Europe scrambles to join Ukraine talks as EU nations attempt to bolster militaries – Europe live

8.51am GMT Russia to close down Polish consulate in 'retaliatory' measure after rail sabotage attack In the last few minutes, the Russian foreign ministry has said it summoned Poland’s top diplomat to Moscow to let him know it would close the Polish consulate general in Irkutsk from 30 December. The decision comes as a “retaliatory measure” after Poland’s closure of the Russian consulate in Gdańsk after a rail sabotage attack earlier this month, which Warsaw blamed on the Russian intelligence services, calling it an act of “state terrorism.” Related: Poland closes last Russian consulate after ‘act of state terrorism’ on railway 8.15am GMT Morning opening: Europe scrambles to join talks and help Ukraine The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, insisted that Ukraine can still successfully defend itself, pushing back on the narrative “peddled by Russia,” as he insisted that it’s not Kyiv, but Moscow, who must face pressure to agree to peace. His comments come as European governments continue to plan how they could influence the US-led peace talks on ending the Russian war on Ukraine ahead of further crunch talks expected as early as next week, with the legally tricky issue of somehow using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine still remaining close to the top of the list. But there is also growing focus on Europe’s own defence. Later today, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, will unveil proposals for a new voluntary military service to boost the country’s defences without having to return to regular conscription. Under plans, France will see the number of its reservist grow to 100,000 by 2030. The new volunteers would not serve in overseas missions like a potential peacekeeping deployment to Ukraine, Macron is expected to stress in a bid to quash domestic criticism of the idea. Related: As France prepares military expansion, how is Europe beefing up its armies? The issue of ramping up national – and European – military and potential participation in the future Ukraine mission is also likely to come up during talks between Germany’s Friedrich Merz and Estonia’s Kristen Michel in Berlin. I will bring you all the key updates throughout the day. It’s Thursday, 27 November 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live. Good morning.