Volodymyr Zelensky has called for the creation of an “army of Europe”, suggesting the continent could not rely on Donald Trump’s United States for its defence.
The President of Ukraine told the Munich Security Conference: “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 also suggested that the “old days” of America supporting Europe were gone, and that no ceasefire deal would be agreed without Ukraine’s involvement.
On Friday, a suspected Russian drone strike on Chernobyl has sparked fears of a radioactive leak but the situation is under control, the chief engineer at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant said.
The strike has caused severe damage to the nuclear power plant’s confinement structure, rendering it non-functional, the engineer Alexander Titarchuk said. “There is now a possibility of a leak of radioactive substances, but the situation is under control,” he said.
He also warned that Russia may be preparing to launch intensified offensive operations into northern Ukraine or attack Nato’s eastern flank in 2026.
Europe will be consulted but excluded from Ukraine peace talks
Europe will be excluded from the planned peace talks between Russia, the US and Ukraine, Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine has revealed.
Asked if Europe would be present at the planned talks, Keith Kellogg said he was from “the school of realism, and that is not going to happen”.
“It may be like chalk on the blackboard, it may grate a little bit, but I am telling you something that is really quite honest,” he said on Saturday.
“And to my European friends, I would say: get into the debate, not by complaining that you might, yes or no, be at the table, but by coming up with concrete proposals, ideas, ramp up [defence] spending.”
Holly Evans15 February 2025 16:08
‘Putin will not go away’, warns Lammy
David Lammy said the Ukraine crisis was an “existential question” for Europe and warned the financial cost of failure would dwarf that of continued support for Kyiv.
The Foreign Secretary said: “There is a question for Europe. If we look at GDP combined, it’s about 0.01% that we are spending on that fight for Ukraine. We know this is the front line, not just for Ukraine, but for Europe.
“We know too that even when we get to a negotiated peace, Putin will not go away. So this is an existential question for Europe.
“We meet that question alongside the United States. At an appropriate time, we will get into a debate about security guarantees.
“And there will be an arrangement, of course, but quite rightly, we say that there is an irreversible pathway for Ukraine towards Nato – that is the cheapest and it is the best mechanism secure to secure peace, not just in Europe, but across the Euro-Atlantic.”
Holly Evans15 February 2025 15:51
David Lammy calls on US to deepen business and trade ties to Ukraine
David Lammy suggested Ukraine should seek closer business and trade ties with Donald Trump’s US to guarantee its future security.
The Foreign Secretary told the Munich Security Conference: “I will say to Trump what I said to the Ukrainians. The UK has just signed a 100 year partnership with Ukraine and I would encourage Donald Trump and the Ukrainians to look very carefully at a deepening partnership over the next generations.
“Why? Because the best deal and the best security guarantee is binding US industry, business, defence capability into their future.
“That is what will make Putin sit up and pay attention, and that is what’s attractive to a US president who knows how to get a good deal.”
The Trump administration is discussing a deal with Kyiv over access to rare earth minerals in exchange for continued military support.
Holly Evans15 February 2025 15:35
Europe faces tough decisions to tackle threats, says French minister
Europe will need to make tough choices and sacrifices in order to deal with the threats facing it and to ensure its security, said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference.
“We need to prepare. We will have to face difficult days, make complicated decisions and even sacrifices which we weren’t expecting until now to ensure this security,” said Barrot, speaking to reporters at the event.
Barrot also said he thought that, after he had held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that the U.S. administration was still forming its opinion over how the U.S should handle the Ukraine crisis.
Holly Evans15 February 2025 15:21
How battle lines compare to pre-war 2014 borders ahead of potential peace talks
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth signaled a dramatic shift in American military policy towards Europe during a speech in Brussels on Wednesday.
“We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine,” Mr Hegseth said. “But we must start by recognising that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective. Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.”
Read the full article here:
Holly Evans15 February 2025 15:00
Italian minister says he believes US will continue to support Ukraine
A senior official from an eastern member state of the European Union cast scepticism on Zelenky’s proposal for a European army, saying: “There is a European military force called NATO.”
Speaking to Reuters, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he believed Washington would continue to support Ukraine.
Asked about Zelensky’s call for a European army, he would not go into specifics but said: “We are already supporting the Ukrainian army with our weapons. We are ready to do what we need to do, to support it before this ceasefire in Ukraine.”
Holly Evans15 February 2025 14:35
General Sir Richard Shirreff: Trump’s craven appeasement of Putin spells danger for us all
Certainly, this week’s pronouncements by Trump and his acolyte Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News anchor who is now the US secretary of defence, have generated anger and despair in Ukraine and among its supporters. But they have also confirmed, with perfect clarity, what has been clear to European members of Nato and Canada since Trump returned to the White House: America, for 80 years since the end of the Second World War, the guarantor of European security, can no longer be trusted as an ally.
Read the full article here:
Holly Evans15 February 2025 14:15
Russia’s defence ministry says its forces capture Berezivka in eastern Ukraine
Russian troops have taken control of the settlement of Berezivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Saturday.
The battlefield report has not been independently confirmed.
Holly Evans15 February 2025 13:58
G7 ministers link future Russia sanctions to good faith talks
G7 foreign ministers agreed on Saturday to continuing working together to get a strong peace deal for Ukraine with robust security guarantees and linked future sanctions on Russia to good faith negotiations by Moscow.
“Any new, additional sanctions after February should be linked to whether the Russian Federation enters into real, good-faith efforts to bring an enduring end to the war against Ukraine that provides Ukraine with long-term security and stability as a sovereign, independent country,” the statement, which includes U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said after a meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
The G7, which also includes France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan, Britain and the EU, underscored their commitment to work together to help achieve a durable peace, and “the need to develop robust security guarantees to ensure the war will not begin again”
Holly Evans15 February 2025 13:39
Nato secretary general calls on countries to increase defence spending
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said the alliance’s members would have to increase defence spending despite domestic political concerns.
The alliance currently calls on members to spend at least 2% of gross domestic product on defence, but Mr Rutte believes a shift to focusing on the capabilities required by Nato will see that rise to more than 3%.
The UK currently spends around 2.3% and the Government has promised to set out a pathway to reach 2.5%, but Mr Rutte told the Munich Security Conference that Donald Trump was right to argue for European nations to do more to pay for security on the continent.
“It is simply not fair if European Nato countries are paying less for their collective defence than the US is paying for that, because the US would also like to lower its taxes or to spend more on education or whatever you want to spend it on.
“The argument cannot be that we are so poor here – we are the richest part of the world, the money is there. That cannot be the problem.”
There would have to be “difficult decisions” taken by European states but sticking to 2% would not be enough.
Holly Evans15 February 2025 13:22
