Tuesday Briefing: E.U. discusses security and Ukraine

February 18, 2025

	By Emmett Lindner

Good morning. We’re covering European leaders meeting to discuss security and the war in Ukraine, and Beijing’s embrace of private enterprise.

Plus, the jury’s out on meat alternatives.

Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron on the steps of the Élysée Palace, with guards in dress uniform.

President Emmanuel Macron of France, right, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany in Paris yesterday. Ludovic Marin/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

E.U. leaders met as the U.S. moved forward on Ukraine

European leaders convened in Paris yesterday to discuss a coordinated response as the Trump administration prepared to start its own talks with Russia about ending the war in Ukraine. Leaders were also expected to discuss issues including military spending and how to guarantee Ukraine’s security once a permanent cease-fire or a peace deal was reached.

But what would an end to the war look like? Right now, Ukraine has few options for reversing Russia’s recent gains on the battlefield, and any deal is likely to involve Kyiv having to make painful territorial concessions.

Russia is suffering about 1,000 casualties a day, and its economy is hurting under runaway inflation amid enormous war spending. A settlement could pave the way for a reduction of Western sanctions. Here’s what the experts think could happen next.

Diplomacy: President Volodymyr Zelensky was in the United Arab Emirates yesterday for talks with Russia that are focused on prisoner exchanges and the return of Ukrainian children from Russia.

More on Trump

Four top aides to Mayor Eric Adams of New York plan to resign after the Justice Dept. moved to dismiss his corruption case after he embraced Trump’s deportations.
The first test of Trump’s ability to remove independent government officials has reached the Supreme Court after he tried to fire the head of a watchdog agency.
With a pliant Congress, Trump is using his office to benefit his own family’s business interests, former prosecutors and ethics lawyers say.
In his first month in office, the president has carried out a campaign of retribution that has little precedent in U.S. history. And the list of targets is growing.
A member of Elon Musk’s government efficiency team could soon have access to sensitive taxpayer data, people familiar with the matter said.
Canada’s conservative front-runner for prime minister is facing an electorate worried about Trump’s vow to annex the country.
Track Trump’s actions since he took office.

Mr. Rubio in a blue suit and Prince bin Salman in a brown robe and red-and-white headdress, seated across a small table.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, yesterday. Pool photo by Evelyn Hockstein

U.S. envoys met with Saudi Arabia’s leader

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with two other U.S. envoys, met yesterday in Saudi Arabia with the kingdom’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Rubio and his colleagues were expected to press the Saudi leadership to propose a vision for postwar Gaza.

Few details were released about the meetings, except for a video in which the prince said he was glad to work with the Trump administration. Trump has been widely criticized for his idea to depopulate and occupy Gaza.

Cease-fire: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet ministers were set to debate advancing negotiations on extending the truce with Hamas.

Lebanon: The Israeli military said yesterday that it would keep forces in five locations in southern Lebanon after a deadline for its full withdrawal lapses today.

West Bank: A weekslong Israeli operation across several cities has displaced roughly 40,000 Palestinians from their homes, in what historians and researchers say is the biggest displacement of civilians in the territory since the Arab-Israeli war of 1967.

Jack Ma and other business executives standing behind a long table covered in green fabric and applauding while looking to their left.

Jack Ma, second from left, with other Chinese business leaders during a meeting in Beijing yesterday. China Central Television

China’s leader embraced private enterprise

Xi Jinping, China’s president, met yesterday with his country’s business leaders in what was seen as a show of support for private enterprise. The Alibaba Group founder, Jack Ma, was there in his first public appearance with Xi since Beijing stopped the $34 billion initial public offering of Ma’s Ant Group in 2020, sending the message that no company was above the Chinese Communist Party.

Some executives saw the summit as a sign of a course correction after Xi sidelined the private sector in favor of state-owned enterprises. But it was not yet clear whether the meeting would result in positive change for companies or help address China’s broader economic woes.

Related: German automakers are losing the Chinese market to rivals that have shifted the definition of a high-end car to one that is electric, smart and affordable.

