Macron: Britain and France must shoulder burden of keeping Europe safe
Macron urged Britain and France to collaborate closely on European security, defence, and the migrant crisis, emphasising their shared responsibility as the continent's leading military powers.
He stressed the urgency of defending Europe against Russian aggression in Ukraine, warning that its advance threatens all European nations.
Acknowledging Brexit as a past event, President Macron called for a renewed close bond between the UK and France, highlighting cultural exchanges like the Bayeux Tapestry display.
The visit included a state banquet hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla, alongside discussions on critical political issues such as the ongoing Channel migrant crossings. \
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BreakingNews.ie
30 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Russia launches major aerial attack on Kyiv
Russia has unleashed one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent months, only hours before the UK and Germany are to chair a meeting to discuss US President Donald Trump's plans for Nato allies to provide Ukraine with weapons. The attack killed two people and wounded 15, including a 12-year-old, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Advertisement In Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district, a drone struck the entrance to a subway station where people had taken cover. A bus stop damaged by a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine (Efrem Lukatsky/AP) Videos posted on social media showed the station platform engulfed by smoke, with dozens of people inside. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said the station had to be ventilated in what he called an 'enhanced mode'. The heaviest strikes hit Kyiv's Darnytskyi district, where a nursery, supermarket and warehouse facilities caught fire. Advertisement The hours-long drone and missile assault on Kyiv overnight into Monday underscored the urgency of Ukraine's need for further Western military aid, especially in air defence, a week after Mr Trump said deliveries would arrive in Ukraine within days. The virtual meeting will be led by British Defence Secretary John Healey and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius. Mr Healey said US defence secretary Pete Hegseth and Nato leader Mark Rutte, as well as Nato's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich, will attend the meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group. Moscow has intensified its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities, and analysts say the barrages are likely to escalate as Russian drone production expands. Advertisement In a shift of tone towards Russia, the US president last week gave Moscow a 50-day deadline to agree to a ceasefire or face tougher sanctions. A man near the broken windows in his house after a Russian attack in Kyiv (Efrem Lukatsky/AP) At Monday's meeting, Mr Healey was expected to urge Ukraine's Western partners to launch a coincidental '50-day drive' to get Kyiv the weapons it needs to fight Russia's bigger army and force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, the UK Government said in a statement. Mr Trump's arms plan, announced a week ago, involves European nations sending American weapons to Ukraine via Nato – either from existing stockpiles or buying and donating new ones. The US president indicated discussions were partly focused on advanced Patriot air defence systems and said a week ago that deliveries would begin 'within days'. Advertisement But last week various senior officials suggested no transfers had yet taken place. Gen Grynkewich told The Associated Press on Thursday that 'preparations are under way' for weapons transfers to Ukraine while US ambassador to Nato Matthew Whitaker said he could not give a time frame. Germany has said it offered to finance two new Patriot systems for Ukraine and raised the possibility of supplying systems it already owns and having them replaced by the US. But delivery could take time, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested, because 'they have to be transported, they have to be set up; that is not a question of hours, it is a question of days, perhaps weeks'. Advertisement Other Patriot systems could come thanks to Switzerland, whose defence ministry said on Thursday it was informed by the US Defence Department that it will 'reprioritise the delivery' of five previously ordered systems to support Ukraine. Firefighters work at a destroyed apartment building after a Russian attack in Kyiv (Efrem Lukatsky/AP) While Ukraine waits for Patriots, a senior Nato official said the alliance is still co-ordinating the delivery of other military aid – such as ammunition and artillery rounds – which includes aid from the US that was briefly paused. Mr Zelensky said on Saturday that his officials have proposed a new round of peace talks this week. Russian state media on Sunday reported that no date has yet been set for the negotiations, but said that Istanbul would probably remain the host city. The Kremlin spokesman said on Sunday that Russia is open to peace with Ukraine, but achieving its goals remains a priority. The overnight Russian barrage of Kyiv began shortly after midnight and continued until around 6am. Residents of the capital were kept awake by machine gun fire, buzzing drone engines, and multiple loud explosions. It was the first major attack on Kyiv since Mr Trump's special envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg arrived in the city last Monday. Firefighters work in a destroyed apartment building in Kyiv (Efrem Lukatsky/AP) Russia halted strikes on Kyiv during his visit. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 426 Shahed and decoy drones overnight into Monday, as well as 24 missiles of various types. It said 200 drones were intercepted with 203 more jammed or lost from radars. Ukraine, meanwhile, continued to deploy its domestically produced long-range drones. Russia's Ministry of Defence said that its forces shot down 74 Ukrainian drones overnight, with almost a third of them destroyed close to the Russian capital. Twenty-three drones were shot down in the Moscow region, the ministry said, 15 of which were intercepted over the city itself.
