European foreign ministers meet in Rome to discuss defence as Zelenskyy calls for more sanctions on Russia – Europe live
Putin pays for ‘sick geopolitical fantasies’ with lives, Zelenskyy warns
Zelenskyy also criticised Russia’s Putin for “willing to pay for their sick geopolitical fantasies” with the lives of over one million Russians killed in the war so far.
“A million losses, and, still, they are doing everything to avoid ending this war. They even ignore the US and president Trump,” he said.
He said Russia’s approach to the conflict was particularly troubling as “when life means nothing to those in charge, then no crime is off the table, not even full scale aggression.”
Talking about Ukraine’s response, he talked about its plans to ramp up production of drones, as he added: “I urge your countries to treat drones production with the same urgency and attention that we do.”
In his speech, Zelenskyy specifically referred to the Spiderweb operation targeting 41 Russian aircrafts “used to terrorise our country” with “inexpensive drones.”
He said the damage made “clearly shows how the technologies of war are changing.”
“10 years ago such a strike would have been unimaginable. Today we can’t even imagine what kinds of strikes a country might be able to carry out in 10 years from now,” he said.
He also thanked the Globsec’s host, the Czech Republic, for its support on ammunition supplies.
But looking forward, he called for more sanctions on Russia to defund its plans, warning “you can’t talk Russia into peace.”
“Russia does not really care about such human losses. What they do worry about are harsh sanctions, especially those against Russian oil, including a new price cap. That’s what really threatens them because it could cut off their funding for war,” he said.
Key events
Russian attacks show with clarity that Putin is mocking Trump, Poland’s Sikorski says
Arriving for talks in Rome, Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski said the continued Russian attacks show that “Vladimir Putin of Russia is mocking the peace efforts of president Donald Trump.”
He also stressed that Europe is stepping up its plans for defence, with increased spending.
Talking about the meeting ahead, he said leaders needed to “strategise about what to do to help Ukraine defend itself against this Russian onslaught,” he said.
He said he was particularly concerned about the Russian shadow fleet of ships “that carry huge amount of oil under exotic flags of convenience or no flag at all” and “pose a material danger to a shallow, closed sea like the Baltic.”
Italy needs ‘at least 10 years’ to raise defence spending in line with new Nato target
European foreign ministers are now arriving in Rome for their Weimar+ meeting on security and Ukraine.
Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said his country needs “at least 10 years” to raise defence spending and comply with new targets to be agreed by Nato, adding that a deal on them could soon be reached, Reuters reported.
“I believe that we can do good work with Nato and arrive at The Hague summit with an agreement ready beforehand, so that Nato can demonstrate its unity,” Tajani said speaking alongside Nato secretary general Mark Rutte.
Three dead after Russian attacks on Ukraine overnight
Russian forces have pummeled Ukraine with drones and other weapons, killing three people and injuring scores of others despite international pressure to accept a ceasefire, officials said Thursday.
AP said that according to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched a barrage of 63 drones and decoys at Ukraine overnight. It said that air defenses destroyed 28 drones while another 21 were jammed.
Ukraine’s police said two people were killed and six were injured over the past 24 hours in the eastern Donetsk region, the focus of the Russian offensive. One person was killed and 14 others were also injured in the southern Kherson region, which is partly occupied by Russian forces, police said.
That concludes the Austrian police briefing.
The police say the Graz perpetrator had enough ammunition to continue the attack, but suggested – verging on speculation – that the arrival of first responders may have played a role in him stopping the attack.
Austrian authorities offer more detail on Graz attack
The Austrian authorities are now offering their update on the investigation into the Graz shooting.
Michael Lohnegger from the state police confirmed the perpetrator’s identity as a 21-year-old Austrian, who lived with his mother, and attended some classes at the school before dropping out. It is believed that he was an introvert, who “retreated to virtual world” and online games.
He entered the school on Tuesday morning, when some estimated 350-400 students were inside, went to toilet to change clothes, and started his attack, which lasted around 10 minutes as he fired indiscriminately at students. He later killed himself.
Nine students between 14 and 17 were killed in the attack, and a teacher. 11 people remain injured, some seriously, including another teacher.
A search of his flat, confirmed also by local prosecutor Arnulf Rumpold, returned an attempted pipe bomb, digital storage devices, and a note from the perpetrator, but so far offered no clear motive as to his actions.
Austrian police press conference about to start
The Austrian police press conference should start very soon.
The Guardian’s Kate Connolly is in Graz, too, and here is her latest report:
A 21-year-old former student who shot dead 10 people including pupils and a teacher at his former school in Austria before killing himself had planned to detonate a homemade explosive at the site, police have said.
