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Updated
Summary
Here’s a wrap-up of the day’s key events:
Ukraine will not agree to a frozen conflict with Russia, according to Ukraine’s president chief of staff, Andriy Yermak. “We said very clearly that we will never agree to a frozen conflict,” Yermak said, Reuters reports on Thursday. Yermak’s comments come amid talks between Ukraine and the US in Saudi Arabia.
Vladimir Putin has said he has many questions about the proposed US-brokered ceasefire with Ukraine and appeared to set out a series of sweeping conditions that would need to be met before Russia would agree to such a truce. The Russian leader suggested that Ukraine should neither rearm nor mobilise and that western military aid to Kyiv be halted during the 30-day ceasefire.
Observers believe Vladimir Putin is determined to put forward a string of maximalist demands before agreeing to any ceasefire, which is likely to prolong negotiations. These demands could include the demilitarisation of Ukraine, an end to western military aid, and a commitment to keeping Kyiv out of Nato.
Responding to his comments, US president Donald Trump said they were “promising,” but “not complete.” He added that it would be “very disappointing” if Russia rejects the offer, and appeared to pick up on Putin’s suggestion the pair have a call to hash out the differences.
Rasmus Jarlov, the chairman of Denmark’s defense committee, has criticized Nato secretary general Mark Rutte for “joking with [Donald] Trump about Greenland” following a meeting between the two leaders during which Trump said the annexation of the island “will happen.”
During their meeting in the White House’s Oval Office, Trump was asked about the potential annexation of Greenland, to which he replied: “Well, I think it will happen. I’m just thinking, I didn’t give it much thought before, but I’m sitting with a man that could be very instrumental… Mark, we need that for international security … as we have a lot of our favourite players, cruising around the coast.”
Rutte then said: “I don’t want to drag Nato into it,” but agreed that Greenland and the Artic Circle pose security value, pointing to China and Russia’s growing presence in the area.
In response to Trump and Rutte’s comments, Jarlov said: “We do not appreciate the Secr. Gen. of Nato joking with Trump about Greenland like this. It would mean war between two Nato countries. Greenland has just voted against immediate independence from Denmark and does not want to be American ever.”
Ukraine will not agree to a frozen conflict with Russia, according to Ukraine’s president chief of staff, Andriy Yermak.
“We said very clearly that we will never agree to a frozen conflict,” Yermak said, Reuters reports on Thursday. Yermak’s comments come amid talks between Ukraine and the US in Saudi Arabia. Both Ukraine and the US have jointly proposed a 30-day ceasefire in the 3-year war.
Yermak added that European representatives will also take part in the peace process, saying, “The main thing is that Ukraine is not alone, Ukraine is with its partners… We agreed with our American partners that representatives of Europe will definitely take part in the peace process.”
Putin, Trump, Ukraine's comments on ceasefire; Trump on Greenland; German parliament - day so far
Russian president Vladimir Putin has said that Russia was technically “in favour” of the proposed ceasefire on Ukraine, but heavily caveated that with “nuances” and “serious issues” that need to be resolved before the proposal can be progressed further (16:51 and 17:13).
He further listed a number of practical issues, including on resolving the Ukrainian “incursion” in Russia’s Kursk region and on monitoring any violations, as well as “addressing the roots of the crisis,” prompting fears he could be about to put forward maximalist Russia’s demands on Ukraine and European allies (17:25 and 17:41).
Responding to his comments, US president Donald Trump said they were “promising,” but “not complete” (17:48). He added that it would be “very disappointing” if Russia rejects the offer, and appeared to pick up on Putin’s suggestion the pair have a call to hash out the differences.
Putin is understood to be talking to Trump’s senior aide Steve Witkoff in Moscow tonight.
In first Ukrainian public response to Putin’s comment, Zelenskyy’s most senior aide said Ukraine will not agree to a frozen conflict and insisted Europe would have to be involved in peace talks (19:19).
Separately, Trump also made explosive comments about Greenland saying he thought annexation of the island “will happen” as he appeared to dismiss Denmark’s rule over the island (19:06).
Finally, the German parliament held a heated debate over the incoming government’s sweeping plans to increase the country’s defence and infrastructure spending and making changes to the constitutional debt break (12:36, 13:00, 13:17, 13:33, and report)
And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, as I hand the blog over to Maya Yang, who will guide you through the evening.
Updated
I just wanted to quickly pick up on Trump’s comments about the Greenland election where he said that “the person that did the best is a very good person as far as we are concerned, so we will be talking about it and it is very important”…
Well, I’m not sure about that.
The Demokraatit party, which won the election, had the following paragraph in its election manifesto:
US President Donald Trump has now repeatedly mused about buying Greenland.
Let’s be clear: Greenland is not for sale. Not today. Not tomorrow. Never, ever.
Our country is not a commodity, and the idea of buying us shows a profound lack of respect for our values. We are a proud nation that works hard for our freedom and future.
They then went on to say they wanted to “cooperate and trade” with others, including the US, “but it must always be done on our terms and with respect for who we are.”
They concluded:
Trump can drop the idea. Greenland is not for sale.
You can also read more about it in our Nordic correspondent Miranda Bryant’s analysis here:
Putin set out 'sweeping conditions' for truce - analysis
Russian affairs reporter
Vladimir Putin has said he has many questions about the proposed US-brokered ceasefire with Ukraine and appeared to set out a series of sweeping conditions that would need to be met before Russia would agree to such a truce.
The Russian leader suggested that Ukraine should neither rearm nor mobilise and that western military aid to Kyiv be halted during the 30-day ceasefire.
At the same time, Putin said that he agreed in principle with US proposals to halt the fighting and complemented Trump for his efforts to stop the war.
By avoiding an outright rejection of Trump’s ceasefire proposal, Putin appears to be balancing between not openly rebuffing Trump’s push for peace while also imposing his own stringent demands – potentially prolonging negotiations.
Ukraine ‘will not go for frozen conflict,’ top Zelenskyy aide says
In the meantime, Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, said that Ukraine will not agree to a frozen conflict with Russia.
“We will not go for a frozen conflict, our US partners are also against such a scenario. We are against Minsk 3, and Europe will be included in the peace process,” he said.
In a TV clip, posted also on his social media accounts, he further said that Ukraine had agreed with the US that representatives from Europe will definitely take part in the peace process.
And that’s it for comments from Trump-Rutte meeting at the White House.
Fears of Russian invasion on Nato allies 'not justified', Trump says
Trump also gets asked about fears among some Nato allies about the aggressive position of Russia and if he thinks these fears are justified.
No, I think [so].
When this gets done, it’s done, they’re going to all want to go home and rest.
I don’t see it happening.
And we’ll make sure it doesn’t happen. Not going to happen, but we’ll make sure it doesn’t happen.
