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A US oil pipeline operator’s lawsuit seeking millions of dollars from Greenpeace for allegedly orchestrating a campaign of violence and defamation begins Monday in a North Dakota court, in a case with broad free speech implications.At the heart of the case is the Dakota Access Pipeline, where nearly a decade ago, the Standing Rock Sioux tribe led one of the largest anti-fossil fuel protests in US history. Hundreds were arrested and injured, prompting concerns from the United Nations over violations of Indigenous sovereignty.The pipeline, which transports fracked crude oil to refineries and global markets, has been operational since 2017.But its operator, Energy Transfer, has continued pursuing legal action against Greenpeace — first in a federal lawsuit seeking $300 million, which was dismissed, and now in a state court in Mandan, North Dakota, where jury selection began Monday.Critics call the case a clear example of a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP), designed to silence dissent and drain financial resources. Notably, North Dakota is among the minority of US states without anti-SLAPP protections.”Big Oil is trying to send a message to us, and they’re trying to silence Greenpeace as well as the wider movement,” said Sushma Raman, Greenpeace’s interim executive director, in a statement to AFP.”But let us be clear: the limited actions Greenpeace took related to Standing Rock were peaceful, lawful, and in line with our values of non-violence and our work for a green and peaceful future.”Waniya Locke, a member of Standing Rock Grassroots, rejected the idea that Greenpeace led the movement.”I want it to be very clear that no NGOs started or organized our resistance. It was matriarch-led. It was led by women who stood strong, who stood on the riverbanks unarmed,” she said in a statement.Energy Transfer for its part denies attempting to suppress free speech.”Our lawsuit against Greenpeace is about them not following the law,” the company said in a statement to AFP.”We support the rights of all Americans to express their opinions and lawfully protest. However, when it is not done in accordance with our laws, we have a legal system to address that. Beyond that, we will let our case speak for itself.”Greenpeace is fighting back. This month, it became the first group to test the European Union’s anti-SLAPP directive by suing Energy Transfer in The Netherlands. The group is seeking damages with interest and demanding that Energy Transfer publish the court’s findings on its website.More than 400 organizations, along with public figures such as singer Billie Eilish and actors Jane Fonda and Susan Sarandon have signed an open letter in support of Greenpeace, as have hundreds of thousands of individuals globally.The trial is expected to last up to five weeks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Monday for “real, lasting peace” this year as European leaders gathered for a summit in Kyiv on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion.Russia said it would halt the invasion only if a deal could be reached that “suits” its interests, and accused Europe of wanting to prolong the fighting.Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to launch the invasion in February 2022 set off the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II. Tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides and Ukrainian civilians have been killed. Cities across the country’s south and east have been flattened and millions forced to flee their homes.”This year should be the year of the beginning of a real, lasting peace,” Zelensky told Ukraine’s backers in Kyiv.”We have to win peace through strength and wisdom and unity,” he said, vowing at a press conference later on Monday that Russia “will not win”.EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen also warned that despite opening talks with the United States on how to end the conflict, Putin was not about to back down.”Putin is trying harder than ever to win this war on the ground. His goal remains Ukraine’s capitulation,” she said.She also called the war in Ukraine “the most central and consequential crisis for Europe’s future”.- Deal that ‘suits’ Russia -But as leaders of Ukraine’s backers lined up to proclaim support and hail Kyiv’s resistance, there was one notable absence: the United States.Donald Trump’s return to the White House has threatened broad Western support for Ukraine as well as vital military and financial aid at a critical juncture.His opening of talks with Putin, a false claim that Ukraine “started” the war and verbal attacks on Zelensky have triggered alarm across Europe.Kyiv said Monday that it was in the “final stages” of a deal with Washington to give the United States preferential access to rare minerals — one of the sources of disagreement that has exploded over the last week.”There are almost no unreasonable demands anymore. Many details will be discussed later in another agreement,” a source in the Ukrainian presidency told AFP separately.Washington also urged Ukraine and Russia on Monday to back its plan to end the war, as the UN General Assembly prepared to vote on a US resolution marking the anniversary.Russian officials have been buoyed by Trump’s outreach, sensing an opportunity to push their core demands: the roll-back of NATO’s military presence in Europe, territorial concessions from Ukraine and the end of Western military support to Kyiv.Officials from Moscow and Washington are set to meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, a diplomatic source told AFP, a follow-up to talks between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week.”We will stop hostilities only when these negotiations produce a firm and sustainable result that suits the Russian Federation,” Lavrov said during a visit to Turkey.On the streets of Moscow, there was support for a hardline approach.”I would like peace. But of course, I am hoping for victory for Russia,” Yevgenia, a 27-year-old civil servant, told AFP.