Up First from NPR
Paris Emergency Summit, Marco Rubio in the Middle East, Trump's First Month
Mon, 17 Feb 2025
European leaders meet in Paris to discuss an emerging transatlantic chasm over security and the war in Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in the Middle East amplifying President Trump's vision for Gaza. And a review of Trump's first four weeks reshaping the U.S. government.Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Ryland Barton, Didi Schanche, Krishnadev Calamur Reena Advani and Adriana Gallardo. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent and our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Our Executive Producer is Kelley Dickens.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: What are the key topics discussed in this podcast episode?
Did you notice that we're working on President's Day? Did you agree to this?
I made it part of my renegotiation.
Do you work every federal holiday like me?
With Leila Fadl.
European leaders hold an emergency summit in Paris today.
The future of Ukraine's on the line, and why are European securities also under threat? So what do they have to fear from the U.S. meeting with Russia if they are not also at the table?
I'm Leila Fadl. That's Anne Martinez, and this is Up First from NPR News. The U.S. Secretary of State is in the Middle East promoting President Trump's vision to push Palestinians in Gaza out and take it over.
The president's also been very bold about his view of what the future for Gaza should be. not the same tired ideas of the past.
But will Arab allies be supportive of Trump turning Gaza into a seaside real estate development?
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Chapter 2: Why are European leaders meeting in Paris?
We go now to NPR's Eleanor Beardsley in Paris to hear more about this. So, Eleanor, why has this shook up Europe?
Well, you know, Europeans knew the Trump administration was going to be a rougher ride than the Biden administration, but they still held out hope that the U.S. and Europe could work together, especially on ending the war in Ukraine. But that illusion burst this week. First, there was U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's He basically told European allies the U.S.
has bigger priorities in Asia and Europe needs to take care of itself. That was followed by the Munich Security Conference this weekend, where Vice President J.D. Vance gave a scathing criticism of European democracy, a speech one European leader called, quote, fascist and anti-European.
Vance also met with a far-right opposition leader in Germany while refusing to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Then there were the comments of U.S. advisor to Ukraine and Russia, General Keith Kellogg, who told the Europeans, we'll take your interests into account, but you won't be at the negotiating table to end the war.
Now, what about President Trump? How was his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin received there?
Well, that was the cherry on the cake. President Trump gave no heads up to European allies or Ukraine before holding by all accounts what was a friendly hour and a half phone call with Putin, who Europeans consider an aggressor and pariah. Trump even went so far as to speak of lifting sanctions and bringing Russia back into the fold of nations.
Leaders left Munich yesterday morose and stunned, Ellie Tenenbaum told me. He's a security expert at the French Institute for International Relations. Let's listen.
So this has been their sort of nightmare scenario that they were going to be bypassed. by the United States to negotiate a peace deal over the heads.
And he says without its European allies by its side, the U.S. might try to strong-arm Ukraine into a bad deal.
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Chapter 3: How is Trump reshaping U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East?
They will speak of how to guarantee any peace. In an editorial in a British newspaper yesterday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain would be ready to send troops to ensure a peace deal. This morning, Sweden said it, too, could send troops. And France has also said it would send troops. But it will take more than a couple nations to guarantee a peace, Tenenbaum told me.
What about Ukraine? What have they said about this?
Well, President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke forcefully at the Munich conference as soon as he saw what was happening. He says Europe must be at the negotiating table and he's pushing Europeans to join with battle-hardened Ukraine to build a European fighting force. Let's listen.
We must build the armed forces of Europe so that Europe's future depends only on Europeans and decisions about Europe are made in Europe.
You got applause for that, eh? French officials described today's meeting as informal, and there'll be no final communique. They're trying to tamp down expectations for what is actually a very crucial meeting.
That's Eleanor Beardsley in Paris. Thanks a lot.
Thank you.
Marco Rubio is in the Middle East, and his first stop as Secretary of State in the region was Israel. Here's what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to say about their meeting.
We talked about how do we complete the change in the Middle East.
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