Russia cannot challenge borders ‘with impunity’, warns Tusk ahead of Trump-Putin summit - Europe live | World news
Published: 2025-08-11 13:25:49 | Views: 11
Kyiv must be involved in Ukraine peace talks, Poland's Tusk says, as he warns against allowing Russia to challenge borders 'with impunity'
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk is speaking right now, briefing the Polish media after this weekend’s consultations among European leaders, as he says they “remain united in their approach.”
He says that “for Poland and our European partners, it must be clear that you cannot change borders with force,” and Russia must not be allowed to benefit from its invasion on Ukraine.
“The West, including European countries, will not accept Russian demands which simply amount to the seizure of Ukrainian territory,” Tusk says.
He warns against Russia getting the idea it can challenge other countries’ borders “with impunity.”
Tusk also draws on Polish history to repeat the principle of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”
“From history we know — and Poland has often been a victim of this — that when the great powers decided about other countries without the participation of those countries in negotiations, the consequences were grave.”
Key events
Putin should never be trusted, Starmer's spokesperson says
We are getting some news lines from today’s Downing Street press briefing, with the UK prime minister’s official spokesman responding to journalists’ questions on Ukraine.
Asked if Putin could be trusted, Starmer’s spokesperson said, via PA:
“Never trust President Putin as far as you could throw him, but we obviously will support Ukraine.
We will obviously support President Trump and European nations as we enter these negotiations.”
He added:
“We’re not going to leave it to trust. We’re going to ensure that we’re prepared such that we achieve a ceasefire.
The coalition of willing and the security guarantees are in place... that learns the lessons of the past, where we clearly have not had those meaningful security guarantees in place, which did allow President Putin to re-arm and go again.”
Reuters added that the spokesperson insisted that Ukraine’s borders are only for Ukraine to determine, and any peace deal must be built with its involvement.
In fact, some parts of south-eastern Europe were already facing extreme conditions over the weekend, with wildfires raging in Albania, reportedly forcing evacuations and destroying homes in rural communities.
AFP reported that over a dozen fires were active in the Balkan nation, after hundreds of firefighters and soldiers controlled most of nearly 40 fires that flared in the last 24 hours, according to the defence ministry.
Around 800 Albanian troops have been deployed, along with military aircraft and helicopters from surrounding countries, to battle the wildfires.
Several parts of the Balkans are tipped to climb above 40C this week, as a heatwave sweeps the region, with some of the highest temperatures expected in Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia.
Heatwave expected to move to central, eastern Europe next - analysis
Brendan Wood for the MetDesk
After a period of cooler weather, swaths of central and eastern Europe face another heatwave as hot air over south-western Europe pushes north-west.
Since late July, large parts of the Iberian peninsula have endured persistent heat, with temperatures frequently climbing to the high 30s to low 40s celsius.
With southern and south-western Europe already enduring intense heat, the arrival of this warm air into central and eastern parts is likely to mark the start of a widespread hot spell that could persist for several days.
Southern Europe swelters under deadly heatwave as temperatures pass 40C
Ajit Niranjan
Deadly heat of up to 42C is searing southern Europe, as scientists warn of a “molotov cocktail” of climatic conditions that is fuelling vast wildfires across the Mediterranean.
This video-grab taken from handout footage released by Spain's Emergency Military Unit (UME) shows military firefighters tackling a wildfifre near Yeres, northwestern Spain. Photograph: UME/AFP/Getty Images
Météo-France placed more than half the country under heatwave warnings on Monday morning, with 12 out of 96 administrative units on the mainland under the highest red alert, while Spain’s Aemet warned of “extreme danger” in Zaragoza and the Basque Country as it issued yellow and orange warnings for almost all the rest of the country.
Both weather agencies forecast temperatures above 40C over the coming days and called for vigilance amid forecasts of “a very intense, even exceptional” heatwave in parts of the continent.
The high temperatures have alarmed experts as firefighters struggle to contain destructive wildfires. In France, which brought its biggest fire since 1949 under control on Sunday, authorities reported that one person had died in the blaze, while 20 firefighters and five civilians had been injured.
French forecasters said heat records were likely to be broken on Monday and Tuesday as temperatures pass 42C in the south-west. Temperatures hit a record high of 41.4C in the village of Tourbes, near Béziers, at the weekend.
In Spain, temperatures on Monday were expected to rise further in the Ebro basin, the southern and eastern thirds of the Iberian peninsula, and the eastern Cantabrian Sea. They were forecast to fall in the north-west, particularly in Galicia.