- ‘You cannot be weak’ -Zelensky on Monday repeated his call for security guarantees from Kyiv’s backers to ensure Russia did not use any ceasefire to rearm and attack again at a later date.With Trump sceptical of continuing to support Ukraine, Europe has been left debating whether it can fill the void.On Monday, Brussels announced a 16th round of sanctions aimed at curbing the Russian war effort in a move echoed by Britain, which levelled penalties against 100 entities.French President Emmanuel Macron was in Washington for a meeting with Trump where he said he would tell him: “You cannot be weak in the face of President Putin.”Russia has been making steady gains across the front line in recent months, beating back outgunned Ukrainian forces at key sectors in eastern Ukraine.The Russian defence ministry on Monday claimed to have captured the village of Topoli in the eastern Kharkiv region bordering Russia.Further south, Tetiana Zhuravlova had finally made the decision to leave her home in the frontline village of Chernigivka in the Donetsk region, which the Kremlin already claims as part of Russia.”There’s been shelling everywhere here,” the 47-year-old told AFP.”I just want peace and quiet, for it all to finally stop, all this loss of life. People are leaving their homes, where they’ve lived their lives, they’re leaving everything.” 

French President Emmanuel Macron held “very friendly” talks with Donald Trump at the White House Monday, as European leaders look to shore up a transatlantic alliance upended by the US president’s outreach to Russia over the conflict in Ukraine.On the third anniversary of the Russian invasion, Trump welcomed Macron to the Oval Office to jointly take part in a call with the heads of the G7 leading economies and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.”Very good, very friendly,” Macron told reporters as he strolled down the driveway of the White House when asked how his welcome from Trump had been.Macron added that the G7 call was “perfect.””We had the first discussion, and I’ll come back very soon,” he said ahead of a formal meeting with Trump later Monday.A video posted by Zelensky on X showed Trump behind his desk during the G7 call with the French president on his right hand side and US Vice President JD Vance to his left.At their meeting later, the French leader will present his “proposals for action” to counter the “Russian threat,” an advisor to the president said. They will also hold a joint press conference.Both Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are at the White House this week as they hope to persuade Trump to stick by Kyiv and to include European leaders in talks between Moscow and Washington.- ‘Cannot be weak’ -Trump sent shock waves around the world when he declared his readiness to resume diplomacy with Russian President Vladimir Putin and to hold talks without the involvement of European nations or Kyiv.He has repeated Russian talking points about Ukraine’s supposed responsibility in starting the war, raising concern in Europe that he will side with Moscow to end the conflict.But Trump’s tone has also raised wider fears that 80-year-old transatlantic ties formed in the wake of World War II are under threat.Macron has tried to coordinate a European response to Washington’s sudden policy shift, hoping to use a bond he fostered with Trump during the US president’s first term.The French president last week said he would tell the Republican: “You cannot be weak in the face of President Putin.”Trump however hit back, saying that both Macron and Starmer — the leaders of Europe’s two nuclear powers — had done “nothing” to try to end the Ukraine war over the past three years.As he headed to Washington on Sunday, Macron said that Russia was an “existential threat to Europeans.”Macron is representing the European Union as a whole during his visit, after meeting leaders across the continent including Moscow-friendly Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the advisor to the president said.Macron aims to persuade Trump to continue some US support for Ukraine, respecting its sovereignty and ensuring that European interests are fully considered, the advisor added.He also seeks to convince Trump that Putin “will not respect” a ceasefire.- ‘Security guarantees’ -Macron and Starmer, who will visit Trump on Thursday, coordinated on messaging prior to the French president’s departure for the United States this weekend.Britain and France are also discussing the deployment of European forces in Ukraine after a peace agreement is reached to deter Russia from future attacks. “The idea is to deploy soldiers to a second line, not on the front line. This could be combined with a multinational operation, with non-European contingents,” said a French source close to the discussions.Macron and Starmer are expected to ask Trump to provide “solid security guarantees” for the deployed forces.European leaders would also commit to increasing their defense spending as Trump seeks to reduce US commitment, no longer wanting to bear the burden of the region’s security.Although the Trump administration has ruled out committing US soldiers, Europe hopes it could provide other support, such as logistics or intelligence.US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told reporters on Monday that “we expect to talk quite a bit about the security guarantees that Macron has put on the table.”Trump and Macron would also discuss the thorny issue of trade with the European Union, with the US president threatening sweeping tariffs against the bloc, said Waltz.

