Trump says ‘there will be trade deal’ with EU, ‘100%’
Going back to Trump’s comments before his lunch with Meloni, he also appeared – for the first time – to endorse the idea of a trade deal with the EU, saying:
There will be a trade deal, 100%. … Of course there will be a trade deal, very much. They want to make one very much, and we are going to make a trade deal. I fully expect it.
But it’ll be a fair deal.
Upon Meloni’s arrival, Trump was also asked how confident he was about getting a deal with the EU, and he said he “very confident,” according to a WH video.
We should hear again from them soon, this time from the Oval Office.
Key events
Closing summary
US ‘want this war to end,’ US Rubio tells Russia’s Lavrov after Paris meetings
Ukraine ‘wants war to end as soon as possible,’ foreign minister says after Paris talks
‘We all share … desire for peace,’ Macron says after Paris talks, with follow up expected in London next week
France praises ‘excellent’ talks with US Rubio, Witkoff in Paris
Meloni on message and not in mood for taking chances – snap analysis
Bessent says US, Ukraine ‘still working’ out details of minerals deal signing
Trump says he’s ‘not a big fan’ of Zelenskyy, criticises Europe’s immigration policies
Minerals deal to be signed next Thursday, soon, says Trump
UK-France’s plans for peace missions ‘always good with me,’ Trump says
Trump expecting to hear from Russia on Ukraine this week
Trump says ‘there will be trade deal’ with EU, ‘100%’
Full Zelenskyy quotes on minerals deal, Patriots, Witkoff, China
‘We are in no rush’ on trade, Trump says before lunch with Meloni
Giorgia Meloni arrives at White House for talks with Trump
Zelenskyy says Ukraine close to signing minerals memorandum with US, but attacks Witkoff for ‘spreading Russian narratives’
Rubio, Witkoff meet with European partners at Élysée
Pope Francis makes surprise visit to Rome prison ahead of Easter
US hails ‘very special relationship’ with Italy’s Meloni as country ramps up defence spending
Meloni consults with EU leaders before meeting Trump in ‘difficult moment’ for transatlantic relations
Venice’s €5 tourist fee returns – and will double for last-minute day-trippers
Bulgarian government survives no confidence vote
Russia, Belarus not invited to second world war commemoration event in Berlin
Some countries try to ‘derail’ Russia’s relations with US, top negotiator claims
French president Macron meets with Rubio, Witkoff at Élysée
Paris talks with allies focused on ‘paths to fair and lasting peace’, Ukraine’s foreign minister says
Élysée meetings in Paris get under way
Russia blames Europe for continuing war in Ukraine
‘We must put pressure on killers,’ Zelenskyy urges partners
‘Drug-dealing scum’ most likely behind French prison attacks, French minister says
Former UK minister says he is ‘disgusted’ by Trump’s ‘weasel language’ on Russia
Morning opening: Diplomatic blitz
Closing summary
Jakub Krupa
… and on that note, it’s a wrap from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni met with US president Donald Trump in the White House for talks about trade, Ukraine and a range of bilateral issues, during which she got lots of praise from Trump and invited him for a visit to Rome (18:05, 19:47, 20:32).
In his most positive comments on trade talks with the EU so far, Trump said “there will be a trade deal, 100%,” but stressed it would be “a fair deal” (19:24), and that there’s no rush (18:21).
On Ukraine, Trump sent mixed signals, saying he “wants the death, the killing to stop,” and that he was “not happy with anybody involved,” putting extra pressure on Zelenskyy by saying he’s “not a big fan” (20:14).
The US suggested the minerals deal with Ukraine is close to being signed, suggesting it could happen next Thursday (19:55, 20:20).
Elsewhere, US state secretary Marco Rubio and White House envoy Steve Witkoff took part in extensive talks with British, French, German, and Ukrainian officials, hosted by French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris (12:01, 12:56, 13:51, 17:05, 20:56, 21:07).
Rubio debriefed his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov after talks, telling him that Trump and the US “want this war to end,” and “peace is possible if all parties commit to reaching an agreement” (21:25).
