Monday Briefing: Emergency talks on Ukraine

Plus, Marco Rubio in Israel

View in browser|nytimes.com February 17, 2025 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering a diplomatic scramble over Ukraine and an attack in Austria linked to ISIS. Plus: How a parrot wreaked havoc in two women's lives. President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, said Ukraine would reject any peace deal reached by the U.S. and Russia if it was excluded from the negotiations. Leah Millis/Reuters Left out of Ukraine talks, European leaders regroup As American officials prepare for talks with Russia this week about ending the war in Ukraine, European leaders will convene their own emergency meeting today in Paris. They hope to coordinate a response to President Trump's opening of negotiations with Moscow, which have no apparent role for Europe — or for Ukraine itself. On the eve of the Paris talks, Prime Minister Keir Starmer offered British troops to help secure Ukraine's long-term security, citing a need to deter President Vladimir Putin of Russia. European officials fear Trump is on his way to reaching a deal that could put Russia in a position to own a fifth of Ukraine, and to take the rest within a few years. They believe Putin's ultimate goal is to break up the NATO alliance. Security: Recent remarks by Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have fueled concerns that the U.S. will move away from Europe and align with Moscow. Analysts say that would give Putin a previously unthinkable victory, far greater than any objectives he has in Ukraine. No deal: President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated over the weekend that Ukraine would "never" accept a peace deal struck by the U.S. and Russia unless Kyiv had a seat at the table. Zelensky also rejected a proposal from Trump that Ukraine sign over half its mineral resources in exchange for U.S. support. More on the Trump administration Lawyers for Trump asked the Supreme Court to let him fire the head of a watchdog agency, an early test of his expanded view of executive power. The Trump administration is reviving a bygone imperial approach to foreign policy that may backfire, experts say. Trump posted a version of a quote sometimes attributed to Napoleon: "He who saves his Country does not violate any Law." Vance and Elon Musk have both attacked Germany's postwar approach to political extremism, which was designed to prevent another Hitler. In aiming to impose reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners, the White House is sowing uncertainty and risks upending the global economy. American scientists are commiserating and strategizing as Trump's cuts and federal layoffs throw their world into turmoil. Frustrated liberal donors, angry at both Trump and the Democrats, are pulling back their cash, making it harder for some groups to fight the new administration. Track Trump's actions since he took office. Marco Rubio, center, the U.S. secretary of state, at the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem yesterday. Pool photo by Evelyn Hockstein Rubio went to Israel to discuss Gaza's future Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state, met yesterday with Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in Jerusalem. They discussed President Trump's audacious proposal that the U.S. seize the Gaza Strip, among other matters. In the coming days, Rubio will visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The trip comes amid uncertainty over whether Israel and Hamas can, or are willing to, turn a tenuous cease-fire in Gaza into a permanent end to the war. Hamas freed three more Israeli hostages on Saturday, and Israel released 369 Palestinian prisoners. What's next: Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, said yesterday that talks on the second phase of the cease-fire deal would take place this week. Netanyahu's office said he would convene the security cabinet today to discuss the next phase. Quotable: Trump has "been very bold about what the future for Gaza should be, not the same tired ideas of the past," Rubio said in prepared remarks. "What cannot continue," he added, "is the same cycle where we repeat over and over again and wind up in the exact same place." The site of the attack in Villach, Austria, on Saturday. Wiesflecker/Kleine Zeitung, via Associated Press Fatal knife attack in Austria is linked to ISIS A Syrian asylum seeker killed a teenager and wounded five other people in a knife attack in Villach, Austria, on Saturday, the authorities said. The assailant, who was detained, was inspired by the Islamic State militant group, officials said. The suspect is a 23-year-old man who came to Austria from Syria in 2020 and was later given asylum, according to the Interior Ministry. The police said they believed that the victims had been chosen at random. In Germany: The attack came days after an Afghan citizen who came to Germany as a child refugee drove a car into a crowd at a union march in Munich, 150 miles from Villach, killing two people and wounding nearly 40. MORE TOP NEWS Ousmane Makaveli/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Mali: At least 43 people, mostly women, were killed when an unregulated gold mine collapsed, the head of an industry union said. Islamic State: Amateur detectives are trying to find Yazidi women and girls who were abducted and enslaved by the militant group years ago. East Timor: Asia's youngest country is a positive case study for young, post-conflict nations, experts say. Democratic Republic of Congo: Rebels took the city of Bukavu, a vital trading hub, largely without resistance, according to the fighters and residents' videos. U.S.: At least nine people were killed across the South in a severe rainstorm that flooded communities and left hundreds of thousands without power. Iran: A British couple who had been on a motorcycle tour around the world were detained in the country, Britain's foreign office said. Slovakia: A woman who runs a pro-Ukraine group has been accused by the country's prime minister of plotting to topple him. BAFTAs: In a twist, "Conclave" took home four awards, including best movie. Read about the winners. SPORTS NEWS Running: At the Barcelona Half Marathon, Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda became the first man to break 57 minutes. Basketball: How a Polish Harlem Globetrotter made a life-changing transition while trotting the globe. Tennis: Jannik Sinner, the world No. 1, has been handed a three-month ban by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The verdict reopens old wounds in the sport. MORNING READ Oliver Farshi for The New York Times Three parrots, one shared wall, two ruptured lives: How noise complaints in a Manhattan co-op led to a $750,000 legal settlement and shattered a friendship. Lives lived: Yrjo Kukkapuro, a Finnish modernist furniture designer who devoted his creative energies to sedentary comfort, died at 91. CONVERSATION STARTERS The eye of the beholder: Who decides who is ugly? A new book by an Afghan immigrant raised in Germany is a sweeping meditation on a taboo subject. Bingo with beef: For Midwestern communities, meat raffles are a formidable fund-raising tool. Fall from grace: At the Academy Awards in 2000, "American Beauty" won five Oscars, including best picture. It has since lost its luster. Something of a fluke: A rafter in Chile was briefly "swallowed" by a whale. His father caught the whole thing on video. ARTS AND IDEAS Kristen Vida Alfaro, Tilted Axis's publisher. Jeremie Souteyrat for The New York Times Translating risk into reward Tilted Axis, a tiny British press with only eight part-time employees, is known for bucking trends to seek out subversive, groundbreaking literature in translation. In the process, it has published 42 books translated from 18 languages, landing awards and critical acclaim for writers unknown to the Anglophone world. Now, Tilted Axis is heading to the U.S. Read more here. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Armando Rafael for The New York Times Cook: Chile crisp is the sizzling, savory base for this tofu fried rice. Read: Let these Gothic thrillers keep you up all night. Imagine: Create art with a drawing tablet. Watch: These are our picks of the best sci-fi movies to stream now. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. See you tomorrow. — Natasha Reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. 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