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00:00EU leaders seek to guarantee Ukraine security ahead of the incoming Trump administration,

00:06but say the jury is still out on Syria.

00:10Joining the EU summit in Brussels, Ukrainian President Zelensky was clear with his position

00:14on a possible ceasefire. No security guarantees, no ceasefire.

00:21Renovation work continues at Berlin's Kommersant Opera, but what impact will drastic cuts to

00:26the city's culture budget have?

00:38EU leaders met with Ukrainian President Zelensky for a two-day summit in Brussels, where they

00:42sought to guarantee Ukraine security ahead of the incoming Trump administration.

00:48It's widely expected that Donald Trump will force Europe to take far more of the burden

00:52for its own security, including that of Ukraine's. But leaders were also clear that this could

00:57not mean pushing Ukraine into an unjust ceasefire.

01:23The EU also gave cautious welcome to the fall of Assad in Syria, but said time will tell

01:39as to whether Hayat Tehran al-Sham, the group which has emerged, will keep up to its claims

01:44that it will respect minorities and act responsibly in the region.

01:50With the fall of Assad for the very first time in a decade, the people of Syria can

01:55hope for a better future. But we all know that for now the jury is still out. It is

02:02too early to say whether the new leadership will be able to deliver what they promise,

02:09whether the territorial integrity will be preserved, national unity will be preserved,

02:16minorities will be protected. Europe will do its part to support Syria at this critical

02:23juncture because we care about Syria's future.

02:28As much as EU leaders sought to reassure President Zelensky that they would protect Ukraine come

02:32what may, it's clear that the EU is still in a position to wait and see what Donald

02:38Trump will do regarding the fate of Ukraine, the future of Europe and other geopolitical

02:43matters including Syria. Shona Murray, Euronews, Brussels.

02:51The possibility of a ceasefire has been on the talks lately, but during his press conference

02:55in Brussels, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky quickly killed the idea. For the

03:00Ukrainian there should be a clear plan on how the day after will look like, which is

03:04something that doesn't exist now.

03:13I would like you to understand that we cannot live in a frozen conflict. When it comes

03:20to a ceasefire, in any conflict, in any war, people know what will happen next, how it

03:25will end. You need to know what will happen tomorrow in order to make a ceasefire today.

03:30Otherwise, you just make a frozen conflict and that's it. That's why Ukraine needs

03:35a guarantee of security, a strong position of Ukraine and a guarantee of security.

03:41Zelensky praised during his talk the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, but he

03:50had not such kind words for Vladimir Putin.

03:54I think he's crazy. I think so. Really, I think he also thinks that he's crazy. No,

04:02no, it's true. He loves to kill. That's very dangerous for everybody.

04:14On February, it would be the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine, a date arriving at

04:18a critical moment for the conflict.

04:26Speaking at his annual press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia is ready

04:32to negotiate on potential peace talks, but claims Ukraine is not ready to do so.

04:38Politics is an art of compromise. We have always said that we are ready for negotiations

04:44and compromises. The opposite side, in the literal and figurative sense of the word,

04:50has refused to negotiate.

04:53Putin holds the annual event combined with a question-and-answer session in an