Starmer says Russia ‘is playing games,’ hints at push for more sanctions
In his comments, Starmer said it was a “very constructive” meeting.
There was absolute clarity that Russia is trying to delay [peace], is playing games, and we have to be absolutely clear about that.
He says the leaders agreed that there was need for more support for Ukraine “to make sure Ukraine is in the strongest possible position, both now and in further negotiations.”
Starmer also says there was “complete clarity that now is not the time for lifting of sanctions.”
“Quite the contrary, what we discussed is how we can increase sanctions to support the US initiative, to bring Russia to the table through further pressure from this group of countries,” he said.
He says the meeting also discussed further its “military and operational” plans to support any ceasefire and peace in Ukraine, “whether on land, in the air or at sea.”
“What came out was strong from the meeting was so many countries standing, as they’ve stood for over three years now, with Ukraine in this crucial moment for as long as it takes for,” he said.
Key events
-
Macron challenges Russian ‘untruths’ on Ukraine and its evasive response to ceasefire
-
Europe united in condemning Russia, supporting Ukraine, Poland’s Tusk says
-
Macron’s press conference starts
-
Lifting Russian sanctions would be ‘a serious mistake,’ Germany’s Scholz says
-
Starmer says Russia ‘is playing games,’ hints at push for more sanctions
-
Paris meeting on Ukraine wraps up
-
We need talks, not tariffs, Ireland’s foreign, trade minister says
-
‘America is not stepping away,’ UK defence secretary says, dismissing speculation on US giving up Nato’s top military command
-
Macron spoke with Trump before Paris summit – media
-
Proposal to automatically give babies mother’s surname ignites row in Italy
-
German agriculture minister pick withdraws after protests
-
Poland suspends right to claim asylum at Belarus border
-
Denmark criticises Trump’s ‘escalation’ on Greenland ahead of JD Vance’s visit
-
Search for missing US soldiers continues in Lithuania
-
Zelenskyy arrives at the Élysée as Paris talks begin
-
Élysée arrivals – in pictures
-
The stage is set – Élysée Palace
-
Putin shows he is not a serious player in peace talks, Starmer warns
-
Trump announces 25% tariffs on overseas cars, threatens with further tariffs against EU
-
Morning opening: Bienvenue à Paris
Macron challenges Russian ‘untruths’ on Ukraine and its evasive response to ceasefire
French president Emmanuel Macron says he welcomes the role of US president Donald Trump in running the peace talks, stressing they are “in constant contact,” and hails the courage of Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He says the coalition’s objective is clear: “fundamentally, to win peace, and to do this, we must place Ukraine in the best possible position to negotiate and ensure that the peace that will be negotiated will be solid and lasting.”
He directly challenges Russia for not signing up to the proposed ceasefire and floating new conditions; he also criticises “stories and untruths” coming from Moscow.
Europe united in condemning Russia, supporting Ukraine, Poland’s Tusk says
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said that the talks looked beyond Ukraine, but also at the security of entire continent.
He said the meeting showed “very positive changes” in Europe over the last few years, with countries united in condemning the Russian aggression and stressing the need to keep supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes.
He also said the participants expressed “identical position” on the need to keep sanctions on Russia and on “the necessary effort to try to keep our relations with the US as good as possible, even if the circumstances are not always favourable.”
“We are all aware that Nato, Europe, we are safer when that cooperation with the US is at the highest possible level,” he said.
Tusk also said that the group of countries that met in Paris will also look at ways to circumvent potential stumbling blocks in its response to the crisis, like Hungary’s continuing opposition to sanctions on Russia.
Macron’s press conference starts
French president Emmanuel Macron is starting his press conference after the Paris summit right now.
You can watch it with us (in French), but I will bring you all the key lines in the blog.
Lifting Russian sanctions would be ‘a serious mistake,’ Germany’s Scholz says
Outgoing German chancellor Olaf Scholz said in his press briefing that there was continued support for Ukraine, as he urged Russia to accept the ceasefire offer on the table.
He criticised Moscow for “always adding” conditions to what is discussed, making him conclude that Russia “is not currently interested in real peace.”
Scholz also warned that removing sanctions from Russia “would be a serious mistake,” as he called for them to be maintained and tightened.
“It makes no sense to end the sanctions before the peace has actually been achieved,” he said, adding “unfortunately, we are still quite far from that.”
