Europe's freedom faces greatest 'threat' since WW2, says Macron
Macron pledged to double France's military budget by 2027, three years earlier than originally planned. In 2017, his country's defence budget stood at €32bn and under the plans would rise to €64bn in two years time. The proposals still need to be approved by the French government."To be free in this world, you must be feared. To be feared, you must be powerful," he said in the speech, which fell on the eve of Bastille Day.Macron said the world was witnessing the return of nuclear power and the "proliferation of major conflicts". He also referenced the US bombing of Iran, fighting between India and Pakistan and what he called the "ups and downs in American support for Ukraine".Last month, Nato members agreed to commit to spending 5% of GDP annually on defence, up from the previous target of 2%. The UK also announced its own defence review, with Defence Secretary John Healey saying it would send a "message to Moscow".On Friday, the head of the French army, Thierry Burkhard, said Russia saw France as its "main adversary in Europe".Russia posed a "durable" threat to Europe, Burkhard said, adding that the "rank of European countries in tomorrow's world" was being decided in Ukraine.France's Prime Minister Francois Bayrou is expected to outline next year's budget on Thursday.
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Reuters
12 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump announces weapons for Ukraine, warns Russia
WASHINGTON, July 14 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Monday announced a toughened stance against Russia for its war in Ukraine, promising a fresh wave of missiles and other weaponry for Ukraine and giving Moscow 50 days to reach a ceasefire or face sanctions. In the Oval Office at an announcement with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump told reporters he had become deeply frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said Putin is pleasant to speak with on the phone but then turns around and unleashes withering bombing raids on Ukraine. "I don't want to say he's an assassin, but he's a tough guy," Trump said, noting that several of his predecessors had also become disillusioned with Putin. The decision by Trump to send arms to Ukraine represented a turning point for the Republican president, who has spent the early months of his term trying to coax Putin into a ceasefire agreement, only to be turned down every time. Under the deal, Trump said the U.S. will supply weapons that will be paid for by NATO countries. Rutte said massive numbers of weapons would be sent, including missiles, as part of a first wave of equipment. Trump said the "top of the line" equipment, including Patriot missile systems and batteries, would be arriving very soon. "We're going to have some come very soon, within days... a couple of the countries that have Patriots are going to swap over and will replace the Patriots with the ones they have," he said. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has made regular appeals to the U.S. and its NATO allies for weapons to help defend itself in the grinding war. Trump coupled his arms announcement with a vow to impose tariffs and sanctions on Russia if Moscow will not make a ceasefire agreement within 50 days. Congressional leaders have been working on a Russia sanctions package. A White House official said Trump's intent is to impose "100% tariffs on Russia" and secondary sanctions on other countries that buy oil from Russia if a deal isn't struck in 50 days. "If I was Vladimir Putin today, and you're speaking about what you are planning to do in 50 days... I would reconsider whether I should not take negotiations about Ukraine more seriously," Rutte said. Trump has been reluctant to punish Russia, but he came away from a recent phone call with Putin disappointed that the Russian leader appeared prepared to continue the war. Rutte said Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Canada all want to be a part of rearming Ukraine. "They all want to be part of this. And this is only the first wave. There will be more. So what we will do is work through the NATO systems to make sure that we know what Ukrainians need to make packages," he said. Trump's promise that NATO would pay for the weapons satisfies his demand that the U.S. not continue bankrolling the war and puts the financial burden on U.S. allies in Europe.
