Nato chief in surprise Ukraine visit as US fails to condemn Sumy attack – as it happened

2d ago18.53 CEST

Closing summary

Jakub Krupa

… and on that note, it’s a wrap from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.

• Nato secretary general Mark Rutte made a surprise visit to Odesa in Ukraine to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy and reaffirm the alliance’s support for Ukraine after recent “outrageous” attacks by Russia (15:52, 15:59, 16:06), amid growing concerns about the US administration’s unwillingness to criticise Russia for recent attacks in Sumy with reports it refused to sign a G7 statement on the strike (9:23 and 15:48).

• The European Union warned that “significant joint efforts will be needed” for a successful outcome to trade talks at the end of Donald Trump’s 90-day pause on tariffs (12:35), with European Commission spokesperson admitting that the bloc would need “an additional level of engagement from the US to keep the ball rolling forward” (12:46).

• France’s national terrorism office launched an investigation into a wave of apparently coordinated attacks at multiple prisons across the country believed to be linked to a government clampdown on drug traffickers (11:07, 11:12, 13:22 and story).

• A group of Serbian students were on the final approach to Strasbourg finishing their epic 1,300km cycling trip to draw the European Union’s attention to mass protests in the country against alleged corruption among political leaders (10:51, 10:56, 18:33).

And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.

If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.

I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.

I was hoping to bring you one final update on the Serbian students cycling to Strasbourg before we close the blog today but they appear to be slightly delayed and still some 25 kilometers out from their finish line, according to their live tracker.

Their ETA has been updated to 7.30pm local time.

The good news is that there appears to be a big welcome party waiting for them when they reach Strasbourg…

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We now have a bit more detail on Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s comments about that meeting on Black Sea security in Turkey involving Ukraine, the UK, France and Turkey (16:26).

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Reuters reported that Zelenskyy, speaking alongside Nato secretary general Mark Rutte, said “this is a military meeting on security in the Black Sea, first of all, a coalition of the willing, appropriate steps.”

Reuters noted it was not immediately clear whether meetings were already ongoing.

“There are already quite a few such meetings, in various formats,” Zelenskyy added.

“Turkey has in 2022 already successfully agreed a ceasefire when it came to a greater grain deal … let’s be positive on the fact that Turkey, again, tries to bring together all relevant parties, And let’s hope they are successful,” Rutte said.

“We are talking about the presence of a contingent at sea, and we believe that Turkey can have a serious place in future security guarantees for the sea,” Zelenskyy said.

“This is not about ending the war, this is about what will happen after the ceasefire – security guarantees.”

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On a different note, today marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp by British forces on 15 April 1945 and our Athens correspondent Helena Smith spoke with one of the survivors, Lola Hassid Angel.

For a long time, Lola Hassid Angel did not want to talk about the horrors of her childhood. Her experiences of the second world war had not been light: by the age of eight, the Holocaust survivor had “reached adulthood”, seen things she should never have seen, heard sounds she should never have heard, been confronted by terrors she could neither forgive nor forget.

Which is why the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen by British forces on 15 April 1945 is as much a cause for joy as for the horror to come flooding back.

“But it’s also different,” Angel, now 88 and a great-great-grandmother, admitted over tea in her apartment in Athens. “Now I want to tell the whole world what happened. And that’s because I want all these men who lead us to know what war really looks like. The Germans had a zeal for death; they had turned it into a science.”

Read Helena’s story here:

You can also read Richard Nelsson’s compilation of how the Guardian’s David Woodward, Manchester Guardian war correspondent, covered these events in 1945.

And we recently reviewed Sam Mendes’s debut documentary What They Found, which combines two precious artefacts held at the Imperial War Museum in London: 35mm film, shot by Sgt Mike Lewis and Sgt Bill Lawrie of the British Army Film and Photographic Unit, before and during the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp near the town of Celle in northern Germany in April 1945 and audio interviews given by the cameramen in the 1980s.

By their own admission, Lewis and Lawrie are not prepared for what is inside the camp gates, having only heard rumours about what the Nazis have been doing to Jews and other minorities. A little like viewers of this film who may have read and heard about the Holocaust, but who have not before encountered moving images of the unique terror of Belsen, what Lewis and Lawrie are about to see will change them and stay with them for ever.

The official commemoration of the liberation will take place on 27 April.

We are also getting more lines from Zelenskyy, as he revealed that representatives of Ukraine, the UK, France and Turkey are meeting in Turkey today to discuss Black Sea security.

And in the last few minutes, Ukraine’s military said that it had hit a base belonging to the Russian rocket brigade that conducted the missile attack on Sumy on Sunday.

“(A base) of the 448th missile brigade of the Russian occupiers was hit, a secondary detonation of ammunition was recorded. The results of the strike are being clarified,” the military said in a statement on Telegram, Reuters reported.

