Germany's Merz pitches 'associate' EU membership for Ukraine Story by @liliebayer.bsky.social and me on the chancellor's push to find a middle way between fast-track membership and Ukraine's current status as candidate at start of process.

Re-posting for European morning readers.

NEW: The Trump administration plans ​to tell NATO allies this week it will shrink the pool of military capabilities it would make available ‌to help in a crisis, three sources tell Reuters. By @gramslattery.bsky.social @jonathanlanday.bsky.social & Reuters colleagues on both sides of the Atlantic.

Toot toot! The EU’s Kaja Kallas reckons she could handle talks with Russia, although she says Moscow does not seem ready to engage. "When a politician doesn't toot his own horn, the horn usually remains untooted. So I have to say I think I could see through the traps that Russia is ​presenting."

Schroeder as a European negotiator for Russia talks? That's a nein. Some kind of Russia talks at some stage, with a European envoy or team? That's more of a maybe or a 'depends who you talk to'. Story with @liliebayer.bsky.social & colleagues.

Just in case anyone was wondering whether Spain’s call for an EU army is new, here is our story on the proposal from January by my colleague Victoria Waldersee. (Not much enthusiasm for the idea from other EU countries so far.) www.reuters.com/business/dav...

Europeans have been working on ways to convince Donald Trump to stick with in NATO despite tensions over the Iran war. But his abrupt move to cut US forces in Germany is ​the latest sign that such efforts have their limits and are far from certain to succeed. Analysis with @liliebayer.bsky.social

Summit less to worry about? ICYMI, one more push for our story: NATO is considering ending its recent practice of holding annual ​summits - which could avoid a final tense encounter with Donald Trump in his last ‌year in office. Ankara summit goes ahead in July as planned… (1/2)

New from Reuters: NATO is considering ending its recent practice of holding annual summits, six sources told Reuters — a move that could avoid a potentially tense encounter with President Trump in his final ‌year in office. Story from @humeyrapamuk.bsky.social, me and @liliebayer.bsky.social

Interesting day for NATO to post this guide to how it takes decisions.

Hi from sunny Cyprus, where EU leaders will discuss their mutual assistance pact, the snappily named Article 42.7. Tricky for EU. Many feel discussion needed, given Trump’s questioning of NATO’s commitment. But no one wants to signal they’re ready to go it alone. @liliebayer.bsky.social explains:

Board of Europe?

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has compared Viktor Orban's electoral defeat to Hungarian uprisings against Soviet communism. "I really want to say to the Hungarian people: You've done it again. Against all odds. Like you did in 1956 when you couragerously stood up." (1/2)

From our story on the NATO crisis triggered by the Iran war: Trump's comments have provoked unprecedented concern that the U.S. will not come to the aid of European allies should they be attacked, whether or not Washington formally walks away.

Super piece on the rich history of Brussels' Résidence Palace by @goodclimate.bsky.social

To lift his block on the big Ukraine loan: Hungarian PM Viktor Orban not only wants Russian oil flowing again through a war-damaged pipeline - but also a guarantee it won't stop. EU summit chair Antonio Costa said only Russia could give such a guarantee. Story with @liliebayer.bsky.social

One more from my interview with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas today: Kallas pushes back against ​a call by Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever to normalise ‌relations with Moscow and regain access to cheap Russian energy. www.reuters.com/world/europe...

My interview with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas: - calls on U.S. and Israel ​to end their war with Iran - says EU is consulting with governments in Middle East about how ‌to bring conflict to a conclusion (Apologies- wrong link in last post)

My interview with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas: - calls on U.S. and Israel ​to end their war with Iran - says EU is consulting with governments in Middle East about how ‌to bring conflict to a conclusion www.reuters.com/world/europe...

My interview with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas: - calls on U.E. and Israel ​on Tuesday to end their war with Iran - says EU is consulting with governments in Middle East about how ‌to bring conflict to a conclusion www.reuters.com/world/europe...

⚡Short thread with main stories from my interview with NATO boss Mark Rutte today: NATO does not plan to trigger its Article 5 mutual defence clause over the shooting down of a ballistic missile headed for Turkey, Rutte says, amid fears the alliance could become embroiled in U.S.-Iran war. (1/4)

Spoke to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte today. First story below, more to come.

Ukraine’s push for a fast track into the European Union as part of any ​peace deal has hit stiff resistance from EU governments, who don't want to open the Pandora’s box of problems they fear a quick accession would ‌unleash. New from @liliebayer.bsky.social, me and Kyiv bureau chief Daniel Flynn

Latest from Reuters' @kateabnett.bsky.social: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has asked the EU for a "fact-finding mission" to assess damage to the Druzhba oil pipeline in Ukraine, and suggested this could help unblock new EU funding for Kyiv, a letter seen by Reuters showed.