Trump says he has leverage on Russia, but doesn't want to use it for now
Trump also gets asked about his leverage on Russia.
He insists he “does have a leverage,” but doesn’t want to talk about it because “we’re talking to him and based on the statements he made today, they were pretty positive.”
I hope Russia is going to make the deal too. …
I don’t think they’re going back to shooting again. I really believe if we had … if we get a peace treaty, a ceasefire treaty I think that leads to peace, that’s going to really lead to peace.
I don’t think anyone wants to go back [to shooting]. …
And I think if, if President Putin agrees and does a cease fire, I think we’re going to … be in very good shape to get it done.
Trump repeats again that he stepped up the US support for Ukraine and “stopped” the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
'Boat landed there 200 years ago and they have rights to it?,' Trump mocks Denmark's rule over Greenland
On Greenland, Trump gets asked about his vision for potential annexation of the island.
“Well, I think it will happen. I’m just thinking, I didn’t give it much thought before, but I’m sitting with a man that could be very instrumental,” he says, as he turns to Rutte saying “Mark, we need that for international security … as we have a lot of our favourite players, cruising around the coast.”
Rutte distances himself from his comments on annexing Greenland, but says Trump is right talking about growing risks in the North Arctic.
Trump is then asked about the recent elections in Greenland, and says “it was a good election for us.”
“The person that did the best is a very good person as far as we are concerned, so we will be talking about it and it is very important,” he says.
The president says the US “is going to order” 48 icebreakers, and that would help to strengthen US position “as that whole area is becoming very important.”
“So we are going to have to make a deal on that and Denmark is not able to do that [offer protection],” he says.
He then mocks Denmark saying they have “nothing to do with that” as “a boat landed there 200 years ago or something, and they say they have rights to it?” “I don’t know if that is true.”
“We have been dealing with Denmark, we have been dealing with Greenland, and we have to do it,” he says.
He again suggests Nato could be involved given its bases there, asking defence secretary Pete Hegseth if he should send more troops there. “Don’t answer that Pete,” he laughs.
'Nato is stepping up,' Trump acknowledges as he praises secretary general Rutte
Trump also gets asked about Nato, and he praises Rutte for making the alliance step up.
Nato is stepping up through this man.
This man is a man that only knows how to step up. And we have the same goal in mind.
We want the war ended, and he’s doing his job. He only knows how to do a good job. That’s one thing. That’s why I fought for him to get that job, because they had some other candidates that I’ll tell you would not have done a very good job.
Rutte jokes he will need a clip of his comments for his family archives.
Trump then repeats his line that US spends too much even though “we are on the other side of the ocean.”
But he adds that the new minerals deal with Ukraine “will get us something back, a lot back,” even as he complains “we were treated very unfairly” by Europeans.
Updated
'Very disappointing' if Russia rejects proposals, Trump says; adds he is open to talk to Putin
Trump reveals a bit more of what was going on in negotiations on the ceasefire as he says that “a lot of individual subjects have been discussed.”
Well, we’d like to see a cease fire from Russia. And we have, you know, not been working in the dark.
We’ve been discussing … Ukraine land and pieces of land that would be kept and lost, and all of the other elements of a final agreement. There’s a power plant involved. You know, very big power plant involved. Who’s going to get the power plant and who’s going to get this and that?
And so, you know, it’s, it’s not an easy process. But phase 1 is the ceasefire.
He goes on:
We’ve been discussing concepts of land because you don’t want to waste time with the ceasefire, if, it’s not going to mean anything. So we’re saying: look, this is what you can get, this is what you can’t get.
They discuss Nato, and being in Nato, and everybody knows what the answer to that is. Know that answer for 40 years, in all fairness.
So a lot of the details of a final agreement have actually been discussed. Now we’re going to see whether or not Russia is there, and if they’re not, it’ll be a very disappointing moment for the world.
On Putin’s first reaction, he says it was “a very promising statement, but it wasn’t complete,” and adds “I would love to meet with him or talk to him, but we have to get it over with fast.”
Updated
As part of his opening statement, Trump talks about Nato and how countries need to step up and pay their fair share (including, once again, a pointed praise of Poland for spending above targets).
He says that his comments that “I won’t protect if you are not paying” got you criticism from Russia, but “if [I didn’t say that,] nobody would have paid.”
He then goes back to Ukraine and Russia, and says:
We’re getting words that things are going okay in Russia, but that doesn’t mean anything until we hear what the final outcome is.
But they have very serious discussions going on right now with President Putin and others, and hopefully they all want to end this nightmare.
…
So we hopefully are going to be in a good position sometime today to have a good idea.
We’ll have we know where we are with Ukraine, and we are getting good signals out of Russia as to where we are with Russia, and hopefully they’ll do the right thing.
Trump opens the meeting welcoming Nato secretary general Rutte – “a friend of mine” – to the White House.
He says the pair will be discussing what is happening with respect to Ukraine and Russia, as he stresses that “at this moment, we have people talking in Russia,” “in serious discussions.”
“As you know, Ukraine has agreed subject to this what’s happening today to a complete cease fire, and we hope Russia will do the same,” he says.
In response, Rutte says that Europeans are “commiting to much higher defence spending,” but says “we need to do more,” including on “producing more weaponry.”
“We are not doing enough, not in the US, not in Europe, and we are lacking behind when you compare to the Russians and the Chinese,” he said.
Rutte also commands Trump for “breaking the deadlock” on Ukraine.
Just to give you a glimpse of what is going on and a peek behind the scenes explaining why we cannot immediately bring you Trump’s comments in full.
The way it works is that there is only a handful of reporters inside the Oval Office who report the key lines – and that’s what we have been bringing you over the last half hour – but we only get to see the full record of their meeting on delay, once it is over.
But we’re getting it now, so expect more quotes any moment now.
'We will make sure' Russia does not attack US allies, Trump says
In more quotes coming out from that meeting, Trump is quoted as saying he did not think Russia would attack US allies.
“It’s not going to happen. We’ll make sure it doesn’t happen,” he said.
Annexation of Greenland 'will happen,' says Trump
In other news lines coming from that meeting, Trump is quoted by Reuters as saying about the annexation of Greenland that “I think that will happen.”
“We are going to have to make a deal on Greenland,” he reportedly added.
These words are likely to prompt a strong reaction from Copenhagen and from Nuuk, as both have publicly rejected Trump’s interest.
Again: we will bring you more as soon as we have it.
Updated
Putin's statement 'promising, not complete,' Trump says as he hopes 'Russia will do right thing'
We are getting first lines from inside the Oval Office, where Donald Trump is meeting Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte.
Reuters is reporting that Trump said that Putin “put out a very promising statement but it wasn’t complete,” and that he was willing to talk to the Russian president to secure a ceasefire.
