Zelenskyy and Vance to hold talks as Europe pushes back against Trump’s Ukraine comments – Europe live

Details on Zelenskyy's meetings with US leaders

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks in Kyiv earlier this week. Photograph: Efrem Lukatsky/AP

I earlier mentioned various behind-the-scenes meetings that are expected to take place at the Munich Security Conference today.

Our diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour has this latest update on meetings between the US and Ukraine:

The US vice-president, JD Vance, will face calls for greater consultation and coherence when he meets European leaders, including the president of Ukraine, at a security conference in Munich.

The timing of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with US officials, initially scheduled for Friday morning, remained unclear because the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, had to change his flight from Washington when the plane experienced a mechanical fault.

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Hegseth 'does not believe' US troops could be deployed to Ukraine, but leaves it open for negotiations

Hegseth gets asked about any potential deployment of US troops to Ukraine, and strikes a similar tone.

He repeats that he “does not believe, as a part of those negotiations, that US troops will be on the ground.”

But, again, caveats that heavily:

Negotiations happen. The president has latitude, and what happens is those negotiations is his prerogative.

Hegseth hints at European involvement in Ukraine talks, but defends earlier statements

Hegseth pushes back on suggestions he had to roll back his original comments on Ukraine made at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group earlier this week.

I stand by the comments that I made on that first day in the Ukraine contact group – and that’s for all the press out there who it’s difficult for them to understand that we stand by the statements we made … – about the status of US forces or Nato’s or Ukraine’s involvement in Nato and the unlikely nature of that.

But, but, but:

That said, I would never put constraints around what the President of the United States would be willing to negotiate with the sovereign leaders of both Russia and Ukraine.

So what those borders ultimately look like, sir, remains to be seen, and I think is part of the discussion that would be had between our president, Zelensky, Putin and likely Europe’s involvement in those discussions as well.

Hegseth continues with lots of praise for Poland, mentioning joint missions overseas, as he says “the level of partnership, just to underscore here, is unmatched in Europe.”

'Diplomacy is important, but ultimately ... hard power matters,' US Hegseth says

Hegseth continues:

Diplomacy is important. Talk is important. Negotiations are important, but ultimately … bullets and tanks and helicopters and hard power still matters.

Poland understands that, and so do we. They’re exceeding Nato burden sharing commitments, and we’re looking for even more ways to partner.

Poland is 'the model ally,' Hegseth says praising high defence spending

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth opens with praises for Poland:

Our friendship, our bond is ironclad, and we came here specifically to reinforce that.

We says he deliberately picked Poland for his first bilateral meeting in Europe to acknowledge Warsaw’s spending on defence as he calls Poland “the model ally.”

I do want to emphasise that it’s quite intentional that our first European bilateral is right here in Poland. The symbol, the symbolism, is not lost. In fact, it is intentional.

We see Poland as the model ally on the continent, willing to invest not just in their defence, but in our shared defence and the defence of the continent.

Opening the press conference, Kosiniak-Kamysz stresses the need for Europe to increase defence spending, while hailing Poland’s efforts in this area as it spends nearly 5% of GDP on defence.

Poland is a country that understands that greater defense spendings are definitely a must. Europe must spend more.

He floats the idea of a joint venture with the US to increase defence production.

Europe must wake up. Europe must invest in a defence industry, and we want to create joint venture companies with the United States to be able to use these resources better.

Poland can and should be a hub of infrastructure, for maintenance, for economy and businesses of the United States.

US defence secretary Hegseth speaks in Warsaw

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth, left, and Poland's defence minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, right, pose for the picture before their meeting in Warsaw. Photograph: Czarek Sokołowski/AP

And we’re quickly crossing to Warsaw, Poland, where US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has met with Polish defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, and they’re now speaking at a press conference together.

I’ll bring you the key lines here.

