9 EU countries want a new interpretation of European rights to ease deportations
The leaders said in an open letter made public in Rome on Thursday that interpretations of the rights convention by the European Court of Human Rights have limited the flexibility of national governments and prevented them from expelling migrants who commit crimes.
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Associated Press
26 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Zelenskyy to meet with UK's Starmer as Europe braces for Trump-Putin summit
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in London Thursday morning, the latest meeting between the Ukrainian leader and the head of a European country as the continent braces for a critical U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska on Friday. Zelenskyy's trip to the British capital comes a day after he took part in virtual meetings from Berlin with U.S. President Donald Trump and the leaders of several European countries. Those leaders said Trump had assured them he would make a priority of trying to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Anchorage. Both Zelenskyy and the Europeans have worried the bilateral U.S.-Russia summit would leave them and their interests sidelined, and that any conclusions reached could favor Moscow and leave Ukraine and Europe's future security in jeopardy with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine now in its fourth year. Yet some of those leaders, like German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, praised Wednesday's video conference with Trump as constructive. Speaking after the meetings to reporters, Trump warned of 'very severe consequences' for Russia if Putin does not agree to stop the war against Ukraine after their Friday meeting. Territorial integrity Starmer on Wednesday said the Alaska summit would be 'hugely important,' and could be a 'viable' path to a ceasefire in Ukraine. But he also alluded to European concerns that Trump may strike a deal that forces Ukraine to cede territory to Russia, and warned that Western allies must be prepared to step up pressure on Russia if necessary. During a call Wednesday among leaders of countries involved in the 'coalition of the willing' — those who are prepared to help police any future peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv — Starmer stressed that any deal reached on bringing the fighting to an end must protect the 'territorial integrity' of Ukraine. 'International borders cannot be, and must not be changed by force, and again that's a long-standing principle of this group,'' he said. 'And alongside that, any talk about borders, diplomacy, ceasefire has to sit alongside a robust and credible security guarantee to ensure that any peace, if there is peace, is lasting peace and Ukraine can defend its territorial integrity as part of any deal.' Some Ukrainians skeptical With another high-level meeting on their country's future on the horizon, some Ukrainians expressed skepticism that any breakthroughs would be achieved during Friday's U.S.-Russia summit. Oleksandra Kozlova, 39, a department head at a digital agency in Kyiv, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she believes Ukrainians 'have already lost hope' that meaningful progress can be made on ending the 3 1/2-year-old war. 'I don't think this round will be decisive,' she said. 'There have already been enough meetings and negotiations promising us, ordinary people, that something will be resolved, that things will get better, that the war will end. Unfortunately, this has not happened, so personally I don't see any changes coming.' Anton Vyshniak, a car salesman in Kyiv, said Ukraine's priority now should be saving the lives of its military servicepeople, even at the expense of making territorial concessions. 'At the moment, the most important thing is to preserve the lives of male and female military personnel. After all, there are not many human resources left,' he said. 'Borders are borders, but human lives are priceless. Therefore, some principles can be disregarded here.' Russia and Ukraine trade strikes Russian strikes in Ukraine's Sumy region overnight Wednesday resulted in numerous injuries, Ukrainian regional officials said. A missile strike on a village in the Seredyna-Budska community injured a 7-year-old girl and a 27-year-old man, according to regional governor Oleh Hryhorov. The girl was hospitalized in stable condition. In the southern Kherson region, Russian artillery fire struck the village of Molodizhne on Thursday morning, injuring a 16-year-old boy, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. The teenager suffered an explosive injury, shrapnel wounds to his arms and legs and an acute stress reaction. He was hospitalized in moderate condition, Prokudin said. In Russia, an oil refinery in the Volgograd region caught fire after a Ukrainian drone attack overnight, according to local governor Andrei Bocharov. The refinery, one of the biggest producers of petroleum products in southern Russia, has been a frequent target of drone attacks, according to Russian independent news site Meduza. Overall, Russia's Defense Ministry reported destroying 44 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions and the annexed Crimea overnight. In Belgorod, the biggest city in the namesake region on the border with Ukraine, three civilians were injured in a Ukrainian drone attack, Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said, adding that a government building was hit by the attack. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Debt-laden Italy now better for living standards than Britain
