US envoy to Ukraine reveals ‘intensive and optimistic’ talks with Zelenskyy – Europe stay

Polish president Andrzej Duda has simply posted a social media replace about his cellphone name with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Duda, who has lengthy been a vocal supporter of US president Donald Trump, advised Zelenskyy in a “candid dialog” that “there isn’t a different solution to cease the bloodshed and obtain lasting peace in Ukraine besides with the assist of the US.”

“For that reason, I urged to President Zelenskyy to stay dedicated to the course of calm and constructive cooperation with @POTUS Donald Trump,” he mentioned.

Duda added that he trusted that “good will and honesty type the inspiration of the US negotiation technique,” and had “little question” that Trump was “guided by a deep sense of accountability for international stability and peace.”

The Polish president’s feedback are probably the most supportive from any head of state or authorities in Europe after Trump’s latest criticism of Zelenskyy and Ukraine.

A 51-year-old man has been sentenced to eight years in jail in Poland for making ready acts of diversion which the prosecutors discovered to be commissioned by Russia.

The person, a Ukrainian citizen, was arrested in 2024 as a part of a broader investigation into a number of suspected acts of diversion, together with arson, in western Poland.

Poland has seen a rising variety of related incidents for the reason that begin of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Simply final week a Russian citizen suspected of acts of sabotage in opposition to “Poland, the US, and different allies” was arrested and deported from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Poland.

Late final yr 4 individuals had been arrested as a part of an alleged sabotage plot involving “camouflaged explosives and harmful supplies” in Europe.

Within the opening, I discussed the upcoming German election, which we are going to clearly absolutely cowl in our particular stay weblog on Sunday.

However as a prep for this weekend, you’ll be able to take heed to our Immediately in Focus podcast as presenter Helen Pidd hits the highway in Germany, speaking to voters throughout the nation in regards to the rise of the far proper, which is polling higher than in some other interval for the reason that second world struggle.

Whatever the outcome, it’s a outstanding improvement for a rustic so haunted by its Nazi previous.

Immediately in Focus presenter Helen Pidd takes a highway journey by way of Germany to seek out out why, and finds a rustic more and more not sure of itself: a voter in Magdeburg, the scene of a horrific assault on a Christmas market in December, now afraid of going to public occasions; a newly unemployed baker in Wolfsburg toying with the thought of voting for the far-right Different für Deutschland (AfD); and throughout the nation, individuals petrified of what the rise of the AfD means for minorities.

Pay attention now:

European Commissioner for defence Andrius Kubilius will get requested in regards to the EU’s plans to assist Ukraine.

He says that the EU’s place is “very clear,” because the bloc is dedicated to “peace by way of power”.

He hints that the bloc will put ahead a brand new bundle of assist for Ukraine on Monday as he mentioned “we’re discussing … all the probabilities which might enable us, in a really pressing means, to ship a really robust message to Ukrainians and to the world that we’re standing along with Ukraine.”

“I hope {that a} good event for such a message will probably be … the third anniversary of the struggle, which comes subsequent Monday,” he says.

He acknowledges there’s “gossip” on numbers, however refuses to invest.

European Commissioner for tech, safety and democracy Henna Virkkunen says the bloc ”is not going to settle for” actions or different disruptions in search of to sow confusion.

“It’s a nice concern to see the variety of incidents over latest months on our vital undersea infrastructure. These incidents have been have potential to disrupt important providers to our society, akin to connectivity and electrical energy transmission and likewise carry a big safety threat,” she warns.

She says the EU’s Cable Safety Motion Plan, adopted right this moment, is “not just for the Baltic Sea space, however a very European degree initiative.”

It focuses on stopping incidents with new, coordinated threat evaluation framework and funding in new cables to “improve our resilience.,” in addition to elevated monitoring.

A brand new Baltic sea hub will probably be established to “detect incidents, ideally earlier than they happen.”

Particulars of the plan have simply been out there right here.

Fittingly, given the developments in Sweden, senior EU commissioners are about to transient the press on the bloc’s plans for undersea cable security.

You’ll be able to watch it right here and I’ll carry you the newest right here:

Pope Francis is exhibiting enchancment, is alert and performing some work, the Vatican mentioned, because the 88-year-old pontiff started his eighth day in hospital battling pneumonia, Reuters reported.

Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni mentioned in a short replace on Friday that Francis had slept effectively in a single day and was capable of eat breakfast.

A Vatican official, who didn’t want to be named as a result of he was not authorised to discuss the pope’s situation, mentioned that Francis was respiration on his personal, with out assist of any machines.

The pope was capable of transfer round his hospital room, was taking some cellphone calls and was persevering with to do some paperwork, the official mentioned.

Sweden is investigating a doable breach of an undersea cable off the island of Gotland on the nation’s southwestern coast within the Baltic Sea, the coastguard mentioned on Friday, in an space the place a number of seabed cables have been broken in latest months.

The Baltic Sea area is on alert and the Nato alliance has boosted its presence after a collection of energy cable, telecom and fuel pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Most had been brought on by civilian ships dragging their anchors, Reuters famous.

Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson mentioned in a social media publish that he was being saved updated on the related authorities as they’re investigating the stories.

“We take all stories of doable injury to infrastructure within the Baltic Sea very severely. As I mentioned earlier, they have to be seen within the context of the critical safety scenario that exists,” he mentioned.

Morning opening: Appeal offensive

Jakub Krupa

French president Emmanuel Macron and UK prime minister Keir Starmer will lead Europe’s allure offensive subsequent week as they each journey to the US to satisfy with president Donald Trump in an more and more determined bid to vary his thoughts on Ukraine and European safety.

Macron outlined components of his technique on Thursday night time. Throughout a Q&A session on social media that he would inform Trump to not be “weak” on Russian president Vladimir Putin, warning in regards to the penalties that will have in relation to different powers world wide, like China. “That’s not who you’re, it’s not your trademark,” he mentioned he would argue. Let’s see if this works.

However different leaders, like Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, are additionally rumoured to be trying into methods to get to see Trump quickly.

Touchdown these European arguments with the US president is not going to be straightforward, however Ukraine’s future and the continent’s safety are at stake.

A number of nations in central and japanese Europe signalled rising considerations about Russia doubtlessly making an attempt to make use of the peace talks to revive its plans for “spheres of affect,” and request the elimination of US troops within the post-1997 Nato member states like Poland and Romania, with far-reaching penalties for his or her safety.

Earlier than anybody will get to Trump, Poland’s international minister Radosław Sikorski is predicted to discuss all these points with US state secretary Marco Rubio when the pair meets in Washington tonight.

Nonetheless, this checklist of names exploring diplomatic channels to get to the US, there’s a notable absence of anybody representing Germany.

Amid the whirlwind of developments in Ukraine, it’s straightforward to lose sight of the German federal election this Sunday, which commentators describe as doubtlessly probably the most consequential in many years.

And with simply two days to go, greater than 1 / 4 of German voters are but to determine who to vote for. This might nonetheless change the outcome and trigger an upset on Sunday night time.

In a serious coverage speech in Berlin in 2011, on the top of the euro disaster, Poland’s Sikorski mentioned he feared German energy lower than German inaction. Might this nonetheless be the case 14 years later within the new safety setting?

And if that’s the case, will post-election Germany have the ability to ship on that?

It’s Friday, 21 February 2025, and that is Europe stay. It’s Jakub Krupa right here.

Good morning.