy in Copenhagen in the last few minutes.
In a wide-ranging speech on defence, she praised the country’s plans to increase its defence spending, and sought to reassure Denmark that it had the backing of the EU institution in its escalating conflict with US president Donald Trump over Greenland.
She said:
To all the people of Greenland and of Denmark as a whole: I want to be very clear that Europe will always stand For sovereignty and territorial integrity.
And it is against this complex backdrop that I salute the prime minister’s decision to increase defense spending to 3% of GDP in the next two years.
Von der Leyen also said that “if Europe wants to avoid war, Europe must get ready to war,” as she repeatedly warned against Russia’s growing imperial ambitions.
She said that “the idea of the peace dividend” that Europe focused on over the last 30 years “is long gone,” as “the security architecture that we relied on can no longer be taken for granted.”
She accused Moscow of using its defence spending to “fuel its war of aggression in Ukraine, while preparing for future confrontation with European democracies.”
“And just as these threats increase, we see our oldest partner, the United States, move their focus to the Indo-Pacific,” she said.
“The point is that we must see the world as it is, and we must act immediately to face up to it, because a new international order will be formed,” she said, saying that Europe “is ready to step up.”
Alongside praising Denmark, she also specifically referenced her native Germany, saying that is was “deciding today” on “both historic and necessary” moves to rearm.
Von der Leyen was Germany’s defence minister between 2013-2019.
Hungary passes law against Budapest Pride march
Meanwhile, Hungarian lawmakers passed a bill aimed at banning Budapest’s annual Pride march, which critics say curtails fundamental rights and continues the crackdown on the EU country’s LGBTQ community, AFP reported.
Prime minister Viktor Orbán’s government says it has never supported the parade. In recent years it has been gradually rolling back on LGBTQ rights in the name of “child protection”.
The legislation – drafted by Orbán’s governing Fidesz-KDNP coalition – aims to ban the Pride march on the basis that it infringes on Hungary’s much-criticised “child protection” law, making it possible to fine those who attend the event.
AFP explained the law stipulates that it is “forbidden to hold an assembly in violation of” a 2021 law that bans the “promotion and display” of homosexuality to minors.
The law governing the rights of assembly is also amended, saying that only events “respecting the right of children to proper physical, mental and moral development may take place”.
Organisers or participants of a banned event could risk fines of up to 500 euros ($545), with police being allowed to use facial recognition tools to identify potential offenders, AFP noted.
The bill – submitted on Monday morning and fast-tracked under an exceptional procedure – passed the 199-seat National Assembly with 136 voting in favour and 27 against.
Deputies of the right-wing Jobbik and the far-right Our Homeland party also supported the measure.
Opposition politicians from the liberal Momentum disrupted the vote by shouting, lighting flares and playing the old Soviet Union anthem, AFP reported. Reuters added that also scattered in the assembly hall manipulated photos depicting Orbán and Russian President Vladimir Putin kissing as the voting progressed.
Russian affairs reporter
Before his high-stakes call, Vladimir Putin appeared determined to exude confidence.
He met with top Russian business leaders in Moscow at the time his press secretary had earlier stated the call would begin.
When asked if he might be late, he simply laughed and brushed off the question.
FT’s Max Seddon posted a clip capturing the moment.
If you are wondering what’s the latest on that Putin-Trump call…
We have not had a formal confirmation from either side that the call was under way, but we did have a bit of a signal from the Russian side as to how they approach the chat…
Ten EU countries offer 'readiness' to seek alternative funding for Radio Free Europe after US cuts
Ten EU countries have offered their support to the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, affected by US spending cuts by the Trump administration.
The US Agency for Global Media stopped grants over the weekend to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which was founded during the cold war and broadcasts to 23 countries, including Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Iran and Afghanistan.
Elon Musk, the tech billionaire tasked by Donald Trump with slashing the US federal government, called for the media group to be shut down last month, describing it as “just radical left crazy people talking to themselves”.
