Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap for today!
The EU has listed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, ending years of division over the issue in response to the regime’s brutal repression of protesters (16:14, 16:16, 16:51, 16:59, 17:11).
The EU also added 15 Iranian government officials and 6 organisations to its sanctions list for their role in “serious human rights violations” in the repression of protesters.
More than 30,000 people may have been killed in Iran in the latest wave of repression, according to some estimates as human rights groups say a “revenge” campaign has been unleashed by the regime.
In other news,
US president Donald Trump said he has personally asked Vladimir Putin “not to fire into Kyiv and various [Ukrainian] towns for a week” amid extremely low temperatures expected in the coming days, saying the Russian president “has agreed to that” (18:13).
Earlier, several EU leaders criticised Russia for continued attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure (9:55, 12:06, 12:58)
German chancellor Friedrich Merz said that European nations are starting to discuss ideas around a shared nuclear umbrella to complement existing security arrangements with the US (17:54), earlier warning about “rough winds blowing in the world” in his foreign policy speech in the Bundestag (10:18).
Danish king Frederik will travel to Greenland in mid-February amid US interest in controlling the territory (14:10), after foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen revealed he had “constructive” talks with the US over Greenland last night (9:38).
And here here is a short video in which I’m talking about our recent story on why US ICE agents will be coming to Italy for the Winter Olympics…
And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
Trump says he asked Putin not to fire at Ukrainian cities for week amid extreme cold temperatures
US president Donald Trump is now speaking at the cabinet meeting over in the US.
He says he has personally asked Russia’s Vladimir Putin “not to fire into Kyiv and various towns for a week” amid extremely low temperatures expected in the coming days, saying the Russian president “has agreed to that.”
“On top of everything else, that’s not what they need, missiles coming into their towns,” he said.
His envoy, Steve Witkoff, said earlier that the Ukraine-Russia talks made further progress in recent weeks, and will continue “in about a week” with “lots of good things happening between the counterparties,” including talks on “the land deal.”
Witkoff also confirmed that “we have a security protocol [with Ukraine] that’s largely finished, and a prosperity agreement that’s largely finished.”
“I think the people of Ukraine are now hopeful and expecting that we’re going to deliver a peace deal sometime soon,” he said.
Updated
Germany talking with European countries about shared nuclear umbrella to complement US arrangements, Merz says
Meanwhile, German chancellor Friedrich Merz said that European nations are starting to discuss ideas around a shared nuclear umbrella to complement existing security arrangements with the US, amid growing talk in Germany of developing its own nuclear defences.
Merz said the talks were only at an initial stage and no decision was imminent, Reuters reported.
“We know that we have to reach a number of strategic and military policy decisions, but at the moment, the time is not ripe,” he told reporters.
Germany is currently banned from developing a nuclear weapon of its own under the so-called Four Plus Two agreement that opened the way for the country’s reunification in 1990 as well as under a landmark nuclear non-proliferation treaty that Germany signed in 1969.
Merz said Germany’s treaty obligations did not prevent it from discussing joint solutions with partners, including Britain and France, the only European powers which have a nuclear arsenal.
“These talks are taking place. They are also not in conflict with nuclear-sharing with the United States of America,” he said.
Macron welcomes Slovakia's Fico for talks on Europe's 'strategic awakening'
Macron sunglasses alert: they’re gone! Till next time, Pacific S 01 Double Golds!
It seems that the French president’s eye injury has now cleared, as he showed up without them for his meeting with Slovak prime minister Robert Fico today.
In a short post in Slovak (just a day after speaking Greenlandic and Danish!), Macron said the meeting focused on Europe’s “strategic awakening” and looking to produce “more unity and solidarity to ensure our European independence.”
“Our European and bilateral agenda must enable us to accelerate progress in what is essential: in the areas of energy, competitiveness, defence, but also the protection of our democracies, based on the values of the European Union.”
Obviously, you will remember from yesterday’s Europe Live (here and here) that Slovak politicians floated some ideas as to why Fico wanted to meet with Macron and that it had to do with his alleged assessment of US president Trump’s ‘state of mind’… but it’s worth noting that the Slovak PM has strongly denied these reports.
'Region doesn't need a new war,' EU's Kallas says on Iran tensions
Presenting the conclusions of the foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas was asked if the bloc would be potentially prepared to back a US strike against Iran.
