Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap!
The leaders of the Coalition of the Willing have finalised a plan for potential security guarantees for Ukraine, with 26 countries declaring readiness to get directly involved, French president Emmanuel Macron said after a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris (16:25).
The plan will be now taken to the US with the intention of formalising it in the coming days, Macron said (16:46).
Speaking alongside him, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the key task was to deprive Russia of resources to continue the war (16:37), and offer Ukraine strong and legally binding guarantees of its security for the future (16:49).
Meanwhile, Finland’s president Alexander Stubb revealed that during the leaders’ conversation with Trump this afternoon, the US president suggested the two sides coordinate more closely on sanctions, targeting Russia’s oil and gas revenues (17:11).
A number of European leaders sought to project their unity in a series of comments and social media posts declaring their support for Ukraine (13:48, 14:00, 14:55).
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte warned against being “naive” about Russia as he said Moscow would remain a long-term threat, particularly given its increasingly close relations with the likes of China and North Korea (10:09, 13:42)
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.
Updated
Finland's Stubb says Trump wants US, Europe to combine on sanctions targeting Russian oil and gas
Finland’s president Alexander Stubb said president Donald Trump in a call with European leaders on Thursday suggested the US and Europe should act together on further sanctions against Russia, and that sanctions on oil and gas were up for discussion.
“Trump’s approach was very much that we must act together on sanctions policy and now look for ways in particular to halt Russia’s war machine by economic means,” Stubb told Finnish media after the meeting, Reuters reported.
“In that case there are two targets, namely oil and gas. The President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and President Trump’s close advisers will discuss this over the next 24 hours,” Stubb said.
And that concludes their press conference.
Asked about some of the countries that previously signalled their opposition to being part of a deployment to Ukraine – including Poland and Italy – Macron sidesteps the question and says that there are different roles that can be performed, and effectively refuses to detail which country committed to what.
Zelenskyy also doesn’t go into the details, but confirms these countries will be among the guarantors (in one way or another).
Updated
Zelenskyy stresses that the new guarantees need to be lasting as Ukraine wouldn’t want nor accept the repetition of the Budapest Memorandum or the Minsk agreements that proved to be ineffective, and would want the guarantees to be ratified by national parliaments to confirm their legal status.
He also speaks about that a meeting of leaders is needed to advance the peace talks, but Russia “is doing everything to postpone is.”
He also rejects Putin’s suggestion that he could come to Moscow, as the exact sort of suggestion that Moscow would know to be unacceptable.
Macron stresses once again that 26 countries have confirmed that they are ready to be involved with specific proposals on what they can offer in the way of security guarantees.
He says this will need to be finalised with the US in the coming days, but these declarations give more clarity on the support that is being discussed.
He says the US has been clear on its will to be involved in the security guarantees.
But he doesn’t offer too many specific as he says that would reveal too much to Russia.
Key to ending war it to deprive Russian war machine of resources, Zelenskyy says
Zelenskyy says the key to ending the war is to deprive “the Russian war machine” of resources, as he talks about the need to put more pressure – including economic sanctions – on Moscow.
He also says that Ukraine is particularly keen to secure “maximum protection” of its skies to “save lives” and protect the Ukrainians from nightly attacks by Russia.
Zelenskyy talks about 'concrete plans' being made to guarantee Ukraine's security
Zelenskyy says the intention is clear, “to finish this war as soon as possible” and allow for diplomatic talks, while guaranteeing Ukraine’s long-term security guarantees.
He points out that Russia’s Putin has so far rejected all calls for peace talks, and “his behaviour shows that putting pressure on him doesn’t work, but we think it is to the contrary” as he talks about the impact of sanctions on the Russian economy.
Zelenskyy says that a strong Ukrainian army is “the central element of security guarantees,” with talks on training, and production and procurement of weapons.
He says the security guarantees plan – the framework of which has now been agreed today – includes “concrete steps,” and leaders are now deciding which country will help in which area, including in cyber, and air defence.
