Closing summary
… and on that note, that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, as we wrap up today’s Europe Live, leaving EU leaders to continue they talks that are expected to run late into the night.
We are still waiting for comments from UK prime minister Keir Starmer after his meeting with army chiefs and planners from “the coalition of the willing.”
If and when we get them, we will bring you his words on our UK live blog here:
Here are the three things to take away from today’s Europe Live blog:
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he had no discussions with US president Donald Trump about the potential US ownership of Ukraine’s nuclear and energy plans (15:22). He also called out Vladimir Putin’s “propaganda claims” and “manipulations” as Russia continued strikes on Ukraine, despite reportedly agreeing to a limited ceasefire (13:12, 15:13, 16:00).
EU leaders meeting in Brussels agreed that “no real negotiations are taking place at the moment” after discussing Donald Trump’s attempts to end Putin’s war on Ukraine, expressing deep scepticism that the Russian president is serious about seeking an end to the three-year conflict that he started (11:47, 14:35).
Army chiefs and planners have met in Britain where, hosted by UK prime minister Keir Starmer, they discussed what “the coalition of the willing” could do to support Ukraine in case there is a peace agreement with Russia (15:41).
Russia names former FSB officer behind Ukraine invasion to lead peace talks
Shaun Walker in Kyiv
Pjotr Sauer
Russia has named a secretive former FSB chief who played a key role in planning Vladimir Putin’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine to lead next week’s peace talks with the US in Saudi Arabia.
Moscow announced that Sergei Beseda, the former head of the FSB spy agency’s fifth directorate – who oversaw intelligence operations in Ukraine and orchestrated the recruitment of collaborators before the invasion – will travel to Riyadh for Monday’s talks with the US.
Both sides said the talks in Saudi Arabia are aimed at finalising a limited ceasefire deal agreed this week and initiating negotiations on a maritime ceasefire.
Beseda will be joined by Grigory Karasin, the chair of the senate’s committee on international affairs, for a new round of talks with US officials.
Exiled Russian journalists left ‘high and dry’ after US cuts radio funding
Media editor
Exiled Russian journalists are being left “high and dry” and at risk of being stranded overseas without any legal status after the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw funding from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
The Guardian understands that some Russian journalists working for RFE/RL, which was founded during the cold war and broadcasts to countries including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, will face imminent problems over their legal status should the broadcaster shut down.
Many of RFE/RL’s Russian journalists operate from Prague, Riga and Vilnius, with their work visas often tied to their employment. Terminating the broadcaster’s funding would trigger visa expirations, leaving them without legal status within months.
Zelenskyy tells EU to keep pressure on Russia, calls out Hungary's attempts to block Ukraine's EU accession
In the meantime, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy also released a video and some comments from his speech to the European Council summit in Brussels earlier this morning.
The Ukrainian president urged leaders to not fall for the Russian “hoax,” pretending that he wants a ceasefire where the opposite is true, as he said “Putin must stop making unnecessary demands that only prolong the war and must start fulfilling what he promises the world.”
She specifically told them to keep pressure and sanctions on Russia “until it starts withdrawing from our land and fully compensates for the damage caused by its aggression.”
“Keep fighting against sanction evasion schemes and Russia’s attempts to finance its war effort,” he pleaded.
But he also asked for more pressure “within Europe itself,” calling out Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán for blocking Ukraine’s prospects of joining the EU.
“It is simply anti-European when one person blocks decisions important for the entire continent or that have already been agreed upon. Ukraine fulfilled the requirements, but right now, there are serious difficulties in opening Ukraine’s first and other negotiation clusters for EU accession,” he said.
He ended on thanks for continued support and his comments that Europe “must always be at the table” in discussions on security, reassuring leaders he raised it in talks with the US.
Separately, as Jennifer Rankin tells me, in a joint statement EU leaders – minus Hungary – welcomed the joint statement by Ukraine and US following their meeting in Saudi Arabia, including proposals for a ceasefire agreement, humanitarian efforts and resumption of US intelligence sharing and security assistance.
Here is the video and here are the comments as released, in full:
I addressed the European Council and emphasized that if we say Europe should be stronger in global competition, we must also discuss making European decision-making faster, more flexible, more effective – whether in politics, defense, economics, industry, or any other area.
Last night, Russia launched a massive drone attack on Ukraine—171 strike drones, mostly Shaheds. Their target was our infrastructure. And in the city of Kropyvnytskyi, in central Ukraine, residential buildings, a church, and a school were damaged. Among the wounded—four children.
