A summary of today's developments
U.S. president Donald Trump’s administration and Ukraine plan to sign the much-debated minerals deal, people familiar with the situation told Reuters. Trump told his advisers he wants to announce the agreement in his address to Congress on Tuesday evening, three of the sources said, cautioning that the deal had yet to be signed and the situation could change.
After Germany’s conservatives and Social Democrats announced proposals on Tuesday to set up a 500 billion euro fund for infrastructure and overhaul borrowing rules in order to increase defence spending, leaders of both parties told reporters recent events in the U.S. put pressure on them to act. Germany’s Christian Democratic Union party leader FriedrichMerz said the economy must be brought back on a growth path with credit financed from the special fund, 100 billion of which will go to states.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he instructed his defence minister and other officials to secure precise information on military supplies after the U.S. announced it was pausing assistance. Earlier, Zelenskyy said he is ready to sign a minerals and security agreement with the United States and to work under president Donald Trump’s “strong leadership”. While admitting his meeting with president Donald Trump “did not go the way it was supposed to”, Zelenskyy reiterated Ukraine’s commitment to peace and praised Trump for providing his military with Javelins.
Ukraine’s allies were not told in advance of Donald Trump’s decision to pause military aid, Poland’s foreign ministry said, as rattled European politicians reaffirmed their backing for Kyiv faced with dramatic further evidence of a US policy shift. The US president’s announcement “was made without any information or consultation, neither with Nato allies nor with the Ramstein group which is involved in supporting Ukraine,” the ministry spokesperson Paweł Wroński said on Tuesday.
At least three lawmakers were injured on Tuesday after chaos erupted in Serbia’s parliament, where smoke bombs and flares were thrown. Lawmakers were scheduled to vote on a law that would increase funding for university education, but opposition parties insisted the session was illegal and should first confirm the resignation of prime minister Miloš Vučević and his government.
A five-part plan to bolster Europe’s defence industry and increase its military capability could raise nearly €800bn and help provide urgent military support for Ukraine after the US suspended aid to Kyiv, the head of the European Commission said. Ursula von der Leyen said the 27-member bloc would propose giving member states more fiscal space for defence investments, as well as €150bn in loans for those investments, and would also aim to mobilise private capital.
Meanwhile, Britain’s foreign secretary has reiterated European allies’ determination to strike a peace deal for Ukraine.
In a post on X on Tuesday, David Lammy said he had spoken to his counterparts in France, Germany, Poland, Italy and Spain about Ukraine and that their support was unwavering:
“We will step up and we are stepping up - together.”
His post comes as late on Tuesday, both Ukraine and the US appeared to be once again close to signing a critical minerals deal that the White House has indicated is a precursor to peace talks. Reuters has reported that US president Donald Trump could announce such an agreement in a speech to both houses of Congress on Tuesday night.
Coming just hours after the US halted military aid for Ukraine, the latest developments underline the chaotic nature of the relationship between Kyiv and Washington under Trump.
A spokesperson for US vice-president JD Vance appeared to double down on his much-criticized remark describing a planned European peacekeeping force in Ukraine as 20,000 troops from some “random country that has not fought a war in 30 or 40 years”.
Vance was accused of being disrespectful to the UK and France. Several British politicians called the comments “deeply disrespectful” and Vance a “clown” while French president Emmanuel Macron’s party said France “deserved better”.
Now a spokesperson for Vance, Taylor Van Kirk, said no country in Europe had the military resources to meaningfully deter Russia without American assistance.
Van Kirk said on Tuesday: “Many of these countries have served valiantly in support of American and Nato missions in the past, but it’s dishonest to pretend those contributions amount to anything comparable to the mobilization that a hypothetical European army would need.”
Vance had told Fox News on Monday that the best way to ensure peace in Ukraine was to open up Ukraine’s minerals to the US.
“If you want to actually ensure that (Russian President) Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine,” he said. “That is a way better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years.”
The Guardian’s diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour, has written about Europe’s dwindling hopes that Donald Trump can still be persuaded to take a different view of the war in Ukraine.
He writes:
At moments in history like these when there is simply too much head-spinning change and too many postwar assumptions being ripped from their mooring, it sometimes appears too much for any human to absorb, let alone offer a response.
In particular the weeks between JD Vance’s speech to the Munich security conference to the moment when Donald Trump cut off all US military aid to Ukraine, a concept is being tested – and possibly to destruction – that the US president remains open to European persuasion.
For many, the consequences of viewing Trump as more allied with Russia than Europe has simply been too momentous to contemplate. The belief in a close relationship between western Europe and the US that has dominated government policy in, for instance, Helsinki, Berlin, London and Rome is being put under intolerable strain.
