‘No real negotiations’ on peace taking place between US, Russia and Ukraine, EU leaders say – Europe live
European Council summit starts – snap analysis
Jennifer Rankin
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.
Key events
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‘No real negotiations are taking place’ on Ukraine, EU leaders say
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Ukraine’s Zelenskyy visits Norway
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EU delays countermeasures against the US to allow for further negotiations
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US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia expected on Monday, Russian media say
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Russia sustained 900,000 casualties in Ukraine, with up to 250,000 dead, highest losses since WW2, UK assessment says
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Fury in Italy over Meloni’s comments on Ventotene manifesto
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European Council summit starts – snap analysis
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We need to help Ukraine become EU member ‘as soon as possible, latest by 2030,’ Finnish PM says after meeting Zelenskyy
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Europe ‘stepping up,’ but needs to be ready to defend itself in 3-5 years, Danish PM says
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Russian air attacks on Ukraine continue, with two reported dead and dozens injured
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EU summit about ‘finalising first stage of perhaps most important European project in decades,’ Tusk says
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‘That was Macron, I will call him back,’ Zelenskyy briefs journalists on ‘fruitful, perhaps most fruitful we had’ conversation with Trump
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Morning opening: Europe rallies to support Ukraine
‘No real negotiations are taking place’ on Ukraine, EU leaders say
Jennifer Rankin
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.
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.
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
Angela Giuffrida
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
Jennifer Rankin
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.
