Ukraine hit by ‘significant’ Starshield disruptions as US envoys meet Putin, Zelenskyy says – Europe live | Ukraine
Ukraine faces ‘systemic speed restrictions’ on Starshield again that ‘help Russians kill more Ukrainians’, Zelenskyy says
Oh-oh.
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy has just taken to X to say that the Ukrainian army is once again experiencing “significant disruptions to Starshield’s operations over the territory of Ukraine.”
He said the problem has been going on “for several days now,” affecting operations “along the entire frontline and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.”
“Specifically, systematic speed restrictions are being imposed on Starshield, limiting it to 161 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour). The Ukrainian military have already investigated the circumstances, and these are not random errors but systematic speed restrictions.”
Spelling out the real life consequences, Zelenskyy said the disruption complicates intercepting Russian jet-powered drones, with “strikes that got through because our interception systems cannot reach sufficient speeds and are unable to intercept in time.”
“Unfortunately, this is helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes against Ukraine. We are trying to establish all the circumstances with the American side.”
Key events
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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine destroyed Europe’s security infrastructure, EU’s Costa says
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‘All depends on the Russians, whether they are willing to play ball, Nato’s Rutte says
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Zelenskyy criticises return of Starshield speed restrictions
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Zelenskyy cautions against ‘strange’ approach to resetting Europe’s security relations with Russia
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‘Long past time for Russia to stop this immoral war,’ Ireland’s Martin says
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Europe needs to agree on ‘what it wants, both for Ukraine and for itself’ on security, Macron says
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Kushner’s challenge to Europe adds urgency to discussion on who should speak for Europe – snap analysis
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Zelenskyy arrives at EPC summit in Dublin
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Supporting Ukraine ‘a collective European responsibility’, Merz says
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von der Leyen ‘very much welcomes’ Abu Dhabi talks, confirms work on new sanctions package
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EU’s Kallas warns there is no ‘good will’ from Russia as attacks on Ukraine continue
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Luxembourg’s PM Frieden backs EU’s Costa to represent Europe in Ukraine talks
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Train traffic resumes through Calais station after earlier bomb scare
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US envoys arrive at the Kremlin for talks with Putin
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Heightened security measures in Dublin with ‘largest deployment in history’
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EU needs a ‘clear, coherent’ leadership voice in Ukraine talks, Ireland’s Martin says
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Bomb alert at Calais-Fréthun train station causes delays on domestic, cross channel services
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Ukraine faces ‘systemic speed restrictions’ on Starshield again that ‘help Russians kill more Ukrainians’, Zelenskyy says
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EU to approve new sanctions on Russia on Monday, France’s Europe minister says
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine destroyed Europe’s security infrastructure, EU’s Costa says
European Council president António Costa is up next.
He says that “the security of all European nations, the security of our continent, is inseparable from Ukraine’s security and that our collective security is inseparable from the achievement of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”
“Today, as discussions about peace in Ukraine intensify, this is more important than ever,” he said.
He lists some of the principles, saying that Ukraine “like any sovereign nation around this table must be free to choose its partners, its allies, its future.”
“The time of zones of influence in Europe is long gone.”
He joins others in calling for “a European voice at the table” in any peace talks, which he says should be “a team effort between European nations, the EU and Nato.”
On broader security environment, he says:
“There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Europe had a functioning European security architecture until it was first gradually undermined and ultimately destroyed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Any future discussion on this issue must take that fact into account.”
He said the principles of sovereign equality between European nations, territorial integrity and peaceful settlement of disputes “remain as relevant today, as indispensable … as they were 50 years ago.”
Setting out his stall as a potential EU representative (11:58), he said:
“Europe’s priorities is in this process are very clear. We must first reach a ceasefire, obtain concrete, tangible progress in the Black Sea, and work on creating the conditions for a peace agreement.
The main outstanding condition for all of this to be possible is whether Russia is truly interested in peace, and unfortunately, so far, what we have seen is that Russia is focused on escalation and attacks on Ukrainian civilians.
That must change for peace to be possible, and next weeks will be a decisive test for Russian willingness to stop this war.”
His remarks conclude the public session of the meeting, with the discussions continuing behind the closed doors.
‘All depends on the Russians, whether they are willing to play ball, Nato’s Rutte says
Meanwhile, Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said there had been positive developments during the Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Abu Dhabi but warned that it remained unclear whether Russia was genuinely willing to engage in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
“It all depends on the Russians, whether they are willing to play ball,” Rutte said, adding that Ukraine must be kept as strong as possible as negotiations with Russia continue, Reuters reported.
Zelenskyy criticises return of Starshield speed restrictions
Zelenskyy also repeated his earlier warning that Starshield restrictions are back on “in the temporary occupied parts of Ukraine,” and “directly affect our ability to intercept Russian jet powered drones” launched from these areas (10:08).
“We are trying to get the details from the American side, but so far we know very little. But some things are already clear. If someone in America is making decisions that basically treat Ukrainian territory as if it is not Ukrainian, then this tells us where things are going.
We need to be clear and never recognise Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian territory in any way.”
On other battlefield issues, Zelenskyy says Ukraine needs more support on air defence, including interceptors and fighter jets.
Zelenskyy cautions against ‘strange’ approach to resetting Europe’s security relations with Russia
Zelenskyy is speaking now.
He says it is “very good that Europeans are now part of these talks” with Russia, even if “not directly yet.” “We need to make sure that Europe becomes a regular part of these negotiations,” he says.