In Italy, where temperatures of 40C are expected to hit Florence on Wednesday, tourist trails were closed on Mount Vesuvius on Sunday as firefighters fought a blaze on the slopes of the volcano.
The world has warmed by about 1.4C because of fossil fuel pollution, which forms a heat-trapping blanket around the Earth, and the destruction of nature, which sucks carbon dioxide from the air.
In Europe, which has warmed nearly twice as fast as the global average, a warm and dry air mass hanging over much of the Iberian peninsula and France has coincided with high levels of summer sunshine that have pushed temperatures even higher.
Extreme heat across south-western Europe
As we are waiting for more updates on Ukraine – with EU foreign ministers set to meet in the next few hours – I am keeping an eye on the temperatures across the continent given the extreme heat warnings in parts of south-western Europe.
Meteo France is reporting 38 Celsius – and more than 40 Celsius expected later today – in Toulouse and Bordeaux.
Spain’s Aemet is showing 36-38 Celsius across large parts of the north of the country, with 39 Celsius in La Almunia de Doña Godina, and 38 Celsius in Zaragoza.
Let’s cross to our Europe environment correspondent Ajit Niranjan for more.
Israeli plans for Gaza 'a disaster waiting to happen,' Macron says
Meanwhile in France, the country’s president Emmanuel Macron warned that Israel’s plans to increase its military presence in Gaza amounted to “a disaster waiting to happen,” as he floated the idea of an international coalition with an UN mandate to help the territory, Reuters reported.
For all the latest news on the situation in Gaza, follow our live blog here:
Finland brings charges against Eagle S captain, officers over cable cuts in 2024
Meanwhile, over in Finland, the country’s national prosecutor’s office said it has brought charges against the captain and first and second officers of the Eagle S oil tanker over cutting of undersea cables in the Gulf on Finland in December last year, Reuters reported.
The three are suspected of aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with communications, a statement by the prosecutor said.
The prosecutor’s statement said the crew of the Cook Islands-registered Eagle S, which was carrying Russian oil in the Baltic Sea, are suspected of “cutting five submarine cables … by dragging … achor on the seabed for about 90 km.”
It added that the incident caused a disruption to services and “at least” 60 million euros in damages.
Route of Eagle S tanker
The Finnish customs service said at the time it had seized the vessel’s cargo and that the Eagle S was believed to belong to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of ageing tankers that seek to evade sanctions on the sale of Russian oil.
Concessions won't persuade Russia to stop killing, Zelenskyy says, as he calls for more pressure on Moscow
Back to Ukraine, the country’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has once again urged partners to step up pressure on Russia, saying it was “dragging out the war” and showed no interest in ending the war.
In a post on social media channels, Zelenskyy said that “another week has ended without any attempt by Russia to agree to the numerous demands of the world and stop the killings.”
Facing constant Russian attacks, “we are holding our positions and doing everything to destroy or drive out the occupier,” Zelenskyy said.
We are defending the lives of our people and strengthening our air defences. This is what the situation in the war looks like.
Turning to diplomacy, he said that “Russia refuses to stop the killings, and therefore must not receive any rewards or benefits.”
This is not just a moral position – it is a rational one. Concessions do not persuade a killer.
He reiterated that Ukraine was working with partners to “bring closer a genuine peace – peace through strength,” which he said was “the only kind of peace that can be achieved with Russia.”
On France, AP noted that the red alert has been issued only eight times since it was created in 2004 after a deadly summer the year before.
It is reserved for extreme, prolonged heat with major health risks and the potential to disrupt daily life.
France faces 'high risk day' with temperatures set to exceed 40 Celsius
Angelique Chrisafis
in Paris
Twelve départements in the south-west of France were placed on the highest heatwave alert on Monday, including the Aude, Charente-Maritime, Dordogne and Lot.
A couple holds hands walking along the Seine River dock with the Conciergerie on the background (L), in Paris. Photograph: Julie Sebadelha/AFP/Getty Images
French forecasters said temperatures could exceed 42C in some places and it was likely that records would be broken.
Separately, a swathe of France stretching from the Mediterranean coast up to the Jura was put on the second-highest heatwave alert.
The health minister, Yannick Neuder, told BFMTV that Monday would be “a high risk day” and advised people to help those who were vulnerable.
Jakub Krupa
With parts of Europe on extreme heat alert today, let’s cross to Angelique Chrisafis for the latest from France.
Over 100 former MEPs urge EU to suspend its association agreement with Israel
Lisa O’Carroll
More than 100 former members of the European parliament have written to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and the EU’s chief diplomat Kaja Kallasurging them to suspend the EU-Israel association agreement.