“Hopefully Russia will do the right thing,” he is quoted as saying.
We will bring you full quotes as soon as we have them.
Putin could put forward maximalist demands in talks with US
Russian affairs reporter
Observers believe Vladimir Putin is determined to put forward a string of maximalist demands before agreeing to any ceasefire, which is likely to prolong negotiations.
These demands could include the demilitarisation of Ukraine, an end to western military aid, and a commitment to keeping Kyiv out of Nato. Moscow may also push for a ban on foreign troop deployments in Ukraine and international recognition of Putin’s claims to Crimea and the four Ukrainian regions Russia annexed in 2022.
Putin could also revisit some of his broader demands from 2021, which go beyond Ukraine, including a call for Nato to halt the deployment of weapons in member states that joined after 1997, when the alliance began expanding into former communist countries.
Many in Europe fear these conditions for peace could weaken the west’s ability to increase its military presence and could allow Putin to expand his influence across the continent.
Moscow’s confident rhetoric is reinforced by its recent battlefield gains.
On Thursday, the Kremlin said its forces were in the final stages of expelling Ukraine’s army from the Kursk region, where Kyiv had seized Russian territory last year in the hope of using it as leverage in peace negotiations.
Behind Putin's apparently positive rhetoric on ceasefire, there is a trap on 'root causes' - snap analysis
Putin’s response to the ceasefire proposals throws a number of questions back at the White House and Donald Trump.
While on-the-surface theoretically signalling his support for the ceasefire, the Russian president has raised a number of serious issues with the US proposal, including on Kursk, policing of the ceasefire, and – perhaps most significantly – on “removing the root causes of this crisis,” as he sees them.
That phrase in particular will raise eyebrows in a number of European capitals, not only Kyiv, given Putin’s previous comments on what he claimed “provoked” Russia, both in Ukraine, and even going beyond that, back to Nato’s expansion eastwards in 1997.
He will no doubt expand on his issues with the proposed deal in his meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, which is expected to be under way imminently, according to Reuters.
But it feels like, for once, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko’s warning that “the negotiating process between America and Russia holds Europe’s fate in their hands,” should be absolutely treated seriously.
We are likely to hear from Trump soon, as he is about to welcome Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte to the White House.
Putin's comments on Ukraine and US ceasefire proposals - summary
Russian president Vladimir Putin has said that Russia was technically "in favour” of the proposed ceasefire on Ukraine, but heavily caveated that with “nuances” and “serious issues” that need to be resolved before the proposal can be progressed further.
During the press conference with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko:
Putin said that the ceasefire should “lead to an enduring peace, and remove the root causes of this crisis,” which could suggest Russia’s maximalist demands towards Ukraine and the US on broader security environment in eastern Europe.
He lauded Russian troops for “advancing in practically all areas of the contact line,” and pointed out that the ceasefire must not be used to rearm Ukrainians to mobilise more troops and rearm for further confrontation.
He further listed a number of practical issues, including on resolving the Ukrainian “incursion” in Russia’s Kursk region and on monitoring any violations.
He suggested that he would need to negotiate outstanding issues “with our American colleagues and partners,” suggesting “maybe a phone call with President Trump.”
Putin also goes back to his Kursk visit yesterday noting progress made by Russian troops there, as says that next steps on ceasefire will be decided “depending on how the situation on the ground will develop.”
Putin and Lukashenko joke about Europe being 'done for' on energy
It appears that the two has now turned to jokes.
Putin says:
I want to add to what Mr Lukashenko said about Europe being done for if Russia and America agree.
Yes, indeed, if Russia and America agree to cooperate on energy, and this is, this is a pun, because a pipeline in Russian means also being done for, so this will be to Europe’s benefit, because they will get cheap Russian gas. So they will have a pipeline.
(The audience laughs at this point.)
“That’s what I meant,” says Lukashenko
“Yes, that’s what I thought you did,” adds Putin.
Updated
If Russia and US agree, 'Ukraine and Europe will be done for,' Lukashenko says
… and yet he adds to that.
Lukashenko says:
If Russia agrees with the United States, Ukraine and Europe will be done for.
The negotiating process between America and Russia holds Europe’s fate in their hands, even though it is behaving in a shortsighted manner in the media, at least.
And again, they’re not going to dupe us. We know our interests. We know our goals.
Updated
I am sure you will be shocked to hear to that, but Lukashenko intervenes at this point to say that he agrees with Putin.
Vladimir Vladimirovich has said more than he was asked to, and he has looked into the future and maybe even disclosed some of the talking points for the upcoming meeting with the American representatives.
It is difficult to add anything to that.
'There are issues we need to discuss,' Putin says about 'good' US ceasefire proposal as he hints at phone call with Trump
Putin continues on the Ukrainian “incursion” in Kursk and asks what a ceasefire would mean.
Would that mean that everybody there would leave? Should we release them after they have committed numerous crimes against civilians there, or will the Ukrainian leadership command them to surrender? What will that will happen? That’s not clear.
He also goes on to talk about broader issues with a ceasefire as he says it could give Ukraine a chance to rearm and regain momentum as a time as Russia is, he claims, advancing.
How will other aspects be dealt with along the 2000 kilometer contact line? As you know, the Russian troops are advancing practically in every sector of the contact line, and all the conditions are there for us to besiege fairly large units.
So what would happen during those 30 days?
Would that allow Ukraine to continue a forced mobilization, a supply of arms to Ukraine, so that the newly mobilized units can be trained, or will that not be done?
He also asks about who would police the ceasefire.
Who will give orders to cease hostilities? And what will these orders be worth, along 2000 kilometers? Who will decide where there’s been a violation of the possible ceasefire agreement along all along the 2000 kilometer line, and who will be blamed? Who will be blamed for violating the ceasefire?
All these issues need to be carefully, painstakingly studied by both sides.
So the idea is good, and we absolutely support it, but there are issues we need to discuss and I think we need to negotiate with our American colleagues and partners, maybe a phone call with President Trump, but the very idea of ending this conflict by peaceful means we support that.
Putin says Russia 'agrees' with proposals, but need to 'remove root causes of crisis'
Asked specifically about the ceasefire, Putin starts by thanking Trump for dedicating his attention to this issue.
“We agree with the proposal for a ceasefire to cease hostilities, but we proceed from the fact that this ceasefire should lead to an enduring peace, and should remove the root causes of this crisis,” he says.
Putin also recalls his visit in Kursk yesterday, where he says “the situation is fully under our control, and the group that invaded our territory has been fully isolated.”
He says Ukrainian troops can no longer leave the area, and they will have to “surrender or die.”
Separately from their comments at the press conference, Putin and Lukashenko also signed a joint statement, which includes comments on European safety and Nato.
