Russia ‘trying to bomb and freeze’ Ukrainians to submission, EU’s foreign policy chief warns – Europe live

From 2h agoRussia 'trying to bomb and freeze' Ukrainians into submission, EU's foreign policy chief warnsArriving for the EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said they had a “very package agenda” for today, as “the international rules-based order [remains] under … strain.”EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas at the start of a Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, Belgium. Photograph: Olivier Hoslet/EPAShe said the ministers will discuss the evolving EU-US relationship, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the Middle East, among others.On Ukraine specifically, she said that the Russian delegation in the UAE talks continued to represent only military personnel, with “no mandate to agree on anything,” questioning whether Russia is genuinely committed to the peace process.“They are bombing Ukrainians, trying to bomb and freeze them to surrender, and that’s why we are also discussing the energy support that we can give them, because it’s very hard winter and Ukrainians are really suffering. There is a humanitarian catastrophe coming there,” she said.She added: “My worry is that we have seen a lot of concessions also on the Ukrainian side, but that is blurring the picture, because Ukraine is not the one who is doing the aggression. It’s Russia who is doing this. So we should put more pressure on Russia so that we would see concessions on the Russian side.” She also played down the idea of “a European army,” saying that it remained to be a domain for national authorities and hierarchies.“In military you have to have a very straight and understandable chain of command, so that whenever something happens, it’s clear who gives orders to whom. If we create parallel structures, then it’s just going to blur the picture,” she said.On the Middle East, the main topic is the situation in Iran, with a discussion on listing the Iran Revolutionary Guard on the EU’s terrorism list, “putting them on the same footing with Al Qaeda, Hamas, Daesh.”“If you act as a terrorist, you should also be treated as terrorists,” she said.Key events7m agoEU plans to spend €145m on aid for Ukraine amid worsening humanitarian situation41m agoEU expected to list Iran's revolutionary guard as terrorist organisation42m agoKremlin declines to comment on rumoured energy infrastructure ceasefire1h agoGreenland 'never been peripheral' to US security, Trump envoy says, as he hints at scope of deal with Denmark1h agoFrench foreign minister warns about 'brutalisation of world,' as he urges EU unity on Greenland, Ukraine2h agoGermany's Merz warns against 'rough winds' as he urges Europe to reassert itself to face challenges2h agoRussia 'trying to bomb and freeze' Ukrainians into submission, EU's foreign policy chief warns3h agoMorning opening: Denmark 'slightly more optimistic' about resolving US Greenland interestShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureEU plans to spend €145m on aid for Ukraine amid worsening humanitarian situationThe European Union has announced plans to spend €145m on aid for Ukraine “to provide protection assistance, shelter, food, cash assistance, psychosocial support, and access to water and health services” amid worsening humanitarian situation in the country after recent Russian strikes on its energy infrastructure.The European Commission said: “After more than a decade of hostilities and almost four years of full-scale war, the people of Ukraine continue to endure immense suffering. Daily civilian casualties, widespread infrastructure destruction, and mass displacement are further exacerbating the massive humanitarian needs. With Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, millions in the country are exposed to freezing temperatures.” Crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib said that the EU was determine for “people to have shelter, warmth and hope when they need it most.”“Our solidarity with Ukraine is not a slogan, it is reliable, sustained humanitarian action driven strictly by needs on the ground,” she said.EU expected to list Iran's revolutionary guard as terrorist organisationJennifer Rankinin BrusselsSeparately, the EU is expected to list Iran’s revolutionary guard as a terrorist organisation, in a sign of deepening international condemnation of the regime’s brutal repression of protesters.European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, left, speaks with French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Belgium. Photograph: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/APAhead of a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers on Thursday, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she expected agreement on listing Iran’s revolutionary guard on the bloc’s terrorist list (9:55).Citing the death toll from recent protests, she added: “That’s why we are also sending a clear message that if you are suppressing people, it has a price, and you will be also sanctioned for this.”The EU is also expected to add more Iranian government officials and organisations to its sanctions list for their role in repressing protesters.Momentum to list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group has grown in the last 24 hours, with France dropping its opposition to the plan on the eve of the foreign ministers meeting.