MORE TOP NEWS

A statue of Pope John Paul II in front of the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic, where cars are waiting outside.

Andrew Medichini/Associated Press

Vatican: Pope Francis will remain in a hospital after being admitted late last week following a series of tests that indicated a “complex clinical picture,” the Vatican said.
Canada: A Delta flight appears to have overturned while landing at a Toronto airport, social media photos show. This is a developing story.
South Korea: The government said it had temporarily suspended new downloads of the Chinese company DeepSeek’s chatbot over data security concerns.
Japan: For decades, a weak yen made companies more competitive and bolstered the economy. But for ordinary households, the depreciated currency has only made life harder.
Slovakia: A woman who runs a pro-Ukraine group has been accused by Prime Minister Robert Fico of plotting to topple him.
South Korea: The actress Kim Sae-ron, a former child star whose career was derailed by a drunk-driving incident in 2022, died by suicide at her home, police said.
Singapore: A court found the leader of the Workers’ Party, the main opposition party, guilty of lying under oath to Parliament.
South Africa: An imam who devoted his life to promoting gay rights and tolerance for L.G.B.T.Q. Muslims was shot and killed on Saturday, police said.

Sports

Soccer: Ruben Amorim was supposed to turn Manchester United’s fortunes around, but things are worse than ever. Is patience wearing thin?
Formula 1: The 75th Formula 1 season is on the horizon. Here’s everything you need to know about the big kickoff to this landmark campaign.
Golf: Ludvig Aberg announced himself as a major contender in the sport when he claimed the biggest win of his career to date at the Genesis Invitational.

MORNING READ

A .gif of several kinds of vegetable protein sources morphing into a hamburger.

Sean Dong

Fake-meat products, made from plants like soybeans and peas, seem to check the boxes for a healthier diet. But it’s not always better to eat your vegetables: Fake meat can be highly processed and contain large amounts of sodium. While the industry rapidly evolves and recipes are tweaked, studies on the benefits have yielded mixed results.

Here’s what we know, based on the science at hand.

Lives lived: Zakia Jafri, who waged a decades-long legal battle against government officials in India after her husband was killed during sectarian riots, died at 86.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

A woman in a coral-colored sweater at a window with a sill lined by flowers.

Irene Mekel, who seeks medical assistance in dying, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease a year ago. Melissa Schriek for The New York Times

Preparing for the end: Doctors and Alzheimer’s patients in the Netherlands are negotiating a tricky issue: patients who applied for assisted death but later lost the ability to confirm their wishes.
Compliments are his punchline: Milo McCabe, a comedian known for praising strangers through his character Troy Hawke, is proof that kindness never goes out of style.
Salvaging the silver screen: Local movie houses are closing across America. Now, residents in smaller towns are forming nonprofits to buy, operate and hopefully save them.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times .

ARTS AND IDEAS

A CGI of a bear in a red hat and blue duffle coat, bearing a suitcase in his right hand, and the left holding to the side of a train.

Warner Bros. Pictures, via Associated Press

An animated bear’s lasting appeal

Since “Paddington 2” was released in 2017 in the U.K., the film about a marmalade-loving bear has become an internet phenomenon. Piggybacking off that success is the third installment, “Paddington in Peru,” now in theaters. It has already passed $100 million in global ticket sales.

“Paddington 2” had modest box office success, but DVD and streaming releases sparked a devoted community of fans who fiercely adore the outsider bear. For a time, that movie was even the best-reviewed film ever on the site Rotten Tomatoes — that is, until one critic wrote a negative review, provoking what he said were doxxing and death threats.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Top-down view of Shrimp with Chard and Chiles.

Christopher Simpson for The New York Times

Cook: Sautéed chard with chiles and ginger is a pleasure with nearly any protein. We chose shrimp.

Read: The filmmaker Lee Chang-dong’s early fiction has been collected in “Snowy Day and Other Stories.”

Travel: A writer discovers the timeless appeal of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Emmett

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