He says the Abu Dhabi talks were “serious, not empty,” with an “important” agreement on a PoW swap.
But he said Europe “really needs to pay attention” to proposed talks on security guarantees, which he says are not just about Ukraine, but “some kind of new security framework between Europe and Russia.”
“We find this approach a bit strange. And, because for 30 years after the Soviet Union collapsed, Europe treated Russia well and Europe tried to have as much trade as possible, as much cooperation as possible, and as good relations as possible with Russia. Putin’s wars are really about only his attitude toward others, not some kind of permanent confrontation with Europe that was impossible to avoid.”
He also says that the Russian delegation attending the Abu Dhabi talks had “no permission to discuss steps that could reduce the horrors of this war,” despite specific requests from the Ukrainian side to “de-escalate in the Black Sea and stop attacks on energy infrastructure.”
‘Long past time for Russia to stop this immoral war,’ Ireland’s Martin says
Opening the meeting, Ireland’s Micheál Martin stressed the need of reaching “a just and lasting peace” in Ukraine, saying it is “long past time for Russia to stop this immoral war.”
He also said the EPC should look at addressing some common challenges, on “trade, energy, infrastructure or in people to people links.”
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy is up next.
Europe needs to agree on ‘what it wants, both for Ukraine and for itself’ on security, Macron says
France’s Emmanuel Macron has urged European leaders to agree on “what it wants, both for Ukraine and for itself” when it comes to broader European security.
He said Europe should remain focused on supporting Ukraine and agree on its own “principles” and define “what it wants, both for Ukraine and for itself” when it comes to security.
Macron said he hoped for a text on this issue to be adopted today to show coordination on these issues with a broader group of countries.
“At a time when some might wish to see Europe sidelined from discussions concerning its own security and stability, this declaration is vital; it builds upon everything we have achieved over the last decade while signalling the need for a renewed, collective impetus across this broader Europe.”
Asked why should Europe trust Russia’s Putin, Macron smiled:
“I am not saying you should.”
He continued:
“I’m saying it’s important today what we do with Ukraine and to clearly keep supporting them. I think it’s very important as well to endorse very clear principles and commitments as Europeans in this wider Europe, which is this European political community, in order to make sure that we design ourselves our own security principles and our own architecture of security. This is my main objective.”
Kushner’s challenge to Europe adds urgency to discussion on who should speak for Europe – snap analysis
Jakub Krupa
Worth highlighting that the perennial debate on who should speak for Europe internationally – best known as the Kissinger question – was given fresh urgency after critical comments from US peace envoy Jared Kushner following the latest round of talks in Abu Dhabi.
Debriefing the press after his meetings with Russia and Ukraine, Kushner said yesterday:
“If Europe could identify one person to speak on their behalf, that would be a bigger achievement than getting the Russians to include them in the negotiations.”
Ouch.
Zelenskyy arrives at EPC summit in Dublin
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy has now also arrived at the EPC venue in Dublin.
We are likely to hear from him at some point later.
Supporting Ukraine ‘a collective European responsibility’, Merz says
Germany’s Friedrich Merz has said that further support for Ukraine should be seen as “a collective European responsibility,” with the immediate need to “close the funding gap for 2027.”
Ukraine “faces a very, very difficult winter, and it is essential that we Europeans stand together,” he added.
Merz also said he was hearing “some positive signals” about the talks in Abu Dhabi, but cautioned “there is a long way to go.”
He urged Russia’s Putin “to finally agree to joint discussions,” and stressed that “the Europeans must be at the table” during any potential talks.
But he added that the focus should not be on who the EU appoints to represent it at the talks, but on getting Putin to take part in the discussions.
“I note with some satisfaction that there is evidently a growing willingness on the Russian side to recognise that one cannot talk about Europe without involving Europe. And that, for a start, is good news. Whether it will stay that way remains to be seen,” he said.
von der Leyen ‘very much welcomes’ Abu Dhabi talks, confirms work on new sanctions package
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen had only a few words to say on her arrival for the EPC talks in Dublin.
She said she “very much welcomed” the peace talks in Abu Dhabi, and that she was happy “the Europeans were represented to safeguard our interests,” and also acknowledging that Ukraine’s Zelenskyy “asked for it” to happen.
She added:
“We are preparing the 22nd sanctions package, and we are, as the commission, preparing a proposal how to cover the financial needs of Ukraine in 2027. We will come with the sanctions package and the proposal for the financial needs before the next European Council.”
She did not take any questions.
EU’s Kallas warns there is no ‘good will’ from Russia as attacks on Ukraine continue
EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned that “we do not see any goodwill from the Russian side” in Ukraine talks, calling for any attacks to stop first before formal peace talks can be held.
“There should be [the] right sequenc[e] first to have a ceasefire, so that the bombing of the civilians really [needs to] stop and then sit down and talk over the peace agreement. Then, only then, we can talk about peace, or security architecture of Europe.”
Kallas said there was also the issue of trust given Russia “is not keeping” to previous agreements, including the Budapest memorandum.
“The focus should be on how we make sure that Russia actually keeps to their obligations,” she said.
Kallas also repeatedly hinted she should be a part of the EU’s delegation on Ukraine, pointing to the fact that the EU leaders “had those discussions” in 2024 when appointing the current holders to the three top jobs in the bloc.
“The leaders, of course, may choose differently and go into these discussions again, which is always difficult, or we [could] just stick to the agreements that we made in 2024.”
