FRANCE 24 explores events across Europe, including in the 27 member states of the European Union and the United Kingdom. Follow our on-the-ground reports, interviews and analyses of the events affecting social and political life on the Continent and Europe’s role in the world.
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Live: Macron to host European leaders in Paris for Ukraine security summit
27 March 2025
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday hosts European leaders including President Volodymyr Zelensky for a summit aimed at boosting Ukrainian security ahead of any potential ceasefire with Russia. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.
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Russia targets Ukraine with mass drone attacks
26 March 2025
Russia launched fresh drone strikes against Kharkiv in Eastern Ukraine, just hours after a tentative agreement with Ukraine to pause attacks on energy sites and ensure safe shipping in the Black Sea. FRANCE 24's Catherine Norris-Trent reports from Kharkiv.
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Macron announces €2 billion in military aid to Kyiv ahead of Ukraine security summit
26 March 2025
France will provide €2 billion of extra military aid to Ukraine, President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday ahead of a summit aimed at boosting Ukrainian security. Speaking alongside Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris, Macron said Russia must accept a 30-day ceasefire offered by Ukraine “without preconditions”, accusing Moscow of still showing a “desire for war”.
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Coalition of the willing must press Trump to avoid Russia's 'outrageous conditions', analyst says
26 March 2025
French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday warned Russia was still showing a "desire for war" despite efforts to forge a ceasefire in Ukraine, ahead of a summit aimed at boosting Ukrainian security under a potential truce brokered by the United States. Orysia Lutsevych, Deputy director of the Russia & Eurasia Programme at Chatham House, says that the coalition of the willing must pressure US to avoid the 'outrageous conditions' that Putin is putting on the table.
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'Kids are isolated from each other but joined by screens that then connect them to toxic cultures'
26 March 2025
The critically-acclaimed and wildly popular British Netflix drama "Adolescence" is offering a new generation of storytelling with very thought-provoking themes that force viewers to question many things about the world we live in and the values that we've been embracing without giving much thought. To offer in-depth perspective of the recurring theme of toxic masculinity, France 24's Delano D'Souza is pleased to welcome Jack Halberstam, celebrated author, Professor of Gender Studies and English and Director of the Institute for Research on Women, Gender and Sexuality; David Feinson Professor of Humanities. Halberstam asserts that teenage boys don't need to be managed. Parents need to be more in tune with the "messages in the culture that are being distributed through all the banal networks that we know of, whether it's the social media platforms or the news", rife with contradictory information about culture. Halberstam warns us that the dangers we face are right before our very eyes. They are often social and cultural norms that we don't tend to question, we just accept it as is, from the "potentially dangerous" and outdated nuclear family model and the resurgence of the patriarchal culture to the "authoritarian capitalism and toxic masculinity" fuelled by Fundamentalism Christianity. Halberstam slams "out-of-control" social media platforms run by plutocrats and billionaires. Regardless of age, Halberstam warns we need to break free from the suffocating grip of social media.
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Four US soldiers killed during training exercise in Lithuania, NATO leader says
26 March 2025
Four US soldiers died while on a training mission in Lithuania near the border with Belarus, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday. The soldiers were conducting scheduled tactical training at the time of their deaths according to a statement from the US Army in Wiesbaden, Germany.
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'Europe still hasn't gotten its act together when it comes to Ukraine'
26 March 2025
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has arrived in Paris ahead of a summit of Kyiv's backers and amid a flurry of diplomacy aimed at halting the Russian invasion. Meanwhile, a senior aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted that Ukraine needs a "serious" contribution from Europe with troops that are ready to fight, and not peacekeepers, after any end of hostilities with Russia, For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24's Delano D'Souza welcomes Peter Zalmayev, Director of the Eurasian Democracy Initiative.
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French actor Fanny Ardant defends Depardieu at sexual assault trial
26 March 2025
French actor Fanny Ardant testified in favour of 76-year-old screen icon Gerard Depardieu at his trial on charges of sexual assault in Paris, saying she had never seen him behave in a "shocking" manner with women. The trial relates to charges of sexual assault during the filming in 2021 of "Les Volets Verts" ("The Green Shutters") by director Jean Becker.
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'Focus on perpetrators': Rape law based on consent 'would be a distraction, place burden on victim'
26 March 2025
As the French Parliament debates adding the notion of consent to the penal code, Genie Godula welcomes Cécile SIMMONS, Researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. Her focus is on misogyny and gender-based violence. Ms. Simmons is Author of “Ctrl Hate Delete: The New Anti-Feminist Backlash and How We Fight It”. As it stands, the rate of prosecution stands at 5%, she explains, and "the victims will see the abusers walk free." Ms. Simmons warns that "by shifting to a consent-based definition, we will censor the victim and place the burden of proving violence on the victim." She sees it as a "distraction" and asserts that it will be much more effective to "focus on the perpetrators."
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A US boycott in France? Europe reacts to group chat leak
26 March 2025
PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, March 26: International papers react to the Black Sea security deal reached by Ukraine and Russia that was brokered by the US. Elsewhere, European papers react to the Signal group chat leak with outrage. Also, Palestinians participate in the largest anti-Hamas protest since October 2023. Finally, two otters are on the loose in Wisconsin after escaping the local zoo.
