The rupture in diplomatic norms has left Ukraine and Europe reeling – as Russia’s full-scale invasion reaches three-year mark
In less than a fortnight, Donald Trump has shredded long-standing security assumptions about American support for Europe, creating a new crisis for Ukraine and leaving the whole continent in greater peril than at any time since the Second World War.
The dramatic unravelling of transatlantic ties comes as Kyiv marks the grimmest of milestones – three years since Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion, with fighting still raging along a vast frontline.
The new US president says he is determined to negotiate a peace deal with the Kremlin, but Ukraine and its European allies are fearful that a failure to prioritise Ukrainian demands will only embolden Moscow and set the stage for Russia to launch a wider European war within a few years.
Adding to this sense of gloom, the signals from the White House are relentlessly bleak.
A woman walks past debris in the aftermath of Russian shelling, in Mariupol, Ukraine. Pic: AP
Mr Trump has already unilaterally spoken to Vladimir Putin by phone, called Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator”, and is trying to force Kyiv to sign away hundreds of billions of dollars worth of its natural resources as a kind of payback for past US military support – which had been freely given by Joe Biden to fight Russia’s war.
The unpicking of the security blanket between Europe and the United States – woven from the ashes of two world wars – began with an email to the media on 12 February.
It contained the embargoed comments that Pete Hegseth, the new American defence secretary, was set to make that day at the opening of a meeting between some 50 nations to discuss assistance to Ukraine to fight Russia’s war.
I was among the journalists covering the event at NATO headquarters in Brussels and – presumably like most other defence journalists – had to read and then re-read the text as I could not believe what it said.
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Ukraine getting all land back ‘not realistic’
There were extraordinary reversals in US policy towards Ukraine, including a claim that it is “unrealistic” to believe Kyiv can recapture all its territory from Russia, a ruling out of NATO membership as part of any ceasefire deal with Moscow and saying that US forces would not be deployed on the ground to deter future Russian attacks following a peace deal.
But it was this line from Mr Hegseth that raised the highest eyebrows: “I’m also here today to directly and unambiguously express that stark strategic realities prevent the United States from being the primary guarantor of security in Europe.”
In one sentence, the defence secretary appeared to be confirming the worst fears of his European allies and Canada – that the US, under Mr Trump, no longer views the NATO transatlantic alliance as the bedrock of American and European security.
When he actually addressed the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting – a format originally set up and chaired by his predecessor Lloyd Austin, but now led for the first time by the UK Defence Secretary John Healey – Mr Hegseth’s European remarks were slightly softer, saying the US could no longer be “primarily focused on the security of Europe”.
Yet the stark message that European allies and Canada must shoulder a far greater burden of responsibility for their own security and to support Ukraine rather than rely on America – Europe cannot turn “Uncle Sam into Uncle Sucker” was a phrase Mr Hegseth used when speaking subsequently with the media – was heard loud and clear.
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Uncle Sam ‘won’t be Uncle Sucker’
With allies already in a tailspin, the crisis deepened a few hours later as news emerged that Mr Trump had picked up the phone with Russia’s president – the first such call between the leaders of the two countries since before the start of the full-scale war.
The US president described the 90-minute interaction as a “lengthy and highly productive” conversation. Only afterwards, did Mr Trump reach out to Mr Zelenskyy.
The thawing in relations between Washington and Moscow and the new chill in ties between the US and Europe meant tensions were at a record high when top ministers from around the world met for an annual security conference in Munich from 14 to 16 February.
From a European perspective, US vice president JD Vance stole the show for all the wrong reasons, using his outing on the world stage to berate the state of Europe’s democracy, slamming restrictions on free speech and what he described as censorship.
The next-level shock felt by European capitals was palpable. Mr Zelenskyy was the other star turn at the conference.
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Zelenskyy calls for ‘army of Europe’
He used his appearance to underline Kyiv’s position on White House plans for a peace deal with Russia – that no agreement on Ukraine could be made without Ukraine.
He also issued a rallying cry for his European partners to strengthen their defences and build credible European armed forces to better withstand the whims of larger powers.
But the president simultaneously had to confront the reality of Mr Trump, whose administration was ramping up pressure on his government to sign an economic deal with the US that would give away up to half of Ukraine’s natural resources such as minerals and rare earth.
He kept a brave face in Munich after meeting with Mr Vance, Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, and Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, the special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
But Mr Zelenskyy’s smile started to fade as Mr Rubio and two other top Trump officials then popped up in Saudi Arabia for face-to-face talks with their Russian counterparts.
He was not invited despite planning to be in the region around the same time.