Starmer says Russia ‘is playing games,’ hints at push for more sanctions
In his comments, Starmer said it was a “very constructive” meeting.
There was absolute clarity that Russia is trying to delay [peace], is playing games, and we have to be absolutely clear about that.
He says the leaders agreed that there was need for more support for Ukraine “to make sure Ukraine is in the strongest possible position, both now and in further negotiations.”
Starmer also says there was “complete clarity that now is not the time for lifting of sanctions.”
“Quite the contrary, what we discussed is how we can increase sanctions to support the US initiative, to bring Russia to the table through further pressure from this group of countries,” he said.
He says the meeting also discussed further its “military and operational” plans to support any ceasefire and peace in Ukraine, “whether on land, in the air or at sea.”
“What came out was strong from the meeting was so many countries standing, as they’ve stood for over three years now, with Ukraine in this crucial moment for as long as it takes for,” he said.
Starmer and Zelenskyy are now giving their quick reactions to the meeting.
Starmer stresses that now is not the time for lifting sanctions against Russia.
Zelenskyy adds it is important for countries to speak “common voice” and to “push Russia” further.
He says “everybody understood and understands that Russia, today, doesn’t want any kind of peace,” as he adds that there will be further work on security guarantees for Ukraine “in the closest weeks and days.”
And that’s it – but I think we’re expecting a more formal press conference with Starmer later.
UK prime minister Keir Starmer has just walked out with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, deep in conversation.
They briefly stop to give reporters a wave, but no comments, yet.
Paris meeting on Ukraine wraps up
First leaders are now leaving the Élysée Palace – EU’s Ursula von der Leyen and Germany’s Olaf Scholz have just departed – so it’s a sign of things wrapping up inside.
I will bring you their press conferences as soon as they take place.
We need talks, not tariffs, Ireland’s foreign, trade minister says
Meanwhile Irish foreign and trade minister Simon Harris issued a statement in response to Donald Trump’s earlier comments on tariffs, saying “talks rather than tariffs is the sensible way to proceed.”
He said:
Ireland continues to engage with colleagues across Europe and the United States on the issue of trade policy.
We believe talks rather than tariffs is the sensible way to proceed.
This week, I spoke again to US Commerce Secretary Lutnick and we agreed to stay in touch. I also spoke to EU Trade Commissioner Sefcovic and I am in ongoing contact with him and his team. I have had conversations with many of my European counterparts.
When I arrive back in Dublin from Lebanon today, I will be meeting senior officials to further take stock.
The European Union wants to sit down with the US and reach agreement on a trade relationship that works for everyone because trade is good for jobs, growth and all our economies. This is what needs to happen.
I welcome that there will also be a special EU Trade Council on the 7 April which I will represent Ireland at.
Andriy Yermak, head of Zelenskyy’s office, posted a cryptic update on the talks in Paris, listing lots of European and non-European flags alongside a military-style helmet, a saluting emoji, a side-eye emoji, and thumbs up.
Make of that what you will – but the meeting should be wrapping up soon.
Other leaders – or their teams, more like – also posted social media updates on Paris.
Germany’s outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz posted a picture of himself with Zelenskyy, adding: “Germany stands by your side – for as long as it takes.”
Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda said he warned fellow leaders that “negotiations on Russia’s terms would pose a direct threat to the European security architecture.”
‘America is not stepping away,’ UK defence secretary says, dismissing speculation on US giving up Nato’s top military command
Dan Sabbagh
UK defence secretary John Healey has dismissed speculation that the US may be willing to give up Nato’s top military command, the
Supreme Allied Commander Europe (Saceur) post it has held since the alliance was founded.
The defence secretary told reporters that “America is not stepping away” from Nato and that, and as a result, “for me, there is no vacancy. There’s no question that it’s not and should not be an American Saceur.”
Incumbent Gen Christopher Cavoli is due to complete his rotation this summer and a handful of media reports have suggested that
the new US administration had considered giving up the role as part of a wider retreat from Europe.
However, more recent briefing has suggested the idea has been dropped, with the UK particularly keen to ensure the US remains committed and engaged to Europe despite the scepticism of many in Donald Trump’s top team.
When Trump was directly asked last Friday about the speculation he also sounded dismissive though he did not rule it out explicitly, saying the alliance was “gone until I came along” before European members for increasing defence spending. “Nato is solid, is strong but they have to treat us fairly,” he added.