He adds that “European weapon production lines are not working enough,” as he calls for more investment in this area to make them work at full capacity.
Macron says security guarantees 'ready' with 26 ready to take part, coalition ready to coordinate further sanctions on Russia with US
Macron begins by saying that “our message remains that” Ukraine is on the side of peace, and Russia needs to be called out as the aggressor.
He says that Russia appears to be “acting with the consent of many of its partners around the world,” as it is attempting to delay the peace process and continue attacking Ukraine.
Macron stresses the need for security guarantees for Ukraine, as he talks about the process led by defence chiefs and planners that “laid the groundwork” for the guarantees.
He says the guarantees are now ready, clarifying the military and political engagement from the 35 members, to provide Ukraine with the support it needs.
“The key argument here is that there are no limitations for the defence of Ukraine,” he says, stressing the need to “regenerate” the Ukrainian army to “resist” Russian attacks and deter it from planning another attack.
He says 26 countries are ready to be involved “on land, in the sea or in the air” to “reassure the people of Ukraine and maintain the ceasefire once it’s implemented, and maintain and guarantee peace.”
Macron also confirms the leaders spoke with the US president Trump.
He says “the conclusions are very simple,” with plans to finalise the agreed US support in the coming days.
He adds that “we are also ready to coordinate our efforts in order to stop the war efforts from Russia.”
He says the Europeans want a series of meetings – first between Zelenskyy and Putin, and later in another format – to bring the war to a close, and “if Moscow doesn’t want to respect these conditions, we will have to take further steps with the US.”
He claims Trump has confirmed he would join the coalition in taking action should Russia fail to act.
“We cannot [allow for] international law to be violated. We cannot, because this is not only Ukraine; this is the security of all of us,” he says.
Updated
Macron, Zelenskyy speaking to press after Paris meeting
France’s Macron and Ukraine’s Zelenskyy are now finally talking to the media about today’s meeting in Paris.
You have our live stream below, but I will bring you all the key lines here.
Europe must stop buying Russian oil, put pressure on China, Trump reportedly tells leaders
In the meantime, we are getting a line from the White House, via Reuters.
A WH official is quoted as telling reporters that US president Donald Trump told Europeans that Europe must stop purchasing Russian oil, and place more economic pressure on China to punish it for funding Russia’s war efforts.
Judging by the flags at the press conference, we are waiting for these two gentlemen…
Back to Paris, we are still waiting for Macron’s press conference after the summit.
In the meantime, there is a line from the German government spokesperson, via Reuters, confirming that the European partners briefed Trump on their work, and that they hope the US will continue to contribute significantly to efforts to support Ukraine.
I am sure he will hear more about this soon.
Updated
Giorgio Armani dies at 91 - Italian media
In other news, the Italian media are now reporting the death of the iconic Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani at 91.
The news was also reported by the Italian news agency AGI and Reuters, quoting a statement from Armani’s company.
Updated
As we wait, can we just take a moment to appreciate the absolutely stunning indoors of the Élysée Palace with the stained glass windows in colours of the French flag?
Anyway, we should hear from the French president, Emmanuel Macron, fairly shortly at the conclusion of today’s meeting, and presumably after the leaders’ call with US president Donald Trump.
We will bring you the main news lines when it happens.
In her reaction to the meeting, Latvia’s prime minister Evika Siliņa warned that “Russia does not want peace in Ukraine and will remain a threat.”
Romania’s president Nicușor Dan praised a “very good and substantive meeting,” pointedly “welcoming the participation of US representatives.”
“US involvement remains crucial in all aspects of our joint efforts to reach a ceasefire and a lasting peace in Ukraine. We need to keep pressure on Russia as it continues to show that it does not want peace,” he said.
He added that “strong security for Ukraine and further consolidating Nato’s posture on the Eastern Flank and at the Black Sea go hand in hand.”
European leaders react after first session of the Coalition of the Willing
Let’s look at some further reactions from European leaders after the first part of the Paris summit, before they call US president Donald Trump shortly.