In the last hour, the Czech Europe minister Martin Dvořák posted a joint statement signed by representatives of 10 EU countries – Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden – registering their “deep concern” over the broadcaster’s situation.
The Czech government has been most vocal on the issue as RFE/RL’s offices are based in Prague.
The letter read:
We express our deep concern over the financial challenges currently faced by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), as reported in recent news.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has played a vital role in providing independent, unbiased, and fact-based information to citizens, particularly in regions where freedom of the press is under threat. Throughout the Cold War, it served as a crucial source of trustworthy news for audiences behind the Iron Curtain, playing a key role in many of our countries’ histories.
Today, RFE/RL continues to provide trusted, independent news to tens of millions in regions where free press is restricted or absent.
In doing so, it helps to promote democratic values and strengthens our collective response to disinformation and authoritarian propaganda. This vital work builds on its historic role as a force for democracy, human rights, and freedom of expression – values at the core of the European Union. By countering foreign malign influence and reinforcing democratic resilience, RFE/RL contributes to safeguarding European security and its elimination would be a gift to Europe’s adversaries.
In light of this situation, we declare our readiness to work together to find and secure appropriate financial resources that will allow RFE/RL to continue its important mission. European funding would ensure the stability of this key media institution and enable it to carry on providing critical and independent reporting.
We call on the relevant European institutions and member states to join forces in establishing sustainable financial support for RFE/RL and other independent media, thereby safeguarding media freedom and democracy in Europe and beyond.
On Monday, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, a former Estonian prime minister, who was born in the Soviet Union, said Radio Free Europe “has been a beacon of democracy”, alluding to it as a source of information in her younger years.
“Now the question for us is, can we come in with our funding to fill the void that the US is leaving? The answer to that question is … not automatically,” she said adding that the EU would “see what we can do”.
Updated
France to buy more Rafale warplanes than planned, Macron says
France will buy more Dassault-made Rafale warplanes than planned, president Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday during a speech held on a military base in the east of the country, Reuters reported.
“We are going to increase and accelerate our orders for Rafales,” he said.
Later today, Macron will travel to Berlin where he is due to meet with the outgoing chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and then eat dinner with the presumed next chancellor, Friedrich Merz.
If the Bundestag vote goes the way we expect it to go, they will have plenty to talk about when it comes to defence spending.
Unusually, can I also draw your attention to the caption on the photo above: I feel nothing but deep respect for the photographer who thought it was necessary to help us identify which one is Macron (left), and which one is a fighter aircraft (right).
Estonia wants to raise defence spending to 'at least' 5% GDP in 2026
Estonia has confirmed its plans to raise defence spending to “at least” 5% of GDP from 2026 in response to increasingly aggressive Russia.
The government said in a press release (in Estonian) that it would push for changes to be implemented next year, recording a major jump from 3.43% GDP in the last Nato figures for 2024.
“Russia’s strategic goals have not changed in any way. The aggression of its eastern neighbour threatens all countries around it in Europe and Nato included,” the country’s prime minister Kristen Michal was quoted as saying.
In a separate social media post, he added the aim was “clear – to make any aggression against us unfeasible.”
Irish challenge seeking clarity on secret agreement with UK RAF cleared by court
in Dublin
A court case to establish whether Ireland does or does not have a secret agreement with the British government to allow the Royal Air Force enter Irish airspace in the event of a hostile attack, can proceed, Ireland’s court of appeal has ruled.
The Irish senator, Gerard Craughwell, who brought the case, has been trying to force the government to reveal whether or not it relies on a foreign nation for air defence for the past three years amid rumours that an ad hoc arrangement was entered into following the 9/11 attack on New York.
On Tuesday the court of appeal threw out the Irish government’s appeal aimed at preventing the case going ahead.
As we wait for updates from that Trump-Putin call and for the result of the German vote, let’s bring you some updates from elsewhere in Europe.
