UK, France lead future Ukraine force meeting

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned against assuming that the advent of a European army would mean a replacement for NATO.

"We have a lot to thank NATO for," Steinmeier said during a visit to a military headquarters in the western German city of Koblenz.

Steinmeier said Germany must make greater contributions to NATO in the coming years.

"My advice is, let's not take refuge in alternatives that are not available. The European army is an idea, but it is not an adequate substitute for the security provided by NATO," he said. 

Steinmeier also highlighted that while the German military has changed over the decades, the question of what its soldiers serve for has not.

"That is the protection of our free democratic basic order. It is the protection of freedom, democracy, the rule of law and human dignity," he said.

In reference to a coalition agreement announced on Wednesday in Berlin to form the next German government, the German president tols soldiers that he hoped that the new government's priorities would include strengthening the German military, known as the Bundeswehr.

As the Trump administration rules out Ukraine's inclusion in NATO, there are growing calls to expedite Ukraine's accession to the EU, not just for Ukraine's sake but also Europe's. But not all EU members agree.

Delegates from the US and Russia delegations have met in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss normalizing the operations of their diplomatic missions.

Already frosty relations chilled further after Russia launched its war against Ukraine to spark the most significant standoff between Moscow and the West since the Cold War.

A US delegation vehicle left the Russian consulate in central Istanbul after six hours of talks, while the Russian team remained inside.

The discussions were led by Russia's new ambassador to Washington, Alexander Darchiev, and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Sonata Coulter, according to Russia's foreign ministry.

Both sides said the focus was on restoring diplomatic mission operations, which have been strained by years of disputes, mutual allegations of intimidation, and even the freezing of diplomatic assets.

"Ukraine is not, absolutely not on the agenda," stated US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce on Tuesday.

"This meeting is solely about embassy operations. Restoring overall bilateral relations can only occur once there is peace between Russia and Ukraine."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Russia is conducting "systemic work" in China to drum up recruits fighters for its war in Ukraine.

The comments come two days after he announced Ukrainian forces had captured two Chinese men fighting for Moscow's forces.

Beijing warned Kyiv against making "irresponsible" remarks after Zelenskiy said Ukrainian intelligence had revealed at least 155 Chinese citizens were fighting for Russia with China's knowledge.

"It is obvious that these are not isolated cases, but systemic Russian work, in particular, on the territory and in the jurisdiction of China, to recruit citizens of this state for war," he said in a statement on social media.

"Everything necessary must be done to ensure that Russia has no such and similar opportunities to prolong and expand the war," Zelenskyy added.

China has declared a "no-limits" partnership with Russia but has tried to portray itself as an actor in attempts to negotiate an end to the war.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Zelenskyy's claim and said he believed Beijing was taking "a balanced position."

Ukrainian authorities say a massive overnight Russian drone assault on Ukraine striking the capital, Kyiv, and the southern city of Mykolaiv, injured a dozen people.

In Kyiv, two women were injured as drones sparked a fire at a storage facility and damaged residential buildings, according to the city’s military administration.

The Ukrainian Air Force said it downed 85 of the 145 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russia. Another 49 likely failed to hit their targets due to electronic warfare defenses. The fate of the remaining 11 remains unclear.

Over the capital alone, 30 drones were detected — 16 were destroyed, while the rest either exited the airspace or were deemed "lost."

In Mykolaiv, 10 people were injured, and the strike damaged nine apartment blocks, 30 garages, and an administrative building, regional governor Vitalii Kim confirmed.

While Moscow claims it doesn't target civilians, thousands have been killed or injured since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

The Russian military says it has captured another village in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region, where Moscow is advancing slowly after pushing Ukrainian troops out of most of its western Kursk region.

In a statement on social media, Russia's defense ministry said its troops had taken the village of Zhuravka, which lies just inside the Ukrainian border.

China's Foreign Ministry has warned parties involved in Russia's war in Ukraine against making "irresponsible" comments after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy doubled down on claims about Chinese nationals fighting with Moscow's forces.

China has portrayed itself as a neutral party in the three-year war despite criticism from Western governments that it has provided Russia with crucial economic and diplomatic support.

"We would advise the relevant parties to recognize China's role correctly and clear-headedly," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a regular news briefing. He did not mention Ukraine or Zelenskyy by name.

Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that Kyiv had details of 155 Chinese nationals deployed to assist Moscow's invasion, a day after saying Ukrainian troops had captured two Chinese soldiers in the eastern Donetsk region. The Ukrainian president said Beijing was aware that its citizens were being recruited by Russia in online forums to fight in the conflict.

However, Lin said Beijing "has always required that its nationals... avoid involving themselves in armed conflicts in any form".

"China is not a creator of or party to the Ukraine crisis. We are staunch supporters and active promoters of a peaceful resolution," he said.
 

Britain and France are hosting a meeting of defense ministers from around 30 countries at NATO headquarters on Thursday to accelerate plans for deploying troops to Ukraine to police any future peace deal with Russia.

The gathering — the first of its kind among defense ministers in the so-called "coalition of the willing" — comes after last week's joint visit to Kyiv by senior British and French military officers.  

Ministers are expected to hammer out details of a preliminary agreement reached by coalition leaders in earlier talks.

The United States, as with previous coalition meetings, is not participating. Still, the coalition's viability likely relies on eventual US support, especially in the form of air power or other military aid. So far, the Trump administration has yet to commit publicly.

This uncertainty comes amid repeated warnings from Washington that Europe must take more responsibility for its defense, including Ukraine's security. 

The proposed peacekeeping mission is seen as a key test of Europe's willingness and readiness to act independently.

The force's composition will depend on the terms of any peace deal. It's expected to remain away from Ukraine’s frontline — possibly even outside Ukrainian territory to be tasked with responding to any future Russian aggression.

The proposed troop levels, floated by UK officials, range from 10,000 to 30,000 personnel. 

On Friday, a separate NATO meeting of around 50 nations — co-chaired by Britain and Germany — will focus on ramping up military support for Ukraine. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is not expected to attend.

Defence ministers from the "coalition of the willing" nations, who are some of Ukraine's closest allies, are looking for a way to provide Ukraine with security guarantees.

We will follow what's happening there as well as other events related to Russia's war on Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to end the fighting.