In a strongly worded letter they alleged the EU’s “failure” to take “robust action” against Israel over its actions in Gaza could expose member states to “complicity in war crimes”.
The letter was signed by former MEPs across the political spectrum including those in the European Conservatives and Reformists, (ECR) which counts Giorgia Meloni’s party as a member; the conservative European People’s Party (EPP) group which put forward Von der Leyen as candidate to lead the EU, and the Greens and the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats (S&D) and ALDE/Renew centrist groups.
“The current collective starvation of Gazans by the Israeli state is nothing short of a war crime. This violates the fundamental human rights on which all EU Association Agreements with third countries are based,” it says.
They said:
“We welcome the belated decision by the Commission on 28 July to propose suspending Israel’s participation in the EU’s Horizon research programme. However, this is too little, too late. The Commission’s own review in June clearly showed Israel’s breach of Article 2 of the Agreement.
In the absence of an end to the closure of border access to Gaza allowing unimpeded humanitarian access by the UN and associated NGOs we, as 110 former Members of the European Parliament, insist that the Commission urgently requests that Member States agree to fully suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
The Commission’s own review points to clear violations of the human rights clause of the agreement (Article 2).”
As mentioned in the opening post, EU foreign ministers are meeting (virtually) later today to coordinate their next steps and present a united front.
They will speak to Ukraine’s foreign ministry Andriy Sybiha at 3pm UK (4pm CEST), and carry on talking about other issues afterwards.
Israel and the situation in Gaza is also on the agenda, so let’s cross to Lisa O’Carroll for the latest.
US pledged to consult European partners before meeting Putin, Poland's Tusk says
Tusk says the US has pledged to consult with European partners before this Friday’s meeting with Putin.
He adds that the importance of maintaining the integrity of Ukraine’s territory “is not just a matter of solidarity with our neighbour, but also of our own security.”
He says he has “lots of fears and lots of hope” about the Trump-Putin meeting, as he notes Trump’s “tactic … of unpredictability at times, when it comes to various moves and actions.”
He says that parts of Putin’s proposal on territory appear to be “one-sided” and it’s “difficult to see why it’s unacceptable” for Ukraine.
That ends his press conference.
Kyiv must be involved in Ukraine peace talks, Poland's Tusk says, as he warns against allowing Russia to challenge borders 'with impunity'
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk is speaking right now, briefing the Polish media after this weekend’s consultations among European leaders, as he says they “remain united in their approach.”
He says that “for Poland and our European partners, it must be clear that you cannot change borders with force,” and Russia must not be allowed to benefit from its invasion on Ukraine.
“The West, including European countries, will not accept Russian demands which simply amount to the seizure of Ukrainian territory,” Tusk says.
He warns against Russia getting the idea it can challenge other countries’ borders “with impunity.”
Tusk also draws on Polish history to repeat the principle of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”
“From history we know — and Poland has often been a victim of this — that when the great powers decided about other countries without the participation of those countries in negotiations, the consequences were grave.”
Alaska good fit for Trump-Putin meeting as place of mutual inconvenience - analysis
Dan Sabbagh
in Kyiv
It is unlikely that Vladimir Putin will arrive in Alaska on Friday to present Donald Trump with a territorial demand for the 49th state, sold by Tsar Alexander II to the US for $7.2m (£5.4m) in 1867.
US President Donald Trump (L) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin pose ahead a meeting in Helsinki in 2018. Photograph: Alexey Nikolsky/AFP/Getty Images
The Russian president, after all, has another land deal on his mind – to persuade Trump of the merits of swapping parts of Ukrainian territory in return for him perhaps agreeing to the ceasefire the US president so desperately wants, but does not know how to get.
Putin’s influential foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said Alaska was an “entirely logical” location for the summit, as if the hop across the Bering Strait that divides the countries is a simple trip.
The gap between the US and Russian mainlands may be 55 miles, but it is roughly a nine-hour flight from Moscow to Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city. Even for Trump, travelling from Washington DC on Air Force One, it will be not much less than eight hours. Alaska is a location of mutual inconvenience, which indicates that other factors are at play.
The remote state is a long way from Ukraine and its European allies, and risks pushing both into the distant background. Though Trump seems open, in theory, to letting Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, attend, it is hard to imagine Putin being so welcoming. His prize, after all, are private talks with the occupant of the White House about sanctions, trade, the reach of Nato in Europe – negotiating tracks far beyond his latest proposals for dominating Ukraine.
