Zelenskyy arrives in Saudi Arabia
We’re just getting a line that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for his talks with Mohammed bin Salman, whose government has played a mediating role between Ukraine and Russia.
Key events
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Ukraine to propose limited ceasefire and ready to sign US minerals agreement – report
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Over 30 nations expected at Paris military talks on Tuesday
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All-Italian drama at Eurovision as third Italy-related song joins the lineup
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First pictures from Zelenskyy’s visit to Saudi Arabia
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UK’s Starmer talked to Trump to express hopes for ‘positive outcome’ in US-Ukraine talks, restart of US aid, intel sharing
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Rubio hopeful pause to US aid, intel could be resolved, as he sees promise in Ukrainian proposal for truce
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Denmark in principle ready to take part in peacekeeping deployment in Ukraine
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US hopes for good meeting to establish Ukraine’s intentions, confirm it’s prepared ‘to do difficult things, like Russians will,’ Rubio says
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Zelenskyy arrives in Saudi Arabia
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Talks with Greens continue over Merz’s debt reform plans
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Monitoring: Oil tanker and sea vessel collided off UK coast, with over 30 casualties
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US expects ‘substantial progress’ in Ukraine talks, Trump’s Middle East envoy says
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Trump’s US administration ‘not engaging’ with EU to avoid trade war, EU trade chief says
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Nato won’t allow ‘security vacuum’ to emerge in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Balkans, Nato’s Rutte warns
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UK to host follow-up summit on Ukraine on Saturday
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Kyiv to propose air, sea ceasefire with Russia during talks with US
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Tusk asks ‘friends’ to show ‘respect’ after public spat with US over Starlink
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Greens currently opposed to Merz’s ‘bazooka’ spending reforms
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UK rejects ‘malicious and baseless’ accusations from Russia
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Pompidou Centre set to temporarily close for five-year overhaul
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Georgescu to challenge decision barring him from Romanian election, adviser says
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No new talks with US planned for this week, Russia says
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‘Most consequential election’ in Greenland’s history – analysis
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Greenland PM dismisses ‘disrespectful’ comments from Trump ahead elections
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Pro-Russia candidate Călin Georgescu barred from Romanian presidential elections
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Germany hit by strikes at main airports, leaving thousands stranded
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Russia expels two British ‘diplomats’ on spying charges
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Morning opening: It’s Riyadh Season
French president Emanuel Macron has warned that Moldova is facing increasingly blatant Russian attempts aiming at destabilising the country, Reuters reports.
Macron, at a joint press conference with his Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu, said:
Moldova, whose airspace is regularly violated by Russian drones and missiles, also has to contend with increasingly uninhibited Russian attempts at destabilisation, targeting your country’s democratic institutions in particular.
A senior Ukrainian politician said the cost of Donald Trump’s decision to halt the supply of weapons and some intelligence sharing with Ukraine will be measured “in the life of our soldiers”.
The pause will mean that we’ll lose more and more soldiers”, Yehor Cherniev, deputy chairman of Ukraine’s defence and intelligence committee told the BBC.
He said he did not believe the impact will be felt immediately on the frontline, adding that Ukraine has sufficient stocks to fight on for another six months.
Ukraine is less reliant on US-supplied weaponry and ammunition than it was at the start of Russia’s full scale invasion, he said.
Ukraine to propose limited ceasefire and ready to sign US minerals agreement – report
A Ukrainian delegation meeting with US officials in Saudi Arabia tomorrow will propose a ceasefire covering the Black Sea and long-range missile strikes, as well as the release of prisoners, Associated Press reports, citing two senior Ukrainian officials.
The Ukrainian delegation is also ready during the talks to sign an agreement with the US on access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, Ukrainian officials told the news agency.
The Ukrainian armed forces commander-in chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said its forces are not in danger of encirclement in Russia’s Kursk region, despite reports of a recent counteroffensive by Russian forces that has included North Korean troops.
Russia has taken control of several villages in the Kursk region and claims its forces are close to surrounding thousands of Ukrainian troops fighting on Russian territory.
Syrskyi, who said he was visiting the forces fighting in Kursk, said:
Despite the involvement of a significant number of Russian troops in the offensive, reinforced by North Korean infantry, the enemy is suffering significant losses in manpower and equipment.
Jakub Krupa
And as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meetings in Riyadh continue and we wait for more details to emerge from behind the closed doors, let me hand you over to Leonie Chao-Fong who will guide you through the evening.
Over 30 nations expected at Paris military talks on Tuesday
Going back to genuinely important topics, let’s take a quick look at what is expected tomorrow as, thousands of miles away from Jeddah, a number of military officials will meet in Paris for talks on the creation of an international security force for Ukraine, which would be needed in case of a ceasefire with Russia.
A French military official told journalists earlier today that more than 30 nations are expected to join the forum, convened by French president Emmanuel Macron, including Asian and Oceania representatives joining remotly.
The talks’ second part will include “more precise and concrete” discussions where the participants will be invited to say whether and how their militaries might be able to contribute, the official said.
“It’s not, ‘This is what we need,’” the official said. “It’s more, ‘What are you bringing to the pot?’”
Of 32 Nato members, Croatia and Montenegro did not respond to their invitations, and the US was not invited, as European-led group wanted to demonstrate that they can take responsibility for a large part of the post-ceasefire security framework for Ukraine.