The document, published by the Kremlin, says the two countries will be looking at “if necessary, taking countermeasures of a political-diplomatic, military and military-technical nature.”
The statement specifically criticises “destablising actions by Nato countries” and “the continuing hostile steps in the context of the Ukrainian crisis,” including “plans to deploy” US missiles and “the deployment of military infrastructure and significant combat forces” on the borders.
They also pointedly criticised “the aggressive and confrontational nature of the European Union’s policy towards Russia and Belarus.”
It’s not exactly new language from the two leaders, but worth noting anyway.
Putin and Lukashenko give press conference in Moscow
Russian president Vladimir Putin is giving a press conference together with Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko.
He is mostly talking about “the special nature of the relations between our brotherly nations,” Russia and Belarus being “not only close neighbours, but reliable allies, truly strategic partners,” and (more surprisingly) about the importance of the Intervision Song Contest, Russia’s response to the Eurovision.
If he says something on Ukraine or talks with the US, we will bring you that.
Russia, US 'yet to agree' on presidential phone call, not expected today
Russia and the United States have yet to agree on a possible phone call between president Vladimir Putin and president Donald Trump, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said on Thursday, the Interfax news agency reported.
It cited Ushakov as saying that the Kremlin did not expect Putin to talk to Trump on Thursday.
This comes hours after the Kremlin said that “may have an international phone call later” on Thursday.
Sweden confirms its 'largest ever civilian aid programme' for Ukraine
Sweden has announced new plans to give Ukraine more than 1.4bn Swedish krona in aid (€127m), the largest ever civilian aid programme offered by the country.
“Support for Ukraine is a matter of solidarity, but also of Sweden’s security,” minister for international development Benjamin Dousa told a press conference.
The package will focus on “most urgent needs such as energy supply, housing, healthcare, mine clearance, safe schooling for children, vocational training for women and support for war veterans,” according to a separate press statement.
The main beneficiaries will be the World Bank’s Ukraine Trust Fund, the Ukrainian Red Cross, and the United Nations Development Programme, according to the government’s statement.
Ukraine needs guarantees as Putin’s ambitions ‘are barely disguised,’ UK’s Starmer says
British prime minister Keir Starmer has said that he was “not entirely surprised” by Russia’s apparent rejection of the US-led ceasefire proposal, as he called for more work to be done by allies to put pressure on Moscow and offer Ukraine security guarantees to protect it from Putin’s “barely disguised” ambitions.
Speaking to the News Agents podcast, in a clip released on social media, Starmer said:
Well, firstly, keep our focus on a lasting and secure peace in Ukraine, which is what we all want.
It doesn’t entirely surprise me that Russia is taking this stance. They’ve made it pretty clear. They put it in lights a number of times over.
I think progress was made on Tuesday, and I always felt that and hoped that out of Tuesday that would put the ball in the Russian court, if you like, where the pressure would come on Russia. That has now happened.
That is a good thing, because Russia is the aggressor. Russia is the country that where there had been previous deals and agreements, [it] has not honoured those.
We know that Putin has ambitions that are barely disguised.
Asked about the next steps, he said:
What we need to do now is work with our allies, work with the US, work with Ukraine, and obviously I’ve got this meeting in on Saturday to bring a number of leaders together to see what further progress that we can make, but lasting secure peace with the sovereignty and security of Ukraine.
But it has to be a peace where the deal is defended, because we’ve had a deal before, and it’s not been maintained, because Russia just breaches the line.
Starmer also specifically called out Kremlin’s opposition to proposals to give Ukraine additional security guarantees:
He is saying, and he said before that he doesn’t want security guarantees in relation to the deal.
That tells you something, if you don’t intend to breach the deal, you wouldn’t have too many problems with guarantees for the deal. And we know that in the past, he’s breached the deal.
So his reaction reinforces my strong belief that if the deal is not defended with security guarantees, then he will breach it in due course.
Updated
New graft scandal rocks European Parliament with probe into alleged corruption
Separately, a new graft scandal rocked the European Parliament after police carried out several raids in Belgium and Portugal, detaining multiple suspects as part of a probe into alleged corruption masqueraded as lobbying, AFP reported.
Belgian newspaper Le Soir and investigative website Follow the Money (FTM) said the probe was linked to Chinese tech giant Huawei and its activities in Brussels since 2021. Huawei did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.
None of those held for questioning on Thursday were EU lawmakers, a police source told AFP.
The Belgian federal prosecutor’s office said several people were taken in for questioning over their “alleged involvement in active corruption within the European Parliament, as well as for forgery and use of forgeries”.
The prosecutor’s office gave no details about the individuals or companies involved, while Belgian police neither confirmed nor denied that it was Huawei.
But prosecutors said the alleged corruption by a “criminal organisation” was “practised regularly and very discreetly from 2021 to the present day” and took “various forms”.
These included “remuneration for taking political positions or excessive gifts such as food and travel expenses or regular invitations to football matches” as part of a bid to promote “purely private commercial interests” in political decisions.
About 100 police officers took part in the operation that saw a total of 21 searches conducted across Belgium and in Portugal, it added.
Putin aide Ushakov's comments on US ceasefire proposal on Ukraine - video
Updated
'Entire world is ripping us off,' Trump says after multiple digs at the EU
US president Donald Trump appears to be very active on his social media channels this morning.
After taking aim at the “globalist” Wall Street Journal newspaper, which is allegedly “owned by the polluted thinking of the European Union,” he has now offered this opinion:
The U.S. doesn’t have Free Trade. We have “Stupid Trade.”
The Entire World is RIPPING US OFF!!!
'Nothing' for Russia in US ceasefire proposal, Putin aide says
We’re now getting longer quotes from Yuri Ushakov, a former ambassador to Washington who speaks for Putin on major foreign policy issues, who said the US proposal on ceasefire gives Russia “nothing.”
“I stated our position that this is nothing other than a temporary respite for the Ukrainian military, nothing more,” Ushakov said.
“It gives us nothing. It only gives the Ukrainians an opportunity to regroup, gain strength and to continue the same thing,” he later added, as reported by Reuters.
In separate comments, he also said:
“The document, it seems to me, has a hasty character... It will be necessary to work, think and take into account our position too. It outlines only the Ukrainian approach,” RIA cited Ushakov as saying.
Updated
By the way, the broader issue of Europe’s rush to rearm is the main topic of this week’s Guardian Weekly.
Just saying!
Europe has changed. Call it a watershed, a turning point or, if you prefer German, Zeitenwende, but the continent is reassessing its defence priorities in response to the Trump administration’s brutal shift in attitude to the 80-year-old transatlantic relationship and US support for Ukraine.
