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Key events
Merz meets Trump at White House for talks on trade, Ukraine, Middle East and ‘great power rivalry’
Jakub Krupa
Later today, German chancellor Friedrich Merz will meet with US president Donald Trump at the White House for talks on bilateral relations, “great power rivalry” globally, defence, trade, and – unavoidably – the Middle East.
Since Merz will be the first foreign leader to visit Trump since strikes on Iran, there is no escaping this issue – even if the German chancellor would rather focus on other issues.
Merz is likely to publicly back Trump on Iran as he previously said that Berlin shared the Iranian people’s “relief” that “the mullah regime is coming to an end,” and declined to “lecture” the US and Israel on legality of the strikes.
But that doesn’t mean their chat will be easy at all – despite clever diplomatic tricks which last time round saw Merz give Trump his grandfather’s German birth certificate.
Merz historicially was and probably still generally is a commited pro-US politician – with professional links with the US in the past – but has markedly changed his positions since assuming power last year and in response to somewhat erratic decisions of the US president, Donald Trump.
He repeatedly criticised Trump’s decisions on transatlantic trade and the US president’s ambitions to control Greenland, which is part of a Nato ally, Denmark.
Trump’s tariffs are particularly tricky for Germany, and it’s already ailing economy, so Merz is likely to make representations on that point as he hopes to strengthen the economic ties between the two countries.
Merz also repeatedly sought the US administration’s support for Ukraine and against the increasingly dangerous Russia, which he sees as critical for the future of the continent – sometimes putting him at odds with Trump.
He will probably see it as his task to do whatever it takes to bring Trump closer to Europe on Ukraine and Russia.
in his speech at the Munich Security Conference last month, he pointedly warned Trump that “in the era of great power rivalry, even the United States will not be powerful enough to go it alone.”
The pair will have plenty to talk also about including Merz’s recent trip to China, given Trump’s plans to visit the country at the end of the month, with the two largely aligned in their criticism of Chinese measures distorting competition – and the (somewhat reluctant) conclusion that they need to engage anyway.
The chancellor will likely use this point to draw on his geopolitical theory about the new world order emerging from the current chaos – the “great power rivalry” – to argue that, despite differences, Europe and the US need to stick together.
Finally, domestically, Merz is under pressure from the far-right Alternative für Deutschland, which often allied itself with Trump and was publicly endorsed by his allies, including, most prominently, Elon Musk.
But curiously, that relationship appears to have taken a negative turn, with AfD first criticising Trump on Greenland, and now also on Iran.
Speaking on RTL television last night, AfD’s co-leader Tino Chrupalla said that “Donald Trump started as a peace president, and in the end, he will end as a war president.”
Finally, it will be interesting to see if Trump repeats any of his regular criticism of Europe and Germany, particularly on immigration and clear energy, potentially causing him some embarrassment back at home.
In a party speech over the weekend, Merz joked that when they spoke over the phone some time ago, Trump could not believe him that Germany reduced the number of asylum applications by 60% since coming to the office last year.
“What did you say? 60%? I don’t believe it!,” he said, impersonating Trump’s manner of speech (surprisingly well).
He said he would bring him some visuals to make that point again when they see each other today. But knowing the pretty explosive nature of Donald Trump, not sure that would be really welcome.
Let’s see.
France working on flights to get ‘most vulnerable people’ out from the Middle East
Meanwhile, France’s foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that the French government was working on chartering flights to fly “the most vulnerable people” out of the Middle East.
But Le Monde noted that Barrot did not specify how many people could be covered by the flights, with some estimates suggesting as many as 400,000 French nationals are in the region.
The operation could include a mix of civilian and government aircraft, he said.
Barrot suggested that the French diplomatic service was working on producing relevant lists, with citizens urged to register in the French travel alert system “Fil d’Ariane”.
(Yes, it really is named after Ariadne who gave Theseus a thread to escape the Minotaur’s labyrith on Crete. Curiously, Poland’s equivalent system is also named after the Greek mythology – it’s Odysseus.)
A limited number of French people managed to get back to France on rare commercial flights from the region amid continuing airspace disruptions.
