Tuesday Briefing: A meeting between Macron and Trump

Plus, the war in Ukraine, three years on.

View in browser|nytimes.com February 25, 2025 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering tension over Ukraine between Europe and the U.S. and what lies ahead for Germany's likely next chancellor. Plus: A different kind of progressivism in Denmark. President Trump and President Emmanuel Macron at the White House. Doug Mills/The New York Times Tensions on the anniversary of Russia's invasion President Trump met with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, at the White House yesterday, three years to the day after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The leaders diverged significantly over the war's causes, each side's role in the conflict and its possible resolution. Trump told reporters that the fighting could be over "within weeks" and suggested he might visit Moscow as soon as this spring. He refused to call President Vladimir Putin of Russia a dictator, while Macron stated flatly that "Russia is the aggressor." At the U.N., the U.S. opposed a European effort to condemn Russia and call for its immediate withdrawal from Ukraine. The Trump administration introduced its own resolution, which softened the language and called only for an end to the war, essentially siding with Moscow over longtime allies. In Ukraine: Zelensky has mostly played weak hands wisely, our correspondent writes, but his approach to Trump has fallen flat. Is the strategy hurting Ukraine? Meanwhile, the country's military is struggling to replenish its ranks. Some wounded soldiers have pushed through pain to fight Russia again. Russia: Putin said U.S. companies could do lucrative deals in Russia and even help mine rare earths in Russian-occupied Ukraine, amplifying the Kremlin's message that the U.S. would profit from a better relationship with Moscow. First person: She is getting treatment for cancer, while her husband languishes in a Russian prison. It's the story of Ukraine writ large: an exhausted population still holding on. More on Trump and Ukraine A free speech institute asked a federal judge to make public the special counsel's report about the classified documents case against Trump. After a video call with Putin, China's leader said his country and Russia were "true friends." Trump's return to the White House has opened up a world of new possibilities for Putin. President Volodymyr Zelensky met with 13 Western leaders in Ukraine. They marked the third anniversary of the war and reaffirmed their solidarity. Some top Trump administration officials rejected Elon Musk's demand that federal workers justify their jobs or be summarily fired. Religious organizations are challenging a Trump policy allowing immigration raids at places of worship. A former New York City police officer and Secret Service agent turned right-wing podcaster will be the next deputy director of the F.B.I., Trump said. Track Trump's actions since he took office. Friedrich Merz and his Christian Democrats finished first in the German election. Maja Hitij/Getty Images The challenges ahead for Merz Friedrich Merz, Germany's presumptive next chancellor, could be weak from the start. He didn't win all that much of the vote on Sunday, and many Germans seem unenthused about him personally. Yet Merz has a chance to be the most globally influential German chancellor since the heyday of his longtime rival Angela Merkel, given President Trump's threats to abandon Europe militarily and circumvent it in peace negotiations with Russia. For Germans, one big question remains: whether Merz can deliver the sort of dramatic changes on the economy and immigration that voters say they crave. Here's what the election result means for the economy. Analysis: "He's taking over the country at a time of big crisis — at home, and abroad," said Jim Tankersley, our Berlin bureau chief. Related: TikTok and a backlash against conservative immigration policy helped the far-left Die Linke party surge into Parliament. And Elon Musk called the leaders of the hard-right Alternative for Germany to congratulate them on their performance. Hamas militants in Gaza on Saturday. Saher Alghorra for The New York Times A Hamas official wavered on Oct. 7 Mousa Abu Marzouk, the head of Hamas's foreign relations office, told The New York Times that he would not have supported the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel had he known of the devastation that would result in Gaza. Israel's offensive has reduced much of the enclave to rubble and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. It's unclear to what extent Abu Marzouk's views on Oct. 7 are shared by other Hamas leaders, who have tended to take a harder line, or whether he shared them in an attempt to influence negotiations with Israel. West Bank: Israel appears to be laying the groundwork for a prolonged military presence in the area, and Palestinian officials are warning of a "dangerous escalation." Here's what to know. What's next: The cease-fire in Gaza is set to end on Sunday, and Hamas and Israel have yet to begin negotiating an extension. Steve Witkoff, President Trump's Mideast envoy, plans to return to the region tomorrow to push for a new truce. While a brief extension of the cease-fire is possible, the likelihood of a long-term deal seems remote. MORE TOP NEWS James Hill for The New York Times Vatican: The Catholic world is gripped with uncertainty as Pope Francis, 88, remains in critical condition in a Rome hospital. Here's what to know. North Korea: A report described "forced labor" conditions for workers assigned by the government to work on Chinese tuna ships, sometimes for years. India: Officials said the chances of survival were fading for eight workers believed to have been trapped in a collapsed tunnel. Business: Apple has promised to build A.I. servers in Texas and to spend $500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years. Afghanistan: A British couple who spent almost two decades running education programs in the country were arrested by the Taliban this month. Haiti: A Kenyan police officer was killed in an operation that was part of an international effort to help combat gang violence, officials said. France: A former surgeon accused of raping or sexually assaulting 299 people, most of whom were children, admitted to "heinous acts" on the first day of his trial. Climate: Greenpeace is set to go on trial in a $300 million lawsuit that, if successful, could bankrupt the storied group. SPORTS NEWS Baseball: This spring, Major League Baseball will give its players a chance to test out robot umpires. Soccer: The Premier League is the promised land. But is promotion into it increasingly futile? Tennis: How Jannik Sinner's doping case and WADA agreement rocked the antidoping world. MORNING READ Illustration by Callum Rowland Across the West, voters are lurching to the right. Yet in Denmark, the governing Social Democrats have pursued bold progressive policies since 2019, cruising to re-election in 2022. One approach sets them apart from their center-left counterparts elsewhere: a far more restrictive stance on immigration. Lives lived: Roberta Flack, the singer and pianist whose blend of soul, jazz and folk made her one of the most popular artists of the 1970s, died at 88. Get to know her essential songs. CONVERSATION STARTERS Back for the Final Chamber: Wu-Tang Clan, the pathbreaking rap group from New York, is hitting the road for the last (but biggest) time ever. We sat down with its chief architect, RZA. The bot will see you now: Therapists in the U.S. are getting ready for a battle with A.I. pretenders. The indie queen: For years, Parker Posey has had trouble finding satisfying work in Hollywood's shifting landscape. Then came "The White Lotus." ARTS AND IDEAS Ahmed Shuau Fabricating the perfect beach Many resorts around the world are embracing landscapes in their more natural states, instead of social-media-perfect beaches of fine white sand and unobstructed ocean views. Most of those apparently magical vistas are very much manufactured anyway. Preserving native vegetation aids a healthy ecosystem, strengthens natural defenses against climate change and provides habitats to native species. Doing so also transforms ideas about what kind of tropical beach is worthy of a week's vacation. Read more here. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Linda Xiao for The New York Times Cook: Enjoy these lamb shanks with fluffy couscous or plenty of crusty bread. Watch: "Zero Day" on Netflix is a throwback thriller with modern sensibilities. Wear: Our critic explains how to style men's white jeans without looking too contrived. Boost: Can supplements do anything for your immune system? Try them, with a healthy dose of skepticism. 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. You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Europe Edition from The New York Times. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. 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