EU launches push to boost defence as Trump pivots away from Europe

Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of prisoners of war

Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday announced they had each swapped 175 prisoners in one of the largest exchanges since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion more than three years ago. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called for an “all-for-all” prisoner exchange....

EU seeks to kickstart defence push to counter Russian threat, US retreat

The EU on Wednesday sought to fire the starting pistol on plans to help member states bolster their defences. A key part of the EU's proposals is not just to equip its forces to face the menace from Russia but also to make sure investments bolster European defence firms. Brussels said at least 65 p...

Israel-Hamas: Back to war ? Over 400 Palestinians killed & fears for Israeli hostages

Israel as we speak is bringing the war back to the people of the Gaza Strip, notably launching a ground operation to take back control of the Netzarim Corridor. This followed the extensive bombardment of Tuesday, March 18th - with over 400 Palestinians killed.  Out of those 400 plus, Israel say...

Trump floated US ownership of Ukraine power plants: White House

President Donald Trump has raised the possibility of the United States taking ownership of Ukrainian power plants, the White House said Wednesday as efforts to end the war with Russia proceed. Trump hailed a "very good" call with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky Wednesday, a day after Russia's Vladimir...

Israelis take to streets in anger as Netanyahu resumes air strikes on Gaza

Thousands of Israelis took to the streets of Jerusalem on Wednesday to call on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to end the war on the Gaza Strip and return the hostages. Israel resumed a series of deadly air strikes on the besieged Palestinian enclave on Tuesday after nearly two months of a ceasef...

Trump mutes Voice of America, makes space for Russian and Chinese influence

US President Donald Trump last week cut funding for international public radio stations Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, which broadcast programmes aligned with “democratic values” to millions of listeners around the world. In their absence, Russia and China are now set to fill the gap w...

Israeli strikes kill 20, Palestinian medics say, as military orders evacuations

Fresh strikes overnight killed at least 20 people in Gaza, a day after Israel resumed its operations on the enclave, bringing the death toll to over 400 people, including mostly children and women, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Meanwhile in Israel anger is growing towards the government. M...

Ukraine's Zelensky calls Trump after US-Russia ceasefire talks

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday held talks with Donald Trump to hear details about the US leader's call with Russia's Vladimir Putin for a lasting ceasefire to end the grinding three-year conflict. For more, FRANCE 24 international affairs editor, Philip Turle....

Ukraine ceasefire talks: 'Trump doesn't have much leverage to increase pressure on Russia'

As head of the Council representing the EU's member states, EU chief Antonio Costa is tasked with forging unity -- be it on European rearmament or transatlantic relations -- between 27 countries with often divergent histories and goals. With US President Donald Trump forging ahead with Russia's Vla...

Supreme Court chief rebukes Trump over call for judge's impeachment

Donald Trump's rumbling conflict with the judiciary burst into open confrontation on Tuesday as the Supreme Court's chief justice issued a rare statement seemingly aimed at the president's comments. In a post on his social media platform, Trump had called for a district judge to be impeached after...

War in Ukraine: 'How can we think we will gonna be in a safe world?'

Russia launched a series of drone strikes that struck civilian areas overnight and damaged a hospital in Ukraine following the refusal by President Vladimir Putin to back a full 30-day ceasefire during discussions with his American counterpart. 'How can we think we will gonna be in a safe world?'...

Trump-Putin talks: 'Partial ceasefire on energy infrastructure helps Russia the most'

As head of the Council representing the EU's member states, EU chief Antonio Costa is tasked with forging unity -- be it on European rearmament or transatlantic relations -- between 27 countries with often divergent histories and goals. With US President Donald Trump forging ahead with Russia's Vl...

Fresh strikes hit Ukraine after Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump phone call

Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of launching air attacks destroying civilian infrastructures early on Wednesday just hours after Putin agreed to halt attacks against Ukrainian energy targets, but refused a full ceasefire unless the West halts all military aid for Kyiv. FRANCE 24's senior...

Putin-Trump phone call: 'The art of the dealski'

PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, March 19: We look at reactions in the press after US Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr issues a rare rebuke of Donald Trump. Also: cartoonists react to Trump and Vladimir Putin's phone call on Ukraine. Finally, we discover the best of the best in British wil...