Macron to address the nation tonight on Middle East
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, will address the nation tonight to speak about the situation in the Middle East, the Élysée Palace said.
Le Figaro noted that Macron had previously warned the conflict could inflame tensions internationally.
Cyprus earlier said that it had requested some assistance from France, so any announcement on that could be a part of Macron’s speech.
The president is expected to speak live at 8pm local time.
Italy’s Meloni chairs emergency meeting on Middle East, protecting Italian citizens in region
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni also said she chaired an emergency meeting covering “the latest developments in the crisis, with particular attention to measures to assist and ensure the safety of Italian citizens present in the affected areas.”
First flights bringing Italians home arrived in the country overnight (10:57).
Over 480 Poles returned from Middle East, Poland’s Tusk says
Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk said over 480 Poles have returned to Poland from Israel, Jordan and Lebanon, as the government continues working with tour operators to protect its citizens in the region affected by the war.
Poland has not yet sent any government or military rescue flights, working with tour operators and travel agencies to use commercial charter flights instead.
Tusk also said the United Arab Emirates authorities estimate there are 14,000 Poles in the country, including tourists and Polish residents in the country.
He said the UAE assured Poland that it would take care of them – as of all other tourists – until they can safely leave the country.
More than 175 Spaniards being flown back from Abu Dhabi as Spain seeks to protect its citizens in region
Sam Jones
in Madrid
The Spanish government says more than 175 Spaniards are being flown back from Abu Dhabi as it begins evacuating its citizens from the Middle East by land and air.
Speaking at a press conference following Tuesday’s weekly cabinet meeting, the foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, said the government’s focus was on helping and protecting Spaniards in the region.
“The safety of the more than 30,000 Spaniards in the region is our absolute priority,” he said. “The safety of embassy staff and their families is also our priority.”
Albares said an Etihad flight carrying more than 175 Spaniards had left Abu Dhabi and was due into Madrid at 7pm local time on Tuesday.
The minister also warned that the US and Israeli strikes had left the international community facing “a qualitative and quantitative leap in violence with unpredictable consequences for the region and beyond”.
Ireland monitoring situation of citizens in Gulf, calls for de-escalation
Meanwhile, Irish prime minister Micheál Martin offered a brief update on Ireland’s position on the crisis in the Middle East.
He said this morning:
“We’re continuing, obviously, to monitor the situation in the Middle East in terms of the protection of our own citizens.
I convened a meeting yesterday … in terms of contingency planning, and receiving an update, both in terms of citizens in the Gulf and ,of course, our troops in Lebanon, and we will continue to do that and prepare plans in terms of helping and supporting our citizens in the Gulf.
We call for de-escalation of the conflict and a return to the negotiating table.”
EU continues to play down Ukraine’s 2027 accession date ambition
Ahead of von der Leyen’s call with Zelenskyy later today, the European Commission was also asked about Ukraine’s 2027 target for joining the bloc.
A spokesperson for the commission said that it was Ukraine’s ambition, but the EU “cannot have it as our reference” as it needs to go through the formal process and get the political agreement of all other member states.
She also stressed that Ukraine has “been doing formidable work in extremely, extremely challenging conditions.”
“We’re talking about a country in war which nonetheless has been pursuing reforms and therefore needs to be encouraged,” she said.
EU currently ‘does not have reason to believe’ Middle East crisis could trigger migratory flows, commission says
The European Commission currently “does not have a reason to believe that we are changes in migratory flows” as a result of the Middle East crisis, but the bloc will continue to monitor trends.
The commission’s internal affairs spokesperson, Markus Lammert, said the commission was “closely monitoring the situation” and was “in close contact with our partners in the region.”
“The commission is enhancing preparedness through closer monitoring of trends and reinforced cooperation with relevant UN agencies and partner countries,” he said.
“Thanks to our strong, close and sustained cooperation with partner countries along all migratory routes, arrival figures have decreased significantly in the past year,” he added.
The European Commission has just been asked about Orbán’s letter, saying it has not reached Brussels yet.
