Putin insisted Russia ‘will not step back from goals’ in Ukraine in hour-long call to Trump, Kremlin says – Europe live | Europe

Trump-Putin spoke for ‘nearly hour’ on ‘negotiated solution’ on Ukraine, but Russia won’t step back from its goals, senior Kremlin aide says

We are getting first lines from a senior Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov on the Trump-Putin call.

As per Reuters, he told reporters:

• The pair spoke for nearly an hour, stating their intention to “seek a negotiated solution” on Ukraine and Trump “raising issue of bringing Ukraine conflict to swift halt.”

• But Putin insisted that Russia “will achieve its goal of removing root issues that led to Ukraine conflict” and “will not step back from its goals.”

• Russia’s position is “that Ukraine peace talks are between Moscow and Kyiv”

• Putin and Trump did not talk about halting of some US weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

• They also had “a detailed discussion” on Iran and the Middle East.

• The leaders agreed they would continue discussions going forward.

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Updated at 17.23 BST

Key events

• 23m ago

  Summary

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  Macron says he wants EU-US deal ‘as soon as possible’

• 3h ago

  Four people injured in stabbing in Finland

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  Trump-Putin spoke for ‘nearly hour’ on ‘negotiated solution’ on Ukraine, but Russia won’t step back from its goals, senior Kremlin aide says

• 4h ago

  ‘We will see what we can do with the EU,’ US treasury secretary Bessent says

• 4h ago

  Glovo suspends controversial bonus scheme for deliveries in high temperatures

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  Designer dress goes missing from Bezos-Sánchez wedding

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  Zelenskyy confirms plans for call with Trump, says Ukraine counts on continuing US support

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Summary

• Vladimir Putin didn’t make any shift in Moscow’s position during a call with Donald Trump that lasted over an hour. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Moscow wants a negotiated end to the Ukraine war but would not step back from its original goals. He told reporters: “Our president also said that Russia will achieve the goals it has set: that is, the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs, to the current acute confrontation, and Russia will not back down from these goals.” Ushakov also said that while Russia was open to continuing to speak with the US, any peace negotiations needed to occur between Moscow and Kyiv. There’s been no word from the White House so we don’t yet know what Trump made of the call, but if and when we get that it’ll be covered over on our US politics blog.

• Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy openly spoke about “doubts about continued US support for Europe” as he repeated his call to “strengthen our cooperation and coordination” through the EU, Nato, and in bilateral relations (he said today he wants Ukraine to join the EU, which Denmark threw itself behind). He explicitly said that Ukraine needs the US and there will area where the US support is essentially irreplaceable, but it’s clear this is a source of growing concern for him. He is due to talk to Donald Trump tomorrow, so they will no doubt discuss the US military weapons deliveries pause. Zelenskyy also made it clear that he remained supportive of the US president’s efforts to bring about a lasting peace and hinted that “a meeting at the level of leaders” would be needed to conclude any talks.

• French president Emmanuel Macron said he wanted a EU-US trade deal “as soon as possible, with the lowest tariffs possible”, as a Washington-set deadline looms to reach an accord. His comments come as the EU’s trade chief, Maroš Šefčovič, is in Washington DC for talks with the US administration amid hopes that a framework deal can be struck ahead of the next week’s deadline to avoid punishing 50% tariffs. The US secretary of treasury Scott Bessent offered a rather cryptic answer on the progress of talks with the EU saying only: “We will see what we can do.”

• Prime minister Mette Frederiksen said Denmark has to “steer Europe safely through one of the most challenging times in our history” at the inauguration ceremony for the Danish presidency of the EU in Aarhus. In a hard-hitting speech she was clear about Denmark’s priorities with security, supporting Ukraine, and migration.

• A wildfire fanned by gale-force winds forced the evacuation of more than 1,500 people on the Greek island of Crete, officials said, as large swathes of continental Europe baked in a punishing early summer heatwave linked to at least nine deaths. About 230 firefighters, along with 46 vehicles and helicopters, were battling the blaze today after it broke out 24 hours earlier near Ierapetra on the south-east coast of the country’s largest island, threatening to engulf houses and hotels.