As the small Alpine country came to a standstill to remember the dead, security officials said on Wednesday that the gunman, named in local media as Arthur A, had built a pipe bomb, but had then “discarded plans to use it” in his attack on Tuesday in Graz. He told his parents in a suicide note that he had acted of his “own free will”.
The young man, who had left the school two years ago without completing his studies, had apologised to his parents and older siblings but had not disclosed a motive for his attack, officials said.
The shooting – the worst in Austria’s postwar history – took place in 17 minutes on Tuesday morning, just after the start of the third lesson of the day.
The killings have sparked a heated debate about weapon possession in Austria, which is among the most heavily weaponised countries in Europe and where most 18-year-olds have easy access to buying guns. Officially, its 9 million citizens own more than 1m weapons, although experts have said the real figure is probably much higher.
Investigation update expected in Austria
Turning briefly to Austria, later today we should get an update from the police on their investigation into the school shooting in Graz, with a press conference scheduled for late morning.
I will bring you any important updates here.
But, as Reuters reports, Austrian investigators were slowly piecing together the character of the man who carried out the country’s worst school shooting, with officials struggling to reach anyone who knew the deceased 21-year-old well.
The Austrian man, identified by local media as Arthur A., killed 10 people before shooting himself at his former high school in the southern city of Graz, sending shockwaves through Austria, which declared three days of national mourning.
Police found discarded plans for a bomb attack and a non-functional bomb during a search of his home after the shooting, but what triggered his destructive urges remains unclear.
Austrian magazine Profil said three months ago the suspect had started practising shooting at a club near his home, citing an unidentified regular at the range.
Putin pays for ‘sick geopolitical fantasies’ with lives, Zelenskyy warns
Zelenskyy also criticised Russia’s Putin for “willing to pay for their sick geopolitical fantasies” with the lives of over one million Russians killed in the war so far.
“A million losses, and, still, they are doing everything to avoid ending this war. They even ignore the US and president Trump,” he said.
He said Russia’s approach to the conflict was particularly troubling as “when life means nothing to those in charge, then no crime is off the table, not even full scale aggression.”
Talking about Ukraine’s response, he talked about its plans to ramp up production of drones, as he added: “I urge your countries to treat drones production with the same urgency and attention that we do.”
In his speech, Zelenskyy specifically referred to the Spiderweb operation targeting 41 Russian aircrafts “used to terrorise our country” with “inexpensive drones.”
He said the damage made “clearly shows how the technologies of war are changing.”
“10 years ago such a strike would have been unimaginable. Today we can’t even imagine what kinds of strikes a country might be able to carry out in 10 years from now,” he said.
He also thanked the Globsec’s host, the Czech Republic, for its support on ammunition supplies.
But looking forward, he called for more sanctions on Russia to defund its plans, warning “you can’t talk Russia into peace.”
“Russia does not really care about such human losses. What they do worry about are harsh sanctions, especially those against Russian oil, including a new price cap. That’s what really threatens them because it could cut off their funding for war,” he said.
Ukraine is just first line of defence against Russia’s plans for aggression, Zelenskyy warns
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is speaking at the Globsec conference in Prague, via a video link.
He warned that the European society and the US have to understand that Vladimir Putin’s war is targeting Nato and “the civilised world,” and Ukraine is “just the very first line” of attack.
“Each line is important, but the most important is the first line, because should it fail, everything will fail,” he said.
Speaking through interpreter, he argued that supporting Ukraine “means security for Europe today.”
“Nato is a reliable ally, but the fact that Ukraine stands there and doesn’t allow the war to spread further, that amounts to strong security guarantees for all of Europe, and so Ukraine must be strengthened,” he said.
I will bring you more quotes from his speech in a moment.
Morning opening: What’s Europe’s plan for Ukraine?
Jakub Krupa
European foreign ministers – from Italy, France, Germany, Poland, UK, Spain, Ukraine – meet in Rome today for talks in the Weimar+ model.
They will be joined by Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte and the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas.
Their meeting will be a chance to discuss Europe’s defence and security plans ahead of the Nato summit in The Hague later this month and coordinate their positions on Ukraine, ahead both Nato and G7 summits.
Separately, German defence minister Boris Pistorius is in Kyiv this morning, on his first trip to Ukraine since the new government of Friedrich Merz took office.
But as there is no progress in talks with Russia, and their lethal attacks on Ukraine continue daily, there is a big question looming over the meeting: what is the plan for Ukraine?
Let’s see if we get any clarity on this today.
I will bring you all the key updates here.
It’s Thursday, 12 June 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
