Late last week, the new US national security strategy caused quite a stir, with its claims that Europe faces “civilisational erasure” within the next two decades as a result of migration and EU integration, and suggestions in a policy document that the US must “cultivate resistance” within the continent to “Europe’s current trajectory”.

In the latest development, which won’t exactly allay Europe’s concerns, the Kremlin has heaped praise on the US strategy, calling it an encouraging change of policy that largely aligns with Russian thinking.

“The adjustments that we see correspond in many ways to our vision,” the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said on Sunday. He welcomed signals that the Trump administration was “in favour of dialogue and building good relations”. He warned, however, that the supposed US “deep state” could try to sabotage Trump’s vision.

Seven EU countries back reparations loan for Ukraine as ‘politically realistic solution’

Jennifer Rankin

in Brussels

The leaders of seven EU countries have said a reparations loan for Ukraine based on Russian frozen assets is the most “politically realistic solution” to meet Kyiv’s urgent funding needs.

The prime ministers of Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden, said they strongly supported the European commission’s proposal for a reparations loan funded by the cash balances from the immobilised Russian assets in the EU.

The declaration of support was made in a letter to the European Council president, António Costa, and commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, ahead of an EU summit next week, when Ukraine’s financing needs will be top of the agenda.

The reparations loan is “the most financially feasible and politically realistic solution [and] it addresses the fundamental principle of Ukraine’s right to compensation for damages caused by the aggression” states the letter.

Last week German chancellor Friedrich Merz, who also backs the idea, flew to Brussels in an effort to persuade Belgium’s prime minister, Bart De Wever, to drop his opposition. No dramatic changes in position had been expected from the dinner meeting, also attended by von der Leyen. Most of the frozen assets in the EU are hosted in Belgium, which argues the plan is too risky and would complicate efforts to end the war.

The leaders who signed the letter disagree with the analysis that the loan would impede peace efforts: they argue that reaching a decision on the reparations loan at next week’s summit would put Ukraine “in a stronger position to defend itself and a better position to negotiate a just and lasting peace”.

Morning opening: London talks

Jakub Krupa

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is to meet UK’s Keir Starmer, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Friedrich Merz for talks in London about the war in Ukraine.

The meeting comes after three days of discussions between US and Ukrainian representatives in Florida without an apparent breakthrough amid an intensified push from Washington to end the war but with major territorial concessions from Kyiv.

Donald Trump once again sought to put pressure on Zelenskyy, suggesting publicly that the Ukrainian president “isn’t ready” to sign off on a US-authored peace plan. “I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelenskyy hasn’t yet read the proposal, that was as of a few hours ago. His people love it, but he hasn’t,” the US president claimed to reporters on Sunday night. (Somewhat sidestepping the public rejection of the plan by Russia.)

The leaders are expected around early lunchtime and will talk behind the closed doors to plan the next steps.

I will cover the meeting here, bringing you all the latest pictures and lines on what’s going on at Downing Street.

Zelenskyy is later expected to visit Brussels and Rome. On Sunday Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni spoke with Zelenskyy by phone and reaffirmed Italy’s solidarity after what she called a fresh wave of “indiscriminate” Russian strikes on civilian targets, her office said.

Separately, I will also keep an eye on the EU’s reactions to Elon Musk and senior US officials’s comments about the bloc over the weekend. The billionaire was particularly active on the back of a €120m fine against his social media platform X, repeatedly calling for the EU to be abolished.

And, finally, EU ministers are meeting in Brussels to sign off plans on migration and asylum laws.

I will bring you all the key updates throughout the day.

It’s Monday, 8 December 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.