German Bundestag voting on debt brake, spending proposals
The votes in the German Bundestag are now under way.
Given the way it’s organised, it will take a bit (around an hour) for all lawmakers to individually cast their votes, but we will bring you the result as soon as it’s all done.
A reminder on what’s at stake:
Germany’s next chancellor Friedrich Merz intends to release a €500bn infrastructure fund and relax debt rules – currently protected by the constitution – via the outgoing parliament, where parties in favour of the proposals – his conservatives, the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens – appears to have the necessary two-thirds majority.
As Reuters noted, should the legislation pass the Bundestag lower house of parliament, it still has to go to the Bundesrat upper house, which represents the governments of Germany’s 16 federal states.
The main hurdle to passage there appeared to fall on Monday when the Bavarian Free Voters agreed to back the plans, securing a majority for the proposals.
Updated
Berlin correspondent
The presence of babies is welcome in many situations especially when a distraction or hope for the future is needed (family Christmas gatherings, funerals, to name but two).
Add to that crucial Bundestag debates at which Germany’s future is being decided.
Hanna Steinmüller, MP for the Greens, has given legislators a delightful diversion from the serious matters at hand, by bringing her baby son into the chamber, and bouncing him on her knee. He was born in December, and it is likely that his own future will be influenced by the historical goings on today.
The euro hit its highest levels in more than five months against the dollar on Tuesday, as the German parliament was set to vote on a massive surge in borrowing that could boost growth across the euro area’s largest economy and the wider region, Reuters reported.
Germany’s blue-chip share index has hit a new intraday record high, as investors hope that the Bundestag will approve Berlin’s new proposed debt reforms today.
The DAX is up 1.26%, at 23,446 points.
For more economic reactions, follow our business live blog here:
UK prime minister Starmer spoke with Trump on Ukraine last night
We are now getting a line from Downing Street that UK prime minister Keir Starmer spoke with US president Donald Trump last night, ahead of the Trump-Putin call later today.
Starmer’s spokesperson said that “the prime minister updated the President on his ‘Coalition of the Willing’ call with international leaders that took place on Saturday,” and “reiterated that all must work together to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position to secure a just and lasting peace.”
The pair also discussed the UK business and trade secretary’s visit to Washington and broader trade relations, as well as US strikes against Houthi in Yemen.
What to expect from Trump-Putin call? - analysis
Russian affairs reporter
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will hold a high-stakes call on Tuesday afternoon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, amid reports that Russia is demanding a halt to all western arms deliveries to Ukraine as a condition for a truce.
Bloomberg reported (£) that Putin was expected to demand a suspension of all weapons deliveries to Ukraine – including US and European aid – during a ceasefire proposed by Trump.
Europe is likely to be uneasy about agreeing to this condition, as the UK and European Union are ramping up efforts to deliver fresh military aid packages to Kyiv as soon as possible.
The Russian leader has also renewed calls for broader negotiations on a long-term settlement to the war. His demands are likely to include the demilitarisation of Ukraine, an end to western military aid and a commitment to keeping Kyiv out of Nato.
Before the talk, Trump said Russian and US negotiators had already talked about “dividing up certain assets”.
“We’re doing pretty well, I think, with Russia,” Trump said on Sunday, adding that he thought there was a very good chance of reaching a ceasefire.
Kyiv will be alarmed by Trump’s hints that the US may put pressure on Ukraine to cede significant territory.
“I think we’ll be talking about land, it’s a lot of land,” he said. “It’s a lot different than it was before the war, as you know. We’ll be talking about land,” Trump said when asked about Ukrainian concessions.
“We’ll be talking about power plants,” apparently referring to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear site in Europe.
Trump’s rhetoric on dividing territory has echoes of the 1945 Yalta conference, where Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Franklin Roosevelt divided Europe between the American-aligned west and the Soviet-controlled east.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was quick to dismiss such comparisons on Tuesday, stating that global restructuring and a “new Yalta” were not on the agenda.
