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Zelenskyy to talk with US negotiators about war with Russia after Easter ceasefire proposal – Europe live | Europe
Morning opening: Zelenskyy hopes for ‘results’ in talks with US over Easter ceasefire
Jakub Krupa
With most eyes still on the Middle East, and growing US frustrations with European Nato allies’ over their decisions to deny the use of their bases for offensive operations in Iran, there is often much less focus on Ukraine.
But the two universes will collide today, as the wartorn country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will sit down for talks with the US negotiators to discuss the last steps to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking to EU foreign ministers visiting Ukraine yesterday, Zelenskyy brought up his proposal of a ceasefire over the Easter holidays, saying he wanted the US to support this idea.
“We are waiting for a response from Russia. Tomorrow I will speak with the American team, including on this issue. We hope for results,” he said.
I will keep an eye for the latest updates.
Meanwhile, Europe is increasingly thinking about how to soften the economic blow of the continuing Middle East war and energy disruptions, with growing concerns about what it could mean for several EU countries who are particularly vulnerable to any disruptions to imports from the Gulf. Gulp.
I will bring you all the latest here.
It’s Wednesday, 1 April 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
Key events
Starmer wants EU to get closer to EU on economy, defence, energy
During his press conference, Starmer also spoke about his intention to get closer to the European Union.
Replying to a question from the Guardian’s Jessica Elgot, he said:
“I do think that we should strengthen our cooperation on defence, security, energy, emissions and the economy. …
I’m ambitious that we can do more in relation to the single market, because I think that’s hugely in our economic interests.
Obviously, this is a matter of negotiation and discussion with the EU, but the summit we have this year will not be just be a stocktake summit where we look at actually the ten strands that we put in place last year. It will be a deliberate ambition on our part to go further than that and to cooperate more deeply, including in the economic sphere.”
Earlier on, he explained that “it is increasingly clear that as the world continues down this volatile path, our long-term national interest requires closer partnership with our allies in Europe and with the European Union.”
Again, more on that on the UK blog:
‘Whatever pressure on me and others, noise, … this is not our war,’ UK’s Starmer tells Trump
The UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, is the first one to react to Trump’s comments in The Telegraph, as he gets asked about it at his No10 press conference just now.
He defends Nato as “the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen,” and while he doesn’t respond to Trump’s comments, he says:
“Let me say a number of things in response to that. Firstly, Nato is the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen, and it has kept us safe for many decades. And we are fully committed to Nato.
Secondly, that whatever the pressure on me and others, whatever the noise, I’m going to act in the British national interest in all the decisions that I make. And that’s why I’ve been absolutely clear that this is not our war, and we’re not going to get dragged into it.”
For more lines from Starmer, check our UK politics live blog:
Trump’s frustration with Nato over its refusal to back his Iran war is clear – snap analysis
Trump’s latest comments come as he increasingly hardens his language against European allies, blaming him for difficulties in his Iran operation.
In last days, he specifically targeted European allies, calling them “cowards” and telling them to “build up some delayed courage” and take control over the strait of Hormuz.
He and his senior officials also criticised a number of specific countries, particularly Spain, which has been most vocally critical of the US-Israeli war against Iran, and France.
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, warned last night about the sharply escalating frustration with Nato, as he told Fox News:
“We are going to have to reexamine the value of Nato and that alliance for our country. Ultimately, that’s a decision for the president to make … but I do think, unfortunately, we are going to have to reexamine whether or not this alliance that has served this country well for a while is still serving that purpose or has now become a one-way street where America is simply in a position to help Europe but when we need the help of our allies, they deny us basing rights and overflight.
I think these are very legitimate questions that we need to be asking and these are going to have to be very carefully examined after this conflict is over.”
Italy is the latest country to risk the US administration’s anger, after it has denied the use of an airbase in Sicily to US military planes carrying weapons for the war in Iran after the US did not follow the required authorisation procedure.
US could review its Nato membership amid frustrations over Iran war, strait of Hormuz, Trump tells Telegraph
US president Donald Trump has suggested to the Telegraph newspaper that he is “strongly considering” pulling the US out of Nato, saying the alliance was “a paper tiger” amid his growing frustration with the European partners’s refusal to join the Iran war.
When he was asked if he would reconsider the US’s membership of the alliance after the conflict, he replied: “Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration.”
“I was never swayed by Nato. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way,” he told the paper.
Repeating his increasingly strong criticism of the alliance, he added:
“We’ve been there automatically, including Ukraine. Ukraine wasn’t our problem. It was a test, and we were there for them, and we would always have been there for them. They weren’t there for us.”
Germany’s growth forecast halved on fears over impact of Middle East war
Over in Germany, leading economic institutes cut their growth forecasts for the country, warning that surging inflation resulting from the Middle East war and rising energy costs would hit Europe’s top economy hard.
The German economy should grow by 0.6% in 2026, the seven institutes said, down from a September forecast of 1.3%, while inflation is predicted to stand at 2.8%, up from 2.0%.
Ukrainian drone manufacturers to meet with Romania to discuss joint production using EU funds
Meanwhile, Ukrainian drone manufacturers are meeting Romanian defence ministry and army officials in Bucharest this week to discuss potential joint production under a new European Union rearmament funding mechanism, the ministry said in a statement quoted by Reuters.
Romania, an EU and Nato state, shares a 650-km land border with Ukraine and has had drones breach its airspace and fragments fall on its territory repeatedly since Russia began attacking Kyiv’s ports located across the Danube from Romania.
Reuters noted that the EU has allotted Romania €16.6bn under its new rearmament initiative SAFE, which will begin later this year, and defence minister Radu Miruță said the country wanted to spend 200 million euros for joint drone production.
Fifteen Ukrainian companies will continue discussing the project in Bucharest in the coming days, he added.
Morning opening: Zelenskyy hopes for ‘results’ in talks with US over Easter ceasefire
Jakub Krupa
With most eyes still on the Middle East, and growing US frustrations with European Nato allies’ over their decisions to deny the use of their bases for offensive operations in Iran, there is often much less focus on Ukraine.
But the two universes will collide today, as the wartorn country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will sit down for talks with the US negotiators to discuss the last steps to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking to EU foreign ministers visiting Ukraine yesterday, Zelenskyy brought up his proposal of a ceasefire over the Easter holidays, saying he wanted the US to support this idea.
“We are waiting for a response from Russia. Tomorrow I will speak with the American team, including on this issue. We hope for results,” he said.
I will keep an eye for the latest updates.
Meanwhile, Europe is increasingly thinking about how to soften the economic blow of the continuing Middle East war and energy disruptions, with growing concerns about what it could mean for several EU countries who are particularly vulnerable to any disruptions to imports from the Gulf. Gulp.
I will bring you all the latest here.
It’s Wednesday, 1 April 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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