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Russian foreign minister says ‘nothing is happening’ in US talks on Ukraine and peace process is stuck – Europe live | Ukraine
Key events
1,700 people reported confined on cruise ship in Bordeaux after suspected norovirus death
More than 1,700 people – 1,233 passengers and 514 crew members – are confined on a cruise ship docked in Bordeaux after a death of a 90-year-old passenger amid a reported gastroenteritis outbreak, AFP, Le Figaro and BMFTV reported.
Some fifty people have shown symptoms of norovirus, prompting the French health authorities to step in, it was reported.
The Ambassador Cruise Line ship, which left Shetland Islands and cruised via Belfast, Liverpool, Brest to Bordeaux and is scheduled to travel onwards to Spain, is reportedly carrying mostly British and Irish passengers, according to Le Figaro and AFP.
We will seek more information on this breaking news story.
Romania reeling over claims of high-level justice system corruption
Andrei Popoviciu
in Bucharest
Today’s Bucharest Nine talks in Romania take place against the backdrop of another domestic political crisis in the country, following the recent collapse of its pro-EU government.
But Andrei Popoviciu has also this great story on the country’s judiciary system in “deep crisis” six months after documentary exposed alleged network used to delay graft convictions.
As he says, “the cumulative toll is visible in the polls [as] a survey this year found that seven in 10 Romanians do not trust the justice system and more than half believe the law is not applied equally.”
“In recent years, a series of major corruption trials involving politicians and businessmen have collapsed after reaching the statute of limitations due to repeated delays in judicial proceedings and despite extensive evidence, including wiretaps of suspects appearing to admit wrongdoing.”
Read his story here:
Zelenskyy arrives in Romania to join B9 summit on security
The news of the attack comes just as Zelenskyy arrived in Romania, where he is expected to join the Bucharest Nine summit.
In a post on X, he said:
“The Bucharest Nine Summit is taking place here today, with the participation of Northern European countries. Important meetings are planned on the sidelines of the summit. All of us in the world need joint decisions and joint work so that there is more security for everyone.”
We will no doubt hear more on this from the B9 hosts, Romania’s Dan and Poland’s Nawrocki, and Nato’s Rutte at a press conference this afternoon.
Russia launches combined airstrike on critical facilities in Ukraine, hours after Zelenskyy’s warning, Ukraine says
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military intelligence warned that Russia has launched “a combined … airstrike on critical facilities” in the country.
They said that the Russian army is sending “a significant number” of drones to overload Ukraine’s air defence systems, followed by air- and sea-based missiles and ballistic missiles.
The attack is reportedly targeting key infrastructure and support facilities of major cities, including energy facilities, defence industry enterprises, and government buildings.
This follows Zelenskyy’s earlier warning about a possible attack (9:57).
Israel goes through to Eurovision’s final despite boos, attempted disruptions
Elsewhere, it’s probably good to catch up on the results of the last night’s first Eurovision semi-final in Vienna, which saw Israel – at the centre of controversy and some boycotts of this year’s event – qualify for the grand final on Saturday.
Israel’s continued participation despite its military operations in Gaza led to a number of countries pulling out, led by Spain and the Netherlands, traditionally Eurovision’s fifth and sixth largest financial contributors, alongside Ireland, the joint record-holder with most winning contributions, Slovenia and Iceland.
Israel’s Noam Bettan’s performance of “Michelle” last night was marked with mixed reactions from the crowd, with some boos and chants of “Stop the genocide” audible in the TV broadcast.
Organisers reported later that some people were removed from the arena for “disruptive behaviour,” with another audience member ejected after allegedly seeking to “loudly express their views” close to the stage microphones and “continuing to disturb the audience.”
Among others who qualified to the final are one of the main favourites to win the contest, Finland’s Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen, as well as representatives of Belgium, Croatia, Greece, Lithuania, Moldova (this blog’s favourites), Poland, Serbia and Sweden.
San Marino’s song, featuring British star Boy George, did not qualify.