She gives a brief, pointed answer:
“When it comes to attacks … I think the region does not need a new war.”
Europe's sanctions, listing of IRGC is 'major strategic mistake' of 'actor in severe decline,' Iran's foreign minister says
Iran’s foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has a very different view on the move, though.
In a post on X, he said:
“Several countries are presently attempting to avert the eruption of all-out war in our region. None of them are European.
Europe is instead busy fanning the flames. After pursuing ‘snapback’ at the behest of the U.S., it is now making another major strategic mistake by designating our National Military as a supposed “terrorist organization”.
Putting aside the blatant hypocrisy of its selective outrage—taking zero action in response to Israel’s Genocide in Gaza and yet rushing to “defend human rights” in Iran—Europe’s PR stunt mainly seeks to cloak that it is an actor in severe decline.
Moreover, as the continent is certain to be massively impacted by an all-out war in our region—including the knock-on effects of surging energy prices—the EU’s current posture is deeply damaging to its own interests.
Europeans deserve better than what their governments have to offer.”
IRGC terrorist listing 'long overdue political signal' that violence 'will no longer go unanswered,' senior MEP says
The chair of the European parliament’s delegation for relations with Iran, Hannah Neumann, said the revolutionary guard listing was a “long-overdue political signal that massive violence and transnational repression will no longer go unanswered”.
“This listing is not merely symbolic,” she said in a statement. “It carries very concrete legal consequences: assets are frozen, and any financial or material support becomes a criminal offence.”
She continued:
“Investigative and law-enforcement authorities finally have a clear legal basis to act against networks, enablers, and those who profit economically.
From now on, the same rules apply to the Revolutionary Guards as to Daesh or Hamas: anyone who cooperates with them is committing a criminal offense in the EU.
What matters now is consistent implementation by the member states. For the people in Iran and for the Iranian diaspora in Europe, this sends a clear message: the long era of impunity is coming to an end. Threats, intimidation, and repression will no longer be tolerated. Perpetrators and their supporters must expect determined prosecution.”
Separately, she said on X:
“After so many years of demanding, pressuring, fighting, finally, they all joined our call to list IRGC as a terrorist organisation. But why did so many people have to die before we got there? My thoughts are with the victims of IRGC. My hopes are for a free Iran.”
Updated
EU's von der Leyen welcomes sanctions, terrorist listing of 'regime that crushes own people's protests in blood'
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has welcomed the move on “new sanctions against the murderous Iranian regime” and the IRGC.
She said:
“This was long overdue. « Terrorist » is indeed how you call a regime that crushes its own people’s protests in blood. Europe stands with the people of Iran in their brave fight for freedom.”
European Parliament president Roberta Metsola also praised the decision:
“Europe stands up to be counted. Designating the Iranian regime’s oppressive IRGC as a terrorist organisation is the right decision, that even a few weeks ago so many said was impossible. Proud of the European Parliament’s sustained, unified effort that helped push this breakthrough. Now, time to stand strong. Iran will be free.”
Updated
EU designates Iran's revolutionary guard as terrorist organisation, foreign policy chief Kallas says
As expected (11:31), the European Union has just designated Iran’s revolutionary guard as terrorist organisation, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirmed.
In a post on X, she said:
“Repression cannot go unanswered.
EU Foreign Ministers just took the decisive step of designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation.
Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise.”
Updated
Why are ICE agents going to the Winter Olympics in Italy? – video explainer
Aaaand… so let me break the fourth wall for a second: here is a short video in which I’m talking about our recent story on why US ICE agents will be coming to Italy for the Winter Olympics.
I’m diving into why they’re actually going there, the local controversy brewing in Italy over their presence, and the government’s explanation why (they think) it’s not really as big a deal as protesters say.
Ultimately, it’s a look at how the line between the sports arena and the political stage is getting thinner every day… and the US World Cup is coming up this summer!
Earlier this week, Angela Giuffrida and I reported on plans for ICE agents to come to Europe for next month’s Winter Olympics as part of the US diplomatic protection team, and the uproar it caused in Italy.
Earlier today, there was even a small protest near the US embassy in Rome against ICE’s involvement in the country.