“The unbearable repression of the peaceful uprising of the Iranian people cannot go unanswered,” French foreign minister Jean-Nöel Barrot wrote on X. “Their extraordinary courage in the face of the violence that has been unleashed indiscriminately against them cannot be in vain.”France had long resisted an IRGC listing, fearing the listing of a state body would stymie attempts to reach a diplomatic accord on the Iranian nuclear programme and harm the interests of French citizens in the country.Belgium had similar qualms, but included support for the listing in the new government’s coalition agreement last year. Belgium’s foreign minister Maxime Prévot said his country advocated for the listing “particularly in light of the atrocities and repression that have been observed in recent weeks”.The listing must be agreed unanimously by the EU’s 27 member states.The likely sanctions come amid what human rights groups have described as a “revenge” campaign by the Iranian regime, as doctors and healthcare workers facing death sentences for treating badly-injured protesters. Meanwhile Donald Trump warned Iran to negotiate a deal on the future of its nuclear programme or face a military strike, as he said a “massive Armada” was on the way ready to use violence if necessary.Established after the 1979 Islamic revolution, The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is an elite paramilitary force separate to the regular army, with 150,000 ground troops and its own navy and airforce. It was listed a terrorist organisation in 2019 by the US during the first Trump administration, by Canada in 2024 and Australia in 2025.Kremlin declines to comment on rumoured energy infrastructure ceasefireOn Ukraine, the Kremlin has declined to comment on media reports that Russia and Ukraine may have agreed some sort of ceasefire regarding energy infrastructure ahead of the second round of their trilateral talks with the US this weekend, Reuters reported.Temperatures are expected to plummet as low as -20 Celsius in Moscow and -15 Celsius in Kyiv this weekend.I will keep an eye on this for you.Greenland 'never been peripheral' to US security, Trump envoy says, as he hints at scope of deal with DenmarkMeanwhile, Jeff Landry, US special envoy to Greenland, wrote a comment for the New York Times on the US interest in the territory.He said that the “framework” pursued by the US administration in talks with Denmark and Greenland “builds on the 1941 and 1951 defence agreements between the United States and Denmark and would enhance American, Nato and Greenlandic security and reaffirm longstanding trans-Atlantic defence obligations.” “It would expand America’s operational freedom, support new bases and infrastructure, facilitate deployment of advanced missile-defense systems like the Golden Dome and crowd out hostile Chinese and Russian influence. These measures are not provocative — they are preventive. They would ensure that the United States, not its adversaries, sets the rules in one of the world’s most strategically consequential regions in perpetuity.” Landry shared Trump’s belief that “America must guarantee its own unfettered and uninterrupted access to key strategic territories in the Western Hemisphere, including both Greenland and the Panama Canal.”“That assessment was driven by history, geography and hard military capability,” he said.He continued: “America’s adversaries already understand what many past U.S. administrations ignored: The Arctic is no longer peripheral to global affairs. Greenland sits roughly equidistant between Washington and Moscow. It hosts critical early-warning and missile-defense infrastructure and lies along Arctic shipping routes that China and Russia are aggressively seeking to exploit.” He ended by concluding: “Greenland has never been peripheral to America’s security. History proves it. Strategy demands it.” French foreign minister warns about 'brutalisation of world,' as he urges EU unity on Greenland, UkraineOver in Brussels, French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot warned about the “brutalisation of the world” in international politics, stressing the need to maintain EU unity amid dramatic changes in the world order.French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium. Photograph: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/APHe said that January was dominated by “threats against a European territory under the protection of Nato, the territory of Greenland,” as he urged the European Commission to clearly assert EU interests, including on territorial integrity, electoral processes and autonomy fo decision, against “any new threats” (yes, he probably means the US, too.)He also echoed Kallas’s warnings on Ukraine, saying that Russia’s continued strikes on energy infrastructure seemed to show “the desire to cause a genuine humanitarian crisis” accompanied by continued refusal to engage with good faith peace negotiations.Germany's Merz warns against 'rough winds' as he urges Europe to reassert itself to face challengesMeanwhile over in Berlin, German chancellor Friedrich Merz warned about “rough winds blowing in the world” as the international rules-based world order is under strain, as he urged Europe to reassert itself as a global superpower, but without undermining its longstanding partnership and alliances, including with the US.German chancellor Friedrich Merz makes a government statement on the current foreign policy situation in the German Bundestag, Berlin. Photograph: Bernd von Jutrczenka/APMerz said that with the rise of imperialism and autocracy, the EU has become a more attractive partner for new global alliances.He said that in recent weeks he felt, “perhaps for the first time,” that Europe “can be a [global] power” when it focuses on defending its values.He said that Europe needed to step up its defence and technological capabilities to “reduce dependencies” built over the last few decades. “Europe has always grown when it has been under pressure,” he said.Merz also called for unity on the European side in the face of growing pressures, pointedly saying it proved to be effective in keeping the US on side on Ukraine before Christmas, and forcing Washington to U-turn on tariffs and Greenland early this year.He said that the EU’s response over Greenland showed that “we would not be intimidated by tariff threats again,” showing to “everyone” (he means Donald Trump) that “we are ready and able to defend ourselves.”He also pointedly said that leaders “should not recklessly jeopardise established alliances,” as he demanded US respect for German troops in Afghanistan after recent Trump comments.Reminding lawmakers that 59 German soldiers died in