German 'debt brake' plan could boost defence spending by €500bn
The prospective partners in Germany’s next government said they will seek to loosen rules on running up debt to allow for higher defence spending.
They said they will also seek to set up a huge €500bn ($533bn ) fund to finance spending on Germany’s infrastructure over the next 10 years.
Center-right election winner Friedrich Merz, who is trying to put together a coalition government with the centre-left Social Democrats of the outgoing chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said the two sides will propose exempting spending of more than 1% of gross domestic product on defence from rules that limit the government’s ability to borrow money.
“In view of the increasing threat situation, it is clear to us that Europe – and with Europe, the Federal Republic of Germany – must now very quickly make very big efforts very quickly to strengthen the defence capability of our country and the European continent,” Merz told reporters at a hastily convened news conference.
“We are counting on the United States of America standing by our mutual alliance commitments in the future as well,” he said. “But we also know that the funding for the defence of our country and alliance must now be expanded significantly.”
The necessary decisions “no longer tolerate any delay, at the latest since the most recent decisions by the American government,” Merz said.
Updated
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch praised Volodymyr Zelenskyy for “keeping a cool head in very difficult circumstances”.
In a post on X referring to the Ukrainian leader’s earlier message, Badenoch said: “A good statement from President Zelensky who is keeping a cool head in very difficult circumstances.
“He wants peace, but some define that as simply an immediate end to fighting. It needs to be much more than that – a long-term peace guarantee. This requires both the US and Ukraine at the negotiating table.
“It will be a lot easier to do that if the criticisms of both Ukraine and the US from various commentators are sparing and focused on material issues.
“This matters for the UK’s national interest. If the US withdraws from this process, or if Ukraine fails to get peace, the cost to the UK in terms of national security, possible troop deployment as well as taxpayers’ money will be significantly increased.”
Earlier, Holyrood’s presiding officer said she will be “proud” to extend an open invitation to Zelenskyy to address the Scottish Parliament.
MSP Alison Johnstone was speaking following calls by veteran Scottish Tory MSP Jackson Carlaw for the invitation to be extended to the Ukrainian premier.
Johnstone, who as part of her role controls invitations to the Parliament, said: “On behalf of all parliamentarians, I will be proud to extend an open invitation to President Zelenskyy to address the Scottish Parliament.
“The Parliament has been steadfast in its support for Ukraine. This morning I discussed this matter with all party leaders.”
The matter of security guarantees that could be given to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal to discourage Vladimir Putin from reinvading has been a key topic in discussions.
Sir John Sawers, the former chief of MI6, told LBC there could be “border incursions into the Baltic states” as a test of Nato Article 5 resilience.
He said: “I think we’ll see more targeted attacks against undersea cables and maybe gas pipelines, just to unnerve the Europeans.
“And we might see some border incursions into the Baltic states, for example, just to test whether Article 5 is still there.”
Ireland has announced it will contribute a further €100 million to provide non-lethal military support to Ukraine.
Some €20m will be given to de-mining and IT coalitions with a further €80m into an EU procurement fund for radar and anti-drone jamming devices among other supports.
Ireland has previously contributed €250m through a European peace facility fund but as it operates political neutrality the money has been ringfenced for non-lethal aid including land mine clearances and fuel.
Deputy prime minister Simon Harris said: “We will also continue to work with our EU and international partners towards a just, comprehensive and lasting peace on Ukraine’s terms, based on respect for the principles of the UN Charter and international law, and with justice and accountability at its heart.”
US and Ukraine 'preparing to sign minerals deal on Tuesday'
U.S. president Donald Trump’s administration and Ukraine plan to sign the much-debated minerals deal, people familiar with the situation told Reuters.
Trump has told his advisers he wants to announce the agreement in his address to Congress on Tuesday evening, three of the sources said, cautioning that the deal had yet to be signed and the situation could change.
The deal was put on hold on Friday after a contentious Oval Office meeting between Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy that resulted in the Ukrainian leader’s swift departure from the White House.
Zelenskyy had traveled to Washington to sign the deal.
After Germany’s conservatives and Social Democrats announced proposals on Tuesday to set up a 500 billion euro fund for infrastructure and overhaul borrowing rules in order to increase defence spending, leaders of both parties told reporters recent events in the U.S. put pressure on them to act.
U.S. President Donald Trump has frozen military aid to Ukraine after a clash with its president Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week.
“In view of the threats to our freedom and peace on our continent, whatever it takes must now also apply to our defence,” said Friedrich Merz, leader of the CDU/CSU conservatives.