Jury selection began Monday in the trial of a 24-year-old man with a history of mental illness who allegedly opened fire from a rooftop on a US Independence Day parade, killing seven people and wounding 48.Robert Crimo III, 24, faces murder, attempted murder and dozens of other charges for the July 4, 2022 attack on the parade in the affluent Chicago suburb of Highland Park.According to prosecutors, Crimo climbed on to a rooftop overlooking the parade route armed with a semi-automatic rifle and emptied three 30-round magazines into the crowd before fleeing.Among those killed were the parents of a two-year-old boy.Crimo was allegedly disguised in women’s clothing and had used makeup to conceal several distinctive facial tattoos, including the word “Awake” above his left eyebrow and the number “47” on his temple.He was captured about eight hours after the attack following a car chase.Crimo’s father, Robert Crimo Jr, pleaded guilty in November 2023 to reckless conduct for helping his son obtain the assault rifle used in the shooting, a rare case in which a parent was held criminally responsible for the actions of their child.Crimo Jr, who owned a delicatessen in Highland Park and once ran for mayor, pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanor counts for helping his son obtain a state firearms permit even though he knew he had a history of mental illness.He was sentenced to 60 days in jail, two years of probation and 100 hours of community service.The younger Crimo was 19 at the time the gun was bought and he needed his father’s sponsorship to get an Illinois Firearms Owner Identification Card.Amid a huge number of deadly firearms incidents involving young people, pressure has been mounting in the United States to punish parents who make it possible for their children to get weapons.The parents of a 15-year-old boy who killed four people at a high school in Michigan in November 2021 were convicted of involuntary manslaughter last year for buying their son a gun even though they were aware of troubling signs that he might be a threat.- Erratic behavior -According to police, Robert Crimo III had a history of erratic behavior.Police were called to the Crimo home twice in 2019: once in April to investigate a suicide attempt by the younger Crimo and again in September because a relative said he had threatened to “kill everyone” in the family.Police removed a collection of knives from the home but did not make any arrests. The knives were returned after Crimo’s father said they were his.Located 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Chicago and its notorious crime problems, Highland Park is known as a quiet town. The municipality of 30,000 even enacted a ban on assault rifles in 2013.The city is also known for being home to some of Chicago’s elite: basketball superstar Michael Jordan lived in Highland Park during his years with the NBA’s Bulls, in a house worth nearly $15 million.American architect Frank Lloyd Wright also designed several houses there.And in the 1980s, Highland Park houses served as the backdrop for iconic films including “Risky Business” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”Crimo’s trial, which is expected to last six weeks, is being held at the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan, Illinois.He faces a sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted.