According to the Italian press, more protests are expected next week, including a “From Minneapolis to Milan” demonstration in Milan on 6 February, the actual day the Olympic Games are scheduled to get under way.
Updated
Le scoop! France’s last newspaper hawker celebrated with prestigious award
European community affairs correspondent
Now for some lighter news…
For more than five decades he’s pounded the pavements of Paris, becoming part of the city’s cultural fabric as he strikes up conversations, greets longtime friends and offers parodies of daily news headlines.
On Wednesday, the efforts of the man believed to be France’s last newspaper hawker were recognised, as Ali Akbar, a 73-year-old originally from Pakistan, received one of France’s most prestigious honours.
In a ceremony at the Élysée Palace, France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, described Akbar as the “most French of the French” as he made him a knight of the National Order of Merit in recognition of his distinguished service to France.
“You are the accent of the sixth arrondissement, the voice of the French press on Sunday mornings. And every other day of the week, for that matter,” said Macron. “A warm voice that, every day for more than 50 years, has boomed across the terraces of Saint-Germain, making its way between restaurant tables.”
Speaking to Reuters in August, Akbar highlighted the delight he got from walking through Paris each day. “It’s love,” Akbar said as he crisscrossed the cobbled streets of Saint Germain-des-Prés. “If it was for the money, I could do something else. But I have a great time with these people.”
EU sanctions 15 officials and 6 organisations in Iran over brutal protest crackdown
The EU has announced sanctions on 15 Iranian officials, including top commanders and officials of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, over Tehran’s deadly crackdown on nationwide protests.
The sanctions also included measures against six Iranian organisations.
Iran had no immediate comment on the decision.
Updated
Danish king Frederik to travel to Greenland next month in bid to boost morale amid US interest in territory
Danish king Frederik will travel to Greenland in mid-February amid US interest in controlling the territory, Danish media reported.
The monarch revealed the planned visit – scheduled for the eighth week of the year, starting on 16 February - during his state visit to Lithuania, TV2 reported, saying he hoped it would keep the morale up amid “worries” about the future.
He was earlier asked about his thoughts on the US pressure on Denmark, saying “we feel for the Greenlandic people very much.”
'We have rules and we need to respect them,' Luxembourg's foreign minister plays down Ukraine's 2027 EU membership prospect
Back to Ukraine, not everyone seems to be equally keen on rushing to admit Ukraine to the EU next year (12:58), as requested by Zelenskyy on Tuesday (Europe Live).
Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg’s foreign minister and former prime minister, was not happy with the Ukrainian president’s repeated requests to allow Ukraine by 2027 - even as he strongly repeated Europe’s support for Ukraine.
“I just heard that President Zelenskyy said that they have to be member next year.
I’m sorry. I told him, several times: don’t give ultimatums. It’s not in your interest.
The fact is, there are rules, the Copenhagen criteria, and we need to fulfil them. We cannot say that there are criterias for the one and not for the other. …
As long as the criterias of Copenhagen are not respected, we cannot say: Please enter the family and for you we close the eyes, for you we close the ears, for you we close the mouth.
No, we need we have rules, and we need to respect them.”
EU wants to clamp down on asylum system abuses, tighten migration controls under new plans
Separately, the EU has laid out plans to overhaul its visa system and step up deportations as part of a five-year migration strategy that cements a hardening line on the issue, AFP reported.
Irregular arrivals in the 27-nation bloc were down by more than a quarter in 2025, according to the EU’s border agency – but political pressure to act remains high.
“The priority is clear: bringing illegal arrival numbers down and keeping them down,” Magnus Brunner, the EU’s commissioner for migration, said.
The strategy stressed the need to boost deportations of failed asylum-seekers among the bloc’s priorities.
“Abuse gives migration a bad name – it undermines public trust and ultimately takes away from our ability to provide protection and undercuts our drive to attract talent,” said Brunner.
Criticised by rights groups, the proposal also envisages harsher penalties for migrants who refuse to leave European territory, including longer periods of detention.
Brussels recently struck or is negotiating deals with Northern African countries including Tunisia, Mauritania, Egypt and Morocco, whereby it gets help controlling migration flows in return for aid and investments.
But Amnesty International criticised the EU’s approach as “flawed”.
