Europe pushes for Ukraine role in Trump-Putin talks
EU foreign ministers will discuss the next steps before the talks in a meeting by video link on Monday, joined by their Ukrainian counterpart.
The idea of a US-Russia meeting without Zelensky has raised concerns that a deal would require Kyiv to cede swathes of territory, which the EU has rejected.
"The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine," leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Britain and Finland and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement, urging Trump to put more pressure on Russia.
In a flurry of diplomacy, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky held calls with 13 counterparts over three days including Kyiv's main backers Germany, Britain and France.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday said he hoped and assumed Zelensky will attend the leaders' summit.
Top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas said any deal between the United States and Russia to end the war in Ukraine must include Kyiv and the bloc.
"President Trump is right that Russia has to end its war against Ukraine. The US has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously. Any deal between the US and Russia must have Ukraine and the EU included, for it is a matter of Ukraine's and the whole of Europe's security," Kallas said.
"I will convene an extraordinary meeting of the EU foreign ministers on Monday to discuss our next steps," she said in a statement Sunday.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga will also take part in the meeting on Monday afternoon, the ministry said.
Territory sticking point
NATO head Mark Rutte told ABC's This Week broadcast on Sunday that Trump was "putting pressure on Putin", adding: "Next Friday will be important because it will be about testing Putin, how serious he is on bringing this terrible war to an end."
Ukraine's military said on Sunday it had taken back a village in the Sumy region from the Russian army which has made significant recent gains.
The village is on the frontline in the north of the country and about 20 kilometres (13 miles) west of the main fighting between the two armies in the northern region.
As a prerequisite to any peace settlement, Moscow demanded Kyiv pull its forces out of the regions and commit to being a neutral state, shun Western military support and be excluded from joining NATO.
Kyiv said it would never recognise Russian control over its sovereign territory, though it acknowledged that getting land captured by Russia back would have to come through diplomacy, not on the battlefield.
The EU's Kallas backed Kyiv's position on Sunday.
"As we work towards a sustainable and just peace, international law is clear: All temporarily occupied territories belong to Ukraine," the EU foreign policy chief said.
NATO's Rutte said it was a reality that "Russia is controlling some of Ukrainian territory" and suggested a future deal could acknowledge this.
"When it comes to acknowledging, for example, maybe in a future deal, that Russia is controlling, de facto, factually, some of the territory of Ukraine. It has to be effectual recognition and not a political de jure recognition," Rutte told ABC's This Week.
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France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
EU leaders push for Kyiv to be part of Trump-Putin talks to end Ukraine war
European leaders on Sunday pushed for Ukraine to be a part of negotiations between the United States and Russia, ahead of talks between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. The two leaders will meet in the US state of Alaska Friday to try to resolve the three-year war, but the European Union has insisted that Kyiv and European powers should be part of any deal to end the conflict. The idea of a US-Russia meeting without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has raised concerns that a deal would require Kyiv to cede swaths of territory, which the EU has rejected. EU foreign ministers will discuss the talks in a meeting by video link on Monday, joined by their Ukrainian counterpart. 'The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine,' leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Britain and Finland and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement, urging Trump to put more pressure on Russia. In a flurry of diplomacy, Zelensky held calls with 13 counterparts over three days including Kyiv's main backers Germany, Britain and France. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday he hoped and assumed that Zelensky would attend the leaders' summit. Leaders of the Nordic and Baltic countries – Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden – also said no decisions should be taken without Kyiv's involvement. Talks on ending the war could only take place during a ceasefire, they added in a joint statement. Zelensky says Ukraine must be included in Trump-Putin talks 01:32 Asked on CNN on Sunday if Zelensky could be present, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker responded: 'Yes, I certainly think it's possible.' 'Certainly, there can't be a deal that everybody that's involved in it doesn't agree to. And, I mean, obviously, it's a high priority to get this war to end.' Whitaker said the decision would ultimately be Trump's to make, and there was no word Sunday from the White House. 