“We are counting on the United States of America to continue to stand by our mutual alliance obligations in the future. But we also know that the resources for our national and alliance defence must now be significantly expanded.”
Merz said the CDU/CSU and SPD parliamentary group would submit a motion to the Bundestag lower house of parliament next week to amend the constitution so that defence expenditure above 1% of economic output is exempt from the debt brake.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had instructed his defence minister and other officials to secure precise information on military supplies after the U.S. announced it was pausing assistance.
“I have instructed Ukraine’s minister of defence, intelligence chief and diplomats to contact their counterparts in the United States and obtain official information,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.
“People should not be left to guess.”
He said maintaining a “normal, partnership relationship with America is crucial for truly ending the war. None of us wants an endless war.”
Merz added he would be speaking with chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday about additional aid for Ukraine.
“We are aware of the scale of the tasks ahead of us, and we want to take the first necessary steps and decisions,” Merz said.
Merz added that all defence spending above one per cent of GDP would be exempt from the debt brake restrictions and he has informed the Greens and FDP parties of the proposals.
Germany's likely next chancellor announces plans to relax debt rules to boost defence and infrastructure spending
Merz said the economy must be brought back on a growth path with credit financed from a special fund worth 500 billion euros for infrastructure, 100 billion of which will go to states.
Updated
Germany’s Christian Democratic Union party leader Friedrich Merz has announced he will submit an application to change debt brake in Germany to allow higher defence spending and a special fund will be presented next week.
Updated
The Mannheim District Court in Germany has issued an arrest warrant, at the request of the Mannheim Public Prosecutor’s Office, against the 40-year-old man who hit several people with his car in Mannheim city centre yesterday for two cases of murder and five cases of attempted murder.
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed a possible peace plan to end the war in Ukraine, saying he is willing to work “constructively” under Donald Trump’s “strong leadership” and to sign a deal giving the US access to his country’s mineral wealth, writes Luke Harding and John Henley.
In an attempt to mend fences with Washington after Trump abruptly suspended supplies of military aid, Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he was “ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible”.
“I would like to reiterate Ukraine’s commitment to peace,” he wrote on X.
He sketched out a plan as to how the war might stop. The “first stages” could include a release of prisoners and a ban on missiles and long-range drones, used to attack energy and civilian infrastructure. This “truce in the air” might be applied to the sea as well, he said, “if Russia will do the same”.
Zelenskyy’s post came hours after the Trump administration said it was blocking all deliveries of ammunition, vehicles and other equipment, including shipments agreed when Joe Biden was president.
After U.S. president Donald Trump froze military aid to Ukraine, here is an explainer from Reuters on the implications for the three-year-old war between Ukraine and Russian invasion forces.
HOW MUCH HAS THE U.S. SPENT ON MILITARY AID FOR UKRAINE?
The United States has pledged and spent at least $65 billion on military aid for Ukraine since Russia’s full-blown February 2022 invasion. Primarily, that assistance has been allocated through two tools: the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).
WHAT IS THE PRESIDENTIAL DRAWDOWN AUTHORITY?
More than $31 billion worth of weapons and equipment has been pledged to Ukraine under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which allows the president to approve rapid transfers to foreign countries from U.S. military stockpiles, without having to seek congressional approval.
More than $20 billion worth of weapons and equipment has already been shipped this way, according to a Reuters analysis.
Ukraine is still awaiting a large shipment of armored vehicles that are not set to be delivered until mid-2025, said a Ukrainian official, speaking on condition of anonymity. They are currently being refurbished at depots in Europe.
WHAT IS THE UKRAINE SECURITY ASSISTANCE INITIATIVE?
The U.S. has bought nearly $33.2 billion worth of new arms and military equipment for Kyiv directly from U.S. and allied defense contractors. That money was allocated by Congress.
The USAI is a longer-term approach to arming Ukraine. It will take years for all these weapons to be manufactured and shipped to the battlefield. This category of weapon provides Ukraine a sustained pipeline of modern weaponry and simultaneously sustained revenue for manufacturers.
The amount of aid that still needs to be delivered from the American contracts is “significantly less than 15 percent”, a Ukrainian official said. Some of the weapons still to be delivered include advanced rocket launchers and missiles.
WHAT WEAPONS HAVE BEEN DELIVERED TO UKRAINE?
Among the weapons and equipment provided during the war are U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, long-range ATACM missiles, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS), short-range air defense interceptors, replacement vehicles, air-to-ground munitions, and artillery.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was grateful for Keir Starmer’s “advice and support during this challenging time” following their call on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian president, who also met with Starmer at Downing Street on Saturday, said: “We discussed the current developments and exchanged views on the next steps.