Britain's living standards fell behind those in Italy for the first time since 2001 in a fresh blow to Rachel Reeves's efforts to boost economic growth and renew the nation's competitiveness. Slow growth, rising worklessness and high inflation are all damaging Britain, raising fears that the UK is losing its status as a rich nation at the same as Italy shakes off its image as an economic basket case. Once adjusted for the cost of living, GDP per capita – a critical measure of wellbeing, and a favoured target of Sir Keir Starmer's Government - is now higher in Italy than Britain. According to the World Bank, Italy's GDP per capita rose to $60,847 (£44,835) last year, overtaking Britain's $60,620. It comes as unemployment rose to 4.7pc in the UK, spending on benefits balloons and inflation is forecast to hit 4pc – double the Bank of England's target – in the coming months. Britain's population is also rising rapidly, meaning GDP is stretched over a larger number of people. By contrast Italy's is shrinking, so even as its economy grows at roughly the same pace as the UK's, GDP per capita is rising more quickly as output is concentrated among fewer people. It comes despite Italy's Government debt of around 130pc of GDP – far above Britain's debt of around 100pc. In its manifesto last year, the Labour party promised to 'kickstart economic growth to secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 – with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off'. The Government has since indicated that GDP per head may be a target measure. But on the World Bank's measure, adjusted for living costs, Britain has fallen from fifth to sixth place among the group of seven major democracies, with only Japan further down the rankings. A study from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research earlier this year warned that 'economic stagnation over the past decade is now threatening the UK's position as a place for a high standard of living.' The think tank found the poorest Britons are now worse off than the lowest-income households in countries, including Lithuania and Slovenia, countries once considered far from rich but which are now increasingly prosperous. Efforts to reform the British economy have struggled even as Italy has had more success. Labour's attempts to trim welfare spending and encourage more claimants back to work resulted in a backbench rebellion and a humiliating U-turn. The Chancellor is expected to refocus her efforts on boosting productivity growth ahead of her Budget in the autumn, as she seeks ways to fill a hole of as much as £50bn in the public finances. By contrast economists have hailed Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni's reforms. Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg Bank, said Italy had 'outperformed' expectations. 'Italy has cut welfare entitlements under Meloni, so that people have more incentive to work instead of resting idle,' he said, adding that judicial reforms have also made progress. Extra subsidies for home renovations also provided a remarkable boost to Italy's economy, as has EU spending under an economic recovery fund known as the Next Generation programme. The scale of the shift in relative prosperity is significant, both as a sign of Britain's decline and Italy's revival. Andrew Kenningham, from Capital Economics, said it could be comparable with 'Il sorpasso' – the overtaking – of the late 1980s when Italy's economy became bigger than Britain's. That was taken as a sign Italy had finally shrugged off its reputation for stagnation – though it regained that status in the years following the eurozone's sovereign debt crisis. Once again Italy has pushed past Britain, though the UK's GDP remains larger overall. 'It tells us that Italian and British citizens are equally well off in terms of what they can purchase. Average living standards are in principle the same, or in Italy very slightly higher now,' Mr Kenningham said. Italians also have a higher life expectancy than Britons. The country has become increasingly attractive to wealthy households from Britain as investors, entrepreneurs and non-doms seek shelter from rising taxes in the UK and instability elsewhere. 'Of all major countries in Europe, politically Italy is by far the most stable. This is unusual – it is not the history of Italy – but compared to politics in the UK, France, Spain and Germany, Italy looks good,' Mr Schmieding said. 'It has a stable, steady government which is not doing as much as it should, but is not doing anything seriously wrong, which is something you cannot say about many other countries.' Yet for its success, Italy's economy still has its problems. Paolo Grignani, from Oxford Economics, warned that the cash dished out with the renovation 'superbonus' – which gives homeowners tax credits for renovating their houses – 'led to a fiscal imbalance that will take years for the Italian government to rectify,' while construction has slowed since the scheme ended. At the same time, Italian wages are not yet back above pre-Covid levels after adjusting for inflation, he said, unlike those in the UK. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump Issues Warning to Putin After Summit Prep With Europe
(Bloomberg) -- US President Donald Trump warned he would impose 'very severe consequences' if Vladimir Putin didn't agree to a ceasefire agreement later this week, following a call with European leaders ahead of his meeting with the Russian president. Trump also said he hoped to use the Friday meeting to set up a 'quick second meeting' with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy after allies pressed him to push for such a summit. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will host Zelenskiy in London on Thursday, a Downing Street spokesperson said. The US-Canadian Road Safety Gap Is Getting Wider Sunseeking Germans Face Swiss Backlash Over Alpine Holiday Congestion To Head Off Severe Storm Surges, Nova Scotia Invests in 'Living Shorelines' Five Years After Black Lives Matter, Brussels' Colonial Statues Remain For Homeless Cyclists, Bikes Bring an Escape From the Streets 'There's a very good chance that we're going to have a second meeting which will be more productive than the first,' Trump told reporters Wednesday at the Kennedy Center, adding that he was 'setting the table for the second meeting.' The president's remarks signaled both that he was looking to downplay expectations for the delivery of a full peace deal from his Anchorage, Alaska summit with Putin, and responding to concerns from his European partners who urged him to prioritize direct Putin-Zelenskiy talks. Skeptics of Trump's effort have expressed concern that the US president — who has said an eventual deal would include territorial exchanges — could agree to peace terms proposed by Putin that would disadvantage Ukraine. Trump assured leaders on the call he wouldn't negotiate territories with Putin and would push the Russian leader to meet with Zelenskiy, according to multiple people briefed on the discussions. He reiterated his public claim that he would know quickly if the Russian president was serious about the negotiations, and said the US would be willing to contribute to support some security guarantees short of full NATO membership for Kyiv. French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking to reporters Wednesday after the call, said that any decision on possible concessions on territory will need to be made by Ukraine and there were no 'serious territorial exchange plans on the table today.' 'Trump was very clear on the fact that the US wants to obtain a ceasefire at this meeting in Alaska,' Macron told reporters in Bregancon, France. 'We have reiterated that until there is a ceasefire and a lasting peace, we must continue to support Ukraine, and when I say we I mean Europeans and Americans.' Trump and US Vice President JD Vance joined European leaders including from Germany, France, Poland and Italy as well as Zelenskiy and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the roughly hour-long discussion. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who also took part, said in a post on social media that the leaders had a 'very good call' and that it 'strengthened the common ground for Ukraine.' Trump described the call similarly, saying he would 'rate it a 10' and said he had promised to brief Zelenskiy and European leaders immediately after concluding his conversation. Trump also said he would be willing to walk away if he judged Putin as insincere. 'Now there may be no second meeting, because if I feel that it's not appropriate to have it, because I didn't get the answers that we have to have, then we're not going to have a second meeting,' Trump said. Turkey was mentioned on the call as one location for a potential trilateral summit between Trump, Putin and Zelenskiy if the meeting did in fact come together, a person familiar with the matter said. The talks came after days of intense diplomacy between US, European and Ukrainian officials ahead of Trump's planned meeting with Putin in Alaska on Friday. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who hosted the call with the US leader, reiterated that Ukraine would need to be involved in any decisions. 'We have made it clear that Ukraine will be at the table as soon as there is a follow-up meeting,' Merz told reporters in Berlin alongside Zelenskiy. 'President Trump wants to make a ceasefire a priority.' Moscow is demanding that Ukraine cede its entire eastern Donbas region as well as Crimea, which Putin's forces illegally annexed in 2014, as a condition to unlock a ceasefire and enter negotiations over a lasting settlement, Bloomberg previously reported. Such an outcome would require the government in Kyiv to give up parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk provinces still under its control and hand Russia a victory that its army couldn't achieve militarily for more than a decade. Zelenskiy told reporters earlier this week that he won't cede Donbas, adding that the Kremlin could use it as a launchpad for a future offensive. European nations have made clear to the US that they will not formally recognize territory illegally occupied by Russia. Macron said questions about the territory 'will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president.' 'We support this position and it was very clearly expressed by President Trump,' he told reporters, adding that the US leader 'will also fight to obtain' a trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelenskiy. Kyiv and its allies argue that a truce along the current battle-lines should be the first step toward formal negotiations. European leaders also stressed to Trump that Ukraine needs robust security guarantees to ensure that any deal holds. 'If there is no movement on the Russian side in Alaska, then the United States and we Europeans should and must increase the pressure,' Merz said. 'President Trump is aware of this position and largely shares it.' Trump hasn't implemented any direct measures against Moscow so far, though he doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50% last week for its purchases of Russian oil, sparking outrage in New Delhi. He threatened to ramp up economic pressure on Moscow unless Putin agreed to a ceasefire by last Friday. That deadline passed without any further action after the two sides announced their first summit meeting since Trump's return to the White House in January. European leaders also said that Trump, Putin and Zelenskiy could aim to formalize a ceasefire alongside an agreement on the core parameters for peace negotiations at a trilateral meeting, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Zelenskiy said the participants in the call agreed that there 'must be security guarantees and they must be stronger if Russia does not agree to ceasefire in Alaska.' 'We need more pressure — not only American but also European sanctions,' Zelenskiy said. --With assistance from Josh Wingrove, Andra Timu, Kavita Mokha, James Regan, Kateryna Chursina, Iain Rogers and Hadriana Lowenkron. (Adds meeting with Startmer in the second paragraph.) 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