An EU spokesperson said they will read it and respond when they get it, adding merely that theu continue working with Hungary, Slovakia and Hungary to resolve the issue.
EU’s Ursula von der Leyen will also speak with Zelenskyy later today, so “this could come up,” the spokesperson added.
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy warns Iran conflict could disrupt weapons flow to Ukraine
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that the US involvement against Iran could disrupt the flow of weapons that Ukraine needs to continue defending itself against Russian invasion.
In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Zelenskyy said that the previous conflict between Israel and Iran last year “slowed down” deliveries to Ukraine.
This time, “it has not happened yet, but I fear it could,” he told the Italian newspaper.
Zelenskyy also said the war leaves Russia’s Vladimir Putin “weaker”, showing that he is “a weak ally” who “talks, but doesn’t act.”
He said that the next trilateral meeting with the US and Russia was still planned for early March, although it may no longer be held in Abu Dhabi.
He expressed his preferenced to hold them in Geneva or elsewhere in Europe, suggesting Austria, the Vatican or Turkey as potential locations.
Zelenskyy also responded to growing criticms from Hungary and Slovakia over the Druzhba pipeline, insisting that it was not operational as a result of Russian bombings.
He said he made it clear to the Slovak prime minister, Robert Fico, that “to repair it, a ceasefire is needed and this must be made clear to Putin.”
Hungary’s Orbán and Slovakia’s Fico are the only two EU leaders that kept engaging with Russia and Putin during the war, including visits to Moscow.
On Monday, Fico requested an urgent meeting with the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to discuss the pipeline’s status. Earlier, he also spoke on the phone with Zelenskyy, with the pair discussing a potential meeting in person.
On Tuesday, Orbán also asked the commission to intervene, doubling down on his threat to block all EU decisions related to Ukraine until the situation is resolved.
Global travel continues to be severely disrupted by Middle East conflict
Global air travel remains severely disrupted after the war in Iran forced the closure of key Middle Eastern hubs including Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, stranding tens of thousands of passengers worldwide and disrupting thousands of flights, Reuters reported.
BA said its flights to Amman, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Doha and Tel Aviv up to and including 5 March were cancelled.
Air France cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dubai and Riyadh through 5 March, with KLM suspending flights to Dubai, Riyadh and Damman until 9 March.
Etihad said it had suspended all flights to and from Abu Dhabi hub until tomorrow morning.
Several countries, including Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, were hoping to reopen their airspace today, but this may change as the security situation keeps evolving.
FlightRadar24 has the up-to-date list of closures and disruptions here.
Italian defence minister apologises for Dubai trip which left him stranded in first hours of war
The family of the Italian defence minister, who was embarrassingly left stranded in Dubai in first hours of the war, has returned to Italy on last night’s return flight to Rome Fiumicino airport, local media reported.
As we reported yesterday, Guido Crosetto returned on Sunday on an Italian state flight, which sparked further criticism, as hundreds of other Italians remain stuck in Dubai while he was evacuated alone.
To avoid further backlash, he left his family in Dubai and flew back by himself. He has said he paid for the flight out of his own pocket. “I paid triple with my own money,” he said, citing he had to go to Dubai ‘‘for personal reasons.’’
But his family has now returned to Italy last night, joining over 120 tourists flying out from Oman, Corriere della Sera reported.
Meanwhile, Crosetto was left red-faced as he was questioned in parliament about his Dubai trip and its timing, ultimately apologising for his error of judgment, Corriere said.
Opposition lawmakers also argued that the fact that he was caught wrong-footed in Dubai meant that Italy had not been told about the US plans to attack Iran, despite prime minister Meloni’s close relationship with the US president, Donald Trump.
But as it turns out, Crosetto was not the only EU minister stuck in Dubai, with the Czech sports minister Boris Šťastný also left stranded in the Gulf, making a complicated trip back last night.
Greek defence minister visits Cyprus amid calls for reinforcements
Greek defence minister Nikos Dendias is in Cyprus today, after the Greek government’s decision to send reinforcements to help protect the island.
