France and Germany have decided to abandon the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter jet program, according to multiple media reports citing French and German government sources.
Britain, France, and Germany backed Ukraine's terms for ending the war after meeting its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in London, according to their joint statement. They endorsed Kyiv's push for direct talks with Moscow and an immediate ceasefire, while spelling out what a lasting peace would require. The leaders also called for tightening the squeeze on Russia's war economy and scaling up Ukraine's air defenses.
Russia has been invading Ukraine since 2014 and waging all-out war since February 2022, and with Moscow still rejecting every ceasefire on offer, Kyiv and its Western partners are now trying to map out how the fighting could actually end.
Five conditions for peace
Meeting on 7 June, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz set out five conditions for a just and lasting peace. The E3, as the three are known, are Ukraine's leading European backers. Their terms:
An immediate, complete ceasefire, which they urged Putin to accept.
The current front line as the starting point for talks, with no borders changed by force and Ukraine free to choose its alliances.
Robust, legally binding security guarantees once a ceasefire holds, building on the allies' December 2025 Berlin and January 2026 Paris commitments, including a multinational force in Ukraine.
Russian assets remain immobilized until Moscow ends its aggression and compensates Ukraine.
European interests safeguarded, with any EU- or NATO-related terms requiring both blocs' consent.
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Backing for direct talks with Moscow
The leaders commended Ukraine's president for his 4 June letter to Putin calling to end the war. They backed direct Ukraine-Russia dialogue, with the US and Europe actively taking part, to secure a ceasefire. Europe must play a role in any settlement, they said, working closely with Kyiv, the rest of Europe, and Washington.
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Pressure on Russia and more air defense
They denounced Russia's barrage of missiles and drones, including repeated strikes with the Oreshnik, a Russian missile. They also condemned dangerous Russian drone incursions into NATO territory and offered condolences to the victims. The leaders welcomed Ukraine's recent battlefield gains, from liberated territory to advances in drone warfare. They agreed to coordinate more support at the coming G7 summit in Evian, the next Coalition of the Willing meeting, and the NATO summit in Ankara. That includes choking off more of Russia's wartime revenue and a bigger military pledge at the NATO talks. They also urged scaling up interceptor production and co-developing anti-ballistic and deep-strike weapons.
Two Turkish F-16 fighter jets tracked the official state aircraft of the European ministers from a distance. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, Tim Felce, CC BY SA 2
Turkey denied that its jets harassed the military aircraft carrying Greek National Defense Minister Nikos Dendias and his French and Dutch counterparts to Cyprus.
Earlier, it was reported that the “control tower” of the illegal Tymbou Airport in occupied Cyprus attempted to jam the aircrafts’ communications system. Furthermore, according to Philenews, two Turkish F-16 fighter jets scrambled from Tymbou, tracking the official state aircraft of the European ministers from a distance as they headed toward Cyprus.
A statement from the Turkish Presidency said that “claims in certain news media and social media accounts” about such harassment on Sunday and about Turkish warplanes violating Greek airspace were “completely false.”
The statement said that four of the six aircraft heading from Greece to Cyprus “breached the airspace” of Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus, and as a result two Turkish F-16 fighters took off from the ethnically divided island’s north “as a precaution.”
It said the F-16s did not enter Cypriot airspace and “there was no harassment” of the four aircraft.
The incident took place just hours before France and Cyprus were set to sign a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) on Monday, which will allow Paris to station military forces on the island.
France and Cyprus to sign military deployment agreement
The agreement will be signed in Nicosia by French Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin and her Cypriot counterpart, Vassilis Palmas. Both ministers are scheduled to attend an informal meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council (Defense) on the same day.
The Turkish Cypriot side condemned the agreement as “null, void, and legally invalid.” They expressed concerns that the deal could alter the balance of power on the island, disregard Turkish Cypriot rights, and escalate regional tensions. They further argued that the Republic of Cyprus lacks the authority to sign such an agreement on behalf of the entire island.
Solar system’s two brightest planets appear close together low above the western horizon after sunset this week
The two brightest planets meet this week in the western twilight sky. The chart shows the view looking west-northwest at 21:45 BST. No stars will yet be visible, but Venus and Jupiter will be brilliant against the darkening sky.
The planets will be separated by about 1.5 degrees – about the width of three full moons. They will be low to the horizon, so you will need a clear sightline in their direction. If you can find a hill, that will help too.
by R. Cort Kirkwood, The New American: Former U.S. counterterrorism chief Joe Kent is warning about the danger of an Israel-first provision in the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would permanently entangle the U.S. and Israeli militaries, making them almost one. Introduced as free-standing legislation, Section 224 of the NDAA, the United States-Israel […]
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