“We are co-ordinating our positions and doing everything to achieve guaranteed peace as soon as possible and bring an end to this war.
“Peace is needed for all of us. A just peace with clear security guarantees.
“Together with the leadership of the United States and all of Europe, this is absolutely achievable.
“I am grateful for the advice and support during this challenging time. We will always remember everything the British people have done for Ukrainians and our shared security.”
Updated
Keir Starmer has welcomed Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “steadfast commitment to securing peace” in a call with the Ukrainian leader, Number 10 has said.
Issuing a readout of the call on Tuesday afternoon, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “The prime minister spoke to the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, this afternoon.
“The prime minister updated on his discussion with president Trump last night. It was vital that all parties worked towards a lasting and secure peace for Ukraine as soon as possible,” the prime minister added.
“Turning to president Zelenskyy’s most recent calls for further diplomatic efforts to achieve the swiftest possible end to the war, the prime minister welcomed president Zelenskyy’s steadfast commitment to securing peace.
“Underscoring that any peace for Ukraine needed to be lasting and secure, the prime minister said no one wanted peace more than Ukraine.
“The leaders agreed to stay in close touch in the coming days.”
Updated
Ukrainian PM says Kyiv 'can maintain frontline' but will continue to work with US
France’s prime minister said on Tuesday that US president Donald Trump’s decision to suspend weapons’ deliveries to Ukraine in the middle of a war signalled that the United States was abandoning Kyiv and letting Russia win.
“Suspending aid during a war to a country under attack means abandoning the country under attack and accepting or hoping that the aggressor will win,” Francois Bayou said during a parliamentary debate on Ukraine.
He added that Europe now needed to quickly and efficiently replace US weapons’ deliveries.
Updated
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is ready to work under Trump's 'strong leadership' and White House meeting 'did not go the way it was supposed to'
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is ready to sign a minerals and security agreement with the United States and to work under president Donald Trump’s “strong leadership”.
While admitting his meeting with president Donald Trump “did not go the way it was supposed to”, Zelenskyy reiterated Ukraine’s commitment to peace and praised Trump for providing his military with Javelins.
In a statement released on X, he said:
I would like to reiterate Ukraine’s commitment to peace.None of us wants an endless war. Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.
We are ready to work fast to end the war, and the first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky – ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure – and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same. Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal.
He added:
We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence. And we remember the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins. We are grateful for this.
Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be. It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive.
Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it in any time and in any convenient format. We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively.
Updated
The United States’ decision to pause military aid to Ukraine means that it is now the responsibility of Europe to do everything possible to ensure that Ukraine is able to hold the frontline against Russia, France’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.
“This frontline is the first line of defence for Europe and France,” Jean-Noel Barrot told lawmakers.
He added that it was time for Europe to break from its dependency on American weapons.
“We Europeans are now faced with a choice that is imposed on us: that of effort and freedom, or that of comfort and servitude,” he said.
Associated Press is carrying these photographs of Ukrainian service personnel on the frontline near Russian-occupied Donetsk.
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán said on Tuesday that he would meet French president Emmanuel Macron to talk about Ukraine on Wednesday ahead of an extraordinary summit of European Union leaders scheduled for Thursday.
Orbán also said that he sees more chance to find ways to cooperate on common EU security than on Ukraine at Thursday’s summit.
Replying to a reporter’s question Orbán confirmed that he had a phone call with US president Donald Trump in Sunday and that they discussed “everything”.
Ukraine’s allies had no notice of Trump freezing military aid, Poland says
Ukraine’s allies were not told in advance of Donald Trump’s decision to pause military aid, Poland’s foreign ministry has said, as rattled European politicians reaffirmed their backing for Kyiv faced with dramatic further evidence of a US policy shift.
The US president’s announcement “was made without any information or consultation, neither with Nato allies nor with the Ramstein group which is involved in supporting Ukraine,” the ministry spokesperson Paweł Wroński said on Tuesday.
Wroński described the decision, which piles pressure on Kyiv’s remaining allies to step up alternative aid and appearsintended to push Ukraine towards capitulating to Russia’s demands, as “very important” and the situation as “very serious”.
Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, told a cabinet meeting in Warsaw that Europe now faced unprecedented risks, including “the biggest in the last few decades when it comes to security”.
Tusk said his government would have to make some “extraordinary” decisions. “A decision was announced to suspend the US aid for Ukraine, and perhaps start lifting sanctions on Russia. We don’t have any reason to think these are just words,” he said.
“This puts Europe, Ukraine, Poland in a more difficult situation,” he said, adding that Warsaw was determined to “intensify activities in Europe to increase our defence capabilities” while maintaining the best possible relations with the US.