US President Donald Trump has announced the appointment of right-wing podcaster Dan Bongino as deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a break with tradition that puts yet another loyalist in a key law enforcement position.Bongino, a former New York police officer and US Secret Service agent, currently hosts a popular right-wing podcast and is a staunch backer of Trump — whose political positions he has supported by spreading misinformation and whose opponents he regularly criticizes on his show.”Great news for Law Enforcement and American Justice! Dan Bongino, a man of incredible love and passion for our Country, has just been named the next DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE FBI, by the man who will be the best ever Director, Kash Patel,” said Trump on his Truth Social platform on Sunday night.The role does not require Senate confirmation, and would see Bongino second-in-command at the country’s top law enforcement agency, working under Patel.Fact-checking websites have frequently cited Bongino’s podcast for spreading misinformation regarding the 2020 US election, the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol and the Covid pandemic.In 2022, he was “banned from both YouTube and Google’s ad service for pushing Covid-19 misinformation,” according to watchdog Media Matters for America. On a recent episode of his podcast discussing a federal judge’s decision against a Trump administration policy, he recommended the Republican president “should ignore” the judge’s orders.Bongino’s eponymous podcast is ranked in the top 20 in the United States by audience size, as per Edison Research and Podtrac.In 2012, Bongino ran for a US Senate seat in Maryland and later for congressional seats in Maryland and Florida. He was unsuccessful in all three races.”My career has always been about service. I’m here to work. I’m here to lead. And I’m here to ensure that America’s law enforcement institutions uphold the values and integrity they were built upon,” Bongino said in a statement Monday.Congratulating Bongino on the appointment, FBI Director Patel described him as a “warrior.””With Pam Bondi as our new Attorney General, we are assembling a team focused on restoring public trust, upholding the rule of law, and ensuring justice is served,” he said.On the campaign trail, Trump — who was convinced on 34 felony charges in May 2024 — frequently claimed he was being subjected to politically motivated criminal investigations and vowed to clear house at the Justice Department and other agencies once he took office.

Apple said on Monday it will spend more than $500 billion in the United States over the next four years and hire 20,000 people, with President Donald Trump quickly taking credit for the announcement.The Silicon Valley-based giant said it was its “largest-ever spend commitment,” which comes as tech companies battle for dominance in developing artificial intelligence technology. The pivot to the US comes as Apple is increasingly under pressure from Trump’s trade battles with China, which remains the iPhone giant’s main manufacturing hub, and could be slapped with higher import tariffs by Washington.Trump, who has pushed US companies to shift manufacturing home, claimed that his administration was to thank for the investment.”The reason, faith in what we are doing, without which, they wouldn’t be investing ten cents. Thank you Tim Cook and Apple!!!” Trump wrote in capital letters on his Truth Social platform.The plan is essentially an acceleration of plans announced in 2021, when the company founded by Steve Jobs said that it would invest $430 billion in the US and add 20,000 jobs over the next five years.”Cook continues to prove that he is 10 percent politician and 90 percent CEO,” said Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities, with Cook seeking “smoother waters for Apple” amid Trump’s tariff threats.Ives added, however, that the US plans were not a signal that Apple was significantly shifting manufacturing away from China.The announcement came days after Trump and Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook met in the Oval Office. Apple on Monday said its 20,000 new hires would mostly focus on research and development, silicon engineering, software development, and AI and machine learning.It announced plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas, in 2026 that will assemble servers that “play a key role in powering Apple Intelligence” — part of the company’s AI products — and would create “thousands of jobs.”An Apple Manufacturing Academy in Detroit is also on the cards to “help companies transition to advanced manufacturing.””We are bullish on the future of American innovation, and we’re proud to build on our long-standing US investments with this $500 billion commitment to our country’s future,” Apple’s CEO Cook said in a statement.Apple’s suppliers already manufacture silicon in 24 factories across 12 states, including Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, and Utah.