• Two wildfires that began overnight near the western Turkish resort of Izmir were raging out of control today, fuelled by high winds, officials said. Locals in at least five districts in the two areas were evacuated as a precaution but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

• It comes as Europe continues to face extreme heat, with Spain, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and Croatia all experiencing temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius today. In Italy, the fierce heat over the last week has been linked to at least five deaths, with two people, aged 75 and 60, dying on beaches in Sardinia. Italy’s health ministry placed 18 major cities on maximum ‘red’ alert for heat today, including Rome, Milan, Turin, Bologna, Genoa and Palermo, meaning the heat is so intense that it poses a risk for young and healthy people too.

• Due to the climate emergency, Italian seas have reached temperatures above 20C even at depths of 40 metres, according to a report released yesterday by Greenpeace. Across the Mediterranean, 2024 marked the hottest year on record for average sea temperature in the basin, with a mean value of 21.16C.

• Serbian police detained 79 protesters late last night in a crackdown on street demonstrators calling for a snap election and an end of the 12-year rule of Aleksandar Vučić and his Serbian Progressive Party. Police and protesters clashed in the capital Belgrade and the cities of Novi Sad, Niš and Novi Pazar, the interior ministry said in a statement. Today, the European Union strongly condemned “acts of hatred and violence” in Serbia and called for calm.

• Portugal and Liverpool forward Diogo Jota died in a car crash overnight. The accident, first reported by Portuguese media and the Spanish sports newspaper Marca, took place near Zamora in northwest Spain, with local emergency services confirming two fatalities aged 28 and 26, without giving their names. The Portuguese football association confirmed the media reports in a statement, saying they “lacks the words” to describe the loss of the player. The BBC earlier said it also confirmed Jota’s death with the Spanish civil guard, Guardia Civil. Local media reported that the car went off road and was fully engulfed in flames by the time first responders arrived on scene.

• Food delivery platform Glovo announced it was suspending the introduction of financial bonuses for couriers working in high temperatures, following criticism from unions and politicians. Union leaders and politicians condemned the scheme, warning it risked turning “a health hazard into an economic incentive”, and insisted that “no compensation can justify working under extreme risk conditions”.

• Lauren Sánchez packed 27 designer dresses for her wedding to the billionaire Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, in Venice last week, but left with only 26 after one went missing. Sources familiar with the situation confirmed that a dress had gone missing but denied it was stolen. It is unclear where the dress disappeared and when.

• Four people were injured in a stabbing in Tampere, Finland. Police said there were no fatalities, and investigators believe there is no reason to suspect “a terrorist or racist motive”.

• French air traffic controllers began a two-day strike demanding better working conditions, causing disruption to air travel as the summer season gets under way. Ryanair said it had to cancel 170 flights disrupting 30,000 passengers, with a secondary effect on flights flying over France to other destinations. Air France, France’s largest airline said it had adapted its flight schedule, without giving details, but that it was maintaining long-haul flights.

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Kremlin aid Yuri Ushakov also said that while Russia was open to continuing to speak with the US, any peace negotiations needed to occur between Moscow and Kyiv.

That comment comes amid some indications that Moscow is trying to avoid a trilateral format for any peace negotiations. The Russians asked American diplomats to leave the room during such a meeting in Istanbul in early June, Ukrainian officials have said.

Trump and Putin did not talk about a face-to-face meeting, Ushakov added.

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On Iran, Yuri Ushakov said:

The Russian side emphasised the importance of resolving all disputes, disagreements and conflict situations exclusively by political and diplomatic means.

Trump last month sent US military bombers to strike three Iranian nuclear sites, in a move condemned by Moscow as unprovoked and illegal.

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Here’s more detail on the call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump which, from the Russian side, suggests that Putin did not make any shift in Moscow’s position during the conversation with the US president.

As we reported earlier, a Kremlin aide said Moscow wants a negotiated end to the Ukraine war but will not step back from its original goals.

In the wide-ranging conversation, Trump “again raised the issue of an early end to military action” in Ukraine, Yuri Ushakov told reporters, adding:

Vladimir Putin, for his part, noted that we continue to seek a political and negotiated solution to the conflict.

Putin briefed Trump on the implementation of agreements reached between Russia and Ukraine last month to exchange prisoners-of-war and dead soldiers, Ushakov said, and told him that Moscow was ready to continue negotiations with Kyiv. He went on:

Our president also said that Russia will achieve the goals it has set: that is, the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs, to the current acute confrontation, and Russia will not back down from these goals.

