Tuesday Briefing: E.U. Discusses Security and Ukraine

E.U. leaders met as the U.S. moved forward on Ukraine

European leaders convened in Paris yesterday to discuss a coordinated response as the Trump administration prepared to start its own talks with Russia about ending the war in Ukraine. Leaders were also expected to discuss issues including military spending and how to guarantee Ukraine’s security once a permanent cease-fire or a peace deal was reached.

But what would an end to the war look like? Right now, Ukraine has few options for reversing Russia’s recent gains on the battlefield, and any deal is likely to involve Kyiv having to make painful territorial concessions.

Russia is suffering about 1,000 casualties a day, and its economy is hurting under runaway inflation amid enormous war spending. A settlement could pave the way for a reduction of Western sanctions. Here’s what the experts think could happen next.

Diplomacy: President Volodymyr Zelensky was in the United Arab Emirates yesterday for talks with Russia that are focused on prisoner exchanges and the return of Ukrainian children from Russia.

U.S. envoys met with Saudi Arabia’s leader

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with two other U.S. envoys, met yesterday in Saudi Arabia with the kingdom’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Rubio and his colleagues were expected to press the Saudi leadership to propose a vision for postwar Gaza.

Few details were released about the meetings, except for a video in which the prince said he was glad to work with the Trump administration. Trump has been widely criticized for his idea to depopulate and occupy Gaza.

Cease-fire: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet ministers were set to debate advancing negotiations on extending the truce with Hamas.

China’s leader embraced private enterprise

Xi Jinping, China’s president, met yesterday with his country’s business leaders in what was seen as a show of support for private enterprise. The Alibaba Group founder, Jack Ma, was there in his first public appearance with Xi since Beijing stopped the $34 billion initial public offering of Ma’s Ant Group in 2020, sending the message that no company was above the Chinese Communist Party.

Some executives saw the summit as a sign of a course correction after Xi sidelined the private sector in favor of state-owned enterprises. But it was not yet clear whether the meeting would result in positive change for companies or help address China’s broader economic woes.

Related: German automakers are losing the Chinese market to rivals that have shifted the definition of a high-end car to one that is electric, smart and affordable.

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Since “Paddington 2” was released in 2017 in the U.K., the film about a marmalade-loving bear has become an internet phenomenon. Piggybacking off that success is the third installment, “Paddington in Peru,” now in theaters. It has already passed $100 million in global ticket sales.

“Paddington 2” had modest box office success, but DVD and streaming releases sparked a devoted community of fans who fiercely adore the outsider bear. For a time, that movie was even the best-reviewed film ever on the site Rotten Tomatoes — that is, until one critic wrote a negative review, provoking what he said were doxxing and death threats.

Read more about what fans call “the greatest film ever made.”