The US outlet Semafor reported on Monday that the White House was considering officially recognising Crimea – annexed by Moscow in 2014 – as Russian territory as part of a potential peace deal.
Washington is also reportedly discussing the possibility of putting pressure on the UN to follow suit.
Pope Francis reiterates call for peace, disarmament in letter from hospital
Pope Francis reiterated his appeal for peace and disarmament in a letter written from his hospital room and sent to Luciano Fontana, the editor of the Italian daily, Corriere della Sera.
The letter was written on 14 March but made public ahead of the critical call between Russian president Vladimir Putin and US president Donald Trump.
The pope said that war “only devastates communities and the environment, without offering solutions to conflicts” and that “diplomacy and international organisations are in need of new vitality and credibility”.
It was written from Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where the pontiff was admitted more than a month ago with pneumonia in both lungs.
He stressed the importance of communication in resolving conflict. “We must disarm words, to disarm minds and disarm the Earth”.
He added: “There is a great need for reflection, calmness, and an awareness of complexity. Religions, moreover, can draw from the spirituality of peoples to rekindle the desire for fraternity and justice, the hope for peace. All this requires commitment, work, silence, and words.”
For weeks, Francis, 88, was in a critical condition but has been steadily improving over the past week, although it is unclear when he’ll be discharged from hospital.
Amid speculation that he could soon resign, the Vatican’s secretary of state, Pietro Parolin, said on Monday that the pontiff is “absolutely not” quitting due to his health.
Updated
German needs changes to face 'one of, if not the, greatest security policy challenge in history,' defence minister says
Berlin correspondent
Germany’s defence minister Boris Pistorius, who could yet continue in this role in the new government, has staunchly defended Germany’s proposed special fund.
Pistorius says Germany is running on the back up battery, and desperately needs investment in everything from its energy supply system, its transport infrastructure, to its hospitals and schools.
At the same time the country is “standing before a new epoch,” and facing “one of the greatest if not the greatest security policy challenge in the history of our country”.
Those who criticise the fact that the vote is taking place in the outgoing parliament are failing to recognise the urgency of the situation, he says, saying it cannot be postponed.
“Anyone who hesitates today, who lacks the courage today, who thinks we can afford this debate for months to come,” is mistaken, he says.
With particular emphasis he says Germany is not doubting its alliance with the US but has to take on new responsibilities.
“We will not question our relationship with the USA, with our longstanding American allies.” At the same time Germans have to assume a central role in Europe, “and that means more troops, more equipment, faster deployment.”
One of Germany’s most popular politicians, Pistorius says it’s time to recognise the scale of the threat facing Germany and Europe, emphasising: “The threat has to take precedence over financial means.”
Updated
Russia wants to fly to Mars with US and Musk
Well, that’s a headline I never quite expected to type.
But Reuters is reporting that Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin’s special envoy on international economic and investment cooperation, said that…
Russia sees big prospects to work with the United States, including in the space sector, and expects to hold talks with Elon Musk soon about flying to Mars.
That goes on the to-do list for the big call between Putin and Trump later today.
Ukraine at the centre of argument for German reforms
Berlin correspondent
Lars Klingbeil, head of the Social Democrats has told the Bundestag ahead of a vote on constitutional amendments to unlock up to €1 trillion in new spending to boost Germany’s defence and invest in infrastructure that the proposals will lead to a “positive new beginning for Germany... for Europe”.
He put Ukraine at the centre of his speech, arguing that Ukrainians have been fighting “heroically” for three years “for all of our freedoms” and stressed: “We are on the side of the Ukrainians”.
The country’s situation had become more precarious in recent weeks, he said, due to the increase in Russian brutality and the unpredictability of the US government. This has concentrated minds, regarding the new funding plans.