Yesterday evening, another Russian strike hit our energy infrastructure. We in Ukraine face this every day and night. And despite Putin’s words about being “ready to stop attacks”—nothing has changed.
It’s crucial that our partners’ support for Ukraine doesn’t decrease but instead continues and grows. Air defense, military aid, our overall resilience—all are crucial. We need funds for artillery shells and would really appreciate Europe’s support with at least five billion euros as soon as possible.
Investments in weapons production are needed both in Ukraine and in Europe. Europe must ensure its technological independence, including in weapons manufacturing. Everything necessary to defend the continent should be produced in Europe.
The ReArm Europe program should start operating as soon as possible. Ukraine has effective and modern tech, especially in drones and electronic warfare, which can benefit all of Europe and our global partners. Further development, and increased efficiency – along with European investments in Ukraine’s production and co-production – are key to Europe’s new security foundation.
Sanctions against Russia must remain in place until it starts withdrawing from our land and fully compensates for the damage caused by its aggression. Keep fighting against sanction evasion schemes and Russia’s attempts to finance its war effort.
Ongoing diplomatic efforts do not mean Russia should face less pressure. That’s crucial to reducing the chances of a Russian hoax. We all know how easily Moscow disregards its promises – one moment they give their word, and a few hours later it means absolutely nothing. That’s why we must keep pushing Russia toward peace.
Yesterday, I had a productive conversation with President Trump. Ukraine has always advocated for an end to attacks on energy and infrastructure and a ceasefire at sea. Our teams will also work towards achieving an unconditional, full ceasefire on land.
Putin must stop making unnecessary demands that only prolong the war and must start fulfilling what he promises the world. By now, there could have been over a week without killings, without strikes, without fire – if Putin were not the only one keeping this war going. The proposals made in Jeddah on March 11 are still on the table. We must keep pressuring Russia to make them a reality.
Unfortunately, some pressure is also needed within Europe itself to ensure that anything promised – actually happens, particularly Ukraine’s EU accession talks and resolving some fundamental issues for European unity.
It is simply anti-European when one person blocks decisions important for the entire continent or that have already been agreed upon. Ukraine fulfilled the requirements, but right now, there are serious difficulties in opening Ukraine’s first and other negotiation clusters for EU accession.
European efforts that should be bringing more security and peace are also constantly being obstructed. This is wrong. Europe must have a way to prevent individual actors from blocking what’s necessary for all.
Europe needs speed in making decisions and clear tools to protect itself from unnecessary blockages. Ukraine is part of Europe, and Europe is one of the players in global peace efforts. We did our best for Europe to be equal with others in these efforts and peace negotiations. Together we achieved it.
Europe must always be at the table in discussions about its own security. We must work in unity on all European matters. We talked about this in Jeddah, and we always discuss it with all our partners – Europe is a participant in diplomacy.
I am grateful to those working with us on future security guarantees for Ukraine—and, in turn, for the entire eastern flank of Europe and the continent as a whole. For those who haven’t joined yet—I invite you to do so. All of us must be as efficient as possible in this work on security guarantees – and as quick as possible.
Updated
Elite London law firm fined £465,000 for Russian sanctions breaches
Earlier today, we also had some news on UK enforcement of sanctions after Herbert Smith Freehills, the elite global law firm based in London, has been fined by the British government after its former Moscow office made millions of pounds in payments to sanctioned Russian banks.
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), said it had imposed a penalty of £465,000 on HSF Moscow, which was a subsidiary of HSF London until its closure in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The fine, which was upheld after Herbert Smith requested a ministerial review, relates to six payments worth a combined £3.9m, made by HSF Moscow to Alfa-Bank JSC, PJSC Sovcombank and PJSC Sberbank.
The trio of banks are all subject to an asset freeze under Britain’s sanctions on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, the UK government said.
Herbert Smith Freehills, which has 2,400 lawyers in 24 offices around the world, blamed the payments on human error during the final week of its efforts to shut down its Moscow operations in response to the war.
OFSI, a division of the Treasury, said the payments, spread over a period of seven days as the company wound down its Russian offices, were caused by a “pattern of failings”.
It blamed inadequate due diligence and sanctions screening, amid the “hasty closure” of HSF Moscow.
London talks with army chiefs focused on keeping skies, seas, borders safe in Ukraine if there is peace deal, Starmer says
Our attention will be now turning to Britain where UK prime minister Keir Starmer will lead a meeting of over 30 military chiefs and planners on what “the coalition of the willing” could do to support Ukraine in case a peace deal is secured for Ukraine.