It “only heightens its dependence on third countries to manage migration, while making it complicit in any rights violations that may result”, said Olivia Sundberg Diez, a policy analyst with the human rights group.
'This is state terror,' EU enlargement commissioner on Russian continuing strikes on Ukraine
EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos also strongly criticised Russia for its continuing attacks on Ukraine.
Arriving for the EU foreign affairs council this morning, she said:
“The news we are getting from Ukraine nearly every morning are horrific. What Russia is doing. There is a state terror. It’s far beyond the war [as] they are bombing people while they are at home, freezing to death, [and] bombing passenger trains …”
She said the ministers would “discuss with the member states what we can do more for this energy situation in Ukraine.”
Kos also backed Zelenskyy’s call to admit Ukraine to the EU by 2027, saying “this is not only his desire; it is also my desire and desire of many, many member states.” “But we will see when this will be possible,” she added.
Pushed on the feasibility of 2027 as the target date, she said:
“I can’t speak about the years; [as] I was saying there is some level of fundamentals which have to be fulfilled. But of course, we also have to consider the very important historical moments. So we will discuss with the member states how to bridge the time we need for the accession process, and of course, to react to this situation.”
Asked about growing tensions between Hungary and Ukraine, and Budapest’s determination to veto Ukraine’s accession, she said:
“We will work until the end to get the unanimity we need for this process. This is the only way we have to keep going, working also with the Hungary, and this is what we are doing.”
EU plans to spend €145m on aid for Ukraine amid worsening humanitarian situation
The European Union has announced plans to spend €145m on aid for Ukraine “to provide protection assistance, shelter, food, cash assistance, psychosocial support, and access to water and health services” amid worsening humanitarian situation in the country after recent Russian strikes on its energy infrastructure.
The European Commission said:
“After more than a decade of hostilities and almost four years of full-scale war, the people of Ukraine continue to endure immense suffering. Daily civilian casualties, widespread infrastructure destruction, and mass displacement are further exacerbating the massive humanitarian needs.
With Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, millions in the country are exposed to freezing temperatures.”
Crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib said that the EU was determine for “people to have shelter, warmth and hope when they need it most.”
“Our solidarity with Ukraine is not a slogan, it is reliable, sustained humanitarian action driven strictly by needs on the ground,” she said.
Updated
EU expected to list Iran's revolutionary guard as terrorist organisation
in Brussels
Separately, the EU is expected to list Iran’s revolutionary guard as a terrorist organisation, in a sign of deepening international condemnation of the regime’s brutal repression of protesters.
Ahead of a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers on Thursday, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she expected agreement on listing Iran’s revolutionary guard on the bloc’s terrorist list (9:55).
Citing the death toll from recent protests, she added: “That’s why we are also sending a clear message that if you are suppressing people, it has a price, and you will be also sanctioned for this.”
The EU is also expected to add more Iranian government officials and organisations to its sanctions list for their role in repressing protesters.
Momentum to list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group has grown in the last 24 hours, with France dropping its opposition to the plan on the eve of the foreign ministers meeting.
“The unbearable repression of the peaceful uprising of the Iranian people cannot go unanswered,” French foreign minister Jean-Nöel Barrot wrote on X. “Their extraordinary courage in the face of the violence that has been unleashed indiscriminately against them cannot be in vain.”
France had long resisted an IRGC listing, fearing the listing of a state body would stymie attempts to reach a diplomatic accord on the Iranian nuclear programme and harm the interests of French citizens in the country.
Belgium had similar qualms, but included support for the listing in the new government’s coalition agreement last year. Belgium’s foreign minister Maxime Prévot said his country advocated for the listing “particularly in light of the atrocities and repression that have been observed in recent weeks”.
The listing must be agreed unanimously by the EU’s 27 member states.
The likely sanctions come amid what human rights groups have described as a “revenge” campaign by the Iranian regime, as doctors and healthcare workers facing death sentences for treating badly-injured protesters. Meanwhile Donald Trump warned Iran to negotiate a deal on the future of its nuclear programme or face a military strike, as he said a “massive Armada” was on the way ready to use violence if necessary.
Established after the 1979 Islamic revolution, The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is an elite paramilitary force separate to the regular army, with 150,000 ground troops and its own navy and airforce. It was listed a terrorist organisation in 2019 by the US during the first Trump administration, by Canada in 2024 and Australia in 2025.