“We need to do our homework in Europe. We need to be stronger. We need to take care of our own security, that is our responsibility,” he says.
Germany needs to recognise the need for us to take a leading role in this, “and I believe we should take this role seriously”.
The (likely) new government of conservatives and his social democrats, will “do everything we can to ensure peace in Europe,” as well as to advance the economy, encourage social cohesion, to invest massively in infrastructure, in climate measures.
All this, he said, was necessary “to ensure a strong Germany, a strong Europe.”
Speaking for the Greens, who are expected to back the CDU/CSU and the SPD today after a political deal struck late last week, Britta Haßelmann offered her support for the proposal – even as she sharply criticised Merz’s change of heart on this issue in recent weeks.
Rejecting Merz’s comments about the new, challenging global circumstances, he said “the conditions are no different than they were on 1 January or in October last year,” after Trump was elected.
She bitterly spoke of sharp criticism faced by Green politicians who pointed out his “populist” rhetoric during the election campaign.
“But that doesn’t make [today’s proposal] wrong,” she added, “because reforming the debt brake, investing in infrastructure, and investing in climate neutrality by 2045 are urgently needed.”
Haßelmann also agreed that the broader global context, including Trump’s “abandonment” of Europe, required further investment in the German security infrastructure – understood not only as the army, but with other elements, including civil protection and support for attacked countries, like Ukraine.
Just like Klingbeil and Merz, she also repeatedly criticised the far-right Alternative für Deutschland, highlighting risks associated with the rising support for radical and extremist parties.
German reforms needed because of 'Putin's war against Europe,' Merz says
Addressing the Bundestag just now, presumed next chancellor Friedrich Merz told lawmakers that the proposed package of reforms was primarily motivated by “Putin’s war of aggression against Europe”.
“A war against Europe, and not just a war against the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” he said.
He warned that it is also part of hostile and disruptive activities against Germany, pointing at attacks on critical infrastructure, arson attacks, spying and disinformation campaigns, as well as broader “attempts to divide and marginalise the European Union.”
“We will defend ourselves against these attacks on our open society, on our freedom … with everything at our disposal,” he promised.
Merz said that Germany had to “rebuild our defence capabilities, in part from scratch,” naming his priorities in procurement, European satellite systems, drones, among others.
In a hint of his future policy as a chancellor, he also said that contracts “should go to European manufacturers, whenever possible,” acknowledging it is “a paradigm shift in defence policy.”
Merz also said the German move could pave the way to “a new European defence community,” open not only to EU member states, but also other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Norway.
In broader comments, he also said that further reforms need to follow proposed changes, calling for “a technological boost,” an overhaul of planning and approval procedures, and “a genuine reduction” in regulations, including from the EU.
Speaking before him, the SDP’s co-leader Lars Klingbeil said lawmakers were facing “a historic decision,” that could “give our country’s history a new direction, a positive beginning for Germany, a positive beginning for Europe.”
He said that Europe needs to acknowledge it finds itself between “aggressive” and “neo-imperial” Russia and “unpredictable” US, and “must now do our homework.”
Fiery start to Bundestag debate on Merz's spending plans
Berlin correspondent
We’ve seen a fiery start to the Bundestag debate ahead of a historic vote to change two articles of the constitution and establish a 500 billion Euro fund for infrastructure, in Germany’s outgoing parliament.
An attempt by the far-right AfD, far-left Die Linke, and the left-wing conservative BSW to stop the proposals has failed in the opening few minutes.
Bernd Baumann, parliamentary head of the AfD, which last night failed in its attempt to block the debate in the constitutional court and tried again in the Bundestag this morning, said it was an insult to the electorate that the old parliament was being used to push the legislation through.
Merz, he said, “endorsed by the Bundestag, which has long been voted out of office” was trying to “take over the chancellorship with the (help of the) SPD and the Greens as if it were a Banana Republic”.