Starmer said the talks would focus on “military planning, military operations” to support Ukraine.
“Today those plans are focusing on keeping the skies safe, the seas safe and the borders safe and secure in Ukraine,” Starmer told reporters.
“Now we’re working at pace because we don’t know if there’ll be a deal, I certainly hope there will be, but if there’s a deal, it’s really important that we’re able to react straight away.”
In the last few days, Starmer visited a nuclear submarine HMS Vanguard on its return from mission as he wanted to “thank submariners for their months of silent service deep under water,” Downing Street said.
He was the first prime minister to join a similar debrief since David Cameron in 2013.
Starmer also took part in the ceremonial keel laying of the next generation Dreadnought submarine, the next generation of the UK’s nuclear deterrent.
Updated
Zelenskyy also gets asked whether he would be prepared to discuss neutrality of Ukraine.
He says it was a repeated request from Russia, but that is not an option.
Any suggestion of radically slimming down Ukrainian army or recognising the occupied territories as Russian “is an ultimatum, not an offer to end the war,” he says.
He also says once again that giving security guarantees to Ukraine would be simply easier if it was allowed to join Nato, as “we very much want it and believe it would solve” issues.
He also is asked about Crimea and if he talked to Trump about media reports that the US president was looking to recognise it as Russian territory.
He says Trump “did not” raise this issue, but they briefly talked about it last November, with Trump asking why Ukrainians love it so much.
But he says that since Russian invasion in 2014, there are no tourists there and the territory is struggling after losing water supply, logistics linking it with continental Ukraine. But he repeatedly says its a “Ukrainian peninsula.”
And the press conference ends here.
Zelenskyy says no discussion with Trump on US ownership of Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Zelenskyy also gets asked about the prospects of US ownership of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station or any other energy assets.
He replies saying that “all nuclear power plans belong to the people of Ukraine,” owned by state, and get paid by Ukraine, even as it is “temporarily occupied” by Russia.
He then goes into details of problems with the plant and its cooling after the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, which pose questions over “very severe technical conditions.”
He also pushes back on suggestion the plant could change ownership, repeatedly saying he discussed with Trump “how to find the solution from the situation and … take the station from the Russians,” with options for the US to be involved in modernising or developing it further, but “the issue of property, we did not discuss.”
He further says there was no discussion on other plants.
Updated
Zelenskyy talks about the prospects for a ceasefire, saying Ukraine initially floated the idea of a ceasefire at sea and in the air as it believed these were the easiest modes to police, but it was then expanded by the US as the Trump administration pushed for a full ceasefire.
“And I said immediately, we approve, we confirm [that] we want to move” ahead with this, he says.
But he says that after US-Russia talks, there was “a step backwards” with a limited ceasefire focused on energy and civilian infrastructure instead.
He says he discussed it with Trump yesterday, and offered a full list of objects to be covered by the agreement.
He says he is hopeful this will be agreed after further technical discussions in Saudi Arabia on Monday.
Responding in his opening statement, Zelenskyy thanks Norway for its support, and says it understands “what Russia brought to our home.”
He specifically thanks for Norwegian support for Ukraine’s energy sector, which he says “helped us to get through winters of this war,” despite Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
He says:
“We need to continue pressure Russia’s so that Putin stops manipulations and makes the concrete steps that all the world wants,” agreeing to first limited ceasefire and then expanding it further.”
“Everybody saw that Ukraine unconditionally agrees to [this process], and we wait until the aggressor accepts this,” he says.
Zelenskyy says the pair discussed ways of strengthening Ukrainian defence capabilities, and using diplomacy to put more pressure on Russia.
Støre says he welcomes “a friend” to Oslo as he praises Zelenskyy’s “leadership, endurance and consistent fight for Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty.”
He says Norway continues to support Ukraine and its efforts to “get a ceasefire and then negotiations for a fair, just and lasting peace.”
He also says that the recently agreed increase in Norwegian defence support for Ukraine “is now being immediately translated” into practical support, including in artillery, ammunition, and drones.
“This is a partnership that we take forward every day, and you can count on that support. It is the right of a sovereign country to resist aggression, and you have our full support in that fight,” he says.
Store, Zelenskyy addressing press in Oslo
Norway’s Støre and Ukraine’s Zelenskyy are now speaking in Oslo.
You can follow it live below, but I will bring you all the key lines.