The Guardian
13 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Trump confirms new weapons deal for Ukraine and threatens ‘severe' tariffs on Russia if war doesn't end in 50 days
Update: Date: 2025-07-14T16:52:43.000Z Title: that Content: President says US will make weapons, including Patriots, but Europe will fund them for Ukraine during meeting with Nato chief, Mark Rutte Jakub Krupa (now) and Yohannes Lowe (earlier) Mon 14 Jul 2025 18.51 CEST First published on Mon 14 Jul 2025 09.32 CEST From 5.59pm CEST 17:59 Jakub Krupa Well, for once, was a 'major statement' from Trump, as advertised, as he spoke with the media alongside Nato secretary general Mark Rutte. Trump said he was 'very, very unhappy' with Russia, and threatened with secondary tariffs of up to 100% if there is no progress on peace deal within 50 days (17:17). Trump said 'it's got to stop,' with criticising 'all talk' from Putin as Russia continued its attacks on Ukrainian cities (17:28, 17:46) Trump confirmed a deal with Nato allies, mostly from Europe, on new weapon deliveries will help Ukraine (17:21), including the much-needed Patriot missiles (17:24), which will be sent 'within days' (17:35) and paid by allies. Trump said of Putin: ''I don't want to say he's an assassin, but he's a tough guy.' Rutte said Ukraine will 'get its hands on really massive numbers of military equipment' for air defence and on missiles to fight back against Russia, and urged Putin to take Trump's warning seriously (17:27). Separately, Trump suggested he was still open for trade talks with the EU, saying the bloc's representatives were 'coming over' soon (17:39). Updated at 6.01pm CEST 6.50pm CEST 18:50 Meanwhile, in the first public reaction from the Ukrainian side, the head of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office, Andriy Yermak, opts for his favourite language used in tweets and posts a side eye emoji, which usually means something is afoot and means to show tension, or anticipation. Like this: Updated at 6.51pm CEST 6.44pm CEST 18:44 US president Trump is now appearing at the White House Faith Office Luncheon, and he confirms the deal with Nato is now 'fully approved, fully done.' He says: 'We had a great meeting with Nato, the secretary general, and we're going to do something a little different for this country. We're going to supply weapons to Nato at a large amount, they're going to deliver the weapons and they're going to pay for 100% of the weapons. … We're going to be doing with Nato, and it's fully approved, fully done, we'll send them a lot of weapons of all kinds and they're going to deliver those weapons immediately to the … side of the war … and they're going to pay.' He repeats his warning if there is no peace deal with Russia after 50 days, then 'we have no choice but to do secondary tariffs; you call it secondary tariffs, which are pretty tough, which we don't want to have to do.' He also does again his gag about phone calls with Putin: 'Let's see what happens. But we thought we had a deal numerous times. I'd get home, I'd say, first lady, I had the most wonderful talk with Vladimir. I think we're finished. And then I'll turn on the television, or she'll say to me one time, wow, 's strange, because they just bombed a nursing home.' Inexplicably, he gets a loud laugh from the audience, followed by: 'I said, What?!' For more domestic US coverage, follow our US live blog here: Updated at 6.45pm CEST 6.31pm CEST 18:31 Jakub Krupa A handy summary of the most important lines from Trump's briefing is now pinned at the top of this blog. 5.59pm CEST 17:59 Jakub Krupa Well, for once, was a 'major statement' from Trump, as advertised, as he spoke with the media alongside Nato secretary general Mark Rutte. Trump said he was 'very, very unhappy' with Russia, and threatened with secondary tariffs of up to 100% if there is no progress on peace deal within 50 days (17:17). Trump said 'it's got to stop,' with criticising 'all talk' from Putin as Russia continued its attacks on Ukrainian cities (17:28, 17:46) Trump confirmed a deal with Nato allies, mostly from Europe, on new weapon deliveries will help Ukraine (17:21), including the much-needed Patriot missiles (17:24), which will be sent 'within days' (17:35) and paid by allies. Trump said of Putin: ''I don't want to say he's an assassin, but he's a tough guy.' Rutte said Ukraine will 'get its hands on really massive numbers of military equipment' for air defence and on missiles to fight back against Russia, and urged Putin to take Trump's warning seriously (17:27). Separately, Trump suggested he was still open for trade talks with the EU, saying the bloc's representatives were 'coming over' soon (17:39). Updated at 6.01pm CEST 5.50pm CEST 17:50 Towards the end of the briefing, Trump talks about some domestic issues and repeatedly praises his administration. At the very end, he adds a line of praise for Rutte calling him 'a star' and 's it, the briefing is concluded. 5.46pm CEST 17:46 Trump gets asked how far he is prepared to go to settle this war. He stresses 'there are no Americans are dying in it.' But he suggests the need to get involved as he says 'having a strong Europe is a very good thing.' Trump says he spoke with 'Germany and with most of the larger countries.' 