Good morning. We're covering European pledges to support Ukraine and a halt to aid entering Gaza. Plus: Oscar winners, and the best looks from the red carpet.
Europe races to mend a U.S.-Ukraine ruptureEighteen European leaders gathered yesterday in London to repair Ukraine's fractured relationship with the U.S., with Britain and France assembling a "coalition of the willing" to develop a plan for ending the war with Russia. The leaders also pledged to bolster support for Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Britain's prime minister, Keir Starmer, said "a number" of other nations had indicated that they would join with Britain and France in deploying troops to Ukraine in the event of a cease-fire between Kyiv and Moscow. He also announced plans to let Ukraine to use 1.6 billion pounds in British export financing to buy more than 5,000 air defense missiles. The gathering took on more urgency after Zelensky's heated meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office on Friday, which raised fears that the U.S. would try to force Ukraine to make a peace deal on terms favorable to Russia. Neither Europe nor Ukraine currently has seats at the table in a potential Trump-brokered deal, and Trump has given Ukraine no security assurances. Quotable: "We are at a crossroads in history," Starmer said. "Europe must do the heavy lifting," he declared, but added, "To support peace, and to succeed, this effort must have strong U.S. backing." Ukraine: After the meeting between Trump and Zelensky, many Ukrainians have asked themselves: Could the U.S. abandon them? Related: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered U.S. Cyber Command to halt offensive operations against Russia, officials said.
Israel halted aid to GazaIsrael announced yesterday that it was immediately halting the entry of all goods and humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, trying to force Hamas to accept an extension of the cease-fire. Here's what to know. The move is likely to cause further hardship for roughly two million Gazans. It also puts the fate of the remaining Israeli hostages in uncharted territory. Hours before the announcement, Israel proposed extending the cease-fire by seven weeks, during which Hamas would release half of the living hostages, as well as the remains of half of the deceased ones. Hamas said no, referring to Israel's halting of aid as "cheap blackmail," but said it was still willing to negotiate the second stage of the deal. What's next: Hamas is unlikely to accept a new offer without further negotiations, said Aaron David Miller, an analyst. Israel's proposal, he said, would allow "Israelis to get hostages back without making reciprocal commitments." U.S.: Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, invoked "emergency authorities" to bypass Congress and send $4 billion worth of weapons to Israel. Syria: Security forces were deployed across a town outside Damascus, two days after a gunfight between residents and security forces.
Congo's big army is struggling to stop a smaller militiaThe militia group M23 has swept through the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent weeks. But though the Congolese military, with between 100,000 and 200,000 troops, should have been able to easily stop the threat, its forces keep losing. Part of the problem is that M23, an experienced militia, is backed by Rwanda, the U.N. says. But that's not the whole story. Congo's military is plagued by unmotivated soldiers, infighting, extortion and abuse. The government, left weakened by decades of colonialism, has struggled with unstable or predatory leadership.
Two thousand years on, scholars still don't agree on which day Mount Vesuvius erupted and the destruction of Pompeii began. Two new studies only fan the fire. Lives lived: Antonine Maillet, a Canadian writer who became the first non-European to win France's most prestigious literary prize, died at 95.
'Anora' wins big at the OscarsThe 97th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted with a light touch by Conan O'Brien, began with a tribute to Hollywood's home, Los Angeles, parts of which were ravaged by wildfires in January. Later, Morgan Freeman honored the late Gene Hackman, saying that the film community had "lost a giant." Recap the night's highlights. "Anora," a comedy-drama about an exotic dancer who weds a flighty Russian, scored five wins, including best picture, despite an underwhelming box-office take. (Read our review.) "The Brutalist" won three Oscars, for best actor (Adrien Brody), cinematography and score, and "Dune: Part Two" and "Emilia Pérez" won two each. Here's the full list of winners. Controversy: "No Other Land," about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, won best documentary. "We call on the world to take some action to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people," Basel Andra, one of the film's directors, said from the stage, introducing a rare dose of politics into the evening. Red carpet: See all the stars and all the looks. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times.
Cook: Top this simple yet surprising carrot risotto with chile crisp. Watch: The new Amazon series "House of David" is part of a wave of faith-based programming. Shop: To walk on clouds, try these socks. Peruse: Recap the liberating ugliness of the Prada fall women's wear collection. 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.
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