Europe needs to 'stand together' and 'stand up,' ex Nato secretary general Stoltenberg says
Nordic correspondent
Jens Stolenberg, the former Nato secretary-general who last month re-entered Norwegian government as finance minister, said uncertainty over US commitment to the transatlantic alliance is not a reason to “give up Nato”, but motivation for European and Canadian contributions to increase.
Speaking shortly before Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy touched down in Norway on Thursday morning, Stoltenberg told the Guardian that whether or not the US decides to reduce its Nato contributions, it is crucial that other Nato members “stand together” and “step up”.
“We need to all do what we can to ensure that Nato remains a strong alliance between North America and Europe that has helped to keep us safe for more than 75 years. There have been differences and disagreements before but we have been able to overcome them by realising we are all safer when we stand together,” he said.
He made the comments from Copenhagen where he on Wednesday met with Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen and attended the screening of a documentary about his final year in Nato.
“If the US should decide to reduce their contributions to Nato, it is even more important that we stand together the rest of us in Nato and step up, as European allies now do. And not least the United Kingdom, being the second largest military power in Nato after the United States.”
He added: “I cannot rule out that the US will reduce their contributions to the Nato command structures, to the Nato forces, but I expect the United States to remain a Nato ally. The answer to that is not to give up Nato but to strengthen the European and Canadian contributions to Nato.”
It was, he said, “valid” and “fair” of the US president, Donald Trump, to ask other Nato members to do more.
“The issue of burden sharing is a real issue where European allies have done far too little, and it is valid, it is fair of different US administrations to ask the Europeans to do more,” he said. “The good news is that Europeans are doing more.”
'No real negotiations are taking place' on Ukraine, EU leaders say
Brussels correspondent
EU leaders agreed that “no real negotiations are taking place at the moment” after discussing Donald Trump’s attempts to end Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine.
Europe’s leaders have already voiced deep scepticism that the Russian president is serious about seeking an end to the three-year conflict that he started.
EU leaders meeting in Brussels for a summit had “a quick exchange” with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who joined via video link, according to a readout of the meeting from an EU official.
The statement said:
“They discussed the situation on the ground in Ukraine and the state of play of the US-led talks. There was a shared view that no real negotiations are taking place at the moment.”
EU leaders also discussed how to support Ukraine politically and militarily in talks that lasted around two hours.
The show of support was marred by Hungary’s refusal to sign a joint text. “The European Council calls on Russia to show real political will to end the war,” states the text that Viktor Orbán declined to support.
It also states that the EU remains “ready to step up further pressure on Russia,” including with new sanctions and tougher enforcement of existing restrictive measures.
Updated
Speaking of people on tour, Britain’s Prince William is in Estonia today and tomorrow, where he is visting UK troops based in the Baltic country.
He has met with the country’s president Alar Karis this morning, and tomorrow will go to Tapa camp, some 100 miles from the Estonian border with Russia, to meet the British troops stationed there to protect Nato’s Eastern flank.
Ukraine's Zelenskyy visits Norway
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues his Nordic tour: after visiting Helsinki yesterday, he is now in Oslo, meeting with the country’s leaders, including prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre and finance minister, and former Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg.
In a short media statement, Støre said he was “very pleased” to welcome Zelenskyy to Norway, and said the country was fully behind Ukraine “in its fight to defend itself and is contributing to the effort to achieve a lasting, just peace in the country.”
The pair will appear at a press conference together later this afternoon, and I will bring you all the key lines from that presser.
EU delays countermeasures against the US to allow for further negotiations
The European Union has delayed its first countermeasures against the United States over US president Donald Trump’s metals tariffs until mid-April, allowing it to re-think which U.S. goods to hit and offering extra weeks for negotiations, Reuters said.
The European Commission had proposed re-imposing 2018 tariffs on €4.5bn ($4.9 billion) of US products on April 1, followed by hitting a further €18 bn of US goods on 13 April.
“We are now considering to align the timing of the two sets of EU countermeasures so we can consult with member states on both lists simultaneously, and this would also give us extra time for negotiations with our American partners,” EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič told a hearing at the European Parliament on Thursday.
The commission subsequently confirmed all EU countermeasures would take effect in mid-April.
Updated
US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia expected on Monday, Russian media say
We’re getting reports from the Russian news agency Interfax that a Kremlin aide said the next round of US-Russia talks will be held in Saudi Arabia on Monday, 24 March.
As for Zelenskyy himself, in his last social media update he called out Russian “propaganda claims” and criticised “their true attitude towards peace” as they continued strikes on Ukraine.