Ireland’s prime minister Micheál Martin issued a statement saying the talks “focussed on making further progress on the security guarantees for Ukraine that will be needed to underpin any ceasefire or peace agreement.”
He said these guarantees could take “a number of forms, from an ‘assurance force’ that some countries are ready to join to further training for the Ukrainian Defence Forces.”
He also said that it could “include a role for peacekeepers in ensuring that a ceasefire or peace agreement is observed,” with Ireland “open to participating in an appropriately mandated mission of this kind.”
Croatia’s Andrej Plenković also spoke about the need to continue offering “comprehensive assistance to Ukraine,” and stressed the need to support Ukraine’s plans to join the EU.
Estonia’s Kristen Michal said that while “Putin hopes his games tire the democratic world, our unity and resolve have proven otherwise.”
“Security guarantees must be defined by those who seek and provide them. Russia has no say in Ukraine’s future – or the future of Europe and Nato,” he said.
Spain’s Pedro Sánchez, grounded in Madrid after his plane broke down (10:12), also called for “transatlantic unity,” saying it was “more necessary than ever,” as he urged partners to make no concessions to Russian aggression.
Lithuania’s Gitanas Nausėda stressed that “guarantees must provide real deterrence, not another Budapest Memorandum.”
'Putin cannot be trusted,' Britain's Starmer warns
Meanwhile Britain’s prime minister Keir Starmer told other leaders of the Coalition of the Willing that Putin “could not be trusted” as Russia continues to delay peace talks and carry out attacks on Ukraine.
“That was further underlined by the indiscriminate attacks in Kyiv last week, causing significant damage to the British Council and EU delegation buildings,” he added, according to a government readout.
Starmer also stressed that the coalition “had an unbreakable pledge to Ukraine, with president Trump’s backing,” and told leader it was clear they “now needed to go even further to apply pressure on Putin to secure a cessation of hostilities.”
He also welcomed announcements from other coalition members that they would supply long range missiles to Ukraine “to further bolster the country’s supplies.”
Starmer wasn’t in Paris, but dialled in online, it was confirmed.
Up to us to design guarantees to back Ukraine, Nato's Rutte says, as he warns against being 'naive' about Russia
Nato’s Rutte is speaking now and he opens by heaping praise on the Czech Republic as a reliable member of the alliance.
He then talks about Nato’s defence spending ramp up in recent months to deal with “the threats we face, including from Russia, which we all know is not only a challenge today, but for the long term.”
On Ukraine, he says that “we’re all pushing for an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine and a just and lasting peace.”
Commenting on the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing he just took part in, he largely repeat what he said earlier this morning (10:18) as he says:
“This started as president Trump breaking the deadlock with Putin [by] engaging with him, and therefore [it is] now for us to design the security guarantees as Europeans and Canada with the US to make sure that when [these] talks start, the Ukrainian president knows that he has the full backing of the US, of Canada, the Europeans, all of us in Nato, but also countries outside Nato.”
He says the “primary” security guarantee will have to be the Ukrainian army, but “on top of that, also these security guarantees.”
He also strongly repeats his point that Europe should “not be naive” about Russia.
“The facts are there. Russia is investing 40% of its state budget on defence. And of course, you sometimes here and there have a nice parade, but that’s not why they are investing all that money.
They are investing it because they want to be successful in Ukraine, and we have to prevent them from being successful. But beyond Ukraine, it will not stop.
We have seen recent announcements and comments by senior military and also intelligence leaders in Europe saying that Russia might be ready by 2027, by 2029 some are saying by 2030 2031 to really, if they would choose so try to attack Nato territory.
We have to make sure that our deterrence is such that they will never try, knowing that our reaction will be devastating.
That is yes, money, because we need more men and women in uniform, but also yes, production because production capacity, also here the Czech Republic, is very important because of your overall … history and still very much presence when it comes to defence industrial production … .
To everybody watching this, please, men and women, citizens of the Czech Republic and all over Europe, Canada and the US: let’s not be naive about Russia.