Four Greek F-16 arrived in Cyprus last night, stationing at Andreas Papanderous Paphos base, with two frigates also believed to be on their way.
He will meet with the Cypriot president Nikos Christodoulides and later with his Cypriot counterpart Vasilis Palmas.
France also said it would send anti-missile and anti-drone systems. Cyprus also reportedly requested further assistance from Germany, with local media reporting that a decision is expected “imminently.”
Spain reasserts its sovereignty, right to defend international law after refusing to let US use Spanish bases for Iran strikes
Sam Jones
in Madrid
The Spanish government appears to be reacting to some of the overnight criticism from Israel over its refusal to allow the US to use jointly operated bases in southern Spain to carry out strikes on Iran.
Óscar López, Spain’s digital transformation minister – and Pedro Sánchez’s former chief of staff – has insisted that Spain is a “serious country” and a reliable Nato member.
Speaking to reporters in Barcelona on Tuesday morning, López said: “Spain is a serious country and a reliable partner, and it is also a country that loves international law and peace.”
In remarks reported by the Spanish news agency Efe, the minister said Spain’s position on the Iran offensive was very clear. “Spain, of course, exercises its sovereignty and defends international law and a rules-based order,” he said.
On the question of evacuating Spanish citizens currently stranded in the Middle East, López said the government was in constant touch with embassies in the region, adding that the aim was “to be able to evacuate citizens gradually, depending on how airspace reopens”.
Israel criticises Spain’s Sánchez for refusing to let US use Spanish military bases to strike Iran
Sam Jones
in Madrid
Israel has hit back at the Spanish government’s refusal to give the US permission to use jointly operated military bases on its territory to attack Iran, accusing the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, of being on the wrong side of history.
Sánchez has explicitly condemned the US and Israel’s “unilateral military action” against Iran, warning that it is contributing to “a more hostile and uncertain international order”. The rebukes have been reinforced by his government’s refusal to allow the US to use bases in Rota and Morón for the continuing strikes against Iran.
In a post on X on Monday evening, Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, accused Sánchez – a staunch critic of Israel’s prosecution of the war in Gaza – of pandering to terrorists and oppressive regimes.
“First, Hamas thanked Sánchez,” wrote Sa’ar. “Then the Houthis thanked Sánchez. Now Iran thanks him. Is that being on the “right side” of history?”
Sa’ar also retweeted criticism of Sánchez from the US Republican senator Lindsey Graham, who wrote:
“The current government in Spain is becoming the gold standard of pathetically weak European leadership that has lost its moral way, apparently reluctant to condemn the terrorist regime in Iran and have nothing but criticism for the United States.”
On Saturday, Sánchez said Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu’s offensive was making the world less stable and called for a lasting political solution to the conflict.
He returned to the theme in a speech in Barcelona on Sunday.
“Today, more than ever, it’s vital to remember that you can be against a hateful regime – as Spanish society is as a whole when it comes to the Iranian regime – and, at the same time, against an unjustified and dangerous military intervention that is outside international law,” he said.
Morning opening: How to get out of there?
Jakub Krupa
The first wave of European travellers stranded by the Middle East conflict returned home overnight, securing seats on the few remaining flights out of the region.
British, Czech, Italian and Polish media reported first successful returns from Oman and the United Arab Emirates after just a few carriers managed to take off and leave the affected area.
Hundreds of thousands are still believed to be in the region with countries stepping up their evacuation plans, with many countries continuing to advise them to shelter in place until the situation improves.
The European Commission said late on Monday it was working on “stepping up support for Member States’ evacuation and repatriation efforts.”
Expect more details to emerge soon, but the increasingly complex and challenging security situation in the region does not make it any easier.
Separately, France has pledged to send anti-missile and anti-drone systems to Cyprus after a British airbase on the island was attacked by drones, the Cyprus News Agency said. Earlier, Greece sent four F-16 fighter jets and two frigates to assist with the island’s defence.
Later today, our attention will shift towards the US as German chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected at the White House for his much-awaited meeting with the US president, Donald Trump.
Lots for us to cover.
It’s Tuesday, 3 March 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
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