The Ukrainian leader, who is visiting Norway today, said:
Russian strikes on Ukraine do not stop, despite their propaganda claims. Every day and every night, nearly a hundred or more drones are launched, along with ongoing missile attacks. With each such launch, the Russians expose to the world their true attitude towards peace.
Yet always—even under the most difficult conditions—our people can count on the immediate support of the State Emergency Service personnel, police officers, medics, utility workers, and all those who help to clear the rubble, extinguish fires, restore the destroyed, and most importantly, save and protect lives.
Last night, the Russians launched nearly 200 “Shahed” drones and decoy UAVs. A massive attack on the Kirovohrad region left 10 people wounded, including four children, and caused damage to homes, a church, and infrastructure.
I thank everyone who works on the ground and helps to eliminate the consequences of Russian terror. We thank those who are always on duty, at the forefront of saving lives. Everyone whose work is a pillar of strength for all of us, something that allows us to continue fighting and living, no matter what.
Russia sustained 900,000 casualties in Ukraine, with up to 250,000 dead, highest losses since WW2, UK assessment says
As we wait for further updates from Brussels, including on the leaders’ discussion with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, it’s worth noting a new assessment from the UK Ministry of Defence, published this morning.
It says that since invading Ukraine in 2022, “the Russian armed forces have likely sustained approximately 900,000 casualties (killed and wounded),” assessing it as “likely” that “200,000 – 250,000 Russian soldiers have been killed, Russia’s largest losses since the second world war.”
It further warned that:
“Russian President Putin and the Russian military leadership highly likely prioritise their conflict objectives over the lives of Russian soldiers. They are almost certainly prepared to tolerate continuously high casualty rates so long as this does not negatively affect public or elite support for the war, and those losses can be replaced.”
It concluded that:
Putin and the Russian leadership highly likely place significantly less value on the lives of ethnic minority Russian citizens from impoverished regions, with Russian recruitment efforts consequently focused disproportionately on these areas.
Fury in Italy over Meloni's comments on Ventotene manifesto
Italy correspondent
Elsewhere in Europe, there was a fiery debate in the Italian parliament on Thursday following prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s attacks against the “Ventotene manifesto” – one of the founding texts of the EU drafted in 1941 by anti-fascist activists imprisoned on the island of Ventotene.
The controversy began on Wednesday, when Meloni ended a speech in the lower house ahead of an EU council meeting by criticising those who had cited the manifesto during a pro-Europe rally in Rome on Saturday. “I hope that those who quote it did not read it, as the alternative would be frightening,” she said.
Meloni appeared to be referring to passages in the text in which its writers called for a “European revolution” to ensure their demands of the continent “being more socialist” were met, as well as calling for the abolishment of private property.
“I don’t know if this is your Europe, but it’s certainly not mine,” said Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy is an offspring of a neofascist party.
Opposition parties were outraged and parliament had to be temporarily suspended.
Raffaela Paita, a senator with the centrist Italia Viva party, said it was “shameful” of Meloni to take the sentences “written by exiled heroes” out of context.
“What happened yesterday dishonours the country and does not give justice to Europe and the anti-fascist resistance,” she said.
Meloni’s comments contradict a tweet she posted in 2016, when former prime minister Matteo Renzi hosted a summit on Ventotene with the then German chancellor Angela Merkel and François Hollande, the former French president, in a show of European unity after the Brexit referendum – in which she praised the writers of the manifesto for appearing to have “clearer” ideas on Europe than the trio.
European Parliament president Roberta Metsola is now giving a press conference, debriefing the press on her talks with EU leaders this morning. Their discussion with her was the first point on the agenda of the summit.
She says that “all the cliche that we are at the crossroads that we have been saying … for many years, no longer applies,” as the bloc simply needs to act “to ensure Europe is safer, stronger and simpler.”
She says that EU citizens say they expect the blog to “take a bigger role in protecting them,” as she urged leaders to move beyond rhetoric and take actions.
She warned that “we have no time to waste on Ukraine,” insisting Europe needs “a real and lasting peace” guaranteeing sovereignty of Ukraine.
She also spoke on EU efforts on competitiveness and budget.
“Europe’s citizens are watching … us [on] what we do today, tomorrow, in the next few weeks and months, they expect action, and they expect it quickly,” she said.
Looking back at some of the doorsteps, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez said on in Brussels that the European Union should focus on bolstering its technological capabilities to defend itself rather than building more stocks of weapons, Reuters reported.
