The war in Ukraine and the new US president Donald Trump’s bid to end it in direct talks with Russia takes centre stage this week.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio is due to meet Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Saudi Arabia today.
And with Ukraine not invited to the initial talks in Riyadh, there is heightening concern in in Kyiv and other EU capitals about how the White House will run the planned negotiations.
As Jack Power and Daniel McLaughlin report, a small group of European leaders met for an emergency summit in Paris on Monday to discuss how to make sure Europe plays a role in future negotiations between Ukraine, Russia and the US to end the Continent’s biggest war since 1945.
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The summit brought together the leaders of France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Poland, Denmark, Spain and the Netherlands, who discussed ways to guarantee Ukraine’s security in any settlement.
UK prime minister Keir Starmer said his country would be willing to contribute troops to a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz said the terms of any peace could not be dictated to Ukraine, a sentiment echoed by other European leaders.
EU states will have to significantly increase the amount they spend on their defence and militaries, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said.
Here in Ireland, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris is expected to update Cabinet on the situation in Ukraine and Ireland’s support for the country.
He is expected to flag a proposal to provide Ukraine with €50 million in non-lethal military support under proposals aimed at circumventing Hungary’s blocking of some European Union funding for Kyiv.
With contacts between US and Russian officials beginning to intensify, the groundwork is being laid for a possible meeting between Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
EU diplomats privately expressed concern that Mr Trump may put pressure on Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy to accept an unfavourable deal that undermines the future security of Ukraine, and possibly Europe.
It feels like some of the most momentous political events of our time - at least where Europe is concerned - may well be playing out on the international stage.
Best Reads
Expectations were high as the Cabinet committee on housing met for the first time on Monday as the new Government seeks to get to grips with the housing crisis.
The meeting was well flagged over the last week. In the end no tax breaks for property development were tabled despite days of speculation that the Coalition was considering the contentious measures. The meeting came after Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe made a pointed intervention, pushing back against the mooted reintroduction of tax breaks similar to those seen during the Celtic Tiger.
They may come up for discussion again at a future date. As for the outcome of the meeting, there is to be a new Strategic Housing Activation Office to unblock infrastructure delays. And Ministers have been asked to prioritise the delivery of utilities like water and electricity to service sites for housing development, implement the Planning and Development Bill, review rent pressure zones and progress the Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill among other measures.
Niamh Towey has an explainer on the short-term letting legislation and why it was stalled.
You can read Jack Horgan-Jones’ analysis on how Fianna Fáil interventions on housing prompt puzzlement in Fine Gael.
Elsewhere, the new National Children’s Hospital may not fully open to patients until 2026, Sarah Burns reports.
Briefing material for the new Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill says that the projected completion date for the hospital remains for this June but a subsequent “operational commissioning” phase will take at least six months. The briefing note from her department also says migration to the new hospital cannot be undertaken in winter due to “clinical risks”, which indicates it will be next year until the hospital finally opens fully.
Homeowners will be able to rent out the use of their electric vehicle (EV) chargers to members of the public through an online platform under a new pilot scheme seeking to promote more sustainable transport. Shauna Bowers has the story.
Playbook
The Cabinet meets this morning with the situation in Ukraine, IDA Ireland’s new five-year strategy and plans to order up to 100 electricity generators in the wake of Storm Éowyn on the agenda. Here’s what you can expect.
Dáil proceedings kick off with Leaders’ Questions at 2pm followed by Taoiseach’s Questions.
There will be statements on mental health during Government Business from 3:50pm.
A Sinn Féin private members motion on the provision of special education will be debated from 6:15pm.
Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris takes Parliamentary Questions at 8:15pm.
TDs have an opportunity to raise Topical Issues from 9:45pm.
There are no Seanad or committee proceedings today.
The full Dáil schedule can be found here: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/detailed-schedule/?tab=dail
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