French President Emmanuel Macron has told his country Russia threatens all of Europe, in a televised speech about Ukraine and security. Earlier, the US cut off intelligence sharing with Ukraine, which led to talk of new meetings. Listen to the latest episode of The World below.
Wednesday 5 March 2025 23:09, UK
Thanks for following our live coverage today – we’ll be back in the morning with more live updates.
Before we go, here’s a roundup of the key happenings from the past 24 hours:
The Royal Navy has shadowed a Russian warship as it sailed in waters close to the UK.
HMS Somerset „watched every move“ made by the corvette Boikiy as it escorted the merchant vessel Baltic Leader through the English Channel and North Sea.
Get the full story here.
The UK’s Foreign Office has strongly condemned the sentencing of a British national accused of fighting for Ukraine in Russia.
James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, had been charged with terrorist and mercenary offences and was convicted following a closed trial.
An FCDO spokesperson said Anderson was being held on false charges, as he is technically a prisoner of war and not a mercenary.
„Under international law, prisoners of war cannot be prosecuted for participating in hostilities,“ they said.
„We demand that Russia respect these obligations, including those under the Geneva Conventions, and stop using prisoners of war for political and propaganda purposes.“
„We remain in close contact with Mr Anderson’s family and are providing consular support.“
It’s been a whirlwind six weeks in the Ukraine war.
That’s mainly down to the fact that the power dynamics of the conflict have completely shifted – with Donald Trump taking centre stage.
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Two people have been killed and seven injured after a Russian missile strike on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih late this evening.
Ukraine’s Emergency Services said 14 people had been rescued from the rubble of a hotel, which was the apparent target of the attack.
Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city’s military administration, wrote on Telegram that the missile had made a direct hit on the building, triggering a fire.
Kryvyi Rih is the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and has been a frequent target of Russian attacks.
Here in the British capital, demonstrators are out in front of the US embassy calling for more support for Ukraine…
A British man has been jailed for 19 years after a Russian court found him guilty of fighting for Ukraine in the country’s Kursk region.
James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, had been charged with terrorist and mercenary offences and was convicted following a closed trial.
The court said he should serve the first five years of his sentence in prison and the rest in a penal colony.
In the trial, a Ukrainian soldier from the same unit was questioned as a witness.
Get the full story here.
The Czech Republic is the latest European country to commit to upping its defence spending in the face of uncertain US commitment to the continent.
The country has decided to gradually raise its defence spending to 3% of gross domestic product by 2030, from around 2%, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said earlier.
The EU outlined a plan yesterday to unlock almost £670bn for defence spending, while here in the UK, Sir Keir Starmer said the country would raise its spending from 2.3% of GDP to 2.5% by 2027.
There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to securing peace in Ukraine.
Sir Keir Starmer is having to navigate several – including keeping Donald Trump on side as Europe scrambles amid waning US support for Ukraine.
Our political editor Beth Rigby has spent the last week following the prime minister around – from the White House for the Trump meeting, to Lancaster House for the summit with European leaders.
Giving her analysis after Prime Minister’s Questions this afternoon, she says Sir Keir has „assiduously avoided“ any public criticism of Trump, or any of the „more outlandish and controversial things“ that have been said and done.
But he opened today’s session by explicitly remembering British troops who were killed in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that followed the 9/11 attacks.
That felt pointed, coming after US vice president JD Vance said a peacekeeping force in Ukraine would amount to „20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years“.
Given that the UK and France are the only two countries to have publicly pledged peacekeeping troops, there was outrage at Vance’s comments yesterday – although he insisted he was not referring to us.
Nonetheless, Beth says that Starmer’s comments were „obliquely a prime minister who is trying to get a point across without directly criticising.“
People spent much of yesterday noting the UK came to the US’s aid after 9/11, and Beth says the PM „was trying to make that point and acknowledge that – without going toe-to-toe with President Trump, because we’ve seen what can happen when he’s openly challenged“.
Even some of Donald Trump’s strongest supporters have expressed distaste after his recent actions regarding Ukraine – including pausing all US aid and intelligence sharing.
Dutch anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders – often referred to as the „Dutch Trump“ because of his flamboyant blonde hair and anti-immigration politics – said on Saturday that he stood by Ukraine „with conviction“.
He reacted to Trump’s Oval Office clash with Volodymyr Zelenskyy by posting on X that it was „fascinating TV, but not necessarily the best way to end the war, gentlemen“.
Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Rally party, called the decision to halt aid „brutal“, „cruel“ and „reprehensible“ when speaking to the Le Figaro newspaper yesterday.
Just last month, Le Pen and Wilders were among a clutch of hard-right leaders who gathered for the „Make Europe Great Again“ summit in Madrid.
„We’re facing a truly global tipping point,“ Le Pen told the audience, adding: „Hurricane Trump is sweeping across the United States.“
Wilders used his time there to call the American president „a brother in arms“.
And here in the UK, Nigel Farage – a longtime friend and ally of Trump – said yesterday that JD Vance was „wrong, wrong, wrong“ after the vice president appeared to ridicule the idea of Britain sending peacekeepers to Ukraine.
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Ukraine war latest: Russia threatens all of Europe, Macron tells France; White House defends Musk's lack of a suit – Sky News
