Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for the delivery of an additional 25 US Patriot anti-missile batteries amid the rapidly escalating air war with Russia, as it became clear that Donald Trump had once again tacked sharply towards Moscow.
The Ukrainian president added that he would be ready to join Vladimir Putin and Trump at their summit in Hungary if he was invited.
Reports over the weekend said Trump had privately urged Zelenskyy to accept Russia’s terms for ending the war in Ukraine during a fractious White House meeting on Friday, warning that Putin had said he would “destroy” Ukraine if it did not agree.
According to the Financial Times, the meeting descended at times into a “shouting match”, with Trump “cursing all the time”.
Pope Leo holds first meeting with survivors of Catholic sexual abuse
Pope Leo met with survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy for the first time on Monday, participants said, days after the Vatican’s child protection commission accused senior Church leaders of being too slow to help victims.
Leo held a meeting with Ending Clergy Abuse, an international coalition of survivors, the group said. The encounter, which included six abuse victims, lasted about an hour and was “a significant moment of dialogue,” they said.
The 1.4-billion-member Church has been shaken for decades by scandals across the world involving abuse and cover-up, damaging its credibility and costing it hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements.
An unusually critical report from the Vatican’s own child protection commission, issued on Thursday, faulted senior bishops for not providing information to victims about how their reports of abuse were being handled, or whether negligent bishops had been sanctioned.
Gemma Hickey, a Canadian survivor who took part in Monday’s meeting, said Leo met with the victims in his office at the Vatican’s apostolic palace, took pictures with them, and listened carefully.
“Pope Leo is very warm, he listened,” she said. “We told him that we come as bridge-builders, ready to walk together toward truth, justice and healing.”
“I left the meeting with hope,” said Janet Aguti, a Ugandan survivor who was also at the meeting. “It is a big step for us.”
Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, is known to have met with survivors earlier in his career, when he was a missionary and bishop in Peru.
Francis, who died in April, made addressing abuse by clergy a priority of his 12-year papacy, with mixed results. The late pope met with abuse victims many times, often during his foreign trips.
Greece slams 'provocative' British Museum fundraiser
Greece slammed as ‘provocative’ the British Museum first ever fundraiser that had guests dining in the gallery hosting the Parthenon marbles., AFP reported on Monday.
Saturday’s star-studded ball drew the likes of Mick Jagger, Naomi Campbell, Janet Jackson and Kristin Scott Thomas, in addition to London Mayor Sadiq Khan and former prime minister Rishi Sunak.
“The safety, integrity, and ethics of the monuments should be the primary concern of the British Museum, which once again demonstrates provocative indifference,” Greece culture minister Lina Mendoni said in a statement.
Athens has for decades demanded the return of the priceless sculptures, saying they were looted in the early 19th century by Lord Elgin, British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
Under chair George Osborne, the former Tory chancellor of the exchequer, the British Museum has been engaged in long talks with Greek officials on a formula that would allow the Marbles to be displayed in Athens.
In December, Osborne said the London institution was exploring an “arrangement where at some point some of the sculptures” could be sent to Athens in return for Greece lending the museum “some of its treasures”.
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Zelenskyy claims Trump meeting was 'positive'
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his reportedly tense meeting with Donald Trump on Friday was “positive” — even though he did not secure the Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said Trump reneged on the possibility of sending the long-range missiles to Ukraine, which would have been a major boost for Kyiv, following his phone call with Vladimir Putin hours earlier.
“In my opinion, he does not want an escalation with the Russians until he meets with them,” Zelenskyy told reporters on Sunday. His comments were embargoed until this morning.
Ukraine is hoping to purchase 25 Patriot air defense systems from American firms using frozen Russian assets and assistance from partners, but Zelenskyy said procuring all of these would require time because of long production queues. He said he spoke to Trump about help procuring these quicker, potentially from European partners.
According to Zelenskyy, Trump said during their meeting that Putin’s maximalist demand — that Ukraine cede the entirety of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions — was unchanged.
