International

Europe and Canada close ranks to count on Ukraine in the peace negotiation

Europe and Canada closed ranks this Wednesday to count on Ukraine and the Europeans in peace negotiations, in an informal summit held from Paris while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump were accused.

“The position of France and its partners is clear and united. We want a lasting and solid peace in Ukraine,” Macron summarized on the social network X after the meeting.

To do this, he indicated three conditions, starting with the maxim that Kiev is counted on in the negotiations and that its rights are respected.

Secondly, he mentioned that peace must be accompanied by “strong and credible guarantees” and finally stressed that “the security concerns of Europeans must be taken into account”.

Other leaders spoke in the same vein after the debate, which was the second informal summit of this type organized by the Elysée.

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Last Monday, another one took place that urgently met in Paris with eight of the main powers of the Old Continent (France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Poland, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands), in addition to NATO leaders and the institutions of the European Union.

On this occasion, given that the reduced format of that first meeting aroused discomfort among some of the absent countries, Macron had the participation in person of the President of Romania and the Prime Minister of Luxembourg and, by videoconference, of the heads of State or Government of 18 other countries.

The guest list included, among others, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro. Also to heads of government of European countries that are members of NATO but not of the EU, such as Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre, or Iceland, Kristrún Frostadóttir.

Outside the region, only Canada was listed, which is the only non-European partner of NATO in addition to the United States.

“It is a fundamental principle of Canada and the vast majority of allies: nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” emphasized the Prime Minister of that country, Justin Trudeau, at a press conference after participating in the Paris debate.

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The message of support for Kiev and vindication of the siege of Europe in the negotiations was clear in the face of the marginalization suffered in the first contacts between Washington and Moscow, held in Saudi Arabia.

“A peace solution will not be lasting without Ukraine participating in the negotiations. And Europe must have a place at the table,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said in post-press statements.

In the same vein, Finnish President Alexander Stubb spoke in his opinion, calling for a “common European line” so that the old continent can sit in the negotiations.

“Otherwise, there is a risk that the United States and Russia will negotiate above Europe and Ukraine,” Stubb emphasized, in addition to asking to keep a “cool head.”

For his part, the Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, warned that Europe is at a “crossroads” and that the end of this war will define security on the continent “for future generations”.

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“We must arm Ukraine,” he said, “so that it can have a position of strength with which to negotiate peace and thus bring peace to our part of the world. That is why we are going to continue with broad support for Ukraine.”

While the Paris meeting was taking place, tensions between Zelenski and Trump rose a lot in decibels, to the point that the US president accused his Ukrainian counterpart of being a “dictator”, after he said that the White House tenant lives in a cloud of disinformation for having blamed Kiev for starting the war.

Faced with the upsurge of tone, Macron – who has been acting as a diplomatic conductor to try to speed up a debate that would be more complex and slow in other formats – said in his message that Europe shares the objective of ending the conflict, but emphasized that it is a “war of aggression carried out by Russia.”

He also expressed the conviction that Europe must increase “its spending and defense and security capabilities”, something demanded by Washington, and promised that “decisions will be made in the coming days and weeks.”

It will be specifically in March when the European Union defines that increase, detailed the Latvian Prime Minister, Evika Silina, who was another of the participants of the Paris meeting.

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It will be done in “close cooperation with NATO,” Silina said, and will also be accompanied by an increase in military aid to Ukraine.

In parallel to the end of the meeting, it was announced that Macron will travel to Washington next week, through the mouth of the White House National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, although the Elysée has not confirmed the details.

For his part, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a conversation on Wednesday with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he defended as a “democratically elected leader” hours after Donald Trump described him as a “dictator without elections”.

This was confirmed by Downing Street (the official residence and office of the British Prime Minister) in a statement, in which he indicated that the Labor leader expressed his support for the Ukrainian president during the call and told him that it was “perfectly reasonable to suspend elections in times of war, as the United Kingdom did in World War II.”

Starmer also insisted to Zelenski on the need to work together and supported the “efforts led by the United States to achieve a lasting peace in Ukraine that deters Russia from any future aggression.”

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International

Maduro urges UN to intervene for venezuelan migrants detained in El Salvador

Nicolás Maduro, who was sworn in for a third term in January following his controversial re-election, urged United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk to intervene on behalf of Venezuelan migrants detained in El Salvador after being deported from the United States.

During a broadcast on the state-run Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), Maduro claimed these Venezuelans were “kidnapped”, forcibly disappeared, and held in “concentration camps.”

He also criticized U.S. President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele for failing to release the list of migrants deported on March 16, who were allegedly accused of belonging to the transnational gang Tren de Aragua, which originated in a Venezuelan prison.

“Reports say there are 238 Venezuelans kidnapped in prisons, in concentration camps, in El Salvador. A week after they were taken and thrown into these camps, neither the U.S. government nor Nayib Bukele have published the list of those they have kidnapped in El Salvador,” Maduro stated, calling it a “forced disappearance.”

International

Canada updates U.S. travel advisory amid immigration policy changes

In a coordinated action with several European allies, Canada has updated its travel advisory for citizens visiting the United States, citing changes in immigration policies and law enforcement under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Finland have issued similar warnings, highlighting stricter border screenings, tighter visa restrictions, and new federal guidelines that particularly affect transgender and non-binary travelers.

These advisories reflect growing diplomatic concerns over how the recent U.S. policy shifts are impacting foreign visitors, especially tourists and long-term travelers. Additionally, this marks a rare instance in which multiple NATO allies publicly warn their citizens about travel to the United States.

International

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to meet with Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on friday

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem will meet with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum next Friday.

According to statements made to Fox News, the Trump administration official will travel this week to El Salvador, Colombia, and Mexico.

On Wednesday, Noem is scheduled to meet with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, with whom she will tour the mega-prison built to detain gang members in the country.

On Thursday, she will visit Colombia, where she will hold talks with President Gustavo Petro and top law enforcement officials.

On Friday, Noem will be in Mexico, where she is expected to meet with President Claudia Sheinbaum and Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente.