EU’s Kallas accuses Russia of ‘taking part in video games,’ hints at EU-UK defence deal subsequent week
And the EU’s international coverage leader Kaja Kallas is talking now, and she or he’s putting an excessively identical tone, pointedly relating to over 100 Russian drones reportedly focused on Ukraine in a single day.
“We have to put pressure on Russia to really want peace and to sit down and to talk with Ukraine,” she says, accusing Moscow of “playing games.”
“If they are, if they are continuing bombing Ukraine all the time, if there’s no ceasefire, there can’t be talks under fire,” she tells newshounds.
She additionally sounds sure at the prospect of a brand new EU-UK defence and safety cooperation deal, which may well be signed on the first post-Brexit summit subsequent week.
She says the connection is “very important in this very turbulent time,” and that she hopes “we get this agreement signed” on the summit.
Asked about explicit spaces it would duvet, she issues to cybersecurity, disaster reaction and cooperation, and “different topics where we already exchange information, intelligence-sharing, and all these facts that make us both stronger.”
Key occasions
Ukraine’s Zelensky spoke with Pope Leo on struggle, kidnapped youngsters; invited him for consult with
And as Pope Leo wraps up his speech, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has simply posted a social media replace revealing that he spoke with the brand new head of the Roman Catholic church.
Zelenskyy says the pair had “a very warm and truly substantive” dialog, thanking him for his phrases “about the need to achieve a just and lasting peace.”
He provides they talked concerning the destiny of hundreds of Ukrainian youngsters kidnapped via Russia, calling for the Vatican’s “assistance in bringing them home to their families.”
“Ukraine wants to end this war and is doing everything to achieve that. We now await similar steps from Russia,” he says.
Finally, he says the he invited the pope to make a consult with to Ukraine, announcing “such a visit would bring real hope to all believers and to all our people.”
Pope Leo urges newshounds to reject ‘prejudice and resentment’ and requires ‘duty’ on AI in first cope with to media
Pope Leo then says that some of the vital demanding situations he sees is easy methods to “promote communication that can bring us out of the Tower of Babel in which we sometimes find ourselves, out of the confusion of loveless languages that are often ideological or partisan.”
Curiously, he then turns to synthetic intelligence, which he hails its “immense potential,” but additionally warns that it “requires responsibility and discernment in order to ensure that it can be used for the good of all, so that it can benefit all of humanity.”
He then returns to his major message:
“Let us disarm verbal exchange of all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism or even hatred, allow us to unfastened it from aggression.
We don’t have loud, forceful verbal exchange, however somewhat verbal exchange this is able to listening and of amassing the voices of the susceptible who don’t have any voice.”
He asks newshounds to “ask to choose consciously and courageously the path of communication in favour of peace,” ahead of blessing the newshounds accrued within the Paul VI Audience Hall.
He doesn’t take questions, however is going off level, down some steps, to talk to a couple of the ones in attendance.
Pope Leo will get very hot welcome as he comes on level and after first spherical of applause, he jokes in English that he hopes they nonetheless be wakeful and wish to applaud him on the finish of the assembly.
He then switches to Italian, speaking about the position of language in pursuit of peace.
Lauding the paintings of newshounds international, he additionally speaks about “the church’s solidarity with journalists who are imprisoned for seeking and reporting the truth, while also asking for their release” – and attracts large applause from the target market in reaction.
He then thank you the Vatican press corps and correspondents for his or her reporting in fresh weeks.
Pope Leo XIV’s press convention about to get underway
Jakub Krupa
As the ministers get started their talks in the back of the closed doorways in Lancaster House, let me take you to the Vatican for just a little, as Pope Leo XIV is set to provide his first press convention quickly. Let’s see what he’s were given to mention.
You can apply the development on our reside circulate under, however I can deliver you all of the key updates right here.
Spain’s Albares urges Putin to ‘give his solution’ on peace
Spanish international minister José Manuel Albares is the final to talk with newshounds on arrivals.
He says “the Europeans want peace, Ukraine … wants peace – now it’s up to Russia and Vladimir Putin to give their answer.”
Similarly to his German counterpart, he provides that Spain is “ready to continue support for Ukraine [for] as long as it takes.”
He warns that “a ceasefire is not an end in itself,” and says {that a} attainable assembly in Istanbul later this week will have to best be pursued if it may function “a first step towards a just and lasting peace.”
“If … [it] is just a way of delaying and really kicking the ball down the [road], then it’s worthless,” he says.
West must drive Putin to make him abandon his targets in Ukraine, Poland’s Sikorski says, as he closes Russian consultate after arson claims
Poland’s international minister Radosław Sikorski is up now.
In his opening commentary, he says “we hope that parties will find a way to cease fire and to have productive, real negotiations about ending this war and bringing back respect for international law.”
But he then is going additional.