Macron spoke with Trump before Paris summit – media
Back to Paris, the French media reported that president Emmanuel Macron spoke with US president Donald Trump “ahead of” today’s summit with “the coalition of the willing.”
Quoting a source at the Élysée Palace, Le Monde and France24 reported that the conversation took place after last night’s meeting between Macron and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The US is not taking part in today’s summit.
Proposal to automatically give babies mother’s surname ignites row in Italy
Angela Giuffrida
An Italian politician has proposed a law that would make it automatic for babies to be assigned their mother’s surname at birth, a step that would mark a rupture with a centuries-old tradition and has sparked a fiery debate.
Dario Franceschini, a former culture minister from the centre-left Democratic party, argues that such legislation would “right a historic wrong”.
His proposal follows a 2022 ruling by the constitutional court which defined the practise of newborns automatically taking their father’s surname as “discriminatory and harmful to the identity of the child”.
The court said children should be given both parents’ surnames in the order they decided, unless they agreed their children should take just one of them. If there was indecision or disagreement, it added, a judge would have the final say.
German agriculture minister pick withdraws after protests
Ajit Niranjan
The conservative pick for German agriculture minister has withdrawn his candidacy after animal rights activists stormed his farm, prompting cross-party condemnation.
Günther Felßner, a farming lobbyist who had won the backing of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), said his wife was “in fear of life and limb” when activists climbed on to the cattle shed she was in to hang a banner and light smoke-emitting flares on Monday.
Felßner said he would withdraw his candidacy as a result of the protest, which politicians have criticised as antidemocratic. The Bavarian conservative leader Markus Söder called it an “attack on rural life” and demanded a special investigation.
Radical protests have become a polarising force in Germany, with political tolerance for disruptive actions – such as climate activists gluing themselves to runways and farmers blocking streets with tractors – often dependent on the group carrying them out.
Poland suspends right to claim asylum at Belarus border
The Polish government has effectively suspended the right to claim asylum for people illegally crossing the Polish-Belarusian border, after hurryingly adopting the relevant implementing act in a written procedure overnight.
The law, fiercely criticised by constitutional experts and human rights advocates, includes some very limited exceptions for unaccompanied minors, pregnant women and vulnerable people.
The order, made just hours after president Andrzej Duda signed the new law, suspended the right to apply for asylum on the country’s eastern border with Belarus, for the maximum allowed period of 60 days. It can be extended by a vote of parliament.
A government press release accused Belarus of leading “an organised operation” to disturb public order through facilitating irregular migration into the EU.
It said that the irregular migrants, “for whom Poland never had been a target or transit country before,” are told how to “abuse” the procedures to claim protection.
Interior minister Tomasz Siemoniak said in an early morning social media post that the order “gives Border Force officers one of the key tools to fight illegal migration, which is part of a hybrid act of aggression against Poland.”
Denmark criticises Trump’s ‘escalation’ on Greenland ahead of JD Vance’s visit
Tensions are growing ahead of US vice-president JD Vance’s visit to Greenland on Friday, after Donald Trump said overnight that “we’ll go as far as we have to go” to take control of the island.
In a series of comments, the US president explained his logic, telling conversative talkshow host Vince Goglianese that:
“It’s an island that from a defensive posture, and even offensive posture, is something we need, especially with the world the way it is, and we’re going to have to have it.”
He insisted that Vance’s visit was about “friendliness, not provocation,” even as he added:
“So, I think we’ll go as far as we have to go. We need Greenland and the world needs us to have Greenland, including Denmark.”
His comments were met with further annoyance among Danish leaders, with the prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, warning that Trump’s interest in Greenland “is not going away,” criticising “unacceptable” pressure being put on Denmark.
“They know very well that Greenland is not for sale … [and] does not want to be part of the United States,” she said.
But turning directly to Greenlanders, who opposed the original plans for a more expansive visit and continue to protest US plans, she said:
“But it is in times like these that you show what you are made of,” she wrote on Facebook.
“You have not been cowed. You have stood up for who you are – and you have shown what you stand for. That has my deepest respect,” she said.
(In a particularly amusing plot twist here, Danish media TV2 reported that US representatives were at one point going door to door in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, hoping to find a family that would welcome US Second Lady, Usha Vance, for a visit, but got a firm no from every single one of them.)
Defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen went further in his comments, saying that Trump’s “very powerful” statements towards an allied country “do not befit” the position of the US president.
“I need to clearly speak out against what I see as an escalation from the American side,” he said.