The phrase “root causes” is shorthand for the Kremlin’s argument that it was compelled to go to war in Ukraine to prevent the country from joining Nato and being used by the western alliance as a launch pad to attack Russia.

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Updated at 18.29 BST

Jakub Krupa

We are still waiting to hear from Donald Trump on his call with Putin.

But be assured that we will bring you the US view on the phone call when we have it.

That’s all from me for today, but Lucy Campbell will guide you through the evening.

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Updated at 18.02 BST

Macron says he wants EU-US deal ‘as soon as possible’

Separately, French president Emmanuel Macron said he wanted a EU-US trade deal “as soon as possible, with the lowest tariffs possible”, as a Washington-set deadline looms to reach an accord, AFP reported.

“The right deal for me is the deal that is struck as soon as possible, with the lowest tariffs possible, and that must be fair and firm,” Macron said.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron (C) drinks liquor during a one-day visit in Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, southern France, to mark the 100th anniversary of the Roquefort sheep milk blue cheese’s protected designation of origin (AOP). Photograph: Valentine Chapuis/AFP/Getty Images

His comments come as the EU’s trade chief, Maroš Šefčovič, is in Washington DC for talks with the US administration amid hopes that a framework deal can be struck ahead of the next week’s deadline to avoid punishing tariffs (17:27 and 17:59).

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Updated at 18.00 BST

Four people injured in stabbing in Finland

We now have more details on the stabbing in Tampere, Finland (16:23, 17:43), with police confirming that four people were injured in the attack.

They added that there were no fatalities, and investigators believe there is no reason to suspect “a terrorist or racist motive.”

Police cordon off the area outside the Ratina shopping centre in Tampere, Finland. Photograph: Saara Peltola/APShare

Trump-Putin spoke for ‘nearly hour’ on ‘negotiated solution’ on Ukraine, but Russia won’t step back from its goals, senior Kremlin aide says

We are getting first lines from a senior Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov on the Trump-Putin call.

As per Reuters, he told reporters:

• The pair spoke for nearly an hour, stating their intention to “seek a negotiated solution” on Ukraine and Trump “raising issue of bringing Ukraine conflict to swift halt.”

• But Putin insisted that Russia “will achieve its goal of removing root issues that led to Ukraine conflict” and “will not step back from its goals.”

• Russia’s position is “that Ukraine peace talks are between Moscow and Kyiv”

• Putin and Trump did not talk about halting of some US weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

• They also had “a detailed discussion” on Iran and the Middle East.

• The leaders agreed they would continue discussions going forward.

Share

Updated at 17.23 BST

‘We will see what we can do with the EU,’ US treasury secretary Bessent says

We are still waiting to get any updates on the Trump-Putin call, but in the meantime the US secretary of treasury Scott Bessent offered a rather cryptic answer on the progress of talks with the EU saying “we will see what we can do,” Reuters reported.

As you know, EU’s trade chief Maroš Šefčovič is in Washington tonight, with the bloc hoping they could get a high-level deal in place to avoid 50% tariffs on all exports from next week (17:27).

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Glovo suspends controversial bonus scheme for deliveries in high temperatures

Lorenzo Tondo

in Palermo

A day after the food delivery platform Glovo introduced financial bonuses for couriers working in high temperatures, the company announced on Thursday it was suspending the initiative following criticism from unions and politicians.

Glovo workers pass by Via Paolo Sarpi in Milan, Italy. Photograph: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

Glovo had offered a 2% bonus for deliveries made in temperatures between 32°C and 36°C, 4% between 36°C and 40°C, and 8% for temperatures above 40°C — a move that sparked a backlash in Italy.

Union leaders and politicians condemned the scheme, warning it risked turning “a health hazard into an economic incentive”, and insisted that “no compensation can justify working under extreme risk conditions”.

On Thursday, the platform said it had “decided to temporarily suspend nationwide the bonus system for deliveries carried out during the hottest hours of the day”.

Responding to the controversy, Glovo issued a statement:

“The bonus is not an incentive to work. Riders are fully free to choose.

The current collaboration model guarantees each rider maximum freedom to decide when and how to work, even in challenging weather conditions.

In this context, the so-called bonus during periods of extreme heat is intended as a compensatory measure and in no way represents an incentive to work. The bonus is activated automatically once certain temperature thresholds are exceeded.”