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a social media post that the pair “visited a hospital where Ukrainian defenders are recovering from their wounds,” and spoke with some of the soldiers.

“I am grateful to our guys for their strength, resilience, and for protecting our people,” he said.

Separately, the Ukrainian president spoke with Nato’s Rutte about the country’s “acute” neeed for air defence systems and missiles, AFP reported.

Zelenskyy also spoke about the importance of the UK-French-led “reassurance force” being ready “fast enough” to help Ukraine, the agency said.

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Speaking in Odesa, Rutte strongly condemned the Russian attack on Sumy as “simply outrageous” and “part of a terrible pattern of Russia attacking civilian targets and infrastructure,” as he assured Zelenskyy of Nato’s continued support.

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In a statement, published in the last few minutes by Nato, he said that “Ukraine’s people deserve real peace – real safety and security in their country. In their homes,” and said he wanted to use his visit to “affirm … this simple message: Nato stands with Ukraine.”

“I also know that some have called Nato’s support into question in the last couple of months. But let there be no doubt. Our support is unwavering,” he said.

He said in his remarks that he spoke with Zelenskyy about “the important talks that president Trump is leading with Ukraine as well as with Russia to try to end the war and secure a durable peace.”

He acknowledged that “these discussions are not easy – not least in the wake of this horrific violence – but we all support president Trump’s push for peace.”

“So let me say again – to the people of Ukraine: We stand with you. And look forward to a day that the brave men and women of this incredible country can enjoy freedom without fear,” he said.

And in the last few minutes, Nato secretary general Mark Rutte revealed he made an unannounced trip to Odesa in Ukraine to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In a post on social media, he said he reassured Zelenskyy that Nato’s support remained “unwavering” and the alliance would “continue to help Ukraine so it can defend today and deter future aggression.”

Here is his post in full:

Today I visited Odesa along with @ZelenskyyUa. Ukraine’s people have endured so much - not least Russia’s Palm Sunday attack on Sumy. Nato support is unwavering. We will continue to help Ukraine so it can defend today and deter future aggression, ensuring a just and lasting peace.

I will bring you more lines from Rutte soon.

In the latest example of US president Donald Trump’s rather lenient response to Russian actions, Bloomberg (£) is now reporting that the US declined to endorse a G7 statement condemning Russia’s attack on Sumy over the weekend as it feared it could derail peace negotiations on Ukraine.

The attack on Palm Sunday killed at least 34 and injured over 110 people.

But diplomatic sources told Bloomberg that the US administration “told allies it couldn’t sign the statement denouncing the attack as it is working to preserve the space to negotiate peace.”

In his only public comments on the attack, Trump said he had been told that the Russians had “made a mistake” in the strike on Sumy.

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Giorgia Meloni’s influence over Donald Trump is to be put to the test when the pair reunite in Washington on Thursday for their first bilateral summit. She is the first European leader to meet Trump since he paused some of his planned tariff hikes last week.

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The summit will be closely watched. On one hand, it is an ideal opportunity for Meloni to demonstrate an affinity with Trump, with whom her natural political tendencies lie, while boosting her credentials as a conduittowards more meaningful dialogue. On the other, it will be a delicate balancing act for the prime minister, who also knows she must be careful to maintain her allegiance to Italy’s EU partners.

Behind the scenes, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and Meloni are understood to have discussed a gameplan. Still, the solo trip has caused anxiety among EU allies, with the French industry minister, Marc Ferracci, warning last week that it threatened to undermine European unity against the US tariffs.

Their concerns are not without reason. Meloni, a former Eurosceptic, defended a blistering attack against European values by Trump’s deputy, JD Vance, at the Munich Security Conference in February. She will be back in Rome on Friday to meet Vance, who is in Italy for the Easter weekend.

Read the analysis in full:

Earlier today, I brought you the latest on the fragile state of the EU-US trade talks in Washington.

On Thursday, Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni will try a different tactic as she goes to Washington for talks with US president Donald Trump, who has (so far) been more receptive to interventions from individual national leaders rather than the EU as a whole.

So let’s go to our Rome correspondent Angela Giuffrida for her analysis…

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Elsewhere, French president Emmanuel Macron will bestow awards on around 100 craftspeople and officials who helped restore Notre Dame to its former glory after a fire nearly destroyed the beloved Paris cathedral six years ago, AFP reported.

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The ceremony at the Élysée Palace will take place from early Tuesday evening, around the same time the devastating fire broke out at the Gothic masterpiece in 2019.

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AFP noted that Macron will honour Philippe Jost, who headed the public organisation tasked with restoring the cathedral and was elevated to the rank of “commander” of the Legion of Honour, France’s highest national award.

Jost succeeded Jean-Louis Georgelin, the general who had been put in charge of overseeing the restoration but who died in 2023.

Georgelin was conferred with the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, the highest rank of the award established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802.