A second semi-final, which will see another 10 go through, will take place on Thursday night, with the final – where they will be joined by the hosts, Austria, and the ‘big four’ of France, Germany, Italy and the UK – on Saturday night.
Russia’s aggression on Ukraine ‘not an isolated conflict,’ but Russia’s ‘direct challenge,’ Poland’s Nawrocki says
Opening the Bucharest Nine meeting this morning, Romania’s Nicușor Dan said the meeting was taking place in a “dynamic international situation,” pointing to the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the threats experienced by surrounding countries, including Romania, but also Moldova.
Talking about Ukraine and Moldova, he stressed the continuing support for the two countries, adding that “we must not only make [it] declarative, but we must make it effective, because our security depends on their security.”
He also urged countries to increase defence spending and turn it into capabilities, developing a “solid transatlantic military industrial base” and confirming their commitment to act at the upcoming Nato summit in Ankara.
Poland’s president Karol Nawrocki said that when the format was first invented, “some believed that we were sounding the alarm too loudly.”
“We warned that Russia’s revisionism was not temporary; we warned that imperial thinking had returned to Europe, and that deterrence could not exist only on paper. Today, nobody can say they were not warned.”
He said that Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine “is not an isolated conflict,” but rather “a direct challenge to the entire Euro-Atlantic security order.”
Our region is no longer Nato’s periphery; it is Nato’s strategic centre of gravity.
Nawrocki said that the Ankara summit will need to send a clear signal that “Nato is united, Nato is ready, and Nato will defend every inch of allied territory.”
“The Ankara summit must therefore strengthen Nato’s forward defence posture and demonstrate that the alliance possesses both the political will and the military capabilities necessary to deter aggression on every part of allied territory.”
Poland’s president ended with strong words of support for Ukraine:
“There should be no doubt as to who launched this brutal war. We must also remain fully aware of the role played by Belarus, which continues to support Russia’s war effort and enables hostile hybrid activities to be launched from its territory against Nato allies and partners.
We must collectively make sure that if a peace is to be reached just east of our borders, it has to be just.
The nations represented in this room understand, perhaps better than anyone, the cost of complacency. We know what happens when aggression is underestimated and when democratic nations hesitate.”
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy warns against Russian drones attack during day
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of possible waves of Russian drone attacks throughout the day, saying that more than a hundred drones were in Ukraine’s airspace, as Moscow has shifted tactics to strike increasingly during daylight hour, Reuters reported.
“Russia continues its strikes and is doing so brazenly – deliberately targeting our railway infrastructure and civilian sites in our cities,” he said in a post on X.
He added:
“Unfortunately, people were wounded and killed in these strikes; my condolences to all their families and loved ones. Yesterday, 14 regions came under attack throughout the day. Overnight, strikes targeted residential and railway infrastructure in the Dnipro and Kharkiv regions, port infrastructure in the Odesa region, and energy facilities in the Poltava region. At all levels, our warriors are countering these attacks, and 111 drones were shot down or jammed overnight alone.”
Morning opening: What to do about Russia
Jakub Krupa
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said that despite some early positive signs about the US-Russia relations under Donald Trump, “nothing is happening” in reality as the peace process to end the war in Ukraine appears to be stuck.
Speaking to Russian media, Lavrov said that “good words” on potential cooperations with the US had brought no results so far as “nothing is happening in real life.”
“Aside from this regular dialogue – which is normal in relations between people and countries – everything else follows the pattern initiated by president Biden,” Lavrov said, pointing to sanctions against Russia in particular.
None of this will particularly worry the leaders of the Bucharest Nine, who meet in, well, Bucharest for their summit today.
The format, established in 2015, brings together the leaders of central eastern Europe and the Baltics with the leaders of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. This year, they will also be joined by some representatives of the Nordics.
Romania’s Nicușor Dan and Poland’s Karol Nawrocki are the hosts, and they will be joined by Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte.
I will bring you all the key lines from their meeting, but it’s safe to assume that the questions of Russia, Ukraine and the broader regional security amid US moves to pull out troops from Europe will be high on the agenda.
It’s Wednesday, 13 May 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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