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy accussed White House envoy Witkoff for “spreading Russian narratives,” as he warned about Russia’s increasingly closer cooperation with China (19:05) and potential mobilisation of further troops (17:58).
And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
US ‘want this war to end,’ US Rubio tells Russia’s Lavrov after Paris meetings
US state secretary Marco Rubio spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to “convey … the same message the US team communicated to the Ukrainian delegation and our European allies in Paris,” the US Department of State spokesperson said.
“President Trump and the United States want this war to end, and have now presented to all parties the outlines of a durable and lasting peace. The encouraging reception in Paris to the US framework shows that peace is possible if all parties commit to reaching an agreement,” the statement added.
Ukraine ‘wants war to end as soon as possible,’ foreign minister says after Paris talks
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha also offered his take on today’s talks, saying on social media that he “noted the progress in peace efforts and underscored the importance of American leadership and involvement.”
“Ukraine is committed to peace efforts and wants the war to end as soon as possible,” he stressed.
“I reiterated that Ukraine unconditionally accepted a full interim ceasefire on March 11th in Jeddah. It needs to be done as soon as possible,” he added.
‘We all share … desire for peace,’ Macron says after Paris talks, with follow up expected in London next week
French president Emmanuel Macron seems to be a reader of this blog, as he called today a “diplomatic mobilisation” (I said “blitz” in the opening post at 9:45, but let’s not allow these minor differences divide us unnecessarily).
In a summary just posted on social media, he thanked all delegations for taking part in talks, and said “clearly, we all share the same desire for peace.”
“From the beginning, we have supported the President’s @realDonaldTrump proposal to end the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible,” he said.
“We engaged in a positive and constructive discussion on how to achieve both a ceasefire and a comprehensive and lasting peace,” he added.
Macron also said that he not only spoke with Zelenskyy before the talks (13:51), but also once again this evening “to coordinate” on next actions.
“Discussions will continue next week in London,” he said.
France praises ‘excellent’ talks with US Rubio, Witkoff in Paris
Elsewhere, we heard more about today’s meetings at the Élysée Palace in Paris.
French officials praised “excellent” talks with allies, saying they had launched “a positive process” as Kyiv’s allies seek to rekindle stalled ceasefire efforts, AFP reported.
Another meeting of envoys from the United States, France, Britain, Germany and Ukraine is to take place next week in London, they said.
Meloni on message and not in mood for taking chances – snap analysis
Jakub Krupa
I thought it was a fascinating and telling moment when Meloni interrupted the interpreter, when she struggled with the Italian prime minister’s response to a particularly sensitive question about Zelenskyy and Ukraine.
Meloni clearly didn’t want to risk any inaccuracies or nervousness creeping in there, and quickly pivoted to highlight Italy’s new commitment to spending 2% of its GDP on defense – a move that shows her alignment with Trump’s demands.
Throughout the public portion of the meeting, she stuck closely to the script: praising Trump and drawing attention to the challenges shared by both administrations.
It was an impressive display of message discipline from the Italian PM, and she and her aides will be pleased with how it played out.
That concludes the press conference.
Bessent says US, Ukraine ‘still working’ out details of minerals deal signing
Responding to a question on the minerals deal and if Zelenskyy will come to the White House to sign it, Trump defers to treasury secretary Scott Bessent, who says the sides are still working details out, but it would be signed next week.
“It’s substantially what we agreed on previously with the president,” he says, saying “I think it’s an 80 page agreement and that’s what will be signed.”
Trump says he’s ‘not a big fan’ of Zelenskyy, criticises Europe’s immigration policies
Meloni just got asked in Italian about what she makes of Trump holding Zelenskyy responsible for the war in Ukraine. She offered a lengthy answer, also in Italian.
“That was so beautiful. What … what did she say?,” Trump laughed.
The interpreter then explained the question in English, and you could feel the tension in the room rising.
But as the interpreter nervously tries to relay the exchange, Meloni quickly jumps in and deflects to Italian defence spending, saying she will raise it to 2% as per Nato targets.
When she ends, Trump says that he doesn’t hold Zelenskyy responsible, “but I am not exactly thrilled with the fact that that war started,” as he talks about the scale of destruction in Ukraine.