The architects Remi Fromont and Philippe Villeneuve will also be decorated.

Alongside them, nearly 100 civil servants, entrepreneurs and craftspeople will be awarded the Legion of Honour or the National Order of Merit, another top award established by Charles de Gaulle.

They represent around 2,000 people who took part in the restoration of the cathedral.

They come from “all the trades” and include carpenters, ironworkers, scaffolders, rope access workers, organ restorers and stained glass artisans, the French presidency said.

The Serbian students cycling towards Strasbourg that we reported on earlier today (10:51 and 10:56) are now back on the move on the final stage of their journey.

You can follow their finish live here – they are currently passing through a small town of Durmersheim in Germany, near the French border.

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2d ago14.03 CEST

EU could end penalties for companies that break Russian gas contracts

Jennifer Rankin

The European Commission is considering plans that would allow European companies to break long-term Russian gas contracts without paying penalties to Moscow, it has been reported.

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Citing three officials with knowledge of the plan, the Financial Times reported (£) that the commission was studying the possibility of allowing companies to declare force majeure, which would absolve importers of their obligations to pay penalty fees for ending contracts.

The plans are reported to be part of a roadmap on how the EU will rid itself of Russian fossil fuels by 2027, a document scheduled to be published on 6 May, following repeated delays.

A commission spokesperson declined to comment.

Full story:

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Back to France, the country’s national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said it had taken charge of the investigation into attacks on several French prisons overnight that we reported earlier (11:07).

Reuters said that France’s DGSI national security agency will also be involved into the investigation into the attacks, the prosecutor said.

2d ago13.17 CEST

More than 1,000 sign academics' petition against Hungarian constitutional changes targeting LGBTQ+ community

Ashifa Kassam

… and more than 1,200 people have signed a petition, launched by academics at Budapest’s Eötvös Loránd university, protesting against the Hungarian government’s ban on public events by the LGBTQ+ community.

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On Monday, Hungary’s rightwing populist government, led by Viktor Orbán, voted through a constitutional amendment backing the ban, in what rights campaigners described as a “significant escalation” in the government’s efforts to chip away at human rights.

The university remains committed to inclusion, the petition noted. “As university lecturers and researchers, we protest against this curtailment of basic rights,” it said.

It also sought to highlight the worrying precedent set by the ban. “The government’s spurious claim, all too familiar from history, to protect our children sets the stage for the curtailment of the freedom of assembly of arbitrarily designated groups – in the first instance LGBTQI communities – as well as their surveillance and punishment.”

Staff at the internationally renowned university had decided to speak out as “many of our students and staff rightly feel threatened by discriminatory, arbitrary legislation and stigmatisation,” the petition noted.

The signatories said they would work to ensure that students or employees belonging to the LGBTQ+ community would feel free to speak up when it comes to matters concerning themselves or the wider university community.

“It is especially important to take this responsibility at a time when our institutions and communities are under increasing government pressure and similar attacks are taking place in other countries,” the petition said.

Rights campaigners have called on the European Commission to launch a procedure against the Hungarian government, arguing that the legal changes – believed to be the first of their kind in the EU’s modern history – are a breach of EU law.

(Asked about the next steps at the commission’s briefing, Hrncirova said she could not offer any timeline on this process. – Jakub)

1:10

Separately, European Commission spokesperson on equality Eva Hrncirova was asked about the executive’s view on the Hungarian constitutional amendment passed yesterday that campaigners described as a “significant escalation” in the government’s efforts to crack down on dissent and chip away at human rights.

She said the EU was “obviously aware” of the amendment, but needed time to “analyse the changes, because [they] cover several topics and we need to look at them very carefully to be able to see them from the perspective of the European law.”

Yesterday’s vote prompted further protests in Budapest against the decision, so let me bring you some pictures from that protest, and…

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And on trade talks with the US, the European Commission’s trade spokesperson Olof Gill just told reporters that the EU needed “an additional level of engagement from the US to keep the ball rolling forward.”

“Our offers are still clearly and plainly on the table, zero for zero tariffs on industrial products, including cars, and we’re willing to look at a range of other areas,” he said.

Responding to Trump’s comments that the EU “have got to come to the table, and they’re trying to,” Gill said: “Mr President, we are at the table,” as he rejected the suggestion that the EU exploits the US by saying “the facts do not support this claim.”

Pushed on what is being discussed, he said that – despite Trump’s longstanding frustration with EU regulations – “EU standards, particularly as they relate to food, health and safety, are sacrosanct.”

“That’s not part of the negotiation. It never will be, not with the US, not with anyone else,” he said.

He also added that “our regulation that applies to technology and digital markets, that’s not up for negotiation.”

These comments will particularly resonate with the US as there is growing anticipation that the EU should announce its first enforcement against Apple and Meta under the Digital Markets Act in the coming days and weeks.