Referring to the white paper released by the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas, which recommends joint military supply purchases, Sanchez said his “principal objection” is around the term “rearming”.
“We have to speak differently, to address our citizens in another way when we speak about the need to improve security and European defence capabilities,” he said.
“The EU is a political project of soft power and also we have hard power duties nowadays. We’re very committed not only to increase our defence expenditure but also to have this angle of security.”
Southern European countries, he said, had different challenges to those faced by eastern flank allies, and needed to focus on strengthening border controls, fighting against terrorism and cyber-attacks.
“These are the things we need to take into account when we speak about these new financial instrument and fiscal rule capabilities that we will have for the coming years,” he said, quoted by Reuters.
European Council summit starts - snap analysis
Brussels correspondent
European leaders have begun summit talks in Brussels on defence and the economy that are expected to stretch into the night.
Shortly Volodymyr Zelenskyy will brief EU leaders on his call with Donald Trump.
This won’t be a day for big decisions, but leaders could spar over how to fund EU defence investments and “buy European”. Arriving at the summit Greece’s prime minister Kyriákos Mitsotakis urged fellow leaders to “move in a more ambitious direction” by agreeing on EU grants to member states to buy defence equipment. In the frugal corner, Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof, offered a flat no to any further moves towards common debt that would be used to create those grants: “We are opposing eurobonds,” he told reporters. “It is not new, it is what we always say.”
France can be expected to maintain its position on “buy European”, having secured a victory with proposed €150bn loan fund that completely excludes countries from defence contracts without a defence and security agreement with the bloc. Finland’s prime minister Petteri Orpo has said that Europe had to build its defence in close cooperation with the US.
As earlier this month, it is likely 26 leaders will pledge support for Ukraine – without Hungary. In the draft summit text, seen by the Guardian, EU leaders will call on Russia “to show real political will to end the war”.
But a plan from the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas to send immediate military aid to Ukraine appears to have been downgraded. Rather than the initial idea to send tens of billions to Ukraine, member states are being asked to provide ammunition.
Some member states, notably the Netherlands and some Baltic countries, want to see a €40bn EU pledge of military aid for Ukraine for 2025. But that idea seems to have fizzled out, with France, Italy and others against an EU plan, saying bilateral aid can meet Kyiv’s needs.
The Kallas plan was an attempt to get relative underspenders, France, Italy and Spain, to give more to Ukraine.
Irish prime minister Micheál Martin said he was looking forward to hear from Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and he welcome the commission’s white paper on defence as a “significant document,” of which Ireland is “supportive.”
“There are a lot of issues around procurement capacities within Europe, and the capacity of the European defence industry to respond to this increased expenditure,” he said.
But he was much more cautions on proposals floated by Kallas proposals for €40bn in immediate aid to Ukraine, saying “it’s early days, there has not been agreement on it,” suggesting it could end up being a “much lower figure.”
Martin also spoke at length about the situation in the Middle East, calling out Israel’s bombing as “what seemed to me to amount to collective punishment of the Palestinian within Gaza,” which he said was “quite shocking.”
“It needs to stop, and Europe needs to stay, stop the killing … that is going on in Gaza at the moment,” he said, calling for a swift move to “phase two of the ceasefire.”
Martin was also asked about the US plans to impose tariffs against the EU, saying “Europe needs to be unified in response,” also across industries, as he pointed out that “EU doesn’t want tariffs, … hasn’t initiated any tariffs, and believes, as Ireland does, that tariffs are bad for business, bad for consumers, and they raise prices.”
Outgoing German chancellor Olaf Scholz said it was “crucial” for Ukraine to remain “an independent, sovereign and democratic nation” that can continue on its path to EU accession and have a strong army even after a peace settlement with Russia.
He said the EU should continue to provide significant support to Ukraine, as he referenced German constitutional reforms allowing the country to ramp up its defence spending.
He said he hoped the German Bundesrat would approve the proposals on Friday, “so we have the flexibility to do everything we need to do as a large state in the heart of Europe,” including further aid for Ukraine.
When asked that it is most likely his last EU summit as the chancellor, he said that “we will do our work until the very end.”
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she was particularly hoping to hear from Zelenskyy about “his feeling of the call with president Trump,” as she welcomed the “extremely important” US president’s apparent commitment to look into strengthening the Ukrainian air defence.
She added that “the stronger they are on the battlefield, the stronger they are behind the negotiation table.”
