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good morning. Donald Trump’s longing for Greenland has returned to the news. US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright will travel to Denmark’s Arctic Island later this week to tour Pitafik Space Station, which is charging for a “private visit.”
Yesterday in Saudi Arabia, US-Ukrainian negotiators resumed discussions on a potential peace agreement. Below, we explain why the subsequent US-Russia talks over the Black Sea today have been straining the European capital, while Laura reveals why public protests to wipe out turkeys are problematic for Brussels.
Tomorrow I will be interviewing Henna Wilkunen, the technical chief of the European Commission. This will be on stage with FT colleagues, senior officials and experts at a Financial Times event that will enable European AI ambitions in Brussels. Sign up here to attend for free or watch online.
The vague sea
Europe’s Black Sea states are nervously focused as US-Russia peace talks over Ukraine continue in Saudi Arabia today.
Context: US President Donald Trump has called for a rapid end to the war in Ukraine and has launched bilateral negotiations with both Moscow and Kiev to find a framework for a peace agreement. European countries are not directly involved in the discussion.
Negotiators in Moscow and Washington will discuss the security of the Black Sea and the potential reopening of export lanes in Riyadh today, with the aim of linking naval deals to a wider peace agreement.
Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz said he had spoken yesterday, “We will focus on the Black Sea maritime ceasefire so that both sides can move grain, fuel and trade again in the Black Sea.”
Romania and Bulgaria, the EU coastal countries, are paying attention to important changes to the current state of the Black Sea as part of a broader potential agreement between Russia and the US, officials in the region told the Financial Times, considering expanding the area of Russian navy operating.
Ukraine ran the Russian navy out of the west of the sea, one of the most impressive military achievements of a war of more than three years. Therefore, the negotiated agreement is expected to be beneficial to Moscow, officials said.
“This is our neighborhood and if they were allowed to run more, we don’t trust the Russians,” one official said.
US and Russian officials have described today’s consultations as “technical” involving mid-level officials rather than senior politicians.
Still, Trump’s top Russian envoy Steve Witkov seemed quite bullish yesterday.
“Saudi Arabia will see some real progress on Monday, especially as it affects the Black Sea ceasefire on ships between the two countries,” he told Fox News.
Chart Dujour: Takeover
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Elon Musk’s bond with Donald Trump is becoming a hampering Starlink’s global development.
Signs of danger
The EU is warning Turkey not to stray from democratic standards after the arrest of President Receptacle Tayp Erdogan’s main challenger and hundreds of protesters, Laura Dubois wrote.
Context: Last week, Mayor Ekrem Imamolu, Istanbul, was taken into custody by police over accusations of corruption and terrorism, sparking massive protests. This is the first time such a senior member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) has been detained under Erdogan’s long-standing rules.
Yesterday the court ruled that Imamolu should wait for trial and stay in prison. The government has also banned demonstrations in some cities and has detained more than 600 protesters across the country since Friday.
These moves put the EU in a troublesome position when Brussels was seeking close ties with Ankara in the face of threats from Russia and indifferent US.
Next month, the EU and Turkey will hold a high-level economic dialogue for the first time since 2019 over Ankara’s unauthorized drilling operations in the Eastern Mediterranean.
However, Imamomor’s arrest, denying fraud and previously announced that he wanted to challenge the president to Erdogan, forced Brussels to react.
Anitta Hipper, a spokesman for the EU Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said yesterday that the arrests of Imamol and the protesters “stoke questions about Churkiye’s compliance with long-established democratic traditions.”
As a candidate for EU membership, Hipper said, “Türkiye must support democratic values.”
“The rights of elected officials and the right to peaceful demonstrations need to be respected,” she warned.
What to see today
EU diplomat Kaja Karas visits Israel and Palestine.
Meeting of EU Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries in Brussels
An informal meeting of the EU Health Ministers in Warsaw.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintotas Palakka meets Estonian counterpart Kristen Michal in Tallinn.
Please read these
Financial Crisis Redux: Top EU Financial Watchdogs tells FT that watering regulations put another economic meltdown at risk.
Nuclear Selection: Ignoring Trump’s pivot and NATO to Moscow threatens the consensus on a shortage of nuclear weapons.
Keep it up: Kyiv is asking the EU to renew its obligations and allocations to termination of trade contracts on Ukraine’s exports or to risk the outcome “really damaging.”
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