ShareJakub Krupa

I have earlier promised you I would keep an eye on the developments in Finland, where police reported that several people were stabbed near a shopping centre in Tampere.

The latest update from the emergency services is that they cordoned off the scene of the incident and are interviewing witnesses.

But the Finnish Broadcasting Company, of Yle, says there is still little clarity as to how many people were wounded in the attack and the extent of their injuries.

I will let you know if or when we know more.

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Designer dress goes missing from Bezos-Sánchez wedding

Angela Giuffrida

in Rome

Lauren Sánchez packed 27 designer dresses for her wedding to the billionaire Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, in Venice last week, but left with only 26 after one went missing.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sànchez pictured in Venice. Photograph: SGP/Shutterstock

The couple, who are now honeymooning in Taormina, Sicily, were wed during a star-studded three-day celebration in the lagoon city.

They left Venice on Sunday, but mystery over the missing dress has generated chatter in Venice, with Corriere della Sera claiming that it was stolen, possibly by someone who evaded security and gatecrashed a party on the tiny island of San Giorgio, where the couple exchanged rings, on Friday.

The newspaper said the number of gatecrashers to the event was such that officers from the local unit of Italy’s anti-terrorism squad, Digos, were called to the island.

Sources familiar with the situation confirmed that a dress had gone missing but denied it was stolen. It is unclear where the dress disappeared and when. The couple lodged at the seven-star Aman hotel, where the bride’s wedding outfits were reportedly kept under close watch.

The sources stressed that no legal complaint about the missing dress had been made to police, with the expectation being that the garment would eventually “turn up”. They also denied the report that a dress caught fire and that the celebrations had been infiltrated by gatecrashers.

ShareJakub Krupa

… and on a slightly lighter note …

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More than 70 detained in Serbia in police crackdown on protesters

Serbian police detained 79 protesters late on Wednesday in a crackdown on street demonstrators calling for a snap election and an end of the 12-year rule of the President Aleksandar Vučić and his Serbian Progressive Party, Reuters reported.

Police and protesters clashed in the capital Belgrade and the cities of Novi Sad, Niš and Novi Pazar, the interior ministry said in the statement.

Law enforcement officers try to detain a man during road blockades organised by students and anti-government demonstrators demanding snap elections and release of arrested protesters in Belgrade, Serbia. Photograph: Amir Hamzagic/Reuters

On Wednesday evening, police moved to remove students in front of the entrance of the Law Faculty in Belgrade, and briefly detained dozens, N1 TV reported.

On Thursday, the European Union strongly condemned “acts of hatred and violence” in Serbia and called for calm, AFP said.

“We strongly condemn all acts of hate and violence. The rights of peaceful demonstration, freedom of assembly and freedom of expression are to be upheld,” the EU delegation in Serbia posted on X.

The statement said, “police action must be proportionate and respect fundamental rights.”

Agencies are also noting that tennis superstar Novak Djoković pumped his arms when celebrating a win over Dan Evans at Wimbledon – a gesture that has become a symbol of the protests.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates winning his second round match against Britain’s Daniel Evans. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/ReutersShare

Crete wildfire forces 1,500 to evacuate as Europe heatwave continues

Jon Henley Europe correspondent and Angela Giuffrida in Rome

A wildfire fanned by gale-force winds has forced the evacuation of more than 1,500 people on the Greek island of Crete, officials have said, as large swathes of continental Europe baked in a punishing early summer heatwave linked to at least nine deaths.

People watch a firefighting helicopter flying near a wildfire burning near Ierapetra, on the island of Crete, Greece. Photograph: Stefanos Rapanis/Reuters

About 230 firefighters, along with 46 vehicles and helicopters, were battling the blaze on Thursday after it broke out 24 hours earlier near Ierapetra on the south-east coast of the country’s largest island, threatening to engulf houses and hotels.

A fire brigade spokesperson, Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, said: “There are wind gusts in the area, some measuring 9 on the Beaufort scale, triggering rekindling and hindering firefighting efforts.” He added that four settlements had been evacuated.

Residents and tourists were taking shelter at an indoor stadium and some had left Crete by boat, authorities said. Local media reported some homes had been damaged. An estimated 5,000 more holidaymakers left south-east Crete independently.

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