European leaders say they are united on security of the continent
Newshour
BBC
4.4 • 984 Ratings
🗓️ 17 February 2025
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in Riyadh ahead of Russia talks . Simultaneously, European leaders have met in Paris, to discuss Ukraine and defence spending. We hear from Dimiti Trenin a Russian foreign policy expert and former military intelligence officer, on what Russia hopes to achieve from a potential deal. We also hear what role Saudi Arabia is playing in negotiating with the USA on the future of Gaza.
Also on the programme: why some scientists have suggested the reintroduction of wolves to the Scottish Highlands to combat climate change and; a new BBC documentary has spent the last nine months following the lives of four young people in Gaza.
Image: French President Emmanuel Macron, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen react following a meeting with European leaders on Ukraine and European security at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, February 17, 2025. (Credit: Abdul Saboor via Reuters)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to NewsHour from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:07.3 | We're coming to you live from London. |
| 0:09.1 | I'm Krupao Pardy and it's good to have you with us. |
| 0:12.1 | European leaders have met in Paris for impromptu talks on the future of Ukraine. |
| 0:16.4 | It is a hastily convened summit off the back of not being invited by the US |
| 0:21.1 | to peace talks with Russia, which are taking place in Saudi Arabia. |
| 0:25.4 | The challenge is to put on a united front on security spending |
| 0:29.4 | and convince the US that Europe is an invaluable partner at that negotiating table |
| 0:34.7 | between Russia and Ukraine if a ceasefire deal is to be reached. |
| 0:38.8 | Britain's Prime Minister, Kirstama, described it as a once-in-a-generation imperative. |
| 0:44.4 | He said he was ready to consider committing British troops as part of an eventual peace deal, |
| 0:49.4 | but said a US backstop on security was essential to stop further Russian aggression. |
| 0:55.3 | I'm prepared to consider committing British forces on the ground, |
| 0:59.9 | alongside others, if there is a lasting peace agreement. |
| 1:04.9 | But there must be a US backstop, |
| 1:08.9 | because a US security guarantee is the only way to effectively deter Russia |
| 1:16.3 | from attacking Ukraine again. |
| 1:19.2 | The German Chancellor Olaf Schultz has also been speaking to the media and has said that |
| 1:24.0 | Ukraine was not bound to accept the result of any U.S. Russian talks. |
| 1:28.7 | He admitted to being irritated by what he called premature debates over Ukraine's future |
| 1:34.0 | that it wasn't even party to. |
| 1:36.0 | Meanwhile, ahead of that first face-to-face meeting taking place tomorrow with the new U.S. administration in Riyadh, |
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