Kallas and Kubilius were also asked by an FT reporter about the paper’s story (£) on exclusion of most non-EU partners, except for the likes of Norway and Ukraine, from the scheme, potentially closing the path for the US, the UK, and Turkey to be involved. They both appeared to signal some flexibility with “partnership agreements” and with third-country entities through companies “established in the European Union.” “Nobody is excluded,” Kubilius insisted. Kallas, who visited the UK yesterday, addressed the UK example in detail, saying that there were talks about a defence and security partnership with the UK, and she was hoping “to have results” in time by the EU-UK summit in May. “But of course, like you know, it is related to member states and also different worries,” she added. The talks were previously held up by disagreements in other areas. Kallas stressed that maintaining EU unity was central to the proposal. A number of countries – most notably, France – are understood to have been pushing for excluding non-EU countries in a bid to maximise the use of funds on spending with EU companies. In his comments, Kubilius talked about the EU’s need to respond to rising threat from Russia, as a number of intelligence services from EU member states raised concerns about Moscow’s plans to test the Article 5 of Nato “before 2030.” “That is why we need to have a road map for readiness by 2030, because we need to act big,” he said. He said the EU wanted to close its capability gaps “not only having in mind wars of today, but also … of tomorrow.” But he stressed that the key element was to implement the proposals. “Putin will not be deterred if we … read the white paper to him. He will be deterred if we … turn the white paper into action and if we … use it to build very real drones, tanks, artillery for our defence,” he said. Discussing the proposals, Kallas spoke about the need to close “capability gaps” and “ramp up production capacity,” while also making it more synchronised among member states to support them “where they cannot do it alone, because it is too expensive or too complex,” while ensuring interoperability between different systems. “Ukraine should be part of this work too. We have a lot to learn from Ukraine’s battlefield experience. We should also be in the position to develop defence systems for Ukraine, but also with Ukraine,” she said. Specifically on support for Ukraine, Kallas said that the white paper advances proposals to increase ammunition production to “at least two million rounds per year,” and air defence, drones, training and equipping of Ukrainian brigades. She said: “Russia’s economy is in a full war mode. 40% of the federal budget on the military is more than Russia spends on education, healthcare and social policies combined. Regardless of the ongoing negotiations for peace in Ukraine, this is a long term investment in a long term plan of aggression. Ukraine must be armed to avoid any future attacks, and we need a long term plan to stand up to do this.” She was also asked about what she believed would be the appropriate defence funding level for European countries. She said she agreed it was “higher than 2%,” the current Nato target, as “it is clear that we are in a totally new area, [where] new international order is being shaped.” She said that drawing on the cold war experiences, Europe needs to acknowledge “we have a hot war …, and the threat is existential, as real as it can get.” “So yes, we need to do more,” she said, but refused to commit to a specific number. The European Union has just published a document spelling out its plans to rearm the bloc, White Paper for European Defence – Readiness 2030, aimed to respond to “the short-term urgency of supporting Ukraine, but also to address the pressing long-term need to boost Europe’s security and defence.” The plan is based on proposals to mobilise up to €800bn in defence funding. We covered it in more detail on this blog last week with insight from our Brussels correspondent Jennifer Rankin, or you can alternatively read a summary of what it involves here (in a handy ‘factsheet’) or here, from their press release just out now: To effectively address these challenges, the White Paper outlines a number of key lines of action: Closing capability gaps, with a focus on critical capabilities identified by Member States. Supporting the European defence industry through aggregated demand and increased collaborative procurement. Supporting Ukraine through increased military assistance and deeper integration of the European and Ukrainian defence industries. Deepening the EU-wide defence market including through simplifying regulations. Accelerating the transformation of defence through disruptive innovations such as AI and quantum technology. Enhancing European readiness for worst-case scenarios, by improving military mobility, stockpiling and strengthening external borders, notably the land border with Russia and Belarus. Strengthening partnership with like-minded countries around the world. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius are addressing reporters now, and I will bring you some of the key lines from their presentation. Andriy Yermak, head of Zelenskyy’s office, just posted his update on Ukrainian diplomatic efforts: Our work continues. Protecting Ukraine’s interests, ensuring a just and lasting peace, and maintaining a clear strategy for further actions with our partners. We keep working. Defence and security editor British defence sources indicated on Wednesday morning that UK arms and training to Ukraine would continue unaffected, despite the Kremlin’s demand that peace could only be achieved if all foreign military aid were halted. The UK did not initially respond to a Kremlin statement on Tuesday night following a call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, summarising the position the Russian president was said to have taken during the discussion. But on Wednesday morning the UK emphasised there was no change in its position and the flow of military aid – worth £4.5bn this year – would not stop simply because the Kremlin was demanding it. The briefing comes after the leaders of France and Germany said at a press conference on Tuesday they would continue to stand by Ukraine – in response to a Kremlin demand that experts said would leave Kyiv militarily isolated. The Kremlin had said that “the key condition for preventing the escalation of the conflict” was “the complete cessation of foreign military aid and the provision of intelligence information to Kyiv”. We can now bring you further lines from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and his opening statement at the press conference with Finland’s Alex Stubb. Discussing overnight attacks on Ukraine, including transport, hospitals and “ordinary urban infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said that “Putin’s words are very different from reality.” He said the developments overnight stressed the need for further “defence support and air support” to defend itself. Zelenskyy said that unity and joint efforts to exert further pressure on Russia were “absolutely necessary prerequisites for peace.” The Ukrainian president also talked about the importance of bilateral cooperation with Finland on ramping up defence production, coordinating procurements, and joint work on civil protection. Meanwhile, we are also getting first lines from the Kremlin’s briefing today, with Russia: saying “unwillingness of Ukrainian leadership to agree a deal is obvious and a cause for concern” criticising alleged overnight attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, saying they show “Kyiv’s lack of will to reach a deal” and “sabotage of agreement” praising plans to “normalise ties, step-by-step” with the US with “enormous potential” in joint commercial projects saying that Putin and Trump “understand each other well and trust each other” confirming there are plans for further contacts, which are to be confirmed “today and tomorrow” There was nothing accidential about this press conference: Finland’s Alex Stubb is believed to be very closely involved in coordinating the European response to the war and its plans to support Ukraine in case of a ceasefire. Appearing together the morning after Trump-Putin call, the Finnish president appeared to be determined to show his unconditional backing of Zelenskyy, and his intention to bring about a just and lasting peace, pointedly criticising Russia’s ambivalent position. “There are only two ways to respond to the proposal of the President of the United States. It’s a yes or a no. No buts, no conditions,” he said. Stubb, who previously served as Finland’s foreign and Europe minister, used his diplomatic acumen to hit all the right tones on the US role in the talks, going out of his way to praise Donald Trump’s initiative and reassure him – indirectly – that Ukraine and Europe are on the same page with him, unlike Russia. It was meant as a show of unity and backing for Zelenskyy, before what appears to be plans for the Ukrainian presidents to have a call with Trump later today. It’s also worth noting Zelenskyy’s comments pointedly suggesting he believes Russia has violated the half on energy infrastructure attacks discussed in yesterday’s call between Trump and Putin. Expect for that to come up again in his Trump call, if it happens. And that concludes their press conference. At the end of the press conference, Zelenskyy is asked to clarify his earlier comments on a potential call with Donald Trump later today. Smiling, he says “there will be a call, and I will be very brief on this.” “Everything else will come after the call,” he adds. Zelenskyy is now asked about the risk of the US turning its back on Ukraine, and he plays its down, saying he is reassured by the restoration of aid after a brief crisis in relations between the two countries. He says he wants to be “transparent” in Ukrainian diplomacy “so that president Trump and his team, and most importantly, the people of America, could really see and could really know that it is important for us to finish this war as quickly as possible.” He also thanks Finland to its support throughout the war. Zelenskyy gets asked again about Ukraine’s red lines, and he says “the key thing is not to lose independence, the sovereignty of our state