- Boosting spending -In January, Cook hailed Apple’s “best quarter ever” as it recorded $36.3 billion in quarterly profits.The Americas remained Apple’s largest market with $56.2 billion in revenue, while Europe showed strong growth at $33.9 billion.The company hopes that customers are attracted to buy the latest iPhone models because of its new AI powers.Along with Apple, other tech giants such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon are convinced that generative AI’s powers are the next chapter of computing and are hiking spending to avoid being left behind.Monday’s announcement comes days after Trump said that Apple plans to invest “hundreds of billions of dollars” in the United States as he trumpeted the success of his tariff plan in boosting the American economy.Trump suggested that more companies also planned greater investment in the United States, without giving any names.The Republican president has wielded tariffs — customs duties on imported goods — as a trade weapon, imposing 10 percent levies on goods from China and threatening them on products including semiconductors, cars and pharmaceuticals. His administration argues that the higher costs will encourage companies to manufacture in the United States instead. Critics say that tariffs could raise prices for consumers.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived at the White House on Monday as European leaders look to shore up a transatlantic alliance upended by President Donald Trump’s outreach to Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine.On the third anniversary of the Russian invasion, Macron was due to present “proposals for action” to counter the “Russian threat.”Macron is hoping to persuade Trump to include European leaders in talks between Russia and the United States.Trump sent shock waves around the world when he declared his readiness to resume diplomacy with Russian President Vladimir Putin and to hold talks without the involvement of European nations or Kyiv.He has repeated Russian talking points about Ukraine’s supposed responsibility in starting the war, raising concern in Europe that he will side with Moscow to end the conflict.Macron has tried to coordinate a European response to Washington’s sudden policy shift, saying Russia is “an existential threat to Europeans.””You have a power that has overly armed itself… and continues to arm itself,” Macron said before departing for Washington.”We don’t know where it will stop today. So we must all act to contain it.”The European Union on Monday hit Russia with a new round of sanctions aimed at curbing its war effort.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded by accusing Europe of wanting to prolong the fighting, unlike the United States.”This conviction of the Europeans completely contrasts with the mindset of finding a settlement on Ukraine, which we are now doing with the Americans,” Peskov told reporters.- Macron’s aims -Macron will be representing Europe as a whole during his visit, following his meetings with leaders across the continent, including Moscow-friendly Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an advisor to the president said.”He is going to Washington with proposals for action that reflect the convergences that emerged” from the talks, the advisor said.Macron aims to persuade Trump to continue some US support for Ukraine, respecting its sovereignty and ensuring that European interests are fully considered, the advisor noted.He also seeks to convince Trump that Putin “will not respect” a ceasefire, he added.Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is due to visit the White House on Thursday, coordinated on messaging prior to the French president’s departure for the United States this weekend.- European forces -Britain and France are also discussing the deployment of European forces in Ukraine after a peace agreement is reached to deter Russia from future attacks. “The idea is to deploy soldiers to a second line, not on the front line. This could be combined with a multinational operation, with non-European contingents,” said a French source close to the discussions.Macron and Starmer are expected to ask Trump to provide “solid security guarantees” for the deployed forces.Although the Trump administration has ruled out committing US soldiers, Europe hopes it could provide other support, such as logistics or intelligence.European leaders would also commit to increasing their defense spending as Trump seeks to reduce US commitment, no longer wanting to bear the burden of the region’s security.”It is in his interest to work with the Europeans because Europe has a capacity for growth — an economic potential — to cooperate with Americans,” Macron said.

