Edited by Alex Therrien and Frances Mao
Timeline: Five days that shook US-Europe relations
Donald Trump's administration has been accelerating action to end the war in Ukraine, in a drastic shift in US policy on the conflict.
Here's a run-down of the key moments day-by-day:
Wednesday 12 February: Trump shocks European allies by revealing he had a "lengthy" phone call with Russian President, with both leaders agreeing to begin negotiations to end the Ukraine war
Thursday 13 February: Zelensky says Ukraine will not agree to any peace deal drawn up without its involvement. European allies back him
Friday 14 February: JD Vance uses his Munich Security Conference speech to scald European democracies, almost entirely ignoring Ukraine – the conference’s key focus
Saturday 15 February: In his own speech to the conference, Zelensky calls for the creation of an “army of Europe”. The US announces peace talks will be held in Saudi Arabia. But it provokes further consternation by saying Europe will be consulted but not involved in the negotiations
Sunday 16 February: The BBC learns that Kyiv has not been invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia. European leaders schedule an emergency summit in Paris to discuss the war and European security
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From BBC News online
By James Waterhouse
Ukraine correspondent
Reporting from Kyiv
Maia Davies
BBC News
Dated Sunday 16 February 2025, 20:38 PM GMT - excerpt:
Ukraine not invited to US-Russia peace talks, source tells BBC
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly ruled out accepting a peace deal negotiated without Kyiv's involvement.
Kyiv has not been invited to talks between the US and Russia aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian government source has told the BBC.
European leaders have also not been asked to join the discussions, and are due to meet instead on Monday [17 Feb] in Paris at a summit hastily arranged by the French president, as fears grow the continent is being locked out of negotiations.
Full story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm292319gr2o
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“Bastards” one British defence official said of the Americans on hearing of the purported plan.https://t.co/9PJ2ughD4P
— Rob Crilly (@robcrilly) February 15, 2025
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EndFinal day here of the Munich Security Conference as America tells Europe it needs to look after its own security and defence. #MSC2025 pic.twitter.com/OPSiAHDpTK
— Frank Gardner (@FrankRGardner) February 16, 2025
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From BBC News online
By Luke Mintz, The World This Weekend
Chas Geiger, Politics reporter
Dated Sunday 16 February 2025, 18:13 PM GMT - excerpt:
US isolation threatens global democracy, warns Major
Sir John Major has warned that democracy is under threat as the United States steps back from its leading role in the world.
The former prime minister told the BBC that US President Donald Trump's policy of American "isolation" was creating a power vacuum that would embolden nations like Russia and China.
Sir John, who was PM from 1990 to 1997, said the gains made since the collapse of the Soviet Union were now being reversed - and that there was "no doubt" Russia would invade elsewhere before long.
He said that "ugly nationalism" growing concurrently was making for a "very unsettled time".
His comments come as European leaders prepare for an emergency summit on Monday on the war in Ukraine.
US and Russian officials are due to open peace talks in the coming days despite concerns European nations including Ukraine were being locked out.
Full story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gwngxdd1vo
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BBC News Live Reporting - Some Summaries covering 12-16 Feb 2025
Donald Trump says he had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that they agreed to start negotiations to end the war in Ukraine "immediately"
Both Trump and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the two presidents agreed to visit each other's nations during the call
Volodymyr Zelensky's office has confirmed that the Ukrainian president also spoke to his American counterpart in an hour-long phone call
That Trump and Putin have something to talk about is quite promising, our security correspondent Frank Gardner writes - but today's development "has been a bit of a cold shower for both Ukraine and Nato"
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is answering reporters' questions in the briefing room - you can watch live at the top of this page
Earlier, a US House committee heard from witnesses about Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), after Trump signed an executive order to give more power to the body, which is not an official government agency
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he has warned world leaders "against trusting Putin's claims of readiness to end the war"
This comes after the Kremlin confirmed Ukraine will "of course" take part in any peace deal negotiations
Donald Trump spoke to Vladimir Putin on Wednesday before announcing they agreed talks to end the Ukraine war could start "immediately"
After a Nato meeting in Brussels, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said peace negotiations will involve elements neither Moscow nor Kyiv wants while Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said Putin must not be able to "grab another square mile" of Ukraine
Earlier, Trump said there was now a "good possibility" of ending the war
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, eight years after it unilaterally annexed Crimea
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Ukrainian officials will not attend Russia-US talks to be held in Saudi Arabia in the coming days, the BBC has learned
A government source tells BBC News that Ukraine has not been invited and will not send a delegation
Two of Trump's closest foreign policy advisers - Mike Waltz and Steve Witkoff - will travel to Saudi Arabia tonight ahead of the talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky repeatedly warned he would not accept any deal struck without his country's input
Elsewhere, European leaders will gather in France for an emergency summit tomorrow [Mon 17 Feb], amid US efforts to agree a deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine
It comes after US President Donald Trump spoke on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week to discuss a possible deal
After a chaotic week, Zelensky is trying to re-assert his position, our correspondent in Ukraine James Waterhouse writes
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Report from BBC News Live Reporting
Published Sunday16 Feb 2025 at 18:38 PM GMT - full copy:
Europe has been sending more aid to Ukraine than the US
Who in the West is giving more to Ukraine? Europe has overtaken the US in Ukraine aid, research from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, external shows.
In total, Europe has allocated €70bn (£58bn) in financial and humanitarian aid as well as €62bn in military aid.
This compares to €50bn from the US in financial and humanitarian allocations and €64bn in military aid. A nine-month battle over spending in US Congress in mid-2023 stalled Ukraine aid.
When considering the aid as a share of donor GDP, Germany, the UK and the US have mobilised less than 0.2% of their annual GDP to support Ukraine. Other rich donor countries like France, Italy and Spain allocated roughly 0.1% of their annual GDP.
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Report from BBC News Live Reporting
Published Sunday 16 Feb 2025 at 19:33 PM GMT - full copy:
US sent questionnaire to Europe on Ukraine security contributions
The US sent a document to European governments asking what the countries could contribute towards Ukraine's security arrangements, it has emerged.
The questionnaire sent last week, obtained by Reuters, also asked European nations what they would need from Washington to participate in security arrangements.
The document consisted of six points and questions, asking which countries could contribute to Ukraine's security, and which would be willing to send troops as part of a peace deal.
It comes after US President Donald Trump shocked Europe this week by phoning Russian President Vladimir Putin and declaring an immediate start to peace talks.
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Further reading
News story: Zelensky says no peace deal without Ukraine involvement
Ukraine in maps: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60506682
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4g97971rwnt
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