The Independent
31 minutes ago
- The Independent
Rallying cry issued to ‘force Putin to the negotiating table'
UK Defence Secretary John Healey will urge Western allies to launch a '50-day drive' to arm Ukraine at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group. This push aims to boost military support and compel Vladimir Putin to negotiate, aligning with US president Donald Trump 's 2 September ceasefire deadline. Trump has threatened 'very severe' tariffs on Russia if a ceasefire is not agreed by the specified date. The UK has already provided £150 million in air defence missiles and artillery rounds to Ukraine in the past two months, part of a £700 million commitment for this year. Further aid is anticipated, with Germany and the UK agreeing to procure more air defence missiles, and the UK having delivered 50,000 drones to Ukraine.
The Sun
32 minutes ago
- The Sun
Horror warning as Putin plans to launch apocalyptic wave of TWO THOUSAND killer drones at Ukraine in overwhelming blitz
TWISTED Vladimir Putin is planning to launch an apocalyptic wave of 2,000 drones at Ukraine all at once, warns a top European general. Footage shows Russia mass producing the deadly weapons with Moscow reportedly looking to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences with the incoming blitz. 8 8 8 German Major General Christian Freuding says his team has uncovered worrying intelligence which points towards Putin's next attack plan. The tyrant has ramped up his nightly offensives in recent weeks with constant bombardments on Ukrainian civilians. The attacks come amid pressure from the US and Europe for Russia to agree to a ceasefire to finally end the conflict. US President Donald Trump even imposed a 50-day peace deadline on Putin this month. But the constant warnings have done little to stop Putin. Freuding now believes that Russia is significantly expanding its weapons production capacity to help enable a mass drone deployment in the coming months. He claims that Moscow plans to launch 2,000 Shahed drones simultaneously. The Iranian made unmanned aircraft has been a key weapon in Moscow's arsenal during the three years of conflict. Warped Russian state TV has shown off mad Vlad's "drone death factory" packed out with the kamikaze killers. The channel boasted about the "scale of this production" at the plant as they showed off "huge, bright workshops in which you can get lost" in. They claim that "hundreds of machines, thousands of workers" are in the factory each day. These include teenagers who have been recruited to support Putin's war after being "educated" - or indoctrinated - at a special drone university. Along with his catastrophic warning, Freuding also stressed that Ukraine needs to develop "smart countermeasures" to stop any looming attacks. He believes Kyiv needs to deploy low-cost defensive drones to repel large-scale blitzes. This way they can produce thousands of unmanned weapons instead of relying on a high-cost system such as the Patriot. The missile defence system costs around $5million and despite being highly accurate it is likely to be overwhelmed by the surging waves of drones. Freuding added that Ukraine could also launch strikes deep inside Russian territory which target military aircraft, airfields and defence factories to put Moscow on the back foot. Russia's aerial threats have been a key fear for Ukraine and their allies in recent weeks. 8 8 8 At the start of July, experts warned Russia could soon hammer Ukraine with 1,000 drones and missiles every day. Russia's defence industry is expanding their projects rapidly to increase their supply lines - including at the "death drone factory". Moscow's firepower capacity has constantly increased this year with his forces regularly breaking the record for the largest daily volley of weapons. On June 1, a 479-strong wave of drones and missiles became Russia 's largest unmanned aerial assault of the war. June 9 saw that broken with 499, then again on June 29 with 537. At the start of the month, Putin terrorised Kyiv with a firestorm of 550 drones and missiles - marking his largest attack yet. Ukraine has valiantly hit back across the past week with them launching five straight days of drone attacks on Moscow. THE Kremlin mocked Donald Trump's 50-day peace deadline and may now demand even more Ukrainian territory instead of trying to sign peace. Vladimir Putin will instead keep terrorising Ukrainian civilians during the seven-week period, sources said. The furious US President said he is 'very unhappy' with Russia as he warned of 100 per cent secondary tariffs on Moscow should they continue to blitz Ukraine. Trump said he wants the war to end, but doubled down on his frustration with Putin, saying he's "disappointed" in the Russian leader. But a snarling Putin has always declined and instead ramped up his ground and aerial offensives across Ukraine. He also vowed to send US weapons - compromising of "everything" in their arsenal - to Nato so they can distribute them to Kyiv. 8 8