Apple said on Monday it will spend more than $500 billion in the United States over the next four years and hire 20,000 staff, with President Donald Trump quickly taking credit for the announcement.The Silicon Valley-based giant said it was its “largest-ever spend commitment,” which comes as tech companies battle for dominance in developing artificial intelligence technology. Trump, who has pushed US companies to shift manufacturing home, claimed that his administration was to thank for the investment.”The reason, faith in what we are doing, without which, they wouldn’t be investing ten cents. Thank you Tim Cook and Apple!!!” Trump wrote in capital letters on his Truth Social platform.Apple said its 20,000 new hires would mostly focus on research and development, silicon engineering, software development, and AI and machine learning.It announced plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas, in 2026 that will assemble servers that “play a key role in powering Apple Intelligence” — part of the company’s AI products — and would create “thousands of jobs.”An Apple Manufacturing Academy in Detroit is also on the cards to “help companies transition to advanced manufacturing.””We are bullish on the future of American innovation, and we’re proud to build on our long-standing US investments with this $500 billion commitment to our country’s future,” Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said in a statement.Apple’s suppliers already manufacture silicon in 24 factories across 12 states, including Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, and Utah.- Boosting spending -In January, Cook hailed Apple’s “best quarter ever” as it recorded $36.3 billion in quarterly profits.The Americas remained Apple’s largest market with $56.2 billion in revenue, while Europe showed strong growth at $33.9 billion.The company hopes that customers are attracted to buy the latest iPhone models by its new AI powers.Along with Apple, other tech giants such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon are convinced that generative AI’s powers are the next chapter of computing and are hiking spending to avoid being left behind.Monday’s announcement comes days after Trump said that Apple plans to invest “hundreds of billions of dollars” in the United States as he trumpeted the success of his tariff plan in boosting the American economy.Trump suggested that more companies also planned greater investment in the United States, without giving any names.The Republican president has wielded tariffs — customs duties on imported goods — as a trade weapon, imposing 10 percent levies on goods from China and threatening them on products including semiconductors, cars and pharmaceuticals. His administration argues that the higher costs will encourage companies to manufacture in the United States instead. Critics say that tariffs could raise prices for consumers.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky hailed his country’s “resistance” and “heroism” on Monday on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion as European leaders arrived in Kyiv in a show of solidarity.Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to launch what he called a “special military operation” set off the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II. Tens of thousands of soldiers — from both sides — and Ukrainian civilians have been killed, cities across the country’s south and east have been flattened and millions forced to flee their homes.But three years after the West rallied behind Ukraine and Zelensky, Trump’s return to the White House has threatened to upend that coalition of support and has brought vital military and financial aid into question at a critical juncture in the war.Russian troops are still advancing across the east and Moscow has been emboldened by Trump’s diplomatic outreach and his scepticism over long-term support for Kyiv.Zelensky on Monday hailed “three years of resistance. Three years of gratitude. Three years of absolute heroism of Ukrainians,” adding: I thank everyone who defends and supports it.” Arriving in Kyiv by train, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine was fighting “for survival” and that Europe’s “destiny” was at stake in Ukraine.”We are in Kyiv today, because Ukraine is Europe. In this fight for survival, it is not only the destiny of Ukraine that is at stake. It’s Europe’s destiny,” she said in a post on X.Brussels on Monday hit Russia with a new round of sanctions targeting not only “the Russian shadow fleet but those who support the operation of unsafe oil tankers, videogame controllers used to pilot drones, banks used to circumvent our sanctions, and propaganda outlets used to spout lies,” the European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said. In an apparent rebuke of Trump’s moves to sideline Kyiv from talks on how to end the war, EU Council President Antonio Costa said: “In Ukraine, about Ukraine, with Ukraine.” The presidents or prime ministers of Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Spain and Sweden had all arrived in Kyiv on Monday morning, according to their posts on social media and Ukraine’s Suspilne public broadcaster.- ‘Turning point’ -Zelensky said 13 leaders would be in Kyiv on Monday with another 24 joining a special meeting online.The Ukrainian leader said he hoped it would be a “turning point”.He is calling for security guarantees from Kyiv’s backers to ensure Russia does not use any ceasefire to rearm and attack again at a later date.On Sunday he offered to resign if it meant Ukraine could be given NATO membership.The Kremlin on the eve of the anniversary repeated Russia’s position that it would not give up territory it has captured in Ukraine’s east and south.Moscow has also said it would not accept Ukrainian admission to NATO.Trump is pushing both Ukraine and Russia for a swift end to the war.Triggering alarm in Kyiv and across Europe, he has restarted diplomacy with Moscow, calling Putin for a 90-minute phone conversation and despatching Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Saudi Arabia for a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.On the battlefield, Russian troops have been advancing while on Monday Ukraine claimed to have hit a Russian oil refinery southeast of Moscow in its latest drone attack deep behind the front line.- ‘ I don’t want to give up’ -French President Emmanuel Macron was due in Washington later Monday for a meeting with Trump. He said he plans to tell the Republican: “You cannot be weak in the face of President Putin.”Europe has been left scrambling to respond as Trump and his team have not only questioned support for Ukraine, but also decades of transatlantic security cooperation between the United States and its key European allies.Ukrainian soldiers in the east told AFP they were nervous about Trump’s bid for a swift ceasefire.”It scares me more. Because the bloodiest moments always come before a truce,” said Andrii, a 25-year-old serving with Ukraine’s army in the east.”In this war, you don’t count days, weeks, numbers, or any dates,” said Mykola, a 38 year-old gun commander stationed in the eastern Donetsk region.”I don’t want to give up Ukrainian lands … we’ve been fighting for so long,” he told AFP on the eve of the anniversary. “But everyone is tired of the war.”