We know what Putin tries to do, and the evidence is there in Ukraine as we speak, and it is there, that’s threat [is] for the long term, I’m afraid.”
'Complete consensus' on Coalition of the Willing's support for Ukraine, Czech Republic's Fiala says
Czech prime minister Petr Fiala and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte are making the best use of the break in the Coalition of the Willing’s meeting by hosting a joint press conference, marking the alliance’s boss visit to the wonderful city of Prague.
Fiala says it was “an important online meeting,” showing “a complete consensus” on further support for Ukraine.
He says the leaders agreed “that we need to continue our intensive help to Ukraine in order to be able to defend itself and continue the pressure on Russia, and to create conditions for a fair and enduring peace.”
“In order to achieve peace, and there is also a strong consensus on that there must be robust security guarantees, which would deter Russia from further aggression,” he says.
He also adds that under his tenure, the Czech Republic has turned from “a free rider” into a reliable Nato ally, ramping up defence spending and ammunition production.
(Context: We are just a month away from the parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic, which is why he’s so keenly talking about the achievements of his government.)
Updated
Coalition of the Willing meets in Paris - in pictures
The Paris meeting of the Coalition of the Willing on Ukraine is still on-going, with a number of leaders joining online.
Let me take you inside the room:
Curiously, AP quoted a source saying that US special envoy Steve Witkoff joined the leaders for a bit to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, and you can see him in the pictures, sitting in the corner near the host, Emmanuel Macron.
Reuters also reported that he was expected to have a one-on-one meeting with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy during the day.
You would imagine that’s part of the preparation for their phone call with US president Donald Trump later today.
There is a lunch break around now, with Zelenskyy the first to leave minutes ago, but there’s more planned for the afternoon.
I will keep an eye on this for you.
Updated
Sweden reports 'sharp increase' in GPS interference affecting civil aviation
Sweden has reported a “sharp increase” in GPS interference over the Baltic Sea in 2025, saying it receives “almost daily” reports of incidents affecting aircraft in the area.
The new data, published by the Swedish Transport Agency Transportstyrelsen, showed 733 incidents reported this year (until 28 August), compared to 495 in 2024 and just 55 in 2023.
It added that the sources of interference has been traced to the territory of Russia.
Andreas Holmgren, the head of the unit looking at the issue, said the disruptions have increased in numbers and geographically, taking place over a larger area.
He added that the problem posed “a safety risk” for civil aviation, even if pilots had alternative systems to rely on.
The authority intends to escalate the issue at the international level, with the International Civil Aviation Organisation, or ICAO, it said.
The report comes just days after the plane carrying the European Commission’s president Ursula von der Leyen was reportedly affected by GPS interference on approach to the airport in the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv, causing delays to her travel.
Google services hit by outages in south-eastern Europe - reports
Users in parts of mostly south-eastern Europe have reported problems with accessing Google services this morning.
Outage services showed self-reported issues in Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Romania, Serbia, and Turkey, among others.
Turkey’s cybersecurity watchdog has requested a technical report from Google in relation to the outage, deputy transport and infrastructure minister Ömer Fatih Sayan said on X.
Turkish daily Hürriyet said the outage showed the country’s reliance on Google services, and served as “a serious warning to countries about digital sovereignty and data security.”
Greek daily Kathimerini also reported on the outage, while Romanian broadcaster Antena 3 said it caused “widespread disruption” to users.
Bulgarian Dnevnik said the outage affecting Bulgarian users lasted for “about an hour.”
In Germany, outage tracking website Allestoerungen, a division of US-based Ookla, reported an uptick in Google disruptions from around 9am, Reuters reported.
Google’s public Workspace Status Dashboard showed the issues as largely resolved within the last half hour.
A Google Cloud spokesperson confirmed to the Guardian that “multiple Google services experienced network connectivity issues in various European and Asian regions.”
“We are investigating it further,” they added.
Portugal declares day of mourning as funicular crash death toll rises to 17
Sam Jones in Madrid, Helen Livingstone, and agencies
Portugal has declared a day of national mourning after at least 17 people were killed and 21 others injured when one of the city’s famous funicular cars derailed and crashed into a building on Wednesday evening.
