While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Feb 18, 2025
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Britain's PM Keir Starmer expects to have another round of talks with European leaders next week.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Europe talks up more defence spending as Ukraine peacekeeper plan divides
European leaders meeting in Paris on Feb 17 for emergency talks called for higher spending to ramp up the continent’s defence capabilities but remained split on the idea of deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine to back up any peace deal.
The Paris meeting was called by French President Emmanuel Macron after US leader Donald Trump arranged bilateral peace talks with Russia, excluding European allies and Ukraine from negotiations to end the war that are scheduled to begin in Saudi Arabia on Feb 18.
European officials have been left stunned and flat-footed by the Trump administration’s moves on Ukraine, Russia and European defence in recent days, and must now confront the reality of a future with less US protection.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who ahead of the meeting said he was willing to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, on Feb 17 evening said there must be a US security commitment for European countries to put boots on the ground.
Taiwan considering multi-billion dollar arms purchase from US
Taiwan is exploring buying arms worth billions of dollars from the United States, sources briefed on the matter said, hoping to win support from the new Trump administration as China continues to apply military pressure on the island.
Three sources familiar with the situation, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation, told Reuters that Taiwan is in talks with Washington.
The package is meant to demonstrate to the United States that Taiwan is committed to its defence, one of the sources said.
Netanyahu ‘committed’ to Trump plan for Gaza displacement
Israel expressed commitment on Feb 17 to a US proposal to take over Gaza and displace its Palestinian residents, as Washington’s top diplomat held talks in Saudi Arabia where he was expected to push the plan opposed by Arab states.
Arriving in the kingdom after talks in Israel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio – on his first visit to the Middle East – met de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the State Department said.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said a special agency would be established for the “voluntary departure” of Gazans.
Hamas says ready to stop governing Gaza to extend ceasefire
Hamas indicated a willingness to stop governing Gaza after the war with Israel, an overture timed for US-led efforts to extend the initial ceasefire and agree terms for a permanent end to hostilities.
“It is not necessary for Hamas to be part of the political and administrative arrangements in the next phase for Gaza, especially if it serves the interests of our people,” Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qasim told Al Arabiya TV.
The concession would fulfill one of the Israeli demands for Hamas that would enable a second phase of the truce to start when the ongoing one expires early next month. However, another is for the Palestinian group to disarm, a condition the Iranian-backed faction has shown no sign of meeting.
Pope’s condition ‘complex’, hospital stay extended: Vatican
Pope Francis did some work during his fourth day in hospital Feb 17, but the 88-year-old faces a “complex clinical picture” that will require a longer than expected stay, the Vatican said.
The head of the Catholic Church was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Feb 14 with bronchitis, the latest of a series of health issues in recent years.
In a statement earlier Feb 17, the Vatican said tests had confirmed “a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract that has led to a further change in treatment”.
