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00:00U.S. President Donald Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to begin
00:05negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine.
00:10European foreign ministers warned that negotiations on Ukraine's future must involve both Europe
00:16and Kyiv.
00:20U.S. President Donald Trump upended three years of U.S. policy towards Ukraine, saying
00:30that he and Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed to begin negotiations on ending the
00:35war.
00:37After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many NATO members vowed Kyiv's membership
00:42was inevitable.
00:43But Trump's news threatens this possibility.
00:48Long before President Putin, they said there's no way they'd allow that.
00:52This has been going on for many, many years.
00:55They've been saying that for a long time, that Ukraine cannot go into NATO.
01:01And I'm OK with that.
01:02I just want the word whether they are or they're not.
01:05But it certainly would seem to be that most people have said that that is something that's
01:09not going to happen.
01:13The conversation could potentially signal Washington and Moscow might hammer out a deal
01:18by going around Ukraine's government.
01:21When asked about Ukraine being an equal member in the peace process, Trump responded that
01:25it was an interesting question and, I think they have to make peace.
01:36European foreign ministers warned that Ukraine's future must involve both Europe and Kyiv.
01:42As news broke that U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin
01:47agreed to immediately hold peace talks.
01:51Europe plays its active role in ensuring just and comprehensive, long-lasting peace for
02:01Ukraine.
02:02Ukraine's security and European security are indivisible.
02:07Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Trump agreed in a telephone
02:30conversation to organise a meeting in person.
02:33And that the Russian President told Trump he is ready to receive Americans in the country.
02:46U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said Ukraine's desire to return to its pre-2014
02:52borders and its potential membership of NATO are unrealistic objectives.
02:57His comments came during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels,
03:02which consists of 46 nations.
03:05But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic
03:12objective.
03:14Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.
03:20That said, the United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic
03:28outcome of a negotiated settlement.
03:31Hegseth also stressed that President Donald Trump's top priority is to end the war using
03:36diplomatic means by bringing both Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table.
03:42However, he added that any future peacekeeping forces would not include U.S. troops and that
03:48a prospective peace deal shouldn't include NATO's Article 5 protections, which trigger
03:53assistance from the U.S. or NATO members if they come into contact with Russian forces.
04:01A wave of Russian drone and missile attacks hit 11 regions of Ukraine overnight, including
04:08at least three districts in the capital Kyiv, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
04:14Ukraine's emergency service reported two office buildings were struck in Kyiv's Obolonsky
04:18district, where one person was killed and four injured.
04:32The city of Krivyi Rih was also attacked, damaging apartment buildings, offices and a local school,
04:58although no one is reported to have been killed or injured.
05:01Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defence has released footage of what it says shows
05:06artillery units using howitzers and Grad multiple rocket systems to attack various Ukrainian
05:13positions.
05:16The leader of Austria's far-right Freedom Party, Herbert Kickl, has called for fresh
05:21elections after coalition talks with his party and the centre-right OVP collapsed on Wednesday.
05:27Kickl was tasked with forming a coalition government by President Alexander Van der Bellen
05:32after Austria's other parties banded together in order to keep Kickl out of power.
05:57Meanwhile, Austrians are expressing mixed reactions to the announcement which marks
06:14the second time coalition talks are failed.
06:28Kickl came first in elections held in September with 28 per cent of the vote, however with
06:36the FPO unable to form a government, Austria now enters an unclear political situation.
06:47The Greek parliament elected Konstantinos Tassoulas, the former parliamentary speaker,
06:52as president of Greece on Wednesday.
06:56Tassoulas, who is a member of the governing centre-right New Democracy Party, was elected
07:01in the fourth round, winning 160 votes out of 300 in parliament.
07:08Tassoulas has been serving as Greece's Minister of Culture and was a leading figure in the
07:29campaign for the return of the Parthenon sculptures from the British Museum in London.
07:35Roberta Metzola, President of the European Parliament, congratulated Tassoulas on his
07:40election in a post on X, while other top government officials from European countries also sent
07:46their congratulations.
07:48Tassoulas will be sworn in on the 13th of March.
07:55Romania has registered the lowest natality rate in a century, with figures showing that
08:00less than 150,000 babies were born last year.
08:05Rural parts of the country have seen schools and kindergartens forced to shut down due
08:10to the lack of children available to attend courses.
08:14In urban areas, many are choosing to put their career first and instead have children at
08:19a later age.
08:36Romanian specialists are attributing the changes to a normal process of modernisation, which
08:49should not scare anyone, pointing out that the same process is underway in many other
08:55European countries.
08:57Closed emergency units, lack of staff, waiting times far above the acceptable and a faulty
09:09new screening system.
09:11The Portuguese National Health Service is on the verge of collapse.
09:15And for Pedro Bittavarros, the problem is to do with the organisation and management
09:20capacity.
09:28In May 2024, the government presented an emergency plan to be implemented within three months
09:34to ensure full access to health care.
09:36But there is no major progress in sight.
09:40In May 2024, the government presented an emergency plan to be implemented within three months
09:46to ensure full access to health care.
09:48But there is no major progress in sight.
10:09There are many complaints from patients, such as mandatory pre-screening by telephone before
10:14going to the emergency unit.
10:16This is further delaying medical interventions and subjecting patients to long waiting hours.
10:40Between 2020 and 2024, the level of satisfaction with public health care in Europe fell from
10:4874% to 56%, according to a report by the German pharmaceutical company Stata.
10:54Only 49% of the population was satisfied with public health care in Europe.
11:00This is further delaying medical interventions and subjecting patients to long waiting hours.
11:07Only 49% of the population was satisfied with public health care in Europe.
11:11This is further delaying medical interventions and subjecting patients to long waiting hours.
11:14This is further delaying medical interventions and subjecting patients to long waiting hours.
11:19The Minister of Health has already acknowledged that it is unacceptable to have long waiting
11:24hours and promised to take measures soon.
11:27Euronews questioned Ana Paula Martins' office about the additional measures that are being
11:32considered by the government but did not receive an answer.
11:35Joana Mourão Carvalho for Euronews in Lisbon.