Afghanistan and well over 100 were seriously injured, he said – to loud applause – that “we will not allow for this effort … to be scorned and disparaged today.”But he also stressed the continuing importance of Nato, saying “we, Europeans, want to preserve NATO in order to strengthen it from Europe and in Europe.”Merz also separately talked about the need to push for a greater reform of the EU to remove red tape and simplify existing regulations to kickstart European economies, a topic expected to be raised during next month’s informal EU leaders’ retreat.Russia 'trying to bomb and freeze' Ukrainians into submission, EU's foreign policy chief warnsArriving for the EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said they had a “very package agenda” for today, as “the international rules-based order [remains] under … strain.”EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas at the start of a Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, Belgium. Photograph: Olivier Hoslet/EPAShe said the ministers will discuss the evolving EU-US relationship, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the Middle East, among others.On Ukraine specifically, she said that the Russian delegation in the UAE talks continued to represent only military personnel, with “no mandate to agree on anything,” questioning whether Russia is genuinely committed to the peace process.“They are bombing Ukrainians, trying to bomb and freeze them to surrender, and that’s why we are also discussing the energy support that we can give them, because it’s very hard winter and Ukrainians are really suffering. There is a humanitarian catastrophe coming there,” she said.She added: “My worry is that we have seen a lot of concessions also on the Ukrainian side, but that is blurring the picture, because Ukraine is not the one who is doing the aggression. It’s Russia who is doing this. So we should put more pressure on Russia so that we would see concessions on the Russian side.” She also played down the idea of “a European army,” saying that it remained to be a domain for national authorities and hierarchies.“In military you have to have a very straight and understandable chain of command, so that whenever something happens, it’s clear who gives orders to whom. If we create parallel structures, then it’s just going to blur the picture,” she said.On the Middle East, the main topic is the situation in Iran, with a discussion on listing the Iran Revolutionary Guard on the EU’s terrorism list, “putting them on the same footing with Al Qaeda, Hamas, Daesh.”“If you act as a terrorist, you should also be treated as terrorists,” she said.The Washington meeting took place just hours after the US embassy in Copenhagen angered Danish veterans by removing national flags put up in front of the mission to honour Danish soldiers killed in Afghanistan.Days after US president Donald Trump angered some allies by downplaying the role of non-US Nato troops in the Afghanistan war, 44 flags, which carried the names of the 44 Danish soldiers killed in Afghanistan, were put up on Tuesday in flower beds outside the US embassy in Copenhagen, AFP reported.Danish flags are placed in front of the American embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark. Photograph: Emil Nicolai Helms/EPAThe embassy originally told Danish media that it had removed the flags because they had been put up without coordination with the embassy, prompting angry reaction from locals and veteran associations.The embassy later backtracked, and a US State Department spokesperson told AFP that “until an outlet reached out, we were unaware of why the flags were placed in planters outside the Embassy.”Following the news of the removal, new flags were put up on Wednesday.By Wednesday afternoon, hundreds of small Danish flags had been put up in the flowerbeds, TV2 reported.A growing number of Danish flags are placed in front of the US Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark. Photograph: Martin Sylvest Andersen/Getty ImagesThe embassy told AFP that “additional flags subsequently placed are currently in place and will remain so”.Morning opening: Denmark 'slightly more optimistic' about resolving US Greenland interestJakub KrupaDanish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen revealed he had “constructive” talks with the US over Greenland last night, saying that he is “slightly more optimistic today than a week ago” that a solution can be found.No wonder: it’s a week since US president Donald Trump delivered that rambling Davos speech in which he repeatedly stated he needed to take control of Greenland.Confirming hints from US state secretary Marco Rubio last night (Europe Live yesterday), Rasmussen said the pair met in Washington for further talks, putting them back on track with the process they agreed on two weeks ago.“After that, there was a major detour, things were escalating, but now we are back on track,” he said.Rubio told the US Congress last night that the low-profile format hoped to avoid “a media circus” around the talks – with more to come.Rasmussen didn’t answer specific questions about what was covered in talks, sticking to the line that they focused on what can be done to meet US security interests without violating Denmark’s red lines on territory and sovereignty.He will no doubt offer a bit more detail behind the closed doors as EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels this morning to go through a busy agenda covering the world on fire in Greenland, Ukraine, the Middle East, and other parts of the world.I will keep an eye on what others ministers will say arriving for talks.Separately, German chancellor Friedrich Merz is delivering a major foreign policy speech in the Bundestag this morning. I will bring you the key lines here, too.I will also look at the latest on Ukraine and Russia, including a rare late night violation of Polish airspace by weather balloons from Belarus.Lots for us to cover.It’s Thursday, 29 January 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.Good morning.