“So I’m not happy with him, and I’m not happy with anybody involved,” he says.
He ends: “I’m not blaming him, but what I am saying is that I wouldn’t say he’s done the greatest job. I’m not a big fan.”
Another Italian reporter asks about Trump’s words describing Europe as a “parasite.” Meloni questions if he ever said that, and Trump denies it happened.
In another question on “making Europe great again,” he says:
I hope that Europe is going to be great again. Europe has gone through a lot of problems, and a lot of it’s having to do with immigration.
And I’m not a big fan of Europe and what they’ve done with immigration at all, and I think they’re going to get smart, because Europe is being very badly hurt by what they’ve done with immigration.
He praises Meloni for her immigration policy, and insists:
“Europe is very important to me. Europe is very important to the world. I want Europe to do very well. I think they have to get a lot smarter on immigration.”
Jakub Krupa
There’s lots of domestic US questions being raised, which must be slightly awkward for Meloni as she listens to Trump talking about egg prices, alleged migrants from Congo, and who is fake news.
If you care about these issues in detail, you can follow our US blog here:
But I’m not giving up just yet and am still hoping they’ll eventually get back to talking about issues to do with Italy and Europe at some point – and not about “why Jimmy Carter died a happy man”.
Minerals deal to be signed next Thursday, soon, says Trump
On minerals deal, Trump says “we have a minerals deal, which I guess is going to be signed on Thursday, next Thursday, soon.”
He declines to respond to Zelenskyy’s comment on China, saying “I have no comment on that, I have no idea; that’s his statement, not mine.”
UK-France’s plans for peace missions ‘always good with me,’ Trump says
Asked about the UK-French plans for a reassurance force – called by reporter “a peace mission” – in Ukraine, Trump says “peace missions are always good with me, I’m OK with peace missions.”
Trump expecting to hear from Russia on Ukraine this week
On Ukraine, Meloni says “we have been defending the freedom of Ukraine together,” and adds “we can build just and lasting peace.”
Trump adds saying “we are doing well,” and insists “we want to get it done” to save lives.
“We’ll see what we can do. And I think we’re getting close, but we’ll let you know very soon,” he says.
Asked about Putin’s response, he says “we’re going to be hearing from them this week, very shortly, actually.”
“We want the death, the killing to stop,” he says.
Meloni says Trump has accepted her invitation for an official trip to Rome “in the near future,” as she say it could also be an opportunity to meet with other European leaders.
“The goal for me is to make the West great again,” she says.
Trump and Meloni are now in the Oval Office.
He opens by saying Meloni “is doing a fantastic job” and “has taken Europe by storm,” and adds she “has become a friend.”
Meloni says they have lots to talk about, including on tackling irregular migration and synthetic drugs, like fentanyl, among others, but also on trade, economy, and energy, hinting at plans to increase LNG imports.
I will bring you the key lines from their chat here.
Trump says ‘there will be trade deal’ with EU, ‘100%’
Going back to Trump’s comments before his lunch with Meloni, he also appeared – for the first time – to endorse the idea of a trade deal with the EU, saying:
There will be a trade deal, 100%. … Of course there will be a trade deal, very much. They want to make one very much, and we are going to make a trade deal. I fully expect it.
But it’ll be a fair deal.
Upon Meloni’s arrival, Trump was also asked how confident he was about getting a deal with the EU, and he said he “very confident,” according to a WH video.
We should hear again from them soon, this time from the Oval Office.
Full Zelenskyy quotes on minerals deal, Patriots, Witkoff, China
Here are the quotes from Zelenskyy’s that I flagged earlier (17:58), via AFP and Reuters.
“This is a memorandum of intent. And we have positive, constructive intentions.”
“Ukraine is ready to purchase at least 10 systems. I told President Trump about this minimum during our phone conversation. He told me that America would work on it. So far, I have no other information.”
“I believe that Mr Witkoff has taken on the strategy of the Russian side. I think it is very dangerous, because he is consciously or unconsciously, I don’t know, spreading Russian narratives.”
“We have finally received information that China is supplying weapons to the Russian Federation. … We believe that Chinese representatives are engaged in the production of some weapons on Russian territory.”