'Testing Putin' Top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas said any deal between the United States and Russia to end the war in Ukraine had to include Kyiv and the bloc. 'President Trump is right that Russia has to end its war against Ukraine,' Kallas said in a statement Sunday. 'The US has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously. Any deal between the US and Russia must have Ukraine and the EU included, for it is a matter of Ukraine's and the whole of Europe's security,' she added. 'I will convene an extraordinary meeting of the EU foreign ministers on Monday to discuss our next steps.' Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga will also take part in the Monday afternoon meeting, the ministry said. NATO chief Mark Rutte told ABC's 'This Week' broadcast on Sunday that Trump was 'putting pressure on Putin'. 09:10 'Next Friday will be important because it will be about testing Putin, how serious he is on bringing this terrible war to an end,' he added. Ukraine's military said on Sunday it had taken back a village in the Sumy region from the Russian army, which has made significant recent gains. The village is on the frontline in the north of the country and about 20 kilometres (13 miles) west of the main fighting between the two armies in the northern region. A 'just peace' As a prerequisite to any peace settlement, Moscow has demanded Kyiv pull its forces out of the regions and commit to being a neutral state, shun US and EU military support and be excluded from joining NATO. Kyiv said it would never recognise Russian control over its sovereign territory, though it acknowledged that getting land captured by Russia back would have to come through diplomacy, not on the battlefield. The EU's Kallas backed Kyiv's position on Sunday. 'As we work towards a sustainable and just peace, international law is clear: All temporarily occupied territories belong to Ukraine,' the EU foreign policy chief said. NATO's Rutte said it was a reality that 'Russia is controlling some of Ukrainian territory' and suggested a future deal could acknowledge this. 'When it comes to acknowledging, for example, maybe in a future deal, that Russia is controlling, de facto, factually, some of the territory of Ukraine. It has to be effectual recognition and not a political de jure recognition,' Rutte told ABC. Zelensky thanked those countries backing Ukraine's position in his Sunday evening address. 'The war must be ended as soon as possible with a fair peace,' he said. 'A fair peace is needed. 'Clear support for the fact that everything concerning Ukraine must be decided with Ukraine's participation. Just as it should be with every other independent state.'
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Australia to recognise Palestinian state
"A two-state solution is humanity's best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza," he told reporters in Canberra. "Until Israeli and Palestinian statehood is permanent, peace can only be temporary. "Australia will recognise the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own. We will work with the international community to make this right a reality." The decision follows a push from several countries, including France, Britain and Canada, to recognise statehood for the Palestinians after Israel launched a war on Gaza nearly two years ago in response to the Hamas attacks. "There is a moment of opportunity here, and Australia will work with the international community to seize it," Albanese added. He said that Australia's decision was predicated on reassurances from the Palestinian Authority that there would be "no role for the terrorists of Hamas in any future Palestinian state". The PA, however, does not have a presence in Gaza, which has been governed by Hamas for nearly two decades. 'Shameless' Following Australia's announcement, Israel's embassy in Canberra told AFP the ambassador was "unavailable" to comment. Just hours earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised international calls to recognise Palestinian statehood, saying it would "not bring peace, it will bring war". "To have European countries and Australia march into that rabbit hole, just like that, fall right into it and buy this canard is disappointing, and I think it's actually shameful," he said. International concern is growing about the plight of the more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where the fighting has triggered a dire humanitarian crisis and warnings of mass starvation. Albanese further criticised the Israeli government Monday and said it continued to defy "international law and deny sufficient aid". As the global movement to recognise Palestine grows, New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters said his country would carefully consider whether to do the same over the next month. He added that New Zealand's recognition of a Palestinian state is a "matter of when, not if". Israel's offensive has killed at least 61,430 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, figures the United Nations says are reliable. Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war, resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Euronews
4 hours ago
- Euronews
Family welfare: Which countries offer the highest benefits in Europe?