Zelenskyy was diplomatic about his meeting with Trump despite reports that he faced pressure to accept Putin’s demands — a tactic he has kept up since the disastrous Oval Office spat on 28 February when the Ukrainian president was scolded on live television for not being grateful for continued American support.
Zelenskyy claimed that because Trump ultimately supported a freeze along the current front line his overall message “is positive” for Ukraine.
Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, will hold a phone call soon, to prepare the upcoming Putin-Trump summit, RIA has reported.
The state news agency quoted Lavrov’s deputy, Sergei Ryabkov, but he did not specify the timeframe of the call. Rubio and Lavrov will discuss the bilateral agenda of Russia-US relations, including economic issues, he said.
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Reuters has more details on the EU energy ministers backing a proposal to phase out Russian oil and gas imports to the bloc by January 2028 (see earlier post).
The ministers approved the plans, which would phase out new Russian gas import contracts from January 2026, existing short-term contracts from June 2026, and long-term contracts in January 2028, at a meeting in Luxembourg.
The law is not yet final. EU countries must negotiate the final rules with the European parliament, which is still debating its position.
Russia currently accounts for 12% of EU gas imports, down from 45% before its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Hungary, France and Belgium among the countries still receiving Russian gas.
The European Commission designed the proposals to be able to pass despite previous opposition from Hungary and Slovakia, the two countries that still also import Russian oil.
It needed backing from a “qualified majority” of EU member states - meaning at least 55% - so one or two nations alone could not block it.
Report into causes of Lisbon funicular crash to be published today
An investigation into the Lisbon funicular crash will publish its first report today into the causes of the derailment, which killed 16 people in early September.
Portugal’s air and rail accident investigations bureau (GPIAAF) had previously found that a cable linking two cabins disconnected shortly before the September 3 crash, in a note published three days after the tragedy.
The GPIAAF is set to unveil its preliminary report on the accident’s causes by the end of today, with a final report, set to come with safety recommendations going forward, scheduled in the next year.
According to the investigators’ initial findings, the funicular was going at a speed of 60 kilometres (37 miles) an hour before it crashed. The whole incident happened in just 50 seconds, they added.
Eleven of the 16 victims were foreign nationals, with three UK citizens, two South Koreans, two Canadians, one Frenchwoman, one Swiss, one American, and one Ukrainian identified among the dead.
The crash also injured some 20 people, including at least 11 foreigners.
The Portuguese victims included four members of staff from the same social care institution, whose offices sit at the top of the sheer side road serviced by the funicular.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected on Monday an assertion by US president Donald Trump that the United States has destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
“The US president proudly says they bombed and destroyed Iran’s nuclear industry. Very well, keep dreaming!” Khamenei said on X.
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EU seeks ways to intensify checks on Russia’s ’shadow fleet’
The European Union is looking to increase the ability of its member states to carry out inspections on Russia’s “shadow fleet” of ageing oil tankers, officials said on Monday.
France – which briefly detained one of the vessels recently – has called for tougher actions to crimp the key source of revenues for Moscow’s Ukraine war chest. The 27-nation bloc has already blacklisted hundreds of tankers used by Russia to help circumvent restrictions on its lucrative crude exports.
Brussels is now pitching a new proposal to sign agreements with states where the ships are formally registered to facilitate checks.
“We are discussing with the member states how to better coordinate our actions regarding the shadow fleet,” EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said at a meeting with foreign ministers. “We should think about it more – to be more creative.”
Under the proposal seen by AFP, the EU’s diplomatic arm wants member states to agree on a declaration that would allow Brussels to sign deals with flag states.
“EU Member States increasingly demonstrate a renewed momentum for more robust enforcement actions tackling the shadow fleet,” the document circulated by Brussels said. According to EU estimates, the “shadow fleet” currently comprises “anywhere from 600 to up to 1,400 vessels”.
Countries along the Baltic Sea have complained that not enough is being done by EU countries in the Mediterranean to screen Russian vessels as they pass.
The document added: “The EU could support Member States in their efforts if they agree to grant the EU the right to negotiate agreements on their behalf for pre-authorised boardings for inspections.”