Exclusive: Iran nears deal to buy supersonic anti-ship missiles from China Great reporting from Reuters' @irishjreuters.bsky.social @phreuters.bsky.social @gavinfinch.bsky.social

European Council President Antonio Costa has written to Hungarian PM Viktor Orban, urging him to honour an EU deal from December to give Ukraine a vital 90 bln euro loan. Budapest has declared it will block the loan until Russian oil is flowing to Hungary again through the Druzhba pipeline. (1/3)

Big scoop from @sasilink.bsky.social and @michaelstone.bsky.social: Germany is considering ordering more U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets - a move that would deepen Berlin's reliance on American military technology as its joint next-generation fighter program with France falters.

Just caught up with this brilliant, moving story. Based on amazing detective work that became about far more than solving a cold case. The detective's name is Zufall (chance or coincidence in German), which seems almost unbelievably perfect. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

"Some lines have been crossed that cannot be uncrossed anymore." Analysis from the Munich Security Conference, with @irishjreuters.bsky.social & @sasilink.bsky.social

NATO says it has begun a mission to strengthen its presence in the Arctic - part of efforts to defuse severe tensions in the alliance prompted by U.S. President Donald Trump's desire for the U.S. to acquire Greenland.

We may soon need an emergency break from emergency brakes... ...and those who don't know the difference between the two.

Pete Hegseth is not expected to attend next month's NATO defence ministers' meeting - 2nd time in a row that a Trump Cabinet official skips a NATO ministerial meeting. www.reuters.com/world/hegset...

NATO's Rutte deploys Dutch bluntness to slap down calls for a European army - an idea revived recently by Spain's foreign minister and the EU's defence commissioner. "I think Putin will love it." "Think again." "Keep on dreaming." "Hey, good luck."

Very unusual for the head of NATO's military committee to comment like this - a clear response to Trump's remark about NATO troops in Afghanistan, even if it's not explicitly mentioned. The fact he's done so suggests the strength of feeling in NATO military circles about that remark.

On Greenland framework agreed by Trump & Rutte, people familiar tell us: It's "a frame on which to build. Anything being reported on specific details is speculative." Agreed on US-Denmark talks to update 1951 accord on US military access Calls for prohibiting Chinese & Russian investments... 1/2

The time for flattering Donald Trump is over, says former NATO boss Anders Fogh Rasmussen. "It's really the future of NATO that is at stake," he told me today. Rasmussen has a unique perspective on the Greenland crisis as a former Danish PM and ex-NATO secretary general. Interview:

NATO's existential bind over Greenland in a nutshell, from our analysis last week. tinyurl.com/5x8ye7z3

NATO is in a bind. Trump's Greenland push threatens its very existence. But NATO's power to influence the standoff is limited. It is scrambling for more Arctic security measures. But Trump has insisted nothing less than U.S. ownership of Greenland will do. Analysis by @liliebayer.bsky.social & me.

Recommended reading from @jacobgronholt.bsky.social in Nuuk, focusing on the human side of the Greenland standoff.

I asked NATO boss Mark Rutte at a @reneweurope.bsky.social event today whether it was acceptable for one member to threaten the use of force to take the territory of another. He declined to answer, referring to a previous answer about not being able to comment on internal discussions.

Moral of the story: In Brussels, whatever anyone tells you, there is never only one game in town.

Just ICYMI last night: European Commission considering a SAFE 2.0…

New: European Commission is considering a sequel to its multi-billion-euro SAFE loans scheme for defence spending. At a Politico event tonight, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said some member states were asking for a second SAFE. EU officials say it's under active consideration.

Analysis ahead of Witkoff-Putin meeting today: However Trump’s latest push to end the war in Ukraine pans out, Europe fears the prospect of a deal – sooner or later – that will not punish or weaken Russia as its leaders had hoped, placing the continent’s security in greater jeopardy.

Worth looking closely at what European leaders say on Ukrainian army limits. Von der Leyen today: "There can be no limitations on Ukraine's armed forces that would leave the country vulnerable to future attacks." Not quite a flat 'no limts', leaves open for discussion how high a cap might be. 1/2

We've published the full text of a European counter-proposal to the U.S. 28-point Ukraine peace plan, seen by Reuters. The document, drafted by Europe's E3 powers of Britain, France and Germany, takes the U.S. plan as its basis but goes through point by point with suggested changes & deletions.

New from us: Europeans have submitted a modified version of the United States' peace plan for Ukraine that pushes back on proposed limits to Kyiv's armed forces and territorial concessions, according to a document seen by Reuters on Sunday. Story below, we'll also publish full text.

EU foreign policy chief @kajakallas.bsky.social sending a very visual message on Ukraine at EU-Indo Pacific ministerial meeting.

Ukraine is showing "remarkable commitment" to joining the EU, but must reverse recent negative trends in the fight against corruption and accelerate rule of law reforms, the European Commission said in a draft text seen by Reuters on Monday.

European leaders' statement on Ukraine: "We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force."