Footage showed the wreckage of the yellow-and-white car lying on its side in the narrow street it traverses. Its sides and top were crumpled, and it appeared to have crashed into a building where the road bends. Parts of the vehicle, made mostly of metal, were crushed.
An emergency services spokesperson said some foreign nationals were among the dead but did not identify the victims or disclose their nationalities.
The injured people, three of whom were seriously hurt, were being treated in several hospitals in the Lisbon region. Two of the most badly injured victims died in hospital overnight, raising the initial death toll from 15 to 17.
Teams of pathologists from the National Forensics Institute worked through the night on autopsies, officials said.
Public prosecutors have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, which happened just after 6pm on Wednesday as the evening rush hour began.
Known as Elevador da Glória, the vehicle goes up and down a steep hill in central Lisbon in tandem with one going the opposite way.
Updated
Coalition of the Willing meets to 'finalise robust security guarantees for Ukraine,' Macron says
Looks like that’s full house, with more leaders joining online, too.
Opening the meeting, Macron says the leaders meet to “finalise robust security guarantees for Ukraine, and all the work that has been done in recent weeks.”
And after his very brief remarks, the media are asked to leave.
The leaders are expected to speak with Trump early afternoon, and will brief the press once all is done.
Poland’s Donald Tusk is at the Élysée now too.
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy has just arrived too – in a much bigger car than other leaders (presumably for security reasons?).
And the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen.
It’s funny to watch Macron stand at the top of the stairs trying to figure out who’s coming next, and then reacting to them getting out of the car. If you look carefully, you can make out who are his favourites, I think!
The Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof is next.
Updated
Belgium’s Bart de Wever, Finland’s Alexander Stubb, and the EU’s Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa are the first leaders arriving at the Élysée Palace, welcomed by Macron on the doorstep.
We are turning our eyes to Paris now as leaders are expected to start arriving for the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing shortly.
You can watch along on our stream below, but I will bring you all the key updates here.
Not for Russia to decide if Ukraine can have foreign troops as security guarantees, Nato's Rutte says
Rutte gets also asked about his views on Russia’s opposition to the deployment of any Nato troops to Ukraine as part of security guarantees.
He says:
“But why are we interested in what Russia thinks about troops in Ukraine? It’s a sovereign country. It’s not for them to decide. …
Russia has nothing to do with this. … Ukraine is a sovereign nation. If Ukraine wants to have security guarantee forces in Ukraine to support the peace deal, it’s up to them. Nobody else can decide about it.
I think we really have to stop making Putin too powerful. He is the governor of Texas, not more. So let’s not take it too serious.”
And that ends his Q&A at the IISS Prague event.
Nato's Rutte praises Trump's impact on Nato, says Russia 'noticed' alliance 'stepping up'
Nato’s Rutte is now talking about Trump and giving him credit for motivating some countries to step up and increase their defence spending.
He says:
“Do you really think if he would not have been elected president united states, that Italy, Canada, Spain, Slovenia, Belgium and Luxembourg would have committed to do 2% this year? Do you really think that the whole of Nato would have committed to 5% committed to 5% including 3.5% core defence spending at the Nato Summit in The Hague?”
He says it was thanks to Trump that Nato is “finally dealing with this enormous pebble in the shoe, this enormous irritant that Europeans and Canada were basically lecturing the Americans, but not spending the money.”
On Russia, he says Trump “broke the deadlock” on Ukraine, insisting that “starting that conversation with Putin was important and crucial.”
He adds:
“He took that leadership role, and it is not easy to solve this, but he is absolutely committed to doing that.
We are now working on these security guarantees necessary to make sure that also Zelenskyy knows that if he starts into conversations with the Russians, hopefully soon, that he has the backup and that he knows that that the security guarantees will in place so that Russia, after a peace deal, will never ever again to try to invade Ukraine, so no repeat of Budapest and no repeat of the Minsk agreement.”
