European leaders question whether Russia wants peace before Trump-Putin talks on Ukraine – Europe live


Morning opening: The lull before the storm

US President Donald Trump said he plans to talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin about next steps in the peace process on Ukraine on Tuesday, after “a lot has been done over the weekend.”

His comments – particularly on “dividing up certain assets” – will make Europeans wonder what exactly he is planning to propose when he talks to Putin, and how this aligns with their views on what should happen in Ukraine.

On Saturday, “the coalition of the willing” discussed what they can do, as UK prime minister Keir Starmer talked the arrangement up as moving to “operational phase.”

But the very existence of the coalition appeared to be firmly opposed by Russia, as deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko said that any long-lasting peace treaty on Ukraine must meet Moscow’s demands.

He warned that any deployment of foreign troops to Ukraine would come with “all the consequences for these contingents as parties to the conflict.”

In response, French President Emmanuel Macron said Russia’s permission was not needed as Ukraine was sovereign. “If Ukraine requests allied forces to be on its territory, it is not up to Russia to accept or reject them.”

As Washington gears up for Tuesday’s call between Trump and Putin, European leaders are scrambling to prepare for what’s coming next, fearing any sort of unpredictable and potentially controversial concessions from Trump.

EU foreign ministers are meeting this morning in Brussels to discuss what else they can do to help Ukraine. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas sought to ramp up pressure on Russia as she arrived for the meeting this morning, insisting that “the ball is in Russia’s court and what kind of conditions they are presenting, which is [a] big question whether they want peace.”

“Those conditions that they have presented, it shows that they don’t really want peace, actually, because they are presenting as conditions all the ultimate goals that they want to achieve from this war,” she warned.

Let’s see what we hear over the next 24 hours, ahead of that Trump-Putin call.

It’s Monday, 17 March 2025, and this is Europe live. It’s Jakub Krupa here.

Good morning.

Key events

North Macedonia mourns victims of deadly fire at nightclub

Helena Smith

in Athens

Investigators enter the ‘Club Pulse’ nightclub after a fire in Kocani, Republic of North Macedonia. Photograph: Georgi Licovski/EPA

North Macedonia has declared a seven-day period of mourning after a fire in a nightclub that left at least 59 dead and scores injured, as authorities detained 15 people for questioning and the interior minister said a preliminary inspection revealed the club was operating without a proper licence.

Interior minister Panche Toshkovski said the venue in the eastern town of Kočani where the pre-dawn blaze occurred appeared to be operating illegally.

Map of North Macedonia

More than 20 people were under investigation, 15 of whom were in police custody, while others suspected of involvement were in hospital, he said.

Most of those killed by the blaze, which ripped through the Pulse nightclub during a hip-hop concert, were teenagers and young adults. Over 155 were injured, many critically.

‘I barely stayed alive’: Survivor of North Macedonia club fire recounts escape – video



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