February 17, 2025

Good morning. We’re covering Europe’s response to Trump’s Ukraine talks with Russia and the growing pains of East Timor.

Plus, searching for ISIS’s forgotten victims.

Ukrainian forces during training exercises in the Donbas region last week. Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

Cut out of Ukraine talks, E.U. leaders regroup

Europeans leaders are set to convene an emergency meeting in Paris today to discuss the war in Ukraine and European security, French officials said yesterday. The aim is to coordinate a response to the Trump administration’s opening of talks with Russia about ending the war with Ukraine, without an apparent role for Europe — or Kyiv — in the process.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine reiterated in interviews over the weekend that his country would “never” accept a peace deal struck by the U.S. and Russia if Kyiv did not have a seat at the negotiations.

What’s next: Three of President Trump’s top foreign policy aides are set to meet with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia later this week to discuss a path to ending the war.

Security: Recent remarks by Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have fueled concerns that the U.S. will move away from Europe and align with Moscow. Such a shift, analysts say, would give Putin a previously unthinkable victory far greater than any objectives in Ukraine.

No deal: Trump suggested that Ukraine sign over half its mineral resources in exchange for past and future U.S. support. Zelensky rejected such a deal, citing a lack of security guarantees.

More on Trump The Trump administration’s approach to foreign policy deals is reviving a bygone imperial approach that may backfire, experts say. Trump suggested on social media that no laws are broken if he’s “saving his country.” Mayor Eric Adams of New York intends to sue the Trump administration after it clawed back $80 million in funds meant to pay for housing migrants, a letter from City Hall shows. Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk have both attacked Germany’s decades-long approaches to political extremism that were designed to prevent another Hitler. In starting a process to impose reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners, the White House is sowing uncertainty and risks upending the global economy. American scientists are commiserating and strategizing as Trump administration cuts and federal layoffs throw their world into turmoil. Frustrated liberal donors, angry at Trump and the Democrats, are pulling back their cash and hurting some organizations’ ability to push back. Track Trump’s actions since he took office.

Saher Alghorra for The New York Times

Rubio traveled to Israel to discuss Gaza’s future

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met yesterday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in Jerusalem, where they discussed Trump’s call to seize Gaza and force out its Palestinian residents.

Rubio is expected to head to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the coming days, where Arab leaders are almost certain to press him for more clarity about Trump’s Gaza plan.

What’s next: Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, said on Fox News yesterday that talks on phase two of the Gaza cease-fire deal would take place this week. Netanyahu’s office said that the Israeli leader would convene the security cabinet today to discuss the second phase of the agreement.

Hostages: Hamas freed three more Israeli hostages on Saturday, as Israel released 369 Palestinian prisoners.

The Taibesi market in Dili, East Timor, in September. Ulet Ifansasti for The New York Times

The growing pains of Asia’s youngest nation

East Timor is Asia’s youngest country, and its poorest, having gained independence in 2002 after a brutal Indonesian occupation. The country’s economy relies heavily on oil and gas revenue, which is quickly evaporating, and more than 40 percent of the country’s 1.4 million people are estimated to live in poverty.

But by other measures, East Timor is a success. It has built a resilient young democracy and has held competitive elections with multiple transfers of power. East Timor ranks among the highest in Asia for press freedom. Life expectancy has risen, and the entire population now has access to electricity. Experts say that the country is a positive case study for young, post-conflict nations.