Kremlin declines to comment on rumoured energy infrastructure ceasefire
On Ukraine, the Kremlin has declined to comment on media reports that Russia and Ukraine may have agreed some sort of ceasefire regarding energy infrastructure ahead of the second round of their trilateral talks with the US this weekend, Reuters reported.
Temperatures are expected to plummet as low as -20 Celsius in Moscow and -15 Celsius in Kyiv this weekend.
I will keep an eye on this for you.
Greenland 'never been peripheral' to US security, Trump envoy says, as he hints at scope of deal with Denmark
Meanwhile, Jeff Landry, US special envoy to Greenland, wrote a comment for the New York Times on the US interest in the territory.
He said that the “framework” pursued by the US administration in talks with Denmark and Greenland “builds on the 1941 and 1951 defence agreements between the United States and Denmark and would enhance American, Nato and Greenlandic security and reaffirm longstanding trans-Atlantic defence obligations.”
“It would expand America’s operational freedom, support new bases and infrastructure, facilitate deployment of advanced missile-defense systems like the Golden Dome and crowd out hostile Chinese and Russian influence.
These measures are not provocative — they are preventive. They would ensure that the United States, not its adversaries, sets the rules in one of the world’s most strategically consequential regions in perpetuity.”
Landry shared Trump’s belief that “America must guarantee its own unfettered and uninterrupted access to key strategic territories in the Western Hemisphere, including both Greenland and the Panama Canal.”
“That assessment was driven by history, geography and hard military capability,” he said.
He continued:
“America’s adversaries already understand what many past U.S. administrations ignored: The Arctic is no longer peripheral to global affairs. Greenland sits roughly equidistant between Washington and Moscow. It hosts critical early-warning and missile-defense infrastructure and lies along Arctic shipping routes that China and Russia are aggressively seeking to exploit.”
He ended by concluding:
“Greenland has never been peripheral to America’s security. History proves it. Strategy demands it.”
French foreign minister warns about 'brutalisation of world,' as he urges EU unity on Greenland, Ukraine
Over in Brussels, French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot warned about the “brutalisation of the world” in international politics, stressing the need to maintain EU unity amid dramatic changes in the world order.
He said that January was dominated by “threats against a European territory under the protection of Nato, the territory of Greenland,” as he urged the European Commission to clearly assert EU interests, including on territorial integrity, electoral processes and autonomy fo decision, against “any new threats” (yes, he probably means the US, too.)
He also echoed Kallas’s warnings on Ukraine, saying that Russia’s continued strikes on energy infrastructure seemed to show “the desire to cause a genuine humanitarian crisis” accompanied by continued refusal to engage with good faith peace negotiations.
Germany's Merz warns against 'rough winds' as he urges Europe to reassert itself to face challenges
Meanwhile over in Berlin, German chancellor Friedrich Merz warned about “rough winds blowing in the world” as the international rules-based world order is under strain, as he urged Europe to reassert itself as a global superpower, but without undermining its longstanding partnership and alliances, including with the US.
Merz said that with the rise of imperialism and autocracy, the EU has become a more attractive partner for new global alliances.
He said that in recent weeks he felt, “perhaps for the first time,” that Europe “can be a [global] power” when it focuses on defending its values.
He said that Europe needed to step up its defence and technological capabilities to “reduce dependencies” built over the last few decades. “Europe has always grown when it has been under pressure,” he said.
Merz also called for unity on the European side in the face of growing pressures, pointedly saying it proved to be effective in keeping the US on side on Ukraine before Christmas, and forcing Washington to U-turn on tariffs and Greenland early this year.
He said that the EU’s response over Greenland showed that “we would not be intimidated by tariff threats again,” showing to “everyone” (he means Donald Trump) that “we are ready and able to defend ourselves.”
He also pointedly said that leaders “should not recklessly jeopardise established alliances,” as he demanded US respect for German troops in Afghanistan after recent Trump comments.
Reminding lawmakers that 59 German soldiers died in Afghanistan and well over 100 were seriously injured, he said – to loud applause – that “we will not allow for this effort … to be scorned and disparaged today.”
But he also stressed the continuing importance of Nato, saying “we, Europeans, want to preserve NATO in order to strengthen it from Europe and in Europe.”