Family benefits play a key role in fighting poverty and promoting social inclusion. They help support households and are especially important in preventing child poverty. Across Europe, social security systems and family benefits vary hugely. One way to compare them is by looking at how much each country spends per person. In 2022, EU countries spent an average of €830 per person on family benefits. That's a 47% rise from €566 in 2012. But how do these benefits compare across Europe? Which countries spend the most to support families? In the EU, expenditure on family benefits per person in 2022 ranged from €211 in Bulgaria to €3,789 in Luxembourg according to Eurostat. When EU candidates and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries are included, Albania offered the lowest benefits per person at just €48, closely followed by Turkey (€57) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (€59). North-West vs South-East divide in family benefits In general, family benefits per person are highest in Northern and Western Europe, and lowest in the South and East. After Luxembourg, Nordic countries top the list: Norway (€2,277), Denmark (€1,878), Iceland (€1,874), Sweden (€1,449), and Finland (€1,440). 'Nordic countries and France remain among the highest overall spenders on family benefits, although their approach relies more on in-kind services such as childcare, which are not fully captured by per capita cash benefit measures,' Dr Anne Daguerre from University of Bristol told Euronews Business. Germany (€1,616), Switzerland (€1,375), Austria (€1,340), and Ireland (€1,026) also spend over €1,000 per person. Belgium (€976) and France (€867) rank above the EU average, but don't reach the €1,000 mark. The Netherlands offered €670 per person in family benefits. This is €160 below the EU average. Italy (€524) and Spain (€427), both part of the EU's 'Big Four' economies, fell short. EU candidate countries offer the lowest levels of family benefits. Montenegro (€131) and Serbia (€117) follow Albania, Turkey, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which are among the bottom three. Prof. Grega Strban from the University of Ljubljana expressed caution when comparing countries: 'The question is whether all the countries classify all benefits in the same manner.' He emphasised that there are many policy considerations behind them. 'Some focus on the support for parents (or guardians of a child), others on children (and students) themselves. Some are universal, some targeted. Some are linked to disability or social assistance,' he added. How have family benefits changed over the past 10 years? Among 32 countries, family benefits per person decreased in only two nations in euro terms, while increases varied significantly over the past 10 years. In the EU, the average rose from €566 in 2012 to €830 in 2022. This a 47% increase, or €264. It declined by 5% (or -€130) in Norway and 18% (or -€62) in Cyprus. Part of this change may be due to exchange rate fluctuations. In percentage terms, Poland reported an unprecedented increase of 320%, followed by Latvia (245%), Romania (227%), and Lithuania (198%). Family benefits per person also more than doubled in Estonia (125%), Serbia (115%), Bulgaria (112%), Iceland (110%), and Croatia (101%). The increase was below 30% in Luxembourg, Austria, Finland, Hungary, France, Sweden, Denmark, and Ireland. Most of these countries already offered higher benefits with the exception of Hungary. In euro terms, the largest increases were recorded in Iceland (€980), Luxembourg (€819), and Germany (€558). Drivers of change in family benefits 'Family benefit spending per person has increased markedly across the EU since 2012, but the drivers of this growth differ sharply between countries,' Dr Daguerre told Euronews Business. She noted that the most striking increases are in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, particularly Hungary and Poland: 'In these cases, the growth is largely driven by selective pronatalist policies aimed at boosting fertility rates and supporting traditional family models. These cash-heavy strategies reflect a broader shift toward more socially conservative welfare agendas.' She also added that Italy under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has been following a similar path since 2022. Growth in family benefits can also reflect different priorities. 'Lithuania, for instance, has also seen significant increases, but through the introduction of a universal child benefit in 2018. This reform was primarily designed to reduce child poverty and ensure more inclusive access to support, especially for low-income families who had previously been excluded from tax-based systems,' she explained. Dr Anne Daguerre pointed out that some Southern European countries like Greece and Cyprus show stagnation or only modest increases in spending, despite persistently low fertility rates. What are family benefits? Family benefits are 'all benefits in kind or in cash intended to meet family expenses under the social security legislation of a Member State' according to the European Commission. Family benefits include parental and child-raising allowances that help cover the costs of raising a child and compensate for lost income when a parent stops working. Childcare allowances for working parents also fall under family benefits. The chart above shows the impact of family tax allowances: One-earner couples with two dependent children have significantly higher take-home pay relative to their gross salaries. Euronews article titled 'Net vs gross salaries in Europe: How much are employees really taking home?' analyses in more detail the role of family allowances on personal finances across Europe.