This week’s issue plots how, with unaccustomed speed, Paris, Berlin and London, along with the European Commission, are stepping up with a new “whatever it takes” mentality to create a framework for their own defence.
Our coverage, led by Toby Helm and with contributions from our correspondents in Kyiv, Brussels and Berlin, examines how fiscal shibboleths are being shed to allow for increased military spending, and from Berlin a growing enthusiasm for Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz to consider sheltering under France’s independent nuclear umbrella.
But even as leaders firm up their approach to Washington and Moscow, diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour reports on how their populist opponents, whose rhetoric has tended towards support of the strongman diplomacy of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, are left fumbling as to how to counteract this new geopolitical landscape.
Back in Bundestag, speaking for the Greens, Katharina Dröge criticised Merz for repeatedly rejecting the party’s proposals to work on the debt brake reform, even after Trump’s election in the US, and the previous coalition falling apart.
She blamed him for party political thinking and “political calculations,” and putting the electoral prospects of CDU/CSU ahead of the country’s interest.
She told him that the negotiations are not progressing as he would want to see them as they believe they can’t take his word seriously, but instead focus on what is written down on paper.
Dröge also criticised Merz suggesting he is trying accounting tricks moving money around, but the total for climate protection would not actually go up, “an offer that will not work.”
But despite the fierce rhetoric and criticism, there were also suggestions that the party was still willing to engage in further talks on how to amend the proposal to make it work.
No 'meaningful' response from Russia shows they 'seek to prolong war,' Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has now weighed in the debate on the US proposals for ceasefire in Ukraine, accusing Russia of “seeking to prolong the war” and urging the US to “compel” Moscow to end the war.
Zelenskyy particularly stressed that “for more than a day already, the world has yet to hear a meaningful response from Russia to the proposals made.”
“This once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible. We hope that U.S. pressure will be sufficient to compel Russia to end the war,” he said.
Here is his social media update in full:
The Ukrainian delegation provided me with a detailed report on its meeting with US representatives in Saudi Arabia, including the progress of negotiations and key aspects.
It is good that the conversation was entirely constructive. Ukraine is committed to moving quickly toward peace, and we are prepared to do our part in creating all of the conditions for a reliable, durable, and decent peace. I thank our teams for the fact that military aid and intelligence sharing resumed.
Our representatives informed the U.S. side about Ukraine’s principled positions. Ukraine was ready for an air and sea ceasefire, but the US proposed extending it to land. Ukraine welcomes this proposal. The control of such a ceasefire remains an important issue, and we appreciate the United States’ willingness to organize the technical aspects of such control.
We discussed the need to guarantee security, as well as our cooperation with European partners and further joint steps.
Regrettably, for more than a day already, the world has yet to hear a meaningful response from Russia to the proposals made. This once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible. We hope that U.S. pressure will be sufficient to compel Russia to end the war.
Our team is prepared to continue working constructively with all partners in America, Europe, and other parts of the world who are committed to bringing peace closer. We are grateful to Saudi Arabia and personally to the Crown Prince for providing a platform for our delegations to work.
Delays to German spending plans would be 'irresponsible,' chancellor-in-waiting Merz warns
German chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz has told lawmakers that any delay to massive ramping up of defence investment would be “irresponsible” as he argued for his proposed changes to the constitutional debt brake.
He said that strenghtening Germany’s defence capabilities was “the absolute priority” given an increasingly challenging security environment, saying “deterrence must be quickly and credibly backed by military force.”
Merz also argued that the proposal would help Germany’s struggling economy and were backed by a panel of economists.
“We don’t want to spend money for nothing, but we this as part of a comprehensive reform agenda for our country,” he said.
In a bid to win over the Greens, he said that climate funding will be added to the infrastructure fund, offering a chance to make a “giant leap” in climate protection in Germany.
“The whole world is looking to Germany these days,” he said, adding that lawmakers “must live up to this responisbility” with “a far-reaching, historic decision for our country.”
Speaking earlier, Lars Klingbeil, of SPD, warned that “the postwar order was beginning to falter,” as he reminded them that the Russian invasion on Ukraine is happening “two hours’ flight from here.”
But he stressed that “the international situation dramatically deteriorated in recent weeks.”
Pointedly referencing JD Vance’s speech in Munich and Zelenskyy’s clash with Vance and Trump in the White House, he mentioned concerns about the unpredictability of the American president and the reliability of the transatlantic relationship.
Picking up the US-led ceasefire talks, he said it was “unclear” what the consequences would be for Germany, but insisted that “we must be prepared.”
“If Ukraine falls, then peace in the EU will also be at risk,” he said.
He acknowledged that multiple politicians had previously called for similar investments, without effect, but said it was now “not about whether you feel good about it; it is about responsibility that we share.”
In what seemed like a pointed call to the Greens, he said that “negotiating hard … demanding change is the right thing to do,” but warned them against “carelessly squandering a historic opportunity” to secure that investment.
Trump threatens EU with 200% tariffs on wines, champagnes and alcoholic products
Elsewhere, US president Donald Trump has just threatened the European Union, “one of the most hostile and abusive taxing and tariffing authorities in the world,” with 200% tariffs on “all wines, champagnes and alcoholic products coming out of France and other EU represented countries.”
In a post on Truth Social, he said this would be a response to the EU’s plans to put “a nasty” 50% tariffs on US whisky.
He said the proposed US retaliation would be “great for the wine and champagne businesses in the US.”
Not sure if US consumers and drinkers will be equally excited, though.
Updated
Deal on Merz's 'bazooka' plans for spending 'far from being realised' - snap analysis
in Berlin
Amid expectations of Germany relaxing a key element of its strict fiscal rules known as the “debt brake”, its allies have responded favourably and markets have rallied. Economic forecasters have said a public spending boost is likely to help the country emerge from two years of economic doldrums.
Merz has argued that raising defence spending has become a matter of urgency due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, not just for Germany, but for the whole of Europe. With Donald Trump in the White House, he has argued, the continent must become more independent.
However, the deal is far from being realised, with Merz’s CDU/CSU alliance and his probable future coalition partner, the Social Democrats (SPD), needing to secure the support of the Greens in order to muster the two-thirds majority required to change the constitution.
Merz has faced accusations he intends to use the new money to finance projects which will please the new government’s conservative voter base, and has been called on to provide guarantees, including commitments to much-needed widespread reforms.
The far-right Alternative für Deutschland and the far-left Die Linke have, meanwhile, lodged complaints with the constitutional court, which might deliver its ruling this week.
Updated
But early indications from the Greens aren’t great for Merz:
Senior Greens legislator, Irene Mihalic, dismissed as hipocrisy calls by Merz and the Social Democrats for the Greens to live up to their constitutional responsibilities, saying Merz had refused to enable necessary reforms before the elections when he was in opposition.