EU rearmament: Commission unveils white paper on Europe's defence

In Brussels this week, leaders' talks will once again be dominated by how to support Ukraine and bolster Europe's defences. With US President Donald Trump forging ahead with Russia's Vladimir Putin on negotiating a ceasefire in Ukraine, Costa voiced confidence Europe would have a role to play in an...

Trump-Putin phone call: Russia agrees to half attacks on energy infrastructure

While the highly anticipated call between Trump and Putin did not secure the breakthrough ceasefire endorsed by Ukraine last week, it did result in a scaled-back commitment to halt attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days. Hours after the call explosions rang out and air raid sirens wailed in U...

What do we know about the phone call between Trump and Putin?

Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of launching air attacks that destroyed civilian infrastructure early Wednesday It comes just hours after Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone call with his US counterpart to pause strikes on energy targets. Washington hailed the deal as a win, but there's...

Live: Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of POWS each, Russia's defence ministry says

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 372 prisoners of war, Russia's defence ministry said Wednesday. The swap comes as Kyiv and Moscow blame each other for breaking a ceasefire proposed by US President Donald Trump’s administration. Later Wednesday, Zelensky is due to speak to Trump “on the next s...

'Trump admires Putin & would like to have a political system operating similarly to that of Russia'

Ukraine accused Russia of effectively rejecting a US-backed ceasefire proposal, reporting a barrage of strikes on civilian infrastructure hours after Moscow agreed to temporarily pause attacks on energy facilities. Washington was pushing an immediate 30-day ceasefire as a first step towards ending...

Live: Gaza health ministry says Israeli strike kills foreign UN worker, wounds five

The Israeli military on Wednesday denied it carried out an air strike on a UN building in central Gaza that killed one foreign worker and seriously wounded five others, according to health officials in the Hamas-run enclave. The army earlier urged civilians to evacuate "combat areas" in the north a...

Russia, Ukraine trade accusations of violating deal not to target energy infrastructure

Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Wednesday of launching air attacks that sparked fires and damaged infrastructure just hours after their leaders agreed to a limited ceasefire to halt attacks on energy infrastructure. The US announced that fresh talks on a more lasting truce will take place...

Trump, Putin agree to 30-day ceasefire on energy infrastructure

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin over a call on Tuesday agreed to a truce in Ukraine that would see a pause on attacking energy infrastructure. After the agreement, which would also include a prisoner swap on Wednesday, was announced, Ukraine reported that Russia had l...

No, Zelensky did not purchase a $20 million mansion in Florida

As discussions continue surrounding a potential ceasefire agreement in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has come under fire for allegedly purchasing a lavish mansion in Florida. But as FRANCE 24's Charlotte Hughes explains, this claim is false....

Future negotiations with Hamas 'will take place only under fire', says Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that overnight air strikes across Gaza, killing hundreds of Palestinian women and children, were "only the beginning" and that Israel would not stop fighting until it had achieved all of its war aims including destroying Hamas and returning all...

'I wish I could be more hopeful, but I'm not', conflict mediator says after airstrikes on Gaza

FRANCE 24's Yinka Oyetade speaks to Oliver McTernan, Director at Forward Thinking, about the resumption of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. He says that this month is crucial for the political survival of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and a return to war in Gaza undermines any chance of a future agreeme...

Macron says France to 'increase' orders for Rafales as EU chief calls for "credible" deterrence

Faced with the retreat of their historic American ally and an aggressive Russia, governments in Europe are under pressure to step up their defence. After EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called for a "credible" deterrence capability for the bloc by 2030, Germany approved a huge spending boost for defe...

Netanyahu warns Hamas Israeli strikes on Gaza 'only the beginning'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said that a wave of deadly overnight strikes on Gaza was "only the beginning" of Israeli action in the Palestinian territory. Israel launched airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing more than 400 Palestinians, local health officials said,...

Ukraine on the line: Trump-Putin talks over ceasefire

Much was riding on this Tuesday's phone call between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Trump is wanting movement from Moscow on the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. This as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Putin of dragging his hee...

Air defence systems, sirens sound in Kyiv after Trump-Putin call

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin agreed Tuesday on a halt in Russian attacks against Ukrainian energy targets -- but fell far short of securing a full ceasefire in a highly anticipated phone call. The US and Russian leaders spoke for more than an hour and a half and both expressed hopes for repairin...

🔴 Putin, Trump agree to seek limited ceasefire on energy, infrastructure, in first step to ending Ukraine war