'They are really enthusiastic about this, they want [this war to end], and they're willing to go very far,' he says. Trump says he speaks with Putin 'a lot,' but adds: 'I speak to him a lot about getting this thing done, and I always hang up and say, 'Well, was a nice phone call', and then missiles are launched into Kyiv or some other city. … And after happens three or four times, you say, the talk doesn't mean anything. My conversations with them are always very pleasant. … Very lovely conversation. And then the missiles go off night. I go home, I tell the first lady, I spoke to Vladimir today, we had a wonderful conversation. And she said, Oh really, another city was just hit.' He says of Putin 'I don't want to say he's an assassin, but he's a tough guy' as he says he 'fooled' previous US presidents. Trump says Russia is 'potentially such a great country to be wasting so many people on this, and the money.' He says he hopes Putin will go for a 'fair deal,' claiming 'he knows what a fair deal is.' Rutte jumps in to pray Trump again and again. 5.39pm CEST 17:39 Trump also gets asked about EU-US trade deal. He says he is always ready to talk. 'We're always open to talk. We are open to talk, including to Europe. In fact, they're coming over. They'd like to talk.' 5.38pm CEST 17:38 Trump acknowledges 'Europe has a lot of spirit for this war,' something he says he didn't appreciate at the beginning. 'They really think it's a very, very important thing to do, or they wouldn't be doing… Look, they're agreeing to just, you know, they're paying for everything,' he says. 'I do want to make one statement again. I said it before this is not Trump's war. We're here to try and get it finished and settled,' he says, 5.35pm CEST 17:35 Rutte pointedly criticises Russia for attacks are not conducted because of military goals, but 'just creating panic' by attacking Ukrainian towns, and Trump concurs. He then repeatedly praises Nato after his recent experience of attending the alliance's summit in The Hague, the Netherlands. He explains: 'We had a couple of days of very intensive talks. And they're great people. They're leaders of countries. Many of them great countries. Some of them smaller countries. But for the most part, 's a very solid, strong countries and very successful. Some of them are among the most successful countries in the world.' He says he hopes the decision will have an impact on Russia and Putin. Rutte intervenes to stress Ukraine wants a peace deal. Trump says it continues to be a 'very deadly war,' and he thought 'we had a deal on Ukraine about four times,' but ultimately didn't work out. 'But it just keeps going on and on and on, and every night a lot of people are dying,' he says. He confirms the Patriot batteries will be sent 'within days.' 5.28pm CEST 17:28 Trump also repeated his warning US tariffs would be 'biting' and hit the Russian economy. He says: 'I hope we don't get to the point where we do, but I've been hearing so much talk. It's all talk. It's all talk, and then missiles go into Kyiv and kill 60 people. It's got to stop. That's got to stop.' The deal is 'broader than Patriots.' Updated at 5.36pm CEST 5.27pm CEST 17:27 Rutte says: So if I was Vladimir Putin today, and you're speaking about what you were planning to do in 50 days, and this announcement, I would reconsider whether I should not take negotiations about Ukraine more seriously than I was doing at the moment. 5.24pm CEST 17:24 Nato secretary general Mark Rutte says a bit more on the deal. This is really big. This is really big. He says Trump called him on Thursday and said he wanted to give Ukraine what it needed to have, but asked Europeans to pay for it, 'which is totally logical.' This is, again, Europeans stepping up. Rutte says he has been in touch with 'many countries' intending to be part of the deal, and namechecks Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the UK, the Netherlands, and Canada. 'And this is only the first wave, there will be more,' he says. He adds Nato will work through its systems to 'make sure we know what Ukrainians need' He says: 'It will mean Ukraine can get his hands on really massive numbers of military equipment, both for air defence, but also missiles, ammunition.' Updated at 5.51pm CEST 5.21pm CEST 17:21 On Ukraine and Nato, Trump confirms he agreed to deal to send weapons to Ukraine as he boasts the US makes 'the greatest military equipment in the world.' The new equipment will be made for Nato and available to be sent onwards to Ukraine. 'We make the best equipment, the best missiles, the best of everything, the European nations know , and we made a deal today. European nations know , and we've made a deal today, and I'm going to have Mark speak about it, but we've made a deal today where we are going to be sending them weapons, and they're going to be paying for them. We the United States will not be having any payment made, we're not buying it, but we will manufacture it, and they're going to be paying for it.' 5.17pm CEST 17:17 On Russia, Trump says 'we are very, very unhappy with them.' He then says: 'We're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days tariffs, about 100%, you call them secondary tariffs, you know what means.' He repeats he is 'very disappointed' with Russia's Vladimir Putin 'because I thought we would have had a deal two months ago, but it doesn't seem to get there.' 5.15pm CEST 17:15 US president Donald Trump is meeting with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte at the White House right now. You can watch their meeting below, but I will bring you the key lines here. 4.52pm CEST 16:52 Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor Donald Trump has indicated the US will announce a plan to sell Patriot air defence systems and other weapons to Ukraine later on Monday, amid growing White House exasperation with Russia's refusal to agree to a ceasefire. The president told reporters on Sunday as he returned from the Club World Cup final the US would 'send them various pieces of very sophisticated military and they're going to pay us 100% for them'. 