She said that if EU leaders have doubts about making longer-term committments, they should “decide on the short term, the imminent needs that Ukraine has.”
“If you listen to the statements of the leaders, then the support is very much there, and that is why it should be also seen in deeds, in numbers, in actual ammunition that Ukraine needs. So I’m really hopeful that we will push this forward,” she said.
Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson said he was “cautiously optimistic” about the progress made on Ukraine, but was growing frustrated with Russia’s “ifs and buts” on ceasefire, adding it was up to Moscow to “prove it” that it is serious about ending the conflict.
He also pointed to later talks in the UK with army chiefs and planners as an important part of discussions on how Europe can support any future peace agreement.
He also backed a broader push to increasingly turn to European defence companies, making the continent “a little less” dependent on US industry, but stressed that Stockholm would always buy the best equipment available, as he praised his relationship with the US.
We need to help Ukraine become EU member 'as soon as possible, latest by 2030,' Finnish PM says after meeting Zelenskyy
Finnish prime minister Petteri Orpo said acknowledged that “we can see that the EU has lessons learned from the war in Ukraine,” recognising that “Russia is and will be the permanent threat to the EU and Europe.”
He said the target should to be make “the European pillar of Nato as strong as possible and less dependent on others.”
“It is a very ambitious goal, but we have to start right now,” he stressed,
Orpo also drew on his conversation with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy who was in Helsinki on Wednesday, saying “they really want to be a member of the EU; they want to be one of us, and that is why we have to help them, support them in their path to the membership as soon as possible, latest by 2030.”
Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis backed the EU’s white paper on defence, saying he was “happy” with the content as he “has been advocating for quite some time for the need to give more fiscal flexibility to the member states, to spend more on defence.”
“I see that is included in the white paper, and we hope that it will be soon approved by our ministers of finance,” he said.
He added, however, that “I would urge us to be even more ambitious, although I think it’s an it’s an excellent first step,” he said.
Europe 'stepping up,' but needs to be ready to defend itself in 3-5 years, Danish PM says
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen said on arrival that it was “encouraging … that Europe is stepping up” in response to “great changes” in global order, calling for the bloc to rapidly press ahead with “concrete steps” on defence.
She said that Europe should be able to defend itself “within three to five years,” with the primary and “credible” threat coming from Russia.
In particular, she urged countries “a bit further away” from Russia to listen and follow the lead of what she called “the front states” with “historical experience with Russia, negative in all countries.”
Frederiksen also asserted that “only Ukraine can determine Ukraine’s future,” as she rejected Moscow’s plans to “decide who should be members of the EU, who should be members of Nato,” saying that view “cannot be accepted under any circumstances” and would mean Europe “lost.”
She also pointed out that Putin “could stop the war now,” if he wanted, as it remains the sole aggressor in the conflict.
“There was a conversation between president Trump and president Putin, and what do the Russians do after that? They bomb Ukraine. That is a strange way for Russia to make peace,” she said.
Latvian prime minister Evika Siliņa said on arrival that “Ukraine remains our top priority,” as she wanted to hear more from the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on the executive’s plans for rearming Europe.
She said Latvia was “supporting” the EU’s intention to boost the bloc’s defence preparedness, but said it was “just one, first step.”
She also spoke about the need to “take away bureaucractic burden” away from companies to help member states arm faster to face the growing Russian threat.
Siliņa also commented on Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s phone call with Donald Trump, saying that she thought it was “going well, and they have negotiated very well.”
She also called out some European countries for “not doing their homework” on defence spending, as they continue to spend below the Nato 2% target.
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Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof is one of the first European leaders to arrive at the European Council summit.
In a (very) extensive Q&A with the Dutch media he was mostly asked about the defence spending and funding issues, as well as whether he trusts Vladimir Putin on any future ceasefire.
He said the Russian president “has shown his intentions” with the war on Ukraine, and stressed the need for “very firm” peace agreement that could be enforced.
He also rejected Russia’s demand that Europe stop offering military aid to Ukraine, saying it was “not an option,” and pointing to on-going talks between Europe, the UK, Canada and Turkey about a broader role they can play in Ukraine.
Asked again about the funding element of the package in English, he said that the Netherlands was supporting EU proposals and remained “constructive”, but continued to stress that “sustainable debt is important,” which is why it keeps opposing eurobonds.
He also hinted at the Dutch interest in “direct investment in the Ukrainian defence industry” to use its capacity and speed up the ammunition production in Ukraine.