A senior Greens legislator said there would still be a sufficient, albeit different, majority to reform Germany’s debt brake once the newly elected parliament had been seated, in an indication they might continue to block conservative chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz’s plan for reform, Reuters reported.
Let’s see how the debate evolves – I will bring you some key lines there as we wait for more updates on Ukraine and Russia’s response to US proposals.
Rocky start in Bundestag debate on debt break reform
The German parliamentary debate is off to a rocky start as Bernd Baumann, of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland, accused other parties for “showing contempt to democracy” and “abuse of parliament” by attempting to push the constitutional amendments through the old Bundestag.
Responding, Katja Mast of SPD, said that the move was in response to growing concerns about the international security situation, which call for “significantly more investment” in defence capabilities.
CDU/CSU’s Thornsten Frei argued that the changes were needed to send a signal that “Germany is back, ready to assume responsibility.”
The AfD’s motion gets rejected, so we’re moving on to the main business.
Proposed US ceasefire only a 'temporary respite' for Ukraine, 'imitates peace actions,' senior Kremlin aide says
Senior Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov has been speaking in the last few minutes on the US proposal, stressing numerous Russian issues about the plan.
We’re getting some key lines from his speech, via Russian news agencies Ria and Tass.
He said:
Russia seeks long-term settlement that takes its interests and concerns into account;
Proposed ceasefire is nothing more than temporary respite for Ukrainian forces;
‘No one needs steps that just imitate peace actions’ in Ukraine;
Ukraine joining Nato cannot be discussed in the context of crisis resolution;
Russia hopes the US will take into account its demands.
He said he passed on his concerns to the US negotiators, too.
German parliament set to discuss Merz's 'bazooka' proposals, constitutional changes
The German parliament is about to open a special session to debate proposals on reforming the constitutional debt brake and new multi-billion spending packages for defence and infrastructure.
The proposal, put forward by the conservative CDU/CSU parties and their likely coalition partners in the next government, the SPD, will be debated today – still in the old Bundestag! – alongside two alternative plans put forward by opposition parties.
But the challenge Merz has set himself in trying to shoehorn the legislation into this tight time frame includes still having to win over the Greens to the plan to vote with them if they are to have any chance of securing the required 2/3 majority to pass the changed. The party sent mixed signals as to their intentions, with negotiations reportedly still taking place late last night…
He will hear from presumed next chancellor Friedrich Merz, and senior representatives of other parties today as they discuss the merits of the proposal.
There isn’t much time: after today’s debate, the parliament is expected to meet again next Tuesday, 18 March.
The process needs to be wrapped up before Germany’s new parliament, elected last month, is set to convene on 25 March.
Early signals from Russia on US ceasefire proposal 'unsatisfactory,' Polish PM Tusk says
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has said that early indications from Russia as to its answer to the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire are “as expected … , to put it mildly, unsatisfactory, not to say cryptic and mysterious.”
“In truth, no one really knows if Russia accepts the early proposal … or will it keep coming up with conditions which are not acceptable for other partners,” he said.
Tusk spoke with reporters upon his return from talks with Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, where the two discussed Turkey’s involvement in any security guarantees for Ukraine in the future.
Tusk continued:
It is good that after the talks in Saudi Arabia, there is no doubt not only as to who is the aggressor and who is the aggressed, but also who really wants a truce and peace, and who wants to continue the war.
But he added he remained hopeful that the US, Ukrainian and European diplomatic efforts will lead to the end of the war.
Tusk also publicly commented on the Polish president Andrzej Duda’s call for US to transfer nuclear weapons to its territory as a deterrent.
“The borders of Nato moved east in 1999, so 26 years later there should also be a shift of the Nato infrastructure east. For me this is obvious,” Duda said in an interview with the Financial Times (£).
Tusk said he had doubts about the effectiveness of any appeals made through the media, and he would rather see similar requests be made “when we have confidence or have reasons to believe that such appeals will be listened to.”
Asked if Duda’s proposal was consulted with the government, he declined to comment further.
Listening to Russian foreign ministry’s spokesperson Maria Zakharova it does not seem like the Russian red lines are getting any softer…
In the last few minutes, she has said that any peacekeeping deployment of western troops or building bases in Ukraine would be “unacceptable,” mean direct involvement into the conflict with Russia, and it would respond with “all available means.”
Finland signs new defence cooperation deal with Ukraine, sends €200m aid
Meanwhile, Ukraine signed a new memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation with Finland on Thursday, which includes provisions on data sharing, ammunition production, and joint defence projects.
Finland’s defence minister Antti Häkkänen said that the agreement builds on the support given to Ukraine over the last three years, as Finland “shares the same view of the Russian threat in light on our historical experiences.”
“This memorandum of understanding is an indication that we want to further expand and deepen this cooperation for the benefit of both countries,” he said.
Separately, Finland also announced a new €200m aid package for Ukraine, pending final approvals, which will increase the total value of the country’s aid to €3.3bn.
Talks with US on Ukraine proposals possible ‘as early as today,’ Russian foreign ministry spokesperson says
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Russia was ready to talk to the United States about a peace initiative discussed between the US and Ukraine, and contacts could take place as early as Thursday, Reuters reported.
After talks with top US diplomats in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Ukraine said it was ready to accept a 30-day ceasefire and the United States said it was putting the proposal to Moscow.
“We are ready to discuss the initiatives set out there in future contacts with the United States. Such contacts are already possible as early as today,” Zakharova said.
The Kremlin said earlier that US negotiators were flying to Russia. It said Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz had spoken by phone on Wednesday.
Putin 'may have international call' later, Kremlin says
We’re getting some news lines out of the Kremlin, confirming that the US has “provided certain information” about the proposed ceasefire, and that president Putin “may have an international phone call later” on Thursday.
No details were offered on who the phone call will be with, but I think it is fair to note, as Reuters did too, that US president Donald Trump is awaiting word from Putin on whether he will agree to a 30-day truce in Ukraine, so that’s one possible scenario.
AFP added that Putin and Trump’s aides spoke by phone on Wednesday.
The Kremlin also declined to comment on whether Russia had presented the US with a list of its demands to end the war in Ukraine.
Italy's Campi Flegrei hit by 4.4-magnitude earthquake
Foreign correspondent
Italy’s Campi Flegrei, a highly seismic area near Naples, next door to the supervolcano Vesuvius, was rocked by a 4.4-magnitude earthquake in the early hours of Thursday.
The overnight’s tremor reached the same intensity as the one recorded on 20 May 2024, which was considered the strongest in the last 40 years.
After the first earthquake tremor, six milder ones followed.
Firefighters intervened in the Bagnoli district, where a ceiling collapsed inside an apartment and one person was trapped inside. Inspections on the buildings are still under way.