The French minister for European affairs, Benjamin Haddad, said Trump’s move had made the prospect of peace more distant because it “only strengthens the hand of the aggressor on the ground, which is Russia”.
In London, the prime minister’s official spokesperson has said that Keir Starmer spoke to US president Donald Trump on Monday, but refused to be drawn on whether the conversation happened before or after Trump announced the US suspension of military aid to Ukraine. The spokesperson declined to comment directly on the US pause of support.
Earlier Poland’s foreign ministry spokesperson Paweł Wroński said the Trump administration had made the move without consulting allies.
Injuries reported as Serbian MPs set off flares and smoke grenades inside parliament
At least three lawmakers were injured on Tuesday after chaos erupted in Serbia’s parliament, where smoke bombs and flares were thrown.
Lawmakers were scheduled to vote on a law that would increase funding for university education, but opposition parties insisted the session was illegal and should first confirm the resignation of prime minister Miloš Vučević and his government.
Local media RTS reported that “Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić said MP Jasmina Obradović, who was hit by a stun gun, suffered a stroke and is fighting for her life. MP Jasmina Karanac was also injured, as was Sonja Ilić, who is eight months pregnant.”
The details have not been independently verified by the Guardian. Other reports suggest at least one MP was hit by a bottle amid the chaotic scenes.
Reuters reports that after the ruling coalition led by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) approved the agenda for the session, some opposition politicians ran out of their seats towards the parliamentary speaker and scuffled with security guards. Others tossed smoke grenades and teargas, with live TV showing black and pink smoke inside the building.
The ruling coalition in Serbia has accused western intelligence agencies of trying to destabilise the country and topple the government by backing protests which have been ongoing since a railway station roof collapse in November 2024.
Miranda Bryant is the Guardian’s Nordic correspondent
Russia will redeploy resources if the war ends in Ukraine and shift its attention to Finland and other parts of Europe, Finnish security services have warned.
According to the 2025 annual report by Supo, the Finnish security and intelligence service, published on Tuesday, an end to the war in Ukraine would “improve the ability of Russia to engage in hostile activity elsewhere in Europe”. This would also “increase the threat to Finland,” it said.
The report also warned that multiple states, including Russia, have increased their use of proxies both in intelligence and broader influencing campaigns, including in an attempt to “undermine western support for Ukraine”.
In the report, Supo said:
Sabotage operations in Europe linked to the Russian military intelligence service GRU are one example of this. By using intermediaries, Russia seeks to cover its tracks. Russian sabotage operations aim to influence public opinion and the sense of public safety, and to overwhelm the authorities in target countries. The main goal at the moment is to undermine western support for Ukraine.
Finland is a target for “continuous and active espionage operations” from Russia and China, it said, as well as Iran.
Supo director, Juha Martelius, said:
The western intelligence community has a highly uniform view of the growing threat from Russia. As a country that borders Russia and as a state on the Baltic Sea, Finland must prepare for growth in Russian influencing.
Ukraine PM Shmyhal: 'Our military and government have the tools to maintain situation on frontline'
Reuters is carrying further quotes from Ukraine’s prime minister Denys Shmyhal, who said that his country was ready to sign a minerals deal with the US. The Donald Trump administration has been attempting to persuade Ukraine to provide it with minerals in exchange for military aid already rendered during Russia’s invasion.
Shmyhal said “Our military and the government have the capabilities, the tools, let’s say, to maintain the situation on the frontline. They are obviously not subject to disclosure. We will continue to work with the US through all available channels in a calm manner.”
Prime minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, has said any US end to military aid to Ukraine puts the use of Patriot air defence systems at risk. Reuters reports he said that there were risks over repairs, maintenance and supplies of munitions for the Patriots, and that they are the only system Ukraine has that is capable of repelling Russian ballistic missile strikes.
Just to note that what Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk has said there, that his information is that the US has already implemented a decision to cease military aid to Ukraine, contrasts with noises coming from Ukraine itself.
Suspilne, Ukraine's state broadcaster, on its official Telegram channel, just quoted prime minister Denys Shmyhal saying “there is no information that anything has been stopped.”
Tusk: US decision to suspend military aid puts 'Europe, Ukraine, Poland in a more difficult situation'
“Please fasten your seatbelts, we’re entering a turbulence zone, one could say” Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said today while opening a meeting of the Polish cabinet in Warsaw.
In his opening remarks, Tusk warned of “unprecedented” risks facing Europe, including “the biggest in the last few decades when it comes to security”. He urged ministers in his coalition government to put party differences aside as he expected the need to make “extraordinary” decisions.