In Polish, he provides that the collective West must stay exerting drive on Putin to “abandon his goals in Ukraine.”
He later provides in English:
“If he [Putin] yet again rejects it [ceasefire], then the logical conclusion is that pressure should be brought to bear not on the victim of aggression, but on the perpetrator of aggression, until he feels the pain and becomes more reasonable.”
Sikorski additionally mentions the Polish authorities’s determination to withdraw its authorisation for the Russian consulate in Kraków, forcing it to near.
The transfer comes after a government-led inquiry into final yr’s hearth that destroyed a big buying groceries centre in Warsaw. Poland’s high minister Donald Tusk showed the day prior to this the fireplace was once “caused by arson ordered by the Russian special services.”
“This is completely unacceptable, so the Russian consultate will have to leave. They will have one more, and if these attacks continue, we will take further action,” Sikorski says.
Responding to the verdict, Russia’s international ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova mentioned that “an adequate response to these inadequate steps will follow shortly.”
EU’s Kallas accuses Russia of ‘taking part in video games,’ hints at EU-UK defence deal subsequent week
And the EU’s international coverage leader Kaja Kallas is talking now, and she or he’s putting an excessively identical tone, pointedly relating to over 100 Russian drones reportedly focused on Ukraine in a single day.
“We have to put pressure on Russia to really want peace and to sit down and to talk with Ukraine,” she says, accusing Moscow of “playing games.”
“If they are, if they are continuing bombing Ukraine all the time, if there’s no ceasefire, there can’t be talks under fire,” she tells newshounds.
She additionally sounds sure at the prospect of a brand new EU-UK defence and safety cooperation deal, which may well be signed on the first post-Brexit summit subsequent week.
She says the connection is “very important in this very turbulent time,” and that she hopes “we get this agreement signed” on the summit.
Asked about explicit spaces it would duvet, she issues to cybersecurity, disaster reaction and cooperation, and “different topics where we already exchange information, intelligence-sharing, and all these facts that make us both stronger.”
France’s Barrot requires ‘peace and negotiations,’ says Russia may face ‘large sanctions’ if it does not interact
French international minister Jean-Noël Barrot mentioned France’s place was once “very clear: we want peace, we want negotiations,” as he mentioned “an unconditional truce in air, sea, ground for 30 days” was once had to unblock the talks.
“President Zelensky has shown time and time again, that he is open to negotiation that he wants diplomacy that he wants peace. … Meanwhile, Putin’s only response has been more bombing,” he mentioned.
Barrot mentioned that all over the assembly, France will repeat its name “for diplomacy … and for massive sanctions if Russia once again refuses to engage seriously in diplomacy and continues its aggression … on the Ukrainian people.”
Germany ‘expects Russia to comply with ceasefire,’ new German international minister says
Arriving on the similar convention, Germany’s new international minister Johann Wadephul mentioned that Berlin “expects Russia to agree to a ceasefire and then be prepared to negotiate.”
Should talks fail, Germany was once in a position to provide additional palms programs for Ukraine, Reuters reported.
Wadephul additionally warned Russia about attainable additional penalties, together with tighter sanctions in opposition to Moscow.
Putin will have to ‘get critical’ about peace talks, Britain’s Lammy says
Speaking forward of that assembly in London, Britain’s international secretary David Lammy mentioned Russian president Vladimir Putin will have to “get serious” about enticing in peace talks, PA reported.
Lammy recommended Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his “willingness to engage in talks,” and mentioned “this is the time for Vladimir Putin to get serious about peace in Europe, to get serious about a ceasefire, and to get serious about talks.”
He additionally repeated the present line that European leaders are “prepared if this is not the moment of seriousness from Putin,” PA mentioned.
Morning opening: The ceasefire that wasn’t

Jakub Krupa
Despite the renewed be offering of a right away ceasefire, Ukraine mentioned Russia had fired over 100 drones in a single day, hitting residential structures within the Odesa area, amongst others.
In the period in-between, we watch for a proper affirmation about attainable direct assembly involving Ukraine and Russia in Turkey later this week, after US president Donald Trump and later Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy steered Russia’s Vladimir Putin to wait high-level talks.
Zelenskyy and Putin have now not communicated without delay since Russia introduced its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and there were no publicly identified talks between Moscow and Kyiv since March 2022, in a while after the struggle started.
Trump mentioned in a commentary on his Truth Social platform that the 2 aspects will have to “HAVE THE MEETING, NOW!!!”.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s European allies stay elevating drive on Russia.
After the leaders’ consult with in Kyiv over the weekend, international ministers from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the EU assembly in London this morning to talk about what’s subsequent for Ukraine and broader safety problems.
I can deliver you all of the key updates all the way through the day.
It’s Monday, 12 May 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa right here, and that is Europe Live.
Good morning.