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US and Russia hold talks in Saudi Arabia
While billed as part of an effort to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine, the meeting in Riyadh was also focused on a rekindling of economic ties between Washington and Moscow – to the horror and disbelief of European and Ukrainian allies that have worked hard with Washington for the past three years to impose strict sanctions on Russia.
At the same time, Mr Trump started to become increasingly frustrated with Mr Zelenskyy for – in his mind – refusing to sign the minerals deal.
In a devastating outburst, the American president falsely claimed his Ukrainian counterpart had a 4% public approval rating and suggested Kyiv was to blame for starting the war.
Mr Zelenskyy – who had stayed quiet in the face of previous White House provocations – clearly felt Mr Trump had gone too far.
On 20 February, he retorted that he believed the US leader was living in a “disinformation space”, where falsehoods spread by Moscow were percolating.
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Trump living in ‘disinformation space’
This triggered an even more jaw-dropping rebuke from Washington, with Mr Trump describing his Ukrainian counterpart as a “dictator without elections” and saying he had “better move fast” to secure a peace deal or risk not having a country to lead.
The rupture in diplomatic norms has left Ukraine and wider Europe reeling, while Russia must be laughing.
Now no longer able to rely on Washington, Kyiv needs its European allies to step up.
A trip to Washington DC this week by President Emmanuel Macron of France on Monday, and Britain’s Sir Keir Starmer on Thursday, will be important moments to try to convince Mr Trump that to stand with Ukraine is to be on the right side of history.
But there is little from the past fortnight to indicate that he will heed any advice from European powers that he does not regard as his equal, has repeatedly slammed for insufficient investment in their own militaries and that have – as far as he is concerned – “freeloaded” off American strength when it comes to support for Ukraine and for wider European defence.
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Trump calls Zelenskyy a ‘dictator’
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Rather than returning to being an ally, Mr Trump will likely instead stick to his mantra of “peace through strength” but only on his own terms.
This though raises the risk of more war when it comes to Russia as Mr Putin will surely want to test what else he can take from Europe if the US really is stepping back.
World
Not afraid to write to Putin, grieving mother demands explanation after teenage conscript killed
In her desperate search for answers over her son Valentin’s death, Elena even turned to Vladimir Putin.
She wrote to the Russian president demanding an explanation as to why an 18-year-old conscript was involved in combat.
Throughout the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin promised that conscripts wouldn’t be sent to war. But in Valentin’s case, the war came to him.
Valentin, 18, died nearly a year into his military service
He had been deployed to the Kursk region as part of his military service and stationed on the border.
But it was there that Ukrainian forces launched their cross-border incursion in August and one month after it began, Valentin was killed after receiving a shrapnel wound to the head.
“It should be specially trained people there, not children,” Elena says.
“They were taken from home, from a mother’s nest, and brought to some unknown place, where there is shooting.
“What kind of warrior is he? He’s not a warrior.”
Valentin’s grave
Like other fallen soldiers, Russia views Valentin as a hero, but that’s no comfort to Elena. All she has are questions, which she wasn’t afraid to put to Mr Putin directly.
“The most important question was: ‘What were our children doing there?’ But I didn’t get any response,” she says.
“At that moment I just wanted to take the whole world and turn it upside down.
“Whoever says they are obligated for military service, what do they owe? What did my son take from the Motherland to pay a debt with his life?”
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Valentin was a few weeks short of his 19th birthday when he died, and nearly a year into his military service. Elena didn’t want him to sign on so soon – head boy at school, he could have deferred conscription until after further study – but she says he was excited to serve and insisted.
Pictures of him in his parade uniform are everywhere in her apartment in Rybinsk, a town 160 miles northeast of Moscow. His blue beret is perched on a shelf. And Elena still hopes that one day he’ll walk through the door.
Valentin, who had been head boy at school, was keen to serve
The graveyard Valentin is buried in
“I still wait for him to come back home, even though I saw his body. I still can’t believe it,” she says, tears running down her face.
“Sometimes I sit and think who my grandchildren could have been. It’s impossible to live like this. It’s not life.”
Russia doesn’t publish its casualty figures but the UK estimates that more than 750,000 Russian troops have either been killed or wounded in the three years since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion began.
Valentin is buried in a cemetery on the outskirts of Rybinsk – a 20-minute bus ride for Elena. There are dozens and dozens of military graves there, each one marked with flags. The grave next to Valentin is for a serviceman killed on the same day as him.
It’s rare for anyone to speak openly in Russia about the war because criticising it can land you in prison. But Elena is determined to prevent other mothers from suffering the same experience.
“I want only one thing – for all children to come home,” she said.
“I want them to hear us and give us back our children in the same state we gave them, not cold.”
Pope Francis is in good spirits, eating normally and continuing to receive treatment, Vatican sources have said.
Earlier on Monday morning, the Vatican issued a short statement saying the pontiff was “resting” in hospital and the night “went well”.