Above all, Alaska is a safe place for the Russian leader to visit. Putin is still wanted by the international criminal court, accused of war crimes in relation to the forced deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia in March 2023. There is an arrest warrant out, but neither Russia nor crucially the US recognise the court.
Nor are there any unfriendly countries to overfly. A trip around the top of the globe is unlikely to run into unexpected difficulties that might make travelling over the Black Sea to Istanbul in Turkey unattractive.
The Alaska meeting is only the fourth US-Russia summit since 2010 and, while it remains possible that the discussions will lead to a ceasefire in Ukraine, there are few grounds for optimism when the war continues to be fought so bitterly on the frontlines and in the rear, with Russia repeatedly bombing Ukrainian cities, trying to force its democratic neighbour into submission.
Confusion over the Alaska summit shows Putin still calls the shots - analysis
Shaun Walker
The offer to thrash out a Ukrainian peace deal at a bilateral summit with Trump representsexactly the sort of great-power deal-making Putin has always craved. It will be his first trip to the US since 2007, with the exception of visits to the UN.
US President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin talk during the family photo session at the APEC Summit in Danang, Vietnam in 2017. Photograph: Jorge Silva/Reuters
Exactly how the Alaska summit will look is still unclear, with a particularly Trumpian kind of confusion and chaos accompanying its announcement. Kyiv, European capitals and even Trump’s own staff have been trying to understand what exactly was agreed in the Kremlin.
As worrying for Kyiv as the planned format of the talks is the apparent Russian deal now on the table. The plan, as it has been reported after filtering through the Trump administration and then to European capitals, is that the Ukrainian army should unilaterally withdraw from the parts of Donetsk and Luhansk it still controls, which would presumably include the fortified military stronghold of Kramatorsk. In exchange, the Kremlin would agree to freeze the lines in other places.
Zelenskyy’s public posture that Ukraine will never cede land is true up to a point. Kyiv is unlikely to renounce legal claims to its own territory, but the Ukrainian elite and much of Ukrainian society is increasingly ready for a deal that would recognise Russian de facto control, perhaps for a set period of time, in exchange for ending the fighting.
The main problem with such a deal has always been what kind of guarantees Ukraine would receive that Russia would not simply use a ceasefire as time to regroup before attacking again. Brief discussions earlier this year about a European peacekeeping force to police a ceasefire were quickly scaled back to a “reassurance force” stationed far from the frontlines. Ukrainians would therefore have not much to rely on but Putin’s word, which they have learned from experience not to trust.
Over the past few days, Zelenskyy and his team have been rallying support among European leaders and trying to put together an alternative, European plan. Unfortunately for Kyiv, previous experience suggests Trump is unwilling or unable to exert real pressure on Putin.
“If Putin and Trump reach an agreement directly, Europe will be faced with a fait accompli. Kyiv – even more so,” said Roman Alekhin, a Russian war blogger, on Sunday.
It is exactly that prospect Ukraine’s leadership will be doing their utmost to prevent in the days before Friday’s summit.
Morning opening: Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine
Jakub Krupa
A group of European leaders insisted over the weekend that “the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine” amid growing concerns about the US president Donald Trump’s plans to strike a deal with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, when the pair meets in Alaska on Friday.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin Photograph: UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/SPUTNIK/AFP/Getty Images
A hastily arranged statement signed by the leaders of Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the UK, and the European Union reiterated that “a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests.”
Speaking to the German broadcaster ARD, German chancellor Friedrich Merz said he hoped and assumed that Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, would also be involved in Friday’s summit in Alaska and that he made representations to Trump on this issue.
“We cannot accept in any case that territorial questions are discussed or even decided between Russia and America over the heads of Europeans and Ukrainians,” he said. “I assume that the American government sees it the same way.”
EU foreign ministers are meeting virtually for an emergency meeting today to discuss the next steps.
On Sunday, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the support, saying on X: “The end of the war must be fair, and I am grateful to everyone who stands with Ukraine and our people today for the sake of peace in Ukraine, which is defending the vital security interests of our European nations.
But there are still no guarantees as to what will happen next and what concessions Trump might be willing to agree to, leaving Kyiv and most European capitals deeply uncomfortable ahead of the summit on Friday, and they will want to use every minute to influence the US position.
Let’s see what the day brings.
Elsewhere, I will be also keeping an eye on another extreme heatwave in parts of Europe, with Spain and France among countries expecting to see temperatures close to or above 40 degrees Celsius once again.
I will bring you all the key updates here.
It’s Monday, 11 August 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