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Russian air attacks on Ukraine continue, with two reported dead and dozens injured
Ukraine reported 171 Russian drone attacks overnight, of which its air defence systems shot 71 down, and 63 were downed by electronic jamming systems or were lost, AFP said.
Russian attacks reportedly killed two people in Sumy and Kharkiv regions, with “several others” wounded after attacks in the border regions. A separate attack in the city of Kropyvnytskyi wounded 10, including four children, Reuters said.
Russia meanwhile said its air defence units had shot down 132 Ukrainian drones in several regions across the country.
EU summit about 'finalising first stage of perhaps most important European project in decades,' Tusk says
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk spoke with reporters in Warsaw early morning, before leaving for Brussels, saying the EU summit will be about “finalising the first stage of perhaps the most important European project in last decades: making Europe safe, armed, and united against the Russian threat.”
“You may remember how oftentimes we were alone in warning other European partners against the Russian threat … and now are about to see Europe unite around the very same problem that often saw Poland stand alone,” he said.
Tusk also urged Poland’s president Andrzej Duda to sign into law the bill on migration and asylum law changes, giving the government’s the right to temporarily suspend asylum applications from irregular migrants.
He said the move was needed to counter “the pressure on our border with Belarus … which is growing” as he accused Alexander Lukashenko and Russia’s Vladimir Putin of encouraging irregular migration to put pressure on the EU’s external borders, waging “a de facto war – they call it hybrid [war], but it’s something more serious than hybrid war” against Poland.
'That was Macron, I will call him back,' Zelenskyy briefs journalists on 'fruitful, perhaps most fruitful we had' conversation with Trump
in Kyiv
In a Zoom call with journalists late on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said he had “felt no pressure” from Trump, adding: “It was a fruitful conversation, perhaps the most fruitful we have had, the mood was positive.
“We have received signals from the United States that we are talking about the ceasefire on energy facilities, so not to attack energy infrastructure, and we are also talking about the civilian infrastructure facilities.”
Zelenskyy said his team would draw up a list of the kind of facilities they felt could be included and would present them to the Americans at upcoming negotiations.
The Ukrainian leader also said that he and Trump had discussed the US proposal to take ownership of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in south Ukraine.
“We talked only about one power plant, which is under Russian occupation,” he said.
In a sign that European leaders are closely watching the discussions between Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy, the Ukraine president answered a phone call while speaking with reporters on Wednesday evening and promised to call back.
Returning to the briefing, he said: “That was President Macron, we have a conversation on average once a day, he’s helping a lot. I will call him back.”
Morning opening: Europe rallies to support Ukraine
It’s another busy day in European diplomacy.
European leaders are meeting in Brussels this morning to discuss Ukraine, Middle East, competitiveness, and European defence, building on a recent extraordinary summit.
Dangling the carrot of multibillion investment in European industries, António Costa, European Council president, wrote to leaders:
Our continued support to Ukraine, the need to invest in our defence and our competitiveness are closely interlinked. A more competitive Union will be a stronger Union, better able to protect its citizens, its interests and its values on the global stage.
In the course of the morning, the leaders will here from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, getting an unfiltered view of his phone call with US president Donald Trump.
In particular, they will be probably keen to hear more about the plans for a limited – but gradually expanding, if possible – ceasefire, and Trump’s unusual promise to “work with him to find what was available, particularly in Europe” to support Ukrainian air defence, which could be seen as an indirect rejection of the Russian demand to stop arming Ukraine.
Over lunch, they will also speak with UN secretary general António Guterres; ECB president Christine Lagarde and Eurogroup president Paschal Donohoe will also join for a bit.
Their talks are likely to go into late evening, but our attention will shift to Britain in late afternoon, as UK prime minister Keir Starmer hosts over 30 army chiefs and planners to discuss his plans for the “coalition of the willing”.
We should hear from him at some point, too, but in a show of just how serious he is about defence, he made a rare visit to a nuclear-armed submarine HMS Vanguard – a first such visit by a serving prime minister in more than a decade.
But his coalition faces a challenge even before it came into existence as Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has made clear he wouldn’t accept western military aid flowing to Ukraine and Nato forces on Ukrainian soil under any peace settlement. Despite this, there are no signs that his words in any way affected the continuing planning. Ultimately, that’s what “peace through strength” is meant to be about.
Lots to cover – starting from European leaders’ arrivals in Brussels in the next hour or so. I will bring you all the latest here.
It’s Thursday, 20 March 2025, and this is Europe live. It’s Jakub Krupa here.
Good morning.
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