The updates on his health follow a statement on Sunday in which the Vatican said Francis was in a critical condition and was showing an “initial, mild” kidney problem.
It said he was “vigilant and well-oriented”, and took part in mass in hospital with those caring for him, but due to the complexity of his case the prognosis was “reserved”.
The Pope, 88, has been at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital since 14 February and is being treated for double pneumonia and chronic bronchitis.
He has a history of respiratory illness, having lost part of one of his lungs to pleurisy as a young man. He also had an acute case of pneumonia in 2023.
Today marks Francis’s 11th day at Gemelli – the longest hospital stay of his papacy. He spent 10 days there in 2021 after he had 33cm (13ins) of his colon removed.
Father Nunzio Corrao, the chaplain at the hospital, said the time had come “to hope against hope” for the Pope, according to Italian media reports.
The Vatican said its secretary of state, Pietro Parolin, will lead a mass in St Peter’s Square this evening at 9pm local time (8pm UK time) to pray for him – and others in hospital.
A mass to pray for Pope Francis is being held in St Peter’s Square in Rome tonight. Pic: AP
It comes after the Vatican released a message from the Pope on Sunday – his first from his hospital bed – in which he asked people to pray for him.
His message said: “I am confidently continuing my hospitalisation at the Gemelli Hospital, carrying on with the necessary treatment; and rest is also part of the therapy!”
He added: “In recent days I have received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children.
“Thank you for this closeness, and for the prayers of comfort I have received from all over the world! I entrust you all to the intercession of Mary, and I ask you to pray for me.”
The message is understood to have been written in the last few days.
On Saturday, the Vatican said the pontiff was in a critical condition after a “prolonged respiratory crisis” that required a high flow of oxygen.
It said he had blood transfusions after tests revealed thrombocytopenia, which is associated with anaemia.
Doctors said on Friday he was “not out of danger” and was expected to remain in hospital for at least another week.
They warned the main threat he faced was sepsis, that can occur as a complication of pneumonia, and lead to organ failure and death.
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Monday marks Pope Francis’s 10th day at Gemelli Hospital in Rome. Pic: AP
Millions around the world have been concerned about Francis’s increasingly frail health.
His condition has given rise to speculation over a possible resignation – which the Vatican has not commented on.
In New York on Sunday, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said the Catholic faithful were united “at the bedside of a dying father”.
“As our Holy Father Pope Francis is in very, very fragile health, and probably close to death,” he said in his homily from the pulpit of St Patrick’s Cathedral.
He later told reporters he hoped and prayed that Francis would “bounce back”.
An American Airlines flight travelling from New York to New Delhi was diverted midair due to a “bomb threat”.
Flight 292 landed at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport “due to a possible security issue,” the airline said in a statement on Sunday, adding later the threat “was determined to be non-credible”.
The airline did not clarify what the security issue was, but a source familiar with the situation told Sky News’ US partner network NBC News it was a bomb threat sent via email.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the crew reported the security issue.
“Safety and security are our top priorities, and we apologise to our customers for the inconvenience,” the airline said in a statement.
The view from the cockpit of the fighter jet. Pic: Italian air force/Reuters
Pic: Italian air force/Reuters
The flight requested a diversion to Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport at around 2pm local time, Roberto Rao, a spokesperson for the airport.
“We immediately agreed and organised a safe landing,” Mr Rao told NBC News.
“We don’t know what the security concern was, but my opinion is that it was serious enough to divert the plane, but not urgent, because we received the alert when the plane was over the Caspian Sea, a three hours’ flight from Rome.”
Once in Italian airspace, the plane was escorted by two Italian air force fighter jets and landed in Rome at around 5.30pm local time.
The flight on the ground in Rome. Pic: AP
‘What’s going on here?’
Neeraj Chopra, one of the 199 passengers on board, said the captain announced the plane had to turn around about three hours before it was supposed to land in New Delhi because of a change in “security status”.
Mr Chopra, who was traveling to India to visit family, described the mood on board as calm until the captain later announced that fighter jets would be escorting their plane to Rome.
“I felt a little panic of, okay, what’s going on here?” Mr Chopra told the Associated Press. “There’s got to be like something bigger going on here.”
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Jonathan Bacon, 22, added that once on the ground, all passengers were loaded on to buses and taken to the terminal, where each passenger and their personal items underwent additional security screenings that were time-consuming and felt “slightly heightened”.
More than two hours after landing, Mr Bacon and his friend said they were still waiting for their checked baggage. “It was definitely the longest flight to Europe I’ve ever taken,” he said.
American Airlines said the plane was inspected and cleared to depart again for New Delhi “as soon as possible” on Monday, after the crew gets some rest.
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