However EU officials have been wary of calls to step up checks on the “shadow fleet” out of fear that it could set a precedent for other countries to target European vessels around the globe. Brussels said in the document that it has already stepped up its outreach to countries where these ships are registered.
Russia to expand ties with Iran, says Kremlin
Russia is prepared to expand cooperation with Iran in all areas, the Kremlin said on Monday.
Moscow has close relations with Tehran and condemned US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites earlier this year that were carried out with the stated aim of preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear bomb. Iran denies building a nuclear weapon.
Asked by reporters how Russia saw the development of events around Iran’s nuclear programme and if Moscow would deepen ties with Tehran, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: “Russia is definitely ready to expand cooperation with Iran in all areas. Iran is our partner, and our relations are developing very dynamically.”
Peskov said European countries were putting “excessive pressure” on Iran in regards to negotiations over its nuclear programme, adding that the situation was “very complicated”.
An envoy for Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet with Iran’s Supreme national security council secretary Ali Larijani later on Monday, less than a week after Larijani met with the Kremlin leader and handed him a message from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom signed a $25-billion deal last month with Iran to build four nuclear power plants in the country, which suffers from electricity shortages and currently has only one operating nuclear power plant, built by Russia in the southern city of Bushehr.
Last week, the UK parliament hosted a display of an Iranian-made Shahed-136 attack drone, the weapon Russia has used extensively against Ukraine, during a press event organised by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) and attended by Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski.
Over 38,000 Iranian-made Shahed drones have been launched by Russia in 2025, including more than 5,000 in September alone, according to Ukrainian data.
What we know about the Louvre museum robbery so far
The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum, was closed suddenly on Sunday after a break-in at its Apollon gallery, the home of the French crown jewels – part of a daring daylight heist in which priceless Napoleonic jewels stolen.
As French police hunt the thieves who stole eight pieces of jewellery, questions are being asked about how they did it and who would be in the market for such items, including a necklace Napoleon gave to his wife.
How did thieves break into the Louvre?
In a highly professional raid, four balaclava-wearing thieves pulled up outside the Louvre on a road along the Seine River. At about 9.30am – half an hour after visitors began entering the front of the museum – the thieves were at the south side of the building, in a truck with a basket lift and an extendable ladder, rising to a second-floor balcony window.
They smashed glass displays, grabbing the jewellery, but as alarms rang out in the museum alerting guards, the robbers quickly left, escaping on motorbikes.
The entire heist lasted less than 10 minutes, according to the French interior minister, Laurent Nunez, who said it was the work of “an experienced team who had clearly scouted the location”.
What was stolen and what was left behind?
The French culture ministry said eight pieces were stolen – but not the hugely valuable crown of Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugénie, which the thieves dropped on their way out. They also missed the Regent diamond, valued by Sotheby’s at more than US$60m (£45m).
The other stolen pieces include a tiara, earrings and a sapphire necklace from the jewellery set of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense, and pieces of jewellery from the Marie-Louise set.
They were housed in the Apollon gallery, built in 1661 by Louis XIV. The hall, full of gold leaf and paintings, would be the model for the Palace of Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors.
For more details on the reaction to the robbery and whether this has happened before, read:
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Russia accuses Ukraine of contradictory signals on peace process
Russia said on Monday it was engaged in serious work with the United States to seek a peace deal in Ukraine but accused Ukraine of sending contradictory signals that made the process harder.
The Kremlin said that Budapest was chosen as the venue for a summit between Russian president Vladimir Putin and US president Donald Trump because Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán has warm ties with Trump and constructive ties with Putin.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that work was only just beginning on the summit, which would be aimed at advancing a resolution to the Ukraine conflict, and developing relations between Russia and the United States.
He declined to give any further information about the most recent phone call between the two leaders last week.
The Russian Defence Ministry also said on Monday that its troops had taken control of the village of Molodetske in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. The Guardian cannot independently verify battlefield reports.
Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced earlier on Monday that he would be ready to join the Trump-Putin summit in Hungary if he is invited.