“As you know, a decision was announced to suspend the US aid for Ukraine, and perhaps start lifting sanctions on Russia. We don’t have any reason to think these are just words,” he said.
He added that the reports he was getting from the Polish-Ukrainian border and the Polish logistics hub in Rzeszów-Jasionka, used for supplies for Ukraine, confirmed that the US decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine had been implemented.
“This puts Europe, Ukraine, Poland in a more difficult situation that we now need to face,” he said.
He said Poland was determined to “intensify activities in Europe to increase our defence capabilities, while also taking care, despite of what’s happening, of the best possible transatlantic relations and cooperation with our closest ally, the US.”
In the UK, chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to give a speech this afternoon in which she will promise to “fire up Britain’s industrial base” as part of plans to increase the country’s defence spending.
PA Media report she will say “For too long politicians of all stripes have ducked and dodged the decisions needed to fire up Britain’s industrial base and unleash its potential to keep the country safe. We’re changing that by increasing defence spending and making defence a cornerstone of our industrial strategy.”
The move comes as European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen unveiled a plan to bolster Europe’s defence industry and increase its military capability, which she claimed could raise nearly €800bn (£660bn / $841bn) and help provide urgent military support for Ukraine.
Troels Lund Poulsen, Denmark’s defence secretary, has also reacted to the US decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine. He said “There are some things that the Ukrainians are completely dependent on with regards to the Americans. These include the missiles used in the Patriot air defence system, which is American. So this will put Europe in a situation where we now really need to do more ourselves to help Ukraine.”
Nataliya Gumenyuk, Ukrainian journalist and CEO of the Public Interest Journalism Lab, writes for the Guardian today.
You can read her views here: Even after the White House ambush and now Trump’s military pause, Ukrainians are defiant, but want a path to peace
Europe 'ready to step up' and increase defence spending, von der Leyen says
Jon Henley is the Guardian’s Europe correspondent, based in Paris
A five-part plan to bolster Europe’s defence industry and increase its military capability could raise nearly €800bn and help provide urgent military support for Ukraine after the US suspended aid to Kyiv, the head of the European Commission has said.
Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday the 27-member bloc would propose giving member states more fiscal space for defence investments, as well as €150bn in loans for those investments, and would also aim to mobilise private capital.
Presenting the “ReArm Europe” package in Brussels, von der Leyen said: “This is a moment for Europe, and we are ready to step up.” The proposals “could mobilise close to €800bn of defence expenditures for a safe and resilient Europe”, she added.
“A new era is upon us,” the commission president wrote to EU leaders. “Europe faces a clear and present danger on a scale that none of us has seen in our adult lifetime … We are living in the most momentous and dangerous of times.”
The commission’s plan includes €150bn of new joint EU borrowing that would be lent to EU governments to fund pan-European capabilities in areas such as air and missile defence, artillery systems, missiles, ammunition, drones and other needs.
“It will help member states to pool demand and to buy together. This will reduce costs, reduce fragmentation, increase interoperability and strengthen our defence industrial base,” von der Leyen said.
“With this equipment, member states can massively step up their support to Ukraine. So, immediate military equipment for Ukraine,” she added.
Read Jon Henley’s full report here: EU plan to bolster Europe’s defences could raise €800bn for Ukraine
Updated
Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk has posted to social media to say that Poland is safer if Ukraine is “sovereign, pro-western, and able to defend itself against Russian aggression.”
He wrote:
A sovereign Ukraine, pro-western, and able to defend itself against Russian aggression means a stronger and safer Poland. In the political turmoil and growing chaos, this is what counts most. Whoever questions this obvious truth contributes to Putin’s triumph. Understand?
Kremlin welcomes US decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine, calls for lifting of sanctions
Pjotr Sauer is a Russian affairs reporter for the Guardian
The Kremlin on Tuesday welcomed the US pause in military aid to Ukraine, claiming it could push Kyiv to the negotiating table.
“If this is true, then it is a decision that could genuinely push the Kyiv regime towards a peace process,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists. “This would probably be the best contribution to the cause of peace,” he added.
Peskov said he expected European countries to try to “compensate” for the shortfall in US ammunition supplies. “But, of course, the main volume has still been coming from the US, through US channels,” he said.
Moscow also welcomed media reports that the US is considering a plan for possible sanctions relief for Russia.
“Our position on sanctions is well known – we consider them illegal,” Peskov said. “Of course, if we’re talking about normalising bilateral relations, they need to be freed from this negative burden of so-called sanctions.”
Reuters reported on Monday that the US was drawing up a plan to potentially ease sanctions on Russia as president Donald Trump seeks to restore ties with Moscow and end the war in Ukraine.