and so that never, ever Russia have impact upon the independence of Ukrainians.” He says that issues such as the role and size of the Ukrainian army is not something up for discussions, similarly to economic guarantees. He also repeats the earlier line saying that Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine “are temporarily occupied, and they will not be Russian, ever.” Stubb backs him up, saying “it is only Ukraine that defines its red lines and its negotiating position,” as he stresses that Ukraine “should have the right to choose its own future, its own destiny,” including whether it wants to join the EU and Nato. He once again pointedly praises Trump, saying he is “a seasoned negotiator” trying to “stop the killing, [establish a] ceasefire,” to open space for further peace talks. “I think the key in all of this is that Russia should not be able to do this ever again. And that is a red line … about European security,” he says. Zelenskyy appears to be suggesting that overnight attacks on Ukraine violated Putin’s promise of halting strikes on energy and infrastructure as he lists a number of areas affected by the strikes. He says Putin’s words on halting attacks are “insufficient” and need to be closely followed by actions, as he calls for “a control mechanism” to police the ceasefire, suggesting a role for the US. He says: And if we have such an agreement, and we have a list of objects … – a list of civilian objects, energy objects, infrastructural facilities – we will definitely prepare this list and provide it to our partners. If the Russians do not strike our objects, we will definitely not strike theirs. Zelenskyy gets asked about the Jeddah meeting on Sunday again, but he says he is “not ready to discuss all the details just yet,” and repeats his earlier line on being ready to send a Ukrainian team for “technical” talks if needed. He sidesteps a direct question on how he evaluates yesterday’s Trump-Putin call. Stubb comes in, saying his view was that “of a glass half full,” with “a step in the right direction.” He says that while “we are not there yet” to get a full ceasefire, he pointedly praises US leadership on this issue. Stubb backs Zelenskyy here, saying that “I think historical experience shows that if you portray any form of weakness in the face of Russia, they will use that.” He praises UK prime minister Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron for their leadership on finding a new security arrangement for Ukraine, referencing tomorrow’s meeting of army chiefs in London. He then goes on to say that just as Ukraine, the US, and Russia have their “extremely capable” negotiating teams, Europe should also be prepared to field its team of negotiators. “I would like to see the leadership come from countries such as Britain, France, Germany and Italy. So we need to sort of get our act together, to have skin in the game, and I think especially once the ceasefire begins and the actual peace negotiations begin, Europeans know one or two things about peace and should be involved.” Zelenskyy gets also asked about the Russian demand to stop military and intelligence aid for Ukraine. He responds by saying that “nobody can influence the US on … aid to Ukraine, or other countries,” saying it is a personal decision of national leavers. He goes on to say: In my opinion, yes, Russia will want our partners to stop helping us, because That would mean weakening Ukrainian positions. Although that is strange, if you do not plan to continue waging war and you truly want peace, and I’m speaking about Putin now, then why would you fear Ukrainian army? Why would you do all to undermine our military or to weaken the protection of our people? Zelenskyy says Putin’s call for Ukraine to be deprived of intelligence on planned attacks to help it protect its population “signals [plans] about continuation of the war.” “I believe that there should be no compromises in the aid to Ukraine. We must strengthen, in contrary, the aid to Ukraine, because that is a signal that Ukraine is ready against any surprises from the Russians,” he says. Zelenskyy gets asked if Ukraine will be involved in follow-up talks in Jeddah on Sunday. He says that he will talks about details only after he has spoken with Trump, but Ukraine is ready to “send our technical team to discuss the next steps.” “When this meeting is going to be and what is going to be the format of it, I will be able to tell that a bit later,” he says. Zelenskyy gets asked if he thinks Ukraine is sufficiently involved in peace talks. He responds by saying that “next steps cannot be done without us,” as he intends to reach out to US president Donald Trump later today. “We had a really good meeting in Jeddah between our teams, [and] I think everything was on the right track, except for Russia’s efforts,” he says. He adds he “will discuss some details of the next steps with him, and I think I can hear the details of his conversation with Putin.” Stubb joins in with praises for the Ukrainian “first class” diplomatic team involved in talks. Stubb also picks up that point, saying that “this is such an important moment in international relations and history … because in Europe there has been no serious territorial acquisition of takeover through force [since the second world war], and we do not want that to happen again.” There were issues with the live interpretation of Zelenskyy’s comments in the first few minutes, so we will get back to his opening statements in a bit. But he’s now giving his comments on Trump’s efforts to bring about peace, as he says he hopes for an unconditional ceasefire at some point. “We hope that America will continue to work and pressure Russia … to implement everything,” he says, adding that an unconditional ceasefire would be “one of the initial steps towards peace.” “I believe that this year, the war can end with a dignified peace, but the security guarantees are definitely needed, otherwise Putin will come with the war again. That is his essence,” he says. He adds that Ukraine’s red line is the recognition of occupied Ukrainian territories as Russian. “We will not agree to that,” he stresses. Commenting on yesterday’s Trump-Putin talks, Stubb says it was “a step in the right direction,” but he pointedly makes a reference to Russia’s heavily caveated response to all proposals on ceasefire. There are only two ways to respond to the proposal of the President of the United States. It’s a yes or a no. No buts, no conditions. Ukraine accepted a ceasefire without any forms of conditions. If Russia refuses to agree, we need to increase our efforts to strengthen Ukraine and ratchet up pressure on Russia to convince them to come to the negotiating table. He ends his opening comments assuring Zelenskyy: We are in this together. Opening the press conference, Finland’s Stubb says Europe faces “one of those moments of choices between two different worlds: Yalta or Helsinki; in other words, spheres of influence or equal rights and duties for all states.” He stresses that Ukraine has “an undeniable right to defend itself on its own and supported by its partner,” a right that “cannot be restricted in any way,” dismissing Russian demands to halt help for Kyiv. Stubb says: The principles of international law and the European security order have not changed, and there is no need to start changing them. Independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. These are the principles of the UN Charter and the Helsinki charter. We must work towards a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine based on these principles. The only solution is that Russia ends its war of aggression in Ukraine. Ukraine has an undeniable right to defend itself on its own and supported by its partners. This right cannot be restricted in any way, not now, and not in the future. Finland’s Alexander Stubb and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy are now speaking in Helsinki. You can watch it below, and I will bring you all the key lines here. Russia represents a threat for all European nations, regardless of how far they lie from Moscow, EU chief António Costa told AFP ahead of a leaders’ summit on Thursday. “Naturally, Russia’s neighbours are most concerned by Russia – that goes without saying,” Costa said in an interview. “But what is essential is for everyone to understand that this is a collective threat.” Costa was also asked if Europe should start restricting defence procurement to European firms, and he responded highlighting the urgency of rearming the bloc. “It’s a question of timeframe. The equipment we need now, we should buy where it is available – from Europe, South Korea, Japan, the United States or Turkey. “Obviously if you look longer term, what matters is not just procurement but production. And for that we need to reinforce our industrial and technological base - which we are already doing. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Helsinki today, meeting with the country’s leadership, including the highly-influential president Alex Stubb. The two leaders are expected to give a press conference after their talks soon and I will bring you all the key lines. Defence and security editor Donald Trump began his conversation with Vladimir Putin with a simple demand: a 30-day ceasefire on land, sea and air which Ukraine has already signed up to, as an initial measure on which to build towards a peace. Instead, what the US president got from Putin were questions, half-offers and limited concessions – and, above all, an extraordinary demand from the Russian leader to weaken Ukraine that would make a mockery of any peace agreement. The “key condition” for resolving the conflict, the Kremlin said in a statement after the call, should be “the complete cessation of foreign military aid and the provision of intelligence information to Kyiv”. That means halting military support not just from the US but from all Ukraine’s foreign backers, including Britain, France and all those putting together plans for a post-conflict “reassurance force” intended to provide a long-term security guarantee to Kyiv, allowing it to open its ports and airports, and safeguard utility supplies. It is nowhere near a position Ukraine can accept. Full analysis: Andriy Yermak, head of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, just posted a social media update calling out Russian attacks overnight: In Sumy, a Russian Shahed drone struck a hospital. Russia is attacking civilian infrastructure and people right now. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that Moscow cannot be trusted, after a phone call between US president Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin resulted in a Russian agreement to stop attacking Ukrainian energy facilities temporarily. “If you read the two readouts from the call, it is clear that ... Russia does not really want to make any kind of concessions,” Kallas told reporters in Brussels, Reuters reported. US envoy Steve Witkoff said in a televised interview overnight that US-Russia talks are expected to continue on Sunday, with the two sides meeting again in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Speaking to Fox, he suggested that Russians have also signed up to a form of agreement on “the Black Sea maritime aspect of a ceasefire,” and added that he was “certainly hopeful that Ukrainians will agree to it.” It was not immediately clear if Ukraine will be invited to take part if the Jeddah talks. The Russian readout after the call said that Putin “responded constructively” to Trump’s proposals, agreeing to negotiations to “further elaborate specific details.” Witkoff was also asked on whether there will be “reciprocity” in arrangements, after Russia demanded that Ukraine should not be able to rearm during that period. “I think the devil is in the details. We’ve got a team going to Saudi Arabia, led by our national security adviser and our secretary of state, and I think, you know, we’ve got to figure out those details,” he said. He continued, with lots of praises for both Trump and Putin: “The point is that, up until recently, we really didn’t have consensus around these two aspects, the energy and infrastructure ceasefire and the Black Sea moratorium on firing. And today we got to that place, and I think it’s a relatively short distance to a full ceasefire from there. And again, I stress that it was the president’s former relationship with president Putin, the president stressing that they needed to engage in mutual trust together to bring this war to an end. President Putin, and I would commend him for this, said that he agreed with the president’s posture on it all, he agreed with the approach, he didn’t want to see more people dying in the field. So it was these two great leaders coming together for the betterment of mankind, and it was honestly a privilege and an honour for me to set sit there and listen to that conversation.” German defence minister Boris Pistorius accused Vladimir Putin of “playing a game” on Ukraine, calling out Russia’s attacks on Ukraine overnight. “We’ve seen that attacks on civilian infrastructure have not eased at all in the first night after this supposedly groundbreaking, great phone call” between Putin and US president Donald Trump, Pistorius said in a TV interview, quoted by AFP. The minister also described as “unacceptable” the Kremlin’s insistence that a “key condition” for peace would be a total halt of western military and intelligence support to Ukraine’s embattled military. “This is very transparent,” Pistorius said, adding that Putin aimed to prevent Kyiv’s backers from “further supporting Ukraine and enabling it to really defend itself if there is another attack, during or after a ceasefire”, AFP reported. US president Donald Trump has experienced a regional variation on his art of the deal manual on Tuesday, after Russian president Vladimir Putin seemingly refused to subscribe to his comprehensive ceasefire initiative and instead once again put forward a set of maximalist demands on Ukraine and the broader European security infrastructure. Or as Daniel Szeligowski, head of eastern Europe programme at the Polish Institute of International Affairs, put it: Trump wants to stop the fighting. Putin wants Ukraine to stop the fighting. That may be a subtle, yet fundamental difference. Just hours after the Trump-Putin phone call concluded, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported around 40 “Shahed” drones attacking targets in Ukraine, including civilian infrastructure. Kyiv said this morning that Russia fired six missiles and 145 drones overnight. Zelenskyy called out Putin saying he “effectively rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire,” and urged “the world to respond by rejecting any attempts by Putin to prolong the war.” Sanctions against Russia. Assistance to Ukraine. Strengthening allies in the free world and working toward security guarantees. And only a real cessation of strikes on civilian infrastructure by Russia, as proof of its willingness to end this war, can bring peace closer. European leaders will no doubt give their initial verdicts today, ahead of what promises to be another pivotal EU summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. And the EU will offer more details on its plan to rearm Europe, as part of its initiative worth up to €800bn. Zelenskyy is in Finland, where he will meet with Finnish president Alex Stubb and speak alongside him at a joint press conference.
Author: Jakub Krupa