UPDATE to earlier report: EU countries on Monday agreed to phase out remaining gas imports from Russia by January 2028, breaking a dependency the bloc has struggled to end despite Moscow’s war on Ukraine.
Energy ministers meeting in Luxembourg approved a plan by the European Commission to phase out both pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia, subject to approval by the bloc’s parliament.
Last month at the UN general assembly, president Donald Trump had said that European countries would have to cease buying Russian energy products.
“Inexcusably, even Nato countries have not cut off much Russian energy and Russian energy products, which I found out about two weeks ago, and I wasn’t happy,” he said. “Think of it – they’re funding the war against themselves. Who the hell ever heard of that one?”
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EU agrees to end all Russian gas imports by end 2027
The European Union has agreed on Monday to end all Russian gas imports by the end of 2027, according to AFP reports. More on this as we receive updates.
'We have failed' says French Justice Minister over Louvre robbery
France’s Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin admitted Monday to security flaws in protecting the Louvre that had led to robbers a day earlier stealing imperial jewels in broad daylight from the famed Paris museum.
“What is certain is that we have failed, since people were able to park a furniture hoist in the middle of Paris, get people up it in several minutes to grab priceless jewels and give France a terrible image,” he told France Inter radio.
The robbery, which several newspapers have called the “heist of the century” has cast France in a “deplorable” light, Darmanin said. “The French people all feel like they’ve been robbed.”
The Louvre will remain closed on Monday for a second day running.
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Zelenskyy says he would join Trump-Putin summit in Hungary if invited
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Monday he would be ready to join Russia’s Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, at their summit in Hungary if he is invited. Trump and Putin are expected to meet in the Hungarian capital, possibly in a matter of weeks, as the US leader continues to try to broker a peace deal to end the three-and-a-half-year war.
Zelenskyy told reporters in remarks released on Monday:
If I am invited to Budapest – if it is an invitation in a format where we meet as three or, as it’s called, shuttle diplomacy, President Trump meets with Putin and President Trump meets with me – then in one format or another, we will agree.
The Ukrainian president also criticised the choice of Hungary, which has a terse relationship with Kyiv and is seen as the most Kremlin-sympathetic member of the European Union.
“I do not believe that a prime minister who blocks Ukraine everywhere can do anything positive for Ukrainians or even provide a balanced contribution,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the Hungarian leader, Viktor Orbán.
In other developments:
Donald Trump on Sunday suggested the best way to end the war in Ukraine would be to “cut up” the Donbas region, leaving most of it to Russia. The US president told reporters: “Let it be cut the way it is,” adding: “They can negotiate something later on down the line.” The comments came after a tense White House meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which Trump reportedly put pressure on the Ukrainian president to give up swaths of territory.
The European Union foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said on Monday that it was “not nice” that Putin might travel to EU member Hungary for talks on the war in Ukraine. Kallas told reporters ahead of a gathering of European foreign ministers in Luxembourg that Trump’s efforts to bring peace were welcome but that it was also important for Zelenskyy to meet the Russian leader.
Ukraine is preparing a contract to buy 25 Patriot air defence systems. In comments to media at a meeting on Sunday and cleared for use on Monday, Zelenskyy said the systems would be supplied every year for a number of years, and that Ukraine would seek for some European nations to give Kyiv priority in the queue for the systems. Patriots are seen by Kyiv as the most effective systems to stop Russian ballistic missiles, which travel several times faster than the speed of sound.
Zelenskyy said he had spoken to the French president, Emmanuel Macron, on Monday about applying pressure on Russia, and that he had agreed to meet him in the near future. “Pressuring the one who started the war is the key to a denouement,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “Emmanuel and I discussed all the current diplomatic aspects and our recent contacts with partners.”
The Louvre will remain closed for a second day running on Monday, management told AFP, after thieves stole crown jewels from the museum in Paris a day earlier. French police are still hunting for four thieves who carried out a highly professional daylight raid on the Louvre, breaking into one of the museum’s most ornate rooms and escaping with eight pieces of “priceless” historic jewellery, including a necklace given by Napoleon to his wife.
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