Merz also separately talked about the need to push for a greater reform of the EU to remove red tape and simplify existing regulations to kickstart European economies, a topic expected to be raised during next month’s informal EU leaders’ retreat.
Russia 'trying to bomb and freeze' Ukrainians into submission, EU's foreign policy chief warns
Arriving for the EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said they had a “very package agenda” for today, as “the international rules-based order [remains] under … strain.”
She said the ministers will discuss the evolving EU-US relationship, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the Middle East, among others.
On Ukraine specifically, she said that the Russian delegation in the UAE talks continued to represent only military personnel, with “no mandate to agree on anything,” questioning whether Russia is genuinely committed to the peace process.
“They are bombing Ukrainians, trying to bomb and freeze them to surrender, and that’s why we are also discussing the energy support that we can give them, because it’s very hard winter and Ukrainians are really suffering. There is a humanitarian catastrophe coming there,” she said.
She added:
“My worry is that we have seen a lot of concessions also on the Ukrainian side, but that is blurring the picture, because Ukraine is not the one who is doing the aggression. It’s Russia who is doing this. So we should put more pressure on Russia so that we would see concessions on the Russian side.”
She also played down the idea of “a European army,” saying that it remained to be a domain for national authorities and hierarchies.
“In military you have to have a very straight and understandable chain of command, so that whenever something happens, it’s clear who gives orders to whom. If we create parallel structures, then it’s just going to blur the picture,” she said.
On the Middle East, the main topic is the situation in Iran, with a discussion on listing the Iran Revolutionary Guard on the EU’s terrorism list, “putting them on the same footing with Al Qaeda, Hamas, Daesh.”
“If you act as a terrorist, you should also be treated as terrorists,” she said.
Updated
The Washington meeting took place just hours after the US embassy in Copenhagen angered Danish veterans by removing national flags put up in front of the mission to honour Danish soldiers killed in Afghanistan.
Days after US president Donald Trump angered some allies by downplaying the role of non-US Nato troops in the Afghanistan war, 44 flags, which carried the names of the 44 Danish soldiers killed in Afghanistan, were put up on Tuesday in flower beds outside the US embassy in Copenhagen, AFP reported.
The embassy originally told Danish media that it had removed the flags because they had been put up without coordination with the embassy, prompting angry reaction from locals and veteran associations.
The embassy later backtracked, and a US State Department spokesperson told AFP that “until an outlet reached out, we were unaware of why the flags were placed in planters outside the Embassy.”
Following the news of the removal, new flags were put up on Wednesday.
By Wednesday afternoon, hundreds of small Danish flags had been put up in the flowerbeds, TV2 reported.
The embassy told AFP that “additional flags subsequently placed are currently in place and will remain so”.
Updated
Morning opening: Denmark 'slightly more optimistic' about resolving US Greenland interest
Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen revealed he had “constructive” talks with the US over Greenland last night, saying that he is “slightly more optimistic today than a week ago” that a solution can be found.
No wonder: it’s a week since US president Donald Trump delivered that rambling Davos speech in which he repeatedly stated he needed to take control of Greenland.
Confirming hints from US state secretary Marco Rubio last night (Europe Live yesterday), Rasmussen said the pair met in Washington for further talks, putting them back on track with the process they agreed on two weeks ago.
“After that, there was a major detour, things were escalating, but now we are back on track,” he said.
Rubio told the US Congress last night that the low-profile format hoped to avoid “a media circus” around the talks – with more to come.
Rasmussen didn’t answer specific questions about what was covered in talks, sticking to the line that they focused on what can be done to meet US security interests without violating Denmark’s red lines on territory and sovereignty.
He will no doubt offer a bit more detail behind the closed doors as EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels this morning to go through a busy agenda covering the world on fire in Greenland, Ukraine, the Middle East, and other parts of the world.
I will keep an eye on what others ministers will say arriving for talks.
Separately, German chancellor Friedrich Merz is delivering a major foreign policy speech in the Bundestag this morning. I will bring you the key lines here, too.
I will also look at the latest on Ukraine and Russia, including a rare late night violation of Polish airspace by weather balloons from Belarus.
Lots for us to cover.
It’s Thursday, 29 January 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