All-Italian drama at Eurovision as third Italy-related song joins the lineup
Jakub Krupa
On a lighter note, please indulge me for a second as we take a slight detour to bring you some light on this otherwise depressing day.
Longstanding readers of this blog will know that I like to occassionally look at the bizarre tales of the Eurovision song contest to bring us something to laugh about, and Italy has been at the forefront of the absolute drama this year.
Over the weekend, a third Italy-related song was confirmed in the lineup for this year’s final in Basel, Switzerland, after San Marino decided to send Italian DJ Gabry Ponte with his “Tutta l’Italia,” meaning literally “All of Italy.”
What makes this pick particularly unusual is that… the song was literally the main theme of this year’s Italian song festival in Sanremo, the Italian qualifier for the Eurovision last month.
Ponte reportedly wanted to compete, but wasn’t allowed on a technicality that he is a DJ and not a singer, and instead agreed for the song to be used as the main theme played at the beginning of each and every show, during ad breaks, at the end, and 39812 many other times during the Sanremo week.
Fast forward three weeks, and Ponte was part of the lineup in the San Marino’s contest over the weekend, and… erm, he won it. A senior San Marino minister even joked that now “all of Italy will now be able to vote for him” at the Eurovision, La Repubblica reported.
“The international rebirth of Italodisco starts with San Marino,” the paper said.
Be warned: as one commenter on YouTube put it, “this song lives rent free in my head many days in the row.”
What makes the pick even more tasty is that Ponte will now face Italian-mocking controversy-inducing Estonian pick Tommy Cash – “Ciao bella, I’m Tomaso, addicted to tobacco. Mi like mi coffè very importante” – in the first semifinal, in which Italians will be able to vote and offer their view on both songs…
Also, imagine being the Italian pick, Lucio Corsi, who survived the entire week of hearing this song so many times on loop in Sanremo, only to now be confronted by its existence again, on the big stage, under the flag of San Marino (awkward!).
In other Eurovision dramas, Sweden has Finns singing about the experience of being in sauna, Ireland has a Norwegian musician singing about a Soviet space dog, and Finland has a part of its song in German (no, me neither). And here’s the Ukrainian song, announced today.
Oh, well: that’s geopolitics of the Eurovision song contest for you. At least it’s (usually) harmless.
Back to normal news before I get carried away any further. Hope this made you smile, though. At least a bit?
First pictures from Zelenskyy’s visit to Saudi Arabia
As we are waiting for more updates on Zelenskyy’s meetings in Riyadh, let me bring you first pictures from his meetings there with senior Saudi officials.
UK’s Starmer talked to Trump to express hopes for ‘positive outcome’ in US-Ukraine talks, restart of US aid, intel sharing
Ahead of tomorrow’s US-Ukraine talks, UK prime minister Keir Starmer spoke with US president Donald Trump to discuss their expectations about the meeting.
A Downing Street spokesperson said that Starmer told Trump “that UK officials had been speaking to Ukraine officials over the weekend and they remain committed to a lasting peace.”
The British prime minister also said “he hoped there would be a positive outcome to the talks that would enable US aid and intelligence sharing to be restarted.”
“The two leaders also spoke about the economic deal they had discussed at the White House and the prime minister welcomed the detailed conversations that had already happened to move this forward. Both leaders agreed to stay in touch,” the spokesperson added.
Rubio hopeful pause to US aid, intel could be resolved, as he sees promise in Ukrainian proposal for truce
We now have more details on Marco Rubio’s comments ahead of the US-Ukraine talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, tomorrow.
The US state secretary said he hoped Washington’s cutoff of military aid could be “resolved” during critical talks in Saudi Arabia aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine, AFP reported.
“I think the notion of the pause in aid, broadly, is something I hope we can resolve. Obviously what happens tomorrow will be key to that,” the chief US diplomat told reporters.
He also spoke about the prospects of a ceasefire in the conflict, indicating a level of support for the Ukrainian proposal on air and sea truce.
“I’m not saying that alone is enough but it’s the kind of concession you would need to see in order to end the conflict,” he said.
Rubio has now landed in Saudi Arabia too, but despite Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy also being there tonight, the pair is not expected to meet.
Denmark in principle ready to take part in peacekeeping deployment in Ukraine
Denmark is in principle ready to take part in the European peacekeeping forces deployed to Ukraine, Danish foreign minister confirmed after securing key parliamentary approval.
In remarks reported by the Danish media after a meeting with the Foreign Policy Committee, Lars Løkke Rasmussen said it was important for Europe to “send the right signals to both Putin and Washington”.
No specific decision about deployment was agreed; it was more of an agreement in principle for if and when the right circumstances arise under a ceasefire arrangement between Russia and Ukraine.
As a result, Danish chief of defence, Michael Hyldgaard, will take part in tomorrow’s meeting of military chiefs of staff from multiple European countries, convened by French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
US hopes for good meeting to establish Ukraine’s intentions, confirm it’s prepared ‘to do difficult things, like Russians will,’ Rubio says
We are also getting some comments from US state secretary Marco Rubio who will be taking part in the US-Ukraine talks on Tuesday.
He is quoted by Reuters as saying that he hopes the meeting will go well, but it is important to “establish clearly Ukraine’s intentions” on peace, and that Ukraine “is prepared to do difficult things, like the Russians will.”
We will bring you more from him when we have it.