Christian Görke of Die Linke accused Friedrich Merz of backtracking on one of his main election promises not to relax the rules of Germany’s constitutionally enshrined debt brake. At the same time he emphasised the need for its reform, as it had caused previous governments to ‘break our country’ by pursuing an obsessive savings policy, rather than investing where necessary.
Jessica Tatti of BSW, the breakaway group from Die Linke, referred to the proposals as ‘war credits’ (Kriegskredite) which had to be stopped. She slammed the social democrats in particular, for backing Merz’s deal, quoting from a letter she said a long-term party member announcing his departure from the party had shared with her.
“Please spare us the sabre-rattling and the nuclear threat,” the outgoing SPD member wrote. The party should instead “strive for peace and forging a speedy understanding with Russia, with whom we could have a lot of good things in common”. By backing the spending deal which Tatti said will see billions of Euros of investment in German defence spending as well as saddling younger generations with immense debt for years to come, the SPD had renounced its core values of “freedom, justice, solidarity and peace”, Tatti said, quoting from the letter.
These voices will set the tone for the debate over the coming hours in what the tabloid Bild, often good at snappily capturing the mood, has succinctly nicknamed ‘Die Schulden-Schlacht’ - the debt battle.
Poland and the Baltics intend to withdraw from antipersonnel land mine ban convention
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have signalled their intention to withdraw from an international convention that bans antipersonnel land mines due to the growing threat posed by Russia after its invasion on Ukraine.
The defence ministers of the four countries said in a joint statement that they “unanimously recommend withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention.”
They said:
Since the ratification of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Convention), the security situation in our region has fundamentally deteriorated.
Military threats to NATO Member States bordering Russia and Belarus have significantly increased.
In light of this unstable security environment marked by Russia’s aggression and its ongoing threat to the Euro-Atlantic community, it is essential to evaluate all measures to strengthen our deterrence and defense capabilities.
We believe that in the current security environment it is of paramount importance to provide our defence forces with flexibility and freedom of choice of potential use of new weapon systems and solutions to bolster the defence of the Alliance’s vulnerable Eastern Flank.
They added:
With this decision, we are sending a clear message: our countries are prepared and can use every necessary measure to defend our territory and freedom.
Despite our withdrawal, we will remain committed to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians during an armed conflict. Our nations will continue to uphold these principles while addressing our security needs.
Putin-Trump call scheduled for afternoon, Kremlin confirms
We have just heard from the Kremlin on the exact timing of the Putin-Trump phone call, with officials saying it is scheduled for 1pm to 3pm GMT (2pm to 4pm CET).
“There is a large number of issues from the normalisation of our relations and the Ukrainian issue, all of which the two presidents will discuss,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, quoted by AFP.
Chief reporter
While Donald Trump talks of the “big beautiful ocean” separating the US from the war in Ukraine, 1,000 miles of rail track links London St Pancras to the city of Lviv in western Ukraine.
The 19-hour trip takes in Brussels, the German economic powerhouse of Frankfurt, and Vienna, the Austrian capital, before the train rattles into Kraków in south-east Poland and Przemyśl, the Polish border town where the slimmer railway gauges of western Europe meet the wider tracks of Ukraine and Russia to the east.
At each stop, Europeans are grappling in different ways with new and unsettling realities after the US president appeared in recent weeks to herald the end of Pax Americana.
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You can read Daniel Boffey’s account of his train trip from London to Lviv, to follow how Trump’s new world order has shaken Europe, here.
Trump's plan is for Ukraine to 'surrender' to Russia, former head of US forces in Europe warns
Chief reporter
A former head of US forces in Europe has said that Donald Trump’s peace plan is for Ukraine to “surrender” to Russia.
Retired US general Ben Hodges, who was Commanding General of United States Army Europe until 2018, castigated Trump for siding with Russia and cited the humiliation of Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House as evidence of his intent.