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky hailed his country’s “resistance” and “heroism” on Monday on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion as European leaders arrived in Kyiv in a show of solidarity.Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to launch what he called a “special military operation” set off the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II. Tens of thousands of soldiers — from both sides — and Ukrainian civilians have been killed, cities across the country’s south and east have been flattened and millions forced to flee their homes.But three years after the West rallied behind Ukraine and Zelensky, Trump’s return to the White House has threatened to upend that coalition of support and has brought vital military and financial aid into question at a critical juncture in the war.Russian troops are still advancing across the east and Moscow has been emboldened by Trump’s diplomatic outreach and his scepticism over long-term support for Kyiv.Zelensky on Monday hailed “three years of resistance. Three years of gratitude. Three years of absolute heroism of Ukrainians,” adding: I thank everyone who defends and supports it.” Arriving in Kyiv by train, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine was fighting “for survival” and that Europe’s “destiny” was at stake in Ukraine.”We are in Kyiv today, because Ukraine is Europe. In this fight for survival, it is not only the destiny of Ukraine that is at stake. It’s Europe’s destiny,” she said in a post on X.Brussels on Monday hit Russia with a new round of sanctions targeting not only “the Russian shadow fleet but those who support the operation of unsafe oil tankers, videogame controllers used to pilot drones, banks used to circumvent our sanctions, and propaganda outlets used to spout lies,” the European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said. In an apparent rebuke of Trump’s moves to sideline Kyiv from talks on how to end the war, EU Council President Antonio Costa said: “In Ukraine, about Ukraine, with Ukraine.” The presidents or prime ministers of Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Spain and Sweden had all arrived in Kyiv on Monday morning, according to their posts on social media and Ukraine’s Suspilne public broadcaster.- ‘Turning point’ -Zelensky said 13 leaders would be in Kyiv on Monday with another 24 joining a special meeting online.The Ukrainian leader said he hoped it would be a “turning point”.He is calling for security guarantees from Kyiv’s backers to ensure Russia does not use any ceasefire to rearm and attack again at a later date.On Sunday he offered to resign if it meant Ukraine could be given NATO membership.The Kremlin on the eve of the anniversary repeated Russia’s position that it would not give up territory it has captured in Ukraine’s east and south.Moscow has also said it would not accept Ukrainian admission to NATO.Trump is pushing both Ukraine and Russia for a swift end to the war.Triggering alarm in Kyiv and across Europe, he has restarted diplomacy with Moscow, calling Putin for a 90-minute phone conversation and despatching Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Saudi Arabia for a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.On the battlefield, Russian troops have been advancing while on Monday Ukraine claimed to have hit a Russian oil refinery southeast of Moscow in its latest drone attack deep behind the front line.- ‘ I don’t want to give up’ -French President Emmanuel Macron was due in Washington later Monday for a meeting with Trump. He said he plans to tell the Republican: “You cannot be weak in the face of President Putin.”Europe has been left scrambling to respond as Trump and his team have not only questioned support for Ukraine, but also decades of transatlantic security cooperation between the United States and its key European allies.Ukrainian soldiers in the east told AFP they were nervous about Trump’s bid for a swift ceasefire.”It scares me more. Because the bloodiest moments always come before a truce,” said Andrii, a 25-year-old serving with Ukraine’s army in the east.”In this war, you don’t count days, weeks, numbers, or any dates,” said Mykola, a 38 year-old gun commander stationed in the eastern Donetsk region.”I don’t want to give up Ukrainian lands … we’ve been fighting for so long,” he told AFP on the eve of the anniversary. “But everyone is tired of the war.”