'We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need,' Trump added, describing the impending announcement as 'business for us'. Though Trump did not spell out exactly who would fund the purchases, it is expected to involve European countries. Last week the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said Berlin was 'ready to acquire' additional Patriot systems. A German government spokesperson said on Monday morning European partners would contribute directly to the purchase of Patriot systems, and more than three were involved. The country's defence minister, Boris Pistorius, was in Washington to discuss further details, Berlin said. Trump said last week he would make a 'major statement' on Ukraine on Monday. He has become frustrated with his lack of progress in persuading Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire and an end to the war. During the election campaign Trump said he could end the Ukraine war in 24 hours, and following his victory began a series of bilateral discussions with Putin in an effort to broker a ceasefire. But these failed to progress as Russia made maximalist territorial demands, while stepping up its bombing of Ukraine's cities. At least six civilians were reported by Ukrainian regional officials to have been killed and 30 injured by Russian bombing in the last 24 hours. The country's air force said Russia had attacked with 136 drones and four S-300 or S-400 missiles. 4.49pm CEST 16:49 Jakub Krupa As we are still waiting to hear from Donald Trump on his 'major announcement' on Russia and Ukraine – timed around his meeting with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte should be this afternoon – here is a good background read on what we are expecting, from our defence and security editor Dan Sabbagh. Updated at 4.53pm CEST 4.28pm CEST 16:28 We are getting more from EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič who told a press conference earlier this afternoon the European Commission put forward a new list of US goods worth €72bn could be targeted by EU levies if tariff talks with Washington fail, AFP reported. He said the proposal was shared with EU trade ministers meeting in Brussels. He also said he plans to talk with his US counterparts later on Monday to discuss the state of play, Reuters added. Updated at 4.31pm CEST
BreakingNews.ie
16 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
‘Regrettable' an EU-US deal has not been reached, Harris says
It is 'regrettable' that the EU and US were not able to agree a framework on tariffs ahead of an earlier deadline, the Tánaiste has said. Simon Harris said the EU has to 'prepare for all scenarios' after US President Donald Trump threatened 30 per cent tariffs against the bloc. Advertisement Mr Harris said there was a need to 'de-escalate the situation' through a framework deal that would provide certainty for businesses and protect jobs and investment. The Minister for Foreign Affairs made the comments following a meeting with US ambassador to Ireland Ed Walsh. US President Donald Trump is threatening 30 per cent tariffs on the EU (Evan Vucci/AP) Speaking at Government Buildings, Mr Harris said: 'The message I relayed to the US ambassador is a consistent one and a very straightforward one: we in Ireland, we in Europe, want a deal. 'We want a trade deal that is good for Ireland, good for Europe, good for the United States of America, and I believe there is a clear landing zone in relation to that.' Advertisement The EU and US had been engaged in negotiations ahead of a deadline last week, but Mr Trump announced he was pushing back the imposition of a higher rate of tariffs until August 1st. The US president also said he would impose 30 per cent tariffs on the bloc if a deal is not reached, in a move that EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic said would make trade between the two regions almost 'impossible'. Mr Harris said: 'I believe there was a landing zone very nearly there last week, and it's regrettable that that wasn't arrived at.' However, he said he remained confident that a deal can happen in the days ahead. Advertisement The European Commission is due to publish an expanded list of counter-tariffs that would be implemented if an agreement is not reached. He said the 'optimal position' would be to get to a deal where 'we can rip up that list and never need to see it implemented'. 'A countermeasure list is an important step of saying to President Trump: 'Hang on, we want a deal here, we want a way forward, but if there isn't a deal Europe also has options at its disposal'.' The Tánaiste said the Government will also analyse the list and engage with the commission over any 'areas of concern for Ireland' that arise. Advertisement World Trump threatens Russia tariffs if Ukraine war is n... Read More Mr Harris's discussion with Mr Walsh also touched on the issue of the pharmaceutical sector where there is an ongoing section 232 investigation being carried out by the US administration. The Tánaiste said the pharma sector remains an area of significant concern for Ireland. 'Europe must remain calm, must remain united – our strength is in being united, 460 million of us – and must of course prepare for all scenarios.'