Hodges said:
This is anything but a peace plan. It is a surrender. It’s a pressure from the United States for Ukraine to surrender to Russia.
The mask came off when we saw this debacle in the Oval Office two weeks ago, and then all the actions that have taken place since.
The administration only expects Ukraine to make any say, to give up anything, especially territory, and I don’t understand why the administration thinks this is good for America’s strategic interests.
Trump is due to speak to Vladimir Putin on Tuesday over a proposed 30 day ceasefire in the war in Ukraine.
Hodges said there was no indication that the Kremlin would seek any form of peace unless it meant victory in their goal of leaving Ukraine as a broken state.
I think that this idea that somehow Russia would live up to any agreement, is nonsense.
“There’s no evidence in history that Russia would live up to any agreement where there wasn’t a large force that would compel them to do so. And and then finally, I would say they don’t see any indication of [Russia] actually being interested in a peaceful solution, except where they control everything.”
Hodges, who lives in Frankfurt, was speaking to the Guardian’s chief reporter, Daniel Boffey, as he travelled by train from London to Lviv, in western Ukraine, to explore how Europe is adapting to the new political, security and economic realities.
Hodges said: “It’s clear that the Trump administration has zero respect for Europe as a whole, or frankly, for most European countries. I mean, they don’t take European interests into consideration. They don’t care, except to demand that Europe buys American goods.”
He added: “I would ask, please don’t give up on the United States. I mean, you know, our relationship between the US and many European countries has been lacking over the decades. But you know, eventually we would always kind of get it sorted out. So even as bad as it seems right now, don’t give up on the United States.”
Updated
Germany set to vote on Merz's plans to unlock record level of state borrowing
Berlin correspondent
Germany’s likely next chancellor is to face a key vote on plans to unlock a record level of state borrowing, which he argues is necessary to boost the country’s military spending and inject growth into its ailing economy.
Friedrich Merz intends to release a €500bn infrastructure fund and relax debt rules – currently protected by the constitution – via the outgoing parliament, where parties in favour of the proposals – his conservatives, the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens – have the necessary two-thirds majority.
Merz needs the support of almost all the MPs who have signalled their willingness to back the scheme as he also reckons with some dissenters, including a former CDU general secretary who Merz sacked in 2023.
Financial markets have followed the developments closely, reacting positively to the news last week that Merz had secured the Greens’ support. Experts have said the fiscal injection has the power to lift Germany’s economic fortunes after two years of negative growth, but some have warned that they must be accompanied by robust reform proposals.
Elsewhere, we will also be monitoring the situation in Germany today, where the Bundestag will vote on a historic package of spending reforms proposed by chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz.
The sitting starts very soon, at 10am (9am GMT), with votes expected around 2pm (1pm GMT).
So let’s hear from our Berlin correspondent on the significance of the vote…
Morning opening: Waiting for the call
US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin will speak on the phone today discussing the next step in Trump’s plans for bringing about a ceasefire in Ukraine.
On Sunday, Trump said that negotiators had already talked about “dividing up certain assets”, including power stations. The legal status of Russia-occupied territories is also believed to be on the table.
Much to Europe’s frustration, it once again finds itself not at the table and having to rely on readouts from Washington or Moscow containing only what they choose to disclose.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha sought to strike an upbeat tone this morning, telling reporters in India that “with leadership of president Trump, we could achieve long-lasting, just peace.” But he also repeated some of Kyiv’s red lines, including its refusal to recognise any of the occupied territories as Russian.
For now, Europe continues its work on a security arrangement that could support a ceasefire or a peace deal, if one is agreed. On Thursday and Friday, European leaders will meet again for the European Council in Brussels, and army chiefs will continue their coordinations in London.
But today’s Trump-Putin phone call will define the future of the talks.
We will bring you all the updates throughout the day.
It’s Tuesday, 18 March 2025, and this is Europe live. It’s Jakub Krupa here.
Good morning.