36 injured in Munich attack as police suspect Islamist motivation, police say

Emergency response at the scene. Photograph: dts News Agency Germany/REX/Shutterstock

• At least 36 people have been injured in a suspected car ramming attack in Munich yesterday, with some with critical and severe injuries, police said at a press briefing this morning.

• A 24-year-old Afghan man remains in custody as the main suspect in the attack. Despite initial reports from officials, he was in Germany legally, and with no previous convictions. He remains under arrest.

• Police says the suspect has shown potential Islamist motivation behind the attack, but he has no known links to terrorist groups.

• Officers are looking into his contacts and online communications to understand more about his potential motivation.

• There are no known links between the attack and the Munich Security Conference.

36 injured in suspected Munich car ramming attack, police say

Police response in Munich. Photograph: dts News Agency Germany/REX/Shutterstock

Munich police has just confirmed that the number of injured in yesterday’s suspected car ramming attack has gone up to 36.

There are no known links between the attack and today’s Munich Security Conference.

Munich police conference on suspended car ramming attack underway

Police work at the scene after a vehicle was driven into a Ver.di demonstration in Munich. Photograph: Ronald Wittek/EPA

Munich police is now offering updates on yesterday’s suspected car ramming attack.

I will bring you the key news lines soon.

Town-hall election debate in Germany - catch up

Berlin correspondent

German chancellor candidates of the SPD, CDU, Greens and AfD answer citizens' questions during the ZDF program 'Klartext' in Berlin. Photograph: Michael Kappeler/EPA

The four main German candidates clashed at a town-hall-style debate on public television last night, and delved into the bread-and-butter issues like energy costs and rising rents that a lot of viewers said was missing from Sunday’s duel between conservative frontrunner Friedrich Merz and the chancellor, Olaf Scholz.

The unique format, in which each candidate had 30 minutes on stage responding to audience questions followed by a brief overlap with the next participant, led to a rare joint appearance on stage between Merz and the far-right AfD’s Alice Weidel.

Friedrich Merz (R), candidate for chancellor and chair of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU), shakes hands with Alice Weidel (L), chancellor candidate for the Alternative for Germany (AfD), during the ZDF program 'Klartext' in Berlin. Photograph: Michael Kappeler/EPA

The two shared a cordial handshake before it got scrappy, with Merz asked if he would consider a coalition with her party. Merz was clear, telling Weidel pointedly: “We made a decision: not with you.” Merz said that with its opposition to “the EU, Nato and the euro”, the AfD ran against “everything my party has stood for”.

Weidel responded by repeatedly taunting Merz that by maintaining the “firewall” against the AfD, he was opening the door to a coalition between his CDU/CSU bloc and the Greens, the bogeymen of the right wing and the far right. “Come on, say it – tell them,” she needled. Merz said he would await the outcome of the 23 February election, but voiced a preference for an alliance with the Social Democrats instead.

News website Spiegel found Merz cut the most statesman-like and likeable figure, compared to the wonkish performances turned in by Scholz and Greens candidate Robert Habeck. “Friedrich Merz of all people, who often comes off as arrogant on television, did well. But this TV format suited him -- he seemed composed and genuinely interested in people.”

Weidel began her half hour with tough comments about Thursday’s car ramming in Munich which injured 30 people, some of them severely. Referring to the suspect, an Afghan asylum seeker, she asserted: “The man would never have made it into the country under an AfD-led government.”

Alice Weidel, chancellor candidate for the Alternative for Germany (AfD), speaks during the ZDF program 'Klartext' in Berlin. Photograph: Michael Kappeler/EPA

But an apparent attempt to soften her image later faltered when the head of an elder care home in the audience told her the AfD’s highly restrictive immigration policy would create catastrophic labour shortages in his sector. After she accused him of failing to read her party’s manifesto, the man shot back: “You should read your party manifesto.” Weidel then accused him of being a plant to sabotage her appearance. “I have the impression that you learned that (the AfD criticism) by heart.” Several members of the audience jeered at Weidel in response.

Nine days to go until election day.