Many people were trapped in their homes and had to exit through the windows. Along the street, numerous piles of rubble and several car windshields were shattered. Damage was recorded to the bell tower of the Church of Sant’Anna. Schools will remain closed today. Many people poured out into the streets in panic. Some even attempted to enter the former Nato base to seek protection. Videos are circulating that show the collapse of a ceiling.
The Phlegraean Fields, where about five hundred thousand people live, have been in a state of unrest (volcanic agitation) for years. Since 2012, the Grandi Rischi commission has determined that the alert level should be raised from green to yellow based on recorded parameters: an increase in tremors and emissions, and ground uplift. According to volcanologists, the Phlegraean Fields are more dangerous than a potential eruption of Vesuvius.
The 7-mile Campi Flegrei caldera is a much larger volcano than the nearby, cone-shaped Vesuvius, which destroyed the ancient Roman city of Pompeii in AD79, and is much more active.
The supervolcano has been in a restless state for more than 70 years as a result of a phenomenon known as bradyseism, which scientists understand to be the gradual movement of part of Earth’s surface caused by the filling or emptying of an underground magma chamber or hydrothermal activity. The last time Campi Flegrei had a comparable burst of earthquakes was in the early 1980s.
Campi Flegrei was formed 39,000 years ago after an eruption emptied it of magma. Its last significant eruption was in 1538.
Morning opening: What do you think, Mr Putin?
Ukraine, Europe and the US hold their breath as they wait for Russian president Vladimir Putin’s verdict on the US-led ceasefire proposal, already accepted by Ukraine, which could pause the hostilities for 30 days and potentially pave the way to a more comprehensive peace agreement.
Yesterday, the Russian president focused on projecting strength and power instead, as he donned military camouflage and expressed hope his army was on the brink of “fully liberating” the territory, and told senior commanders that Ukrainian soldiers captured in Kursk should be treated as terrorists.
Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff will be in Moscow today, with reports that he could be meeting with Putin to debrief him on conversations with Ukraine and to seek his answer to the plan. His plane has just crossed into Russia from Latvia, and we will keep an eye on this.
Meanwhile, European countries continue coordinating for a “coalition of the willing” that could provide some security guarantees required to support any peace arrangement, a temporary or a permanent one.
Last night in Paris, there was a sense of urgency among European defence ministers, with French armed forces minister Sébastien Lecornu confirming that about 15 countries had expressed interest in joining. This morning, president Emmanuel Macron will be hosting senior French government figures to discuss what’s next.
Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte, dubbed by some as the Trump whisperer, will be in Washington to talk with the US president.
Separately, we will be also looking at events in Germany with a special Bundestag seating on the incoming government’s plans to reform the constitutional debt break provision. The negotiations on what can be done here were still going on late last night, so let’s see if they found a way forward. Presumed next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is set to speak, of course.
Looks like a busy day ahead for us, so let’s get cracking.
It’s Thursday, 13 March 2025, and this is Europe live. It’s Jakub Krupa here.
Good morning.
Suspilne, Ukraine's state broadcaster, reports that Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Odesa, and partially occupied Zaporizhzhia were the Ukrainian regions that suffered overnight Russian attacks. Ukraine’s military has claimed it shot down 74 of 117 drones overnight, and that Russia also launched an Iskander-M missile.
Russian media reports that Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of Belarus, has arrived in Moscow.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claims that it has prevented a series of attacks against military and civil servants, the Interfax news agency reports. This could not be independently verified by the Guardian.
According to the FSB, “Ukrainian special services” planned to send explosive devices in parcels by mail.
Updated
Russia says it downed 77 Ukrainian drones overnight
Russia downed 77 Ukrainian drones overnight, its defence ministry said Thursday, two days after Kyiv carried out its largest direct strike on Moscow during the three-year war.
Thirty drones were intercepted and destroyed over the western Bryansk region bordering Ukraine while 25 more were downed over Kaluga, the ministry said in a statement.
More drones were intercepted over the regions of Kursk, Voronezh, Rostov and Belgorod, it added.
The latest barrage comes after Russia downed more than 90 drones in the capital region on Tuesday. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called it the “most massive enemy drone attack on Moscow”.
Russia said three people died and several more were injured in Tuesday’s attack, which saw it intercept 337 Ukrainian drones across the country.
Multiple Ukrainian cities were also under attack Thursday morning, with a 42-year-old woman killed in Kherson, according to regional military administration head Roman Mrochko.
Authorities in Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk also reported coming under attack early Thursday.
Updated
More now on the latest from Kursk.
Some background: Ukrainian forces crossed the Russian border on 6 August and grabbed land inside Russia in a bid to distract Moscow’s forces from the frontlines in eastern Ukraine and to gain a potential bargaining chip.
But a lightning Russian advance over the past few days has left Ukraine with a sliver of less than 200 square km (77 square miles) in Kursk, down from 1,300 square km (500 square miles) at the peak of the incursion last summer, according to the Russian military.
“Our task in the near future, in the shortest possible timeframe, is to decisively defeat the enemy entrenched in the Kursk region,” Putin told generals in remarks televised late on Wednesday.
“And of course, we need to think about creating a security zone along the state border.”
Valery Gerasimov, the chief of Russia’s General Staff, told Putin that Russian forces had pushed Ukrainian forces out of over 86% of the territory they had once held in Kursk, the equivalent to 1,100 square km (425 square miles) of land, Reuters reports.
Gerasimov said Ukraine’s plans to use Kursk as a bargaining chip in possible future negotiations with Russia had failed and its gambit that its Kursk operation would force Russia to divert troops from its advance in eastern Ukraine had also not worked.
He said Russian forces had retaken 24 settlements and 259 square km (100 square miles) of land from Ukrainian forces in the last five days along with over 400 prisoners.
Russia’s operation to eject Ukrainian forces from Kursk has entered its final stage, state news agency TASS reported on Thursday citing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
Ukraine’s top army commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on Wednesday that Kyiv’s troops will keep operating in Kursk as long as needed and that fighting continued in and around the town of Sudzha.
The US on Tuesday agreed to resume weapons supplies and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after Kyiv said at talks in Saudi Arabia that it was ready to support a ceasefire proposal.
The Kremlin on Wednesday said it was carefully studying the results of that meeting and awaited details from the US.
G7 ministers to meet in Canada on Thursday
Foreign ministers of leading western democracies will meet in Canada on Thursday after seven weeks of rising tensions between Trump and US allies over his upending of foreign policy on Ukraine and imposing of tariffs.
The Group of Seven ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, along with the EU, meet in the remote tourist town of La Malbaie, nestled in the Quebec hills for two days of meetings that in the past have broadly been consensual on the issues they face.
