US President Donald Trump said he expects the war in Ukraine to end sooner than people think, raising fresh questions about European security guarantees and the sustainability of sanctions pressure on Moscow. Speaking at the UN, Trump signalled accelerated Washington efforts to broker a settlement — a development that's forcing European capitals to reconsider their own defense commitments and the coherence of their sanctions regime.
Sanctions Regime Under Strain
In Brussels, two Russian oligarchs came off the EU's blacklist after intense negotiations between EU countries. The removals expose the fragility of Europe's sanctions architecture. Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs spoke exclusively to Euronews' Angela Skujins about the sanctions dispute that gripped Brussels, highlighting the political divisions that continue to undermine a unified European response to Russian aggression. When member states can't agree on who stays sanctioned, the credibility of the entire system is at stake.
The meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York underscored Washington's renewed push to end the conflict. Sasha Vakulina was breaking down the encounter as US diplomacy shifted into higher gear. For Europe, this presents a dilemma: if America brokers a deal without full European input, the continent's security architecture could be reshaped without its consent. European nations have provided billions in aid and accepted millions of refugees. They can't be sidelined in any final settlement.
Arctic Security Deal
Shona Murray was reporting on a deal signed by the US, Denmark and Greenland to strengthen Arctic security, ending over a year of tensions after US President Donald Trump threatened to "take" the world's largest island by force. The agreement represents a pragmatic reset in transatlantic relations in the High North — a region of growing strategic importance as climate change opens new shipping routes and resource extraction opportunities. For Denmark, securing American security guarantees without surrendering sovereignty was the priority.
Morocco Votes
The program also featured Aboubr Jamai, a Moroccan writer and dean of the Donna Dillon Manning School of Global Affairs at The American College of the Mediterranean in Aix-en-Provence, speaking as Morocco went to the polls in legislative elections. The vote matters for Europe's migration partnerships: Morocco is a key partner in controlling irregular crossings to Spain and has become increasingly assertive in demanding economic concessions in return.
Euronews anchors Méabh Mc Mahon and Stefan Grobe present Europe Today live every weekday at 8 a.m. Brussels time. The show runs for 20 minutes and is also available as a newsletter and podcast.
Why This Matters:
Trump's timeline for ending the Ukraine war puts European capitals on notice. If Washington cuts a deal that leaves Ukraine vulnerable or lifts sanctions prematurely, Europe will face a choice: maintain its own sanctions regime at economic cost, or fall into line and accept diminished influence. The oligarch removals show that unity is already cracking. Meanwhile, European defense spending remains inadequate. The continent has relied on American security guarantees for decades while underinvesting in its own capabilities. A Ukraine settlement brokered primarily by Washington would be the clearest sign yet that Europe can't shape outcomes in its own neighbourhood. That's a sovereignty problem, not just a security one. The Arctic deal shows what pragmatic transatlantic cooperation looks like when both sides have clear interests. Europe needs more of that realism — and less wishful thinking about its geopolitical weight.