Poland's foreign ministry: US decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine taken without consulting or informing allies
Poland’s foreign ministry has said that the decision by the Trump administration to suspend US military aid to Ukraine was taken without consultation with allies.
Reuters reports that in a statement spokesperson Paweł Wroński said “This is a very important decision, and the situation is very serious. This sentence may sound banal, but it has great political significance – it (the decision) was made without any information, or consultation, neither with Nato allies, nor with the Ramstein group, which is involved in supporting Ukraine in its fight.”
The Kremlin has said that if the US is really suspending military aid to Ukraine, that could force Kyiv into peace negotiations.
During his regular daily briefing, Tass reports Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also said that any normalising of relations between Russia and the US would require economic sanctions to be lifted, and that the greatest contribution to peace the US could make would be to stop sponsoring Ukraine.
Czech PM Fiala: 'We cannot allow Russia’s aggressive policy to succeed'
The Czech Republic’s prime minister Petr Fiala has called for a “fundamental shift” in European policy in reaction to Donald Trump’s decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine.
In a post to social media, he said:
President Trump’s decision highlights the urgent need for a fundamental shift in Europe’s current policy.
We must strengthen our economic and military capabilities and take full responsibility for our own security. This requires increased investment in defence. Ensuring our security also means intensifying our support for Ukraine. We cannot allow Russia’s aggressive policy, which threatens us all, to succeed.
The era of relying on others to address fundamental international challenges on our behalf is over. Now is the time for Europe to move decisively from words to action.
Von der Leyen: EU plans to strengthen defence spending could raise €800bn
New EU plans to strengthen Europe’s defence industry and increase military capabilities could mobilise close to €800bn ($841.4bn), EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday in Brussels.
The EU will propose to give member states more fiscal space for defence investments, as well as €150bn euros in loans for those investments, and will aim to mobilise private capital as well, Reuters reports von der Leyen said
Updated
European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen has been making a statement about European defence spending in Brussels, in which she has signalled that Europe is ready to massively increase defence spending.
More details soon …
Hungary’s government has said that foreign minister Péter Szijjártó is to meet US secretary of state Marco Rubio in Washington later today.
Last week Kaja Kallas, the European Commission’s high representative for foreign affairs visited the US capital, but “scheduling issues” prevented her expected meeting with Rubio.
At the time an EU diplomat commented to Politico that it “seems that the Trump administration doesn’t miss a chance to show that for them the EU is not a player.”
The UK government has reiterated it is committing to supporting Ukraine after the Donald Trump administration suspended US military aid.
In a statement, Downing Street said:
We remain absolutely committed to securing a lasting peace in Ukraine and are engaging with key allies in support of this effort. It is the right thing to do, and is in our interest to do so.
We have bolstered Ukrainian military capabilities through our commitment to provide Ukraine with £3bn-a-year in military aid for as long as it takes and through a £2.26bn loan using sanctioned Russian assets.
In addition, we’ve set up a partnership with Ukraine that allows them to use £1.6bn of UK Export Finance to buy 5,000 air defence missiles manufactured in Belfast, putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position for peace.
Hungary’s government has offered support to the Donald Trump administration’s decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine as the country defends itself against Russia’s invasion and illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory.
A spokesperson for Viktor Orbán’s government said “The US president and the Hungarian government share the same stance: instead of continuing weapons shipments and the war, a ceasefire and peace talks are needed as soon as possible.”
Senior Ukrainian lawmaker compares suspension of US military aid with 1938 appeasement of Hitler
Reuters is now carrying a fuller quote from Oleksandr Merezhko, the chair of Ukraine’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee, who told the news agency that the Trump administration move to suspend military aid to Ukraine resembled the appeasement of Adolf Hitler with the Munich agreement of 1938.
The senior Ukrainian lawmaker said:
To stop aid now means to help Putin. On the surface, this looks really bad. It looks like [Donald Trump] is pushing us towards capitulation, (accepting) Russia’s demands. The main thing is that this a psychological blow, a political blow upon Ukraine, it doesn’t help our spirit.
This is worse than Munich, because at least there they didn’t try to paint Czechoslovakia as the aggressor, but here they try to accuse the victim of aggression – it is extremely dangerous.
On 30 September 1938, Germany, Britain, France and Italy reached a settlement that permitted Nazi Germany’s annexation of the Sudetenland in what was then western Czechoslovakia.
UK minister: diplomacy cannot be done 'over the airwaves'
A minister in the UK government has said that diplomacy cannot be done “over the airwaves” and that he did not think the UK government could act as an honest broker if it was providing a running commentary on every “twist and turn”.
He added that US military spending was a matter for the US government.
PA Media quotes Housing minister Alex Norris, speaking in the UK on Times Radio, saying:
We’re absolutely committed to securing a lasting peace in Ukraine. We’re engaging with our allies in support of that goal.
We’ve made significant commitments to Ukraine, that’s what we’ll continue to do, all in pursuit of a lasting peace, which will be achieved through putting Ukraine in a strong position.
US military spending is a decision for the United States. All of us, I think, are committed to securing that lasting peace.
We’re honest brokers in this process, we’re bringing together partners to get what we think is the goal that certainly we want as the UK, but I think we want globally as well. I don’t think we can be that honest broker if we provide a running commentary on every twist and turn. You know, I don’t think diplomacy can be done over the airwaves, so I’ve no intention of doing that.
Asked about how Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy should react to the apparent pressure being put on him to apologise to US president Donald Trump in public, Norris said “I don’t think it’s for me to try and police [Zelenskyy’s] words or tell him what you ought to say.”
Amid the diplomatic flurry of the last few days, the war continues. Ukraine’s air force said on Tuesday it shot down 65 out of 99 drones launched by Russia overnight. Energy firm DTEK said on Tuesday morning it had restored supplies to 7,000 families in the Odesa region after Russian forces damaged an energy facility there on Monday.
France: pause in US military aid makes peace for Ukraine 'more distant'
A minister in the French government has said that the US decision to pause military aid to Ukraine makes peace “more distant”.
Benjamin Haddad, the junior minister for Europe, is quoted by Reuters saying “Fundamentally, if you want peace, does a decision to suspend arms to Ukraine reinforce peace or does it make it more distant? It makes it more distant, because it only strengthens the hand of the aggressor on the ground, which is Russia”. Haddad was speaking to France 2.
In more European reaction to the decision from the Trump administration, Poland’s deputy defence minister Cezary Tomczyk has described the move as “bad news”, while Reuters reports that the Ukrainian parliamentary foreign affairs committee chair has told it that it looks like Donald Trump is pushing Ukraine towards capitulation.
The suspension affects deliveries of ammunition, vehicles, and other equipment including shipments agreed to when Joe Biden was president.
Opening summary
The rift between Washington and Kyiv has deepened after President Donald Trump paused US assistance to Ukraine as he seeks to pressure President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to engage in peace talks with Russia.
The move comes just days after a disastrous Oval Office meeting in which Trump and vice-president JD Vance tore into Zelenskyy for what they perceived as insufficient gratitude for the more than $180bn in military aid the US has sent to Kyiv since Russia invaded three years ago.
A White House official said Trump is focused on reaching a peace deal and wants Zelenskyy “committed” to that goal, AP reported. The official added that the US was “pausing and reviewing” its aid to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the assistance.
The order will remain in effect until Trump determines that Ukraine has demonstrated a commitment to peace negotiations with Russia, the official said.
Earlier on Monday Trump had expressed fresh outrage at Zelenskyy for saying that the end of the war could be “very, very far away”.
In a post to social media on Monday, the US president posted a link to an Associated Press story outlining Zelenskyy’s comments and said: “This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!
“It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the US. Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?”
In other developments:
Russian forces are repeatedly trying to seize a foothold across Ukraine’s Dnipro River, dispatching troops on high-casualty missions to gain territory for future peace negotiations, according to the Ukrainian governor of Kherson region. Oleksandr Prokudin said Russian forces were trying to cross in four locations to justify their claim to the whole oblast, one of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow says it wants to incorporate
US vice-president JD Vance said that the best way to protect Ukraine from another Russian invasion is to guarantee the US has a financial interest in Ukraine’s future. “If you want real security guarantees, if you want to actually ensure that Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine,” Vance said in the interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity which aired Monday night
Tensions have surfaced between France and the UK over whether $350bn of frozen Russian assets can be seized and then offered to the US to buy defence equipment, binding America closer to the defence of Europe
Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says his government will consider any proposal to send troops to Ukraine as part of a multinational peacekeeping force, as Europe considers a “coalition of the willing” to enforce any peace deal
On Monday a car rammed into crowds in the centre of the German city of Mannheim, killing two people and injuring several others, in what police described as a deliberate attack
Pope Francis, who has been in hospital with pneumonia for more than two weeks, suffered two episodes of “acute respiratory failure” on Monday, the Vatican said. The pontiff, 88, had returned to a stable condition during the weekend after a breathing crisis that caused him to vomit on Friday
It is Martin Belam with you today. You can reach me at martin.belam@theguardian.com.