Top of the agenda for Washington’s partners will be getting a debriefing on US secretary of state Marco Rubio’s talks on Tuesday with Kyiv in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where Ukraine said it was ready to support a 30-day ceasefire deal.
But in the run-up to the first G7 meeting of Canada’s presidency, the crafting of an agreed all-encompassing final statement has been tough, Reuters reports:
A US decision to impose 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports immediately drew reciprocal measures from Canada and the EU, underscoring the tensions.
Washington has sought to impose red lines on language around Ukraine and opposed a separate declaration on curbing Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, a murky shipping network that eludes sanctions, while demanding more robust language on China.
On Monday, Rubio cautioned that Washington did not want language that could harm efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine to the table. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday he said a good G7 statement would recognise that the United States has moved the process to end the war forward.
G7 diplomats said the positive outcome from Jeddah may at least ease talks on Ukraine.
The United States, since Trump’s return to office on 20 January, has taken a less-friendly stance on Ukraine, pushing for a quick deal to end the war, demanded European partners take on more of the burden without openly endorsing their role in future talks, and warmed Washington’s ties with Moscow.
Poland calls for US to transfer nuclear weapons to its territory as a deterrent – report
Poland’s president has called on the US to transfer nuclear weapons to its territory as a deterrent against future Russian aggression, a proposal he said he recently discussed with Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.
“The borders of Nato moved east in 1999, so 26 years later there should also be a shift of the Nato infrastructure east. For me this is obvious,” the FT cited Andrzej Duda as saying in an interview.
It would be safer if those weapons were already in the country, Duda said.
Multiple Ukrainian cities under attack Thursday morning, one killed in Kherson
Multiple Ukrainian cities were also under attack Thursday morning, with a 42-year-old woman killed in Kherson, according to regional military administration head Roman Mrochko.
Authorities in Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk also reported coming under attack.
Updated
Russian operation in Kursk is in final stage, Kremlin claims, as US negotiators head to Moscow
Russia’s operation to eject Ukrainian forces from the western Russian region of Kursk has entered its final stage, state news agency Tass reported on Thursday, citing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
Russian president Vladimir Putin on Wednesday visited Kursk for the first time since Ukrainian forces seized some territory in the region.
The news comes as US president Donald Trump said on Wednesday that negotiators were headed to Russia “right now” for talks on a possible ceasefire with Ukraine, after Kyiv agreed to a 30-day truce.
Trump did not give further details, but the White House later said that his special envoy Steve Witkoff was going to Moscow later this week.
Trump would not say when he would next speak to Putin, but added that “I hope he’s going to have a ceasefire.” “It’s up to Russia now,” said the US president.
Ukraine is increasingly suffering on the battlefield, losing ground in the east and south of the country, where officials said eight people were killed on Wednesday.
Russia has also reclaimed territory in its western Kursk region, pushing back Ukrainian troops who staged a shock offensive last August.
Putin was shown on Russian television visiting troops in Kursk on Wednesday.
“I am counting on the fact that all the combat tasks facing our units will be fulfilled, and the territory of the Kursk region will soon be completely liberated from the enemy,” Putin said.
Russian chief of staff Gen Valery Gerasimov said that 430 Ukrainian troops had been captured and Putin called them “terrorists.”
Ukraine military commander-in-chief Gen Oleksandr Syrsky indicated that some forces in Kursk were pulling back to “more favorable positions.”
Opening summary
Russia’s operation to eject Ukrainian forces from the western Russian region of Kursk has entered its final stage, state news agency Tass reported on Thursday, citing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
Russian president Vladimir Putin on Wednesday visited Kursk for the first time since Ukrainian forces seized some territory in the region.
The news comes as US president Donald Trump said on Wednesday that negotiators were headed to Russia “right now” for talks on a possible ceasefire with Ukraine, after Kyiv agreed to a 30-day truce.
Trump did not give further details, but the White House later said that his special envoy Steve Witkoff was going to Moscow later this week.
Trump would not say when he would next speak to Putin, but added that “I hope he’s going to have a ceasefire.” “It’s up to Russia now,” said the US president.
Here are the other key recent developments:
Ukraine’s army commander-in-chief, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, suggested his troops were pulling back to minimise losses in Kursk. “In the most difficult situation, my priority has been and remains saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers. To this end, the units of the defence forces, if necessary, manoeuvre to more favourable positions,” Syrski posted online, in terms typically used to describe a withdrawal.
Syrskyi said the Russian military was suffering huge personnel and equipment losses while trying to achieve “political gains” by attempting to oust Ukrainian troops. Sudzha is the largest settlement that Ukraine seized in Kursk, and the Ukraine-based Deep State open-source mapping project showed earlier on Wednesday that Kyiv was no longer in full control of it. “The enemy is using assault units of airborne troops and special operations forces to break through our defences, oust our troops out of the Kursk region and move fighting to the territory of Sumy and Kharkiv regions,” Syrskyi said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv was doing “as much as possible” to protect its soldiers. “The Russians are clearly trying to put maximum pressure on our troops, and our military command is doing what it has to do,” the Ukrainian president told a press conference in Kyiv. “We are preserving the lives of our soldiers as much as possible.”
Donald Trump suggested he could target Russia financially as Ukraine’s president urged him to take strong steps if Moscow failed to support a 30-day ceasefire agreed between Ukrainian and US delegations meeting in Saudi Arabia. Washington, Kyiv and Europe are waiting for Moscow’s response to the proposal, and US envoys are expected to hold talks with Putin by the end of the week. The Kremlin has not publicly said whether or not it supports an immediate ceasefire. If Putin refuses, Trump said he could “do things financially that would be very bad for Russia”.
Zelenskyy said he expected strong measures from the Washington if Russia rejected the ceasefire proposal. “I understand that we can count on strong steps. I don’t know the details yet but we are talking about sanctions [against Russia] and strengthening Ukraine.”
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said Washington wanted Moscow’s agreement with no strings attached. “That’s what we want to know – if they’re prepared to do it unconditionally,” Rubio said on a plane heading to a G7 meeting in Canada. “If the response is yes, then we know we’ve made real progress, and there’s a real chance of peace. If their response is no, it would be highly unfortunate, and it’ll make their intentions clear.”
The US threats came as the French defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu, told a press conference in Paris that a ceasefire announcement could come as soon as Thursday and that Europe would have to be prepared to help enforce it. Defence ministers from Europe’s five leading military powers – the UK, Germany, Italy, Poland and France – met in the French capital on Wednesday to discuss the formation of a “reassurance force” that would guarantee peace in Ukraine if a settlement was agreed. Lecornu said they were “hoping to see a ceasefire tomorrow” and that 15 countries were willing to contribute to a force of up to 30,000 personnel that would permanently secure Ukraine’s airports, ports and infrastructure.
