Starmer to join crisis summit after Europe’s exclusion from peace talks: latest

Keir Starmer is set to join a European crisis summit to face down the threat of Russia after the US barred European leaders from peace talks with Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine war.

France is preparing to host the last-minute, informal meeting with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte following comments by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky that the continent should form an “army of Europe” as it could not rely on the US for defence.

Sir Keir said: “This is a once-in-a-generation moment for our national security where we engage with the reality of the world today and the threat we face from Russia.”

“It’s clear Europe must take on a greater role in Nato as we work with the United States to secure Ukraine’s future and face down the threat we face from Russia.

“The UK will work to ensure we keep the US and Europe together. We cannot allow any divisions in the alliance to distract from the external enemies we face.”

Some leaders make history. Others have it thrust upon them when they fail to understand the moment.

Donald Trump’s announcement that he has opened bilateral negotiations with Vladimir Putin over the future of Ukraine, which Putin invaded and where his armies have been accused of committing war crimes, is one such “moment”.

Keir Starmer must now decide whether he has what it takes to lead the country – or go down in history as an appeasement prime minister like Neville Chamberlain.

Read the full article here:

During a Munich Security Conference dominated by questions over how Europe responds to the new Trump administration, Mr Zelensky suggested the continent would need to provide the bulk of any force to secure peace in Ukraine if a deal is done to end the war, because US support could not be guaranteed.

Mr Zelensky said: “As we fight this war and lay the groundwork for peace and security, we must build the armed forces of Europe so that Europe’s future depends only on Europeans, and decisions about Europe are made in Europe.”

He told the gathering in Germany: “Does America need Europe as a market? Yes. But as an ally? I don’t know.

“For the answer to be yes. Europe needs a single voice, not a dozen different ones.”

He said that “we can’t rule out the possibility that America might say no to Europe on issues that threaten it”.

He said “many leaders” had previously said that Europe “needs its own military, an army of Europe”.

“I really believe that time has come, the armed forces of Europe must be created,” he added.

Russia claims its forces have seized the village of Berezivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, marking a potential shift in the ongoing conflict.

Ukrainian officials have yet to respond to the claim.

This development comes amid Russia’s persistent, year-long campaign along the eastern front. Moscow’s larger army has been steadily pressuring Ukrainian forces, who are facing shortages in manpower and resources, as the war nears its fourth year.

Read the full article here:

On Wednesday, Ukraine’s military capacity was immediately undermined in the medium term by Pete Hegseth telling his fellow Nato defence ministers that “Europe must provide the overwhelming share of future lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine”.

Read the full article here:

Increasingly alarmed that U.S. security priorities lie elsewhere, a group of European countries has been quietly working on a plan to send troops into Ukraine to help enforce any future peace settlement with Russia.

Britain and France are at the forefront of the effort, though details remain scarce. The countries involved in the discussions are reluctant to tip their hand and give Russian President Vladimir Putin an edge should he agree to negotiate an end to the war he launched three years ago.

What is clear is that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy needs a guarantee that his country’s security will be assured until peace takes hold. The best protection would be the NATO membership that Ukraine has long been promised, but the U.S. has taken that option off the table.

Read the full article here:

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Saturday the United States had sent a questionnaire to European countries asking them what they could do to provide security guarantees for Ukraine.

“The Americans have provided Europeans with the questionnaire on what would be possible,” he told Reuters at the Munich Security Conference.

“This will force Europeans to think, then it’s up to the Europeans to decide whether they actually answer the questionnaire, or whether they answer it together.”

France is discussing with its allies the possibility of holding an informal meeting among European leaders on Ukraine, although nothing has been decided at this stage, a French presidency official said on Saturday.

Speaking on a panel at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that French President Emmanuel Macron had called for a summit of European leaders in Paris.

“President Trump has a method of operating, which the Russians call reconnaissance through battle. You push and you see what happens, and then you change your position, legitimate tactics. And we need to respond,” Sikorski said.

“And I’m very glad that President Macron has called our leaders to Paris tomorrow, and I expect them to relate to this in a very serious fashion.”

The French presidency official said that if there were to be any such summit, it would not be on Sunday.

“I am glad that the (Polish) Prime Minister @donaldtusk will go on Monday at the invitation of the President @EmmanuelMacron to a meeting of European leaders. We need to show our strength and unity,” Sikorski later said on Twitter.

It was not clear whether the invite would only be sent to European Union member states or more broadly and whether Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky would be invited.

“I told them that I want the equivalent of like $500 billion worth of rare earths, and they’ve essentially agreed to do that.”

China, with whom Trump has threatened a trade war, is the world’s largest producer of rare earths and many other critical minerals. Both the U.S and Europe have sought to reduce their dependence on Beijing.

Read the full article here:

“I told them that I want the equivalent of like $500 billion worth of rare earths, and they’ve essentially agreed to do that.”

China, with whom Trump has threatened a trade war, is the world’s largest producer of rare earths and many other critical minerals. Both the U.S and Europe have sought to reduce their dependence on Beijing.

Read the full article here: