Emergency EU summit on defence begins in Brussels. Also: UN releases $100 million to compensate for massive aid cuts from US. And pilot error is blamed after South Korean warplanes accidentally bomb civilians.
Chapter 1: What are the main highlights of the EU summit in Brussels?
This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Rachel Wright, and at 1400 Hours GMT on Thursday, the 6th of March, these are our main stories. European leaders meet in Brussels at what's been described as a turning point in history. The UN's releasing more than $100 million to compensate for massive cuts to global aid.
And pilot error is being blamed after South Korean warplanes accidentally bombed civilian targets in a training exercise.
also in this podcast. It's probably one of the greatest feelings in the world when people let you know how the music has affected them.
The legendary American jazz musician Roy Ayers dies at the age of 84. All 27 leaders of the European Union have gathered in Brussels with Ukraine on their minds. But, of course, a wider sense that the world is changing and they need to step up.
Chapter 2: Why is Europe's security at a watershed moment?
This is a watershed moment for Europe. And Ukraine, as part of our European family, it's also a watershed moment for Ukraine. Europe faces a clear and present danger, and therefore Europe has to be able to protect itself, to defend itself, as we have to put Ukraine in a position to protect itself and to push for lasting and just peace.
Chapter 3: How is the EU supporting Ukraine amidst global tensions?
That's the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, as she entered the emergency summit, a meeting prompted by a week in which President Trump distanced the U.S. from Europe's security and called into question future assistance. He also suspended military aid to Ukraine. The president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, was clear to point out the country did not stand alone.
We are here to support Ukraine, to achieve... a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. And dear Vladimir, we are with you since day one. We'll continue with you now and we will continue in the future.
In turn, President Zelensky thanked the EU for its enduring support and for its commitment to further boost funding for Ukraine.
I want to thank all our European leaders for such signal, strong support, strong support from the very beginning of the war. And during all this period and last week, you stayed with us. And of course, from all the Ukrainians, from all our nations, big appreciation. We are very thankful that we are not alone. And these are not just words, we feel it.
Our Europe correspondent Nick Beek is in Brussels for the summit.
These aren't just words. He is really hoping that what happens today is that some of these pledges manifest to hard commitments and things that make a difference on the battlefield. Of course, this is an emergency summit, so whether or not we get some big agreement at the end of it, I think, is unlikely.
But it is symbolic, and we saw the hands on the shoulder there, the fact that they were standing shoulder to shoulder, President Zelensky and the people who really are figureheads. In Europe, that sends a message. It sends a message to Vladimir Putin. And of course, in these extraordinary times, it sends a message to President Trump in the White House, too.
Another thing to bear in mind is that the decisions that are taken here in this format at this summit, they're always unanimous. So all 27 leaders have to agree. And the problem comes in the form of Victor Orban. He's the Hungarian leader. He's close to Putin. He's more sympathetic to Moscow than probably any other member of the European Union.
He's said that he can't put his name to any sort of words on Ukraine, which may or may not say we'll be with Ukraine for as long as it takes, because Mr Orban's argument is that the facts have changed. You've got the White House talking to the Kremlin directly, President Trump... wanting to talk more with President Putin. And so Mr. Orban is saying, well, look, Europe should follow suit.
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Chapter 4: What impact has the US aid cuts had on global humanitarian efforts?
I mean, it wasn't the only target, was it? There was a severe bombardment throughout the country.
Yes, we're hearing about civilians being killed in northeast and Sumy region in Donetsk as well. There was an attack on Odessa. And frankly, none of that is unusual for Ukraine. These attacks, they've been happening every night. There are reports of infrastructure, civilian infrastructure damage across Ukraine. And once Ukraine stops receiving U.S.
intelligence, and I understand about 80% of intelligence that helped Ukraine intercept those missiles and target Russian military facilities inside Russia, it used to come from America. So now that's stopped. It will make it much more difficult for Ukraine to... to intercept those missiles.
And what will Zelensky want to achieve at today's summit?
More aid from Europe and an idea of whether Europe will be able to replace whatever Ukraine's losing in terms of aid not arriving from America.
Vitaly Shevchenko. So while European leaders gather in Brussels, how has this week of frenzied headlines and diplomatic activity gone down in Russia? The BBC's Russia editor, Steve Rosenberg, is in Moscow.
The global order is shaking. Alliances are changing. And so is the language. Living in Russia, there are two phrases I've got used to hearing officials and pro-Kremlin commentators coming out with when they lambast Russia's rivals. The first one is the collective West, a derogatory term normally aimed at America and Europe. The second put down is the Anglo-Saxons.
That's when Moscow rails collectively against the US and the UK. At least, this is how it was for several years. But in recent weeks, I've been hearing and reading these phrases less and less. Perhaps that's not so surprising, though. After all, with Donald Trump in the White House, labels like Collective West no longer seem to apply.
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Chapter 5: What new discoveries have scientists made in the immune system?
Instead, Russian state TV's flagship news show kicked off recently with a big strap across the screen declaring America's doing things differently. As it turns out, very differently. A few days ago, we saw the United States voting with Russia, North Korea and Belarus against a UN resolution that identified Russia as the aggressor in Russia's war in Ukraine.
Now the Trump administration has paused military aid to Kiev. By contrast, US-Russia relations are on the up. There have been discussions between Moscow and Washington on repairing diplomatic ties and talk of future economic cooperation. This week, one Russian newspaper described America as Russia's partner. It's just one word, but it represents a sea change.
Not so long ago, Joe Biden was calling Russia the aggressor, and its president, Vladimir Putin, a murderous dictator. Last weekend, I heard something in the news here that brought home to me just how much things have turned around. The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, went on TV and declared that America's new foreign policy configurations are largely aligned with Russia's.
America and Russia seeing the world through similar eyes? So where does that leave Europe? Potentially quite exposed and certainly receiving most of the abuse. Let me bring you up to date with Russia's new set of labels. European countries that support Ukraine are described here as the old world.
European leaders who back President Zelensky are referred to as the party of war or the liberal globalists. Russian is a rich, colourful language, and I'm sure many more labels will be hatched soon. But there's one other thing that I've noticed. When Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016, some headlines in Russia referred to him as Our Donald. Not this time.
There's a little bit more caution here, just in case things don't work out. And what looks like being the start of a beautiful friendship turns sour.
Steve Rosenberg in Moscow. The U.S. was by far the world's largest humanitarian aid provider, operating in more than 60 countries, largely through contractors. But since taking office, President Donald Trump has cut numerous aid programs and placed most USAID staff on leave or dismissed them, action that many aid agencies argue has jeopardized life-saving operations worldwide.
Now the UN says it will release $110 million to compensate for what it calls a precipitous cut in global aid. I heard more from our correspondent in Geneva, Imogen Folks.
The money will come from the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund. The UN this morning is talking about brutal cuts, although it doesn't specifically mention the United States.
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