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“If we, Europeans, fail to spend big on defence now, we will be forced to spend 10 times more if we don’t prevent a wider war,” Tusk said on X. Arriving in Paris, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen struck a similar tone, writing on X that “we need an urgency mindset” and a “surge in defense” and “we need both of them now.” Differing views The informal meeting is gathering leaders from France, Poland, Germany, Italy, Spain, the U.K., the Netherlands and Denmark, as well as senior EU officials. European NATO countries are now poring over a questionnaire…

According to two people familiar with the matter, Francis has been suffering from intense pain and has privately expressed fears that he won’t make it this time. On Sunday, doctors at Gemelli distressed the pope by barring him from delivering his regular morning Angelus sermon, which he has rarely missed, even when hospitalized, said one of the people and a third person. He is now acting entirely on “doctors’ orders,” said one of them.  The pope initially resisted going to hospital but was told in no uncertain terms that he was at risk of dying if he stayed in his…

Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen said “many, many” things needed to be clarified before troops can be sent to Ukraine. More money The leaders did find some common ground on the need for increased defense spending — which has been steadily increasing for a decade. Starmer acknowledged that “Europeans will have to step up, both in terms of spending and the capabilities that we provide to Ukraine,” while Tusk said U.S.-EU relations on defense were entering “a new stage,” as Europeans realize the need for more spending on defense and greater self-reliance. “Europe has understood the U.S. message that it has to do more…

Ukraine doesn’t have to accept whatever peace plan Russia and the United States present, Scholz added. Listen AI generated Text-to-speech Share

An informal summit in Paris among European leaders concluded without any concrete announcement, as the idea of deploying peacekeeping troops to Ukraine remains highly divisive. European leaders vowed on Monday to continue their joint support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s invasion but failed to provide any new security guarantees that could make a difference amid Donald Trump’s push to launch negotiations with Russia.Trump’s declared intention to strike a deal to settle the three-year war in the coming weeks has shaken Europe to the core and stoked fears it could lead to painful concessions for Kyiv and leave the…

But far-right and right-wing MEPs opposed it, using a procedural maneuver to slow things down: The Patriots for Europe, European Conservatives and Reformists and EPP argued that before the Parliament can officially engage with the body, the house’s own rules of procedure need to be amended. The Socialists and Democrats, Renew and the Greens pushed to send a list of nominees for the body’s expert group to Parliament President Roberta Metsola and the vice-president in charge of the ethics body. | Janos Kummer/Getty Images The Greens’ Daniel Freund, the lead negotiator on the creation of the ethics body last term,…

Son revirement se reflète dans la nouvelle voie tracée par la Commission, qui, depuis les élections européennes de l’année dernière, s’est détournée de l’élaboration de politiques vertes pour se concentrer sur la politique industrielle probusiness, dont font partie les mesures de réduction de la bureaucratie telles que le paquet omnibus. Ce changement est perçu par beaucoup comme une capitulation devant les forces de droite, qui se développent dans toute l’Europe, et perturbe les alliés libéraux de Macron. “Ne cédons pas au populisme qui consisterait à penser, comme l’extrême droite d’ailleurs, que dès que c’est une norme, vous le shootez”, défend…

But they said the administration said they won’t “get ahead” of itself. POLITICO asked Starmer on a trip to Kyiv last month if he’d commit to a vote on any British peacekeepers. He declined to give such a commitment. ‘United front’ MPs from Westminster’s opposition parties are demanding parliament’s involvement, too. “We support the prime minister’s proposals on Ukraine — and we have also always supported parliament having its say on military deployments,” Helen Maguire, the defense spokesperson for centrist opposition party the Liberal Democrats said. During his campaign to win the Labour Party’s leadership in 2020, Starmer pledged to…

A rare encounter where a kayaker in Chile was briefly scooped into the mouth of a humpback whale has been caught on camera. A humpback whale briefly swallowed a kayaker off Chilean Patagonia before quickly releasing him unharmed. The incident, caught on camera, quickly went viral.Last Saturday, Adrián Simancas was kayaking with his father, Dell, in Bahía El Águila near the San Isidro Lighthouse in the Strait of Magellan when a humpback whale surfaced, engulfing Adrián and his yellow kayak for a few seconds before letting him go.Dell, just metres away, captured the moment on video while encouraging his son…

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron and his American counterpart Donald Trump spoke on the phone minutes before Macron greeted European dignitaries who had gathered to discuss security in Paris. The French president’s office said the “frank conversation” lasted 20 minutes. The call came as European leaders are scrambling to come up with a unified response to the upheaval posed by Trump’s second term, including his plans to meet directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. European powers worry that they are being cut out of a negotiation in which they hold a vital…