He refuses to speculate on what would make Nato trigger the Article 5, but he insists:
We are stepping up. The Russians noticed. They hate it, and I love it.
Spain's Sánchez to attend coalition meeting online after his plane breaks down
Meanwhile, we are getting a news line from Madrid saying that the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, will join the Coalition of the Willing’s meeting online, after his plane broke down.
El País noted that the official state planes “are very old” and have a history of breaking down, but there is no political consensus on purchasing new aircraft.
Russia, China, Iran preparing for 'long term confrontation,' Nato's Rutte warns
Rutte then goes on to talk about the risk of broader confrontation in the future, referencing the pictures from the Chinese military parade in Beijing yesterday, as he says that Nato’s moves are not about “a new arms race, … but to protect” the alliance.
He says:
“Some may worry about a new arms race, but our own aim, I can tell you, is not to provoke. Our aim is to protect and to ensure that we can continue to enjoy the freedom and security that we all hold so dear, the freedom and security that Nato was founded to preserve.”
He adds:
“Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine is the most obvious example of that threat. But the threat will not end when this war does, nor is the challenge limited to Russia. China, Iran and North Korea pose challenges individually and as a result of the cooperation. Only look at the pictures from Beijing the last couple of days and the hand holding.
They are increasing their defence industrial collaboration to unprecedented levels. They are preparing for long term confrontation. And as I said earlier, the challenges we face are lasting. So we must be prepared.”
Europe needs to produce more, faster to match Russia, Nato's Rutte says
Rutte says that despite adopting more ambitious spending targets earlier this year, “cash alone can’t provide security.”
He goes on:
“We need the capabilities, real firepower, heavy metal, as well as new tech, and that’s what our defence industry across the Alliance needs to deliver faster than ever in Europe and also in the United States. Simply all over the Alliance, we are not producing enough.”
But he says “we are already turning the tide on defence production, and particularly when it comes to ammunition,” paying particular tribute to Czech Republic.
“We are gradually refilling our stocks and narrowing the production gap with Russia,” he says.
Europe shouldn't be naive about Russia's 'destabilising, confrontational' force, Nato's Rutte says
Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte is speaking at the IISS Prague Defence Summit now.
He says he wants to talk about the need to increase European military capabilities to keep the continent safe.
He says Europe needs to respond to “Russia and China investing heavily to build up and modernise their militaries” at “a remarkable, I might say, at a staggering rate.”
He says this equipment is being used against Ukraine, and while the alliance is “working to end this aggression as quickly as possible,” Europe should not be naive about the future.
“This trend is not going to shift or reverse anytime soon. Russia is and for the foreseeable future, will remain, a destabilising and confrontational force in Europe and the world,” he says.
Morning opening: Where there is a will, there is a way
The so-called Coalition of the Willing is meeting today in Paris and online for further talks on security guarantees for Ukraine in case of a peace deal with Russia.
Hosted by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, a group of mostly European leaders – including Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy – will discuss how to turn their will to help Ukraine into concrete, specific guarantees that would give Ukraine the confidence that any peace arrangement with Russia could hold.
Welcoming Zelenskyy last night, Macron announced that, after months of work by military planners, Europe was finally ready to provide the guarantees and would politically endorse their plan at the meeting today. Let’s see what it entails.
The leaders start arriving around 9am BST, 10am CEST for talks among themselves, before holding a call with US president Donald Trump at 1pm BST/2pm CEST. We will hear what they agreed on an hour later.
For what it’s worth, Trump declared last night that he had been thinking about organising a face-to-face meeting between Zelenskyy and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, but did not commit to any specific action.
“Something is going to happen, but they are not ready yet. But something is going to happen. We are going to get it done,” he told CBS.
Earlier, he told reporters at a meeting with the Polish president, Karol Nawrocki, that Putin would have to make a decision on next steps and “if we are unhappy about it, you will see things happen”.
Whatever that means.
Let’s see what the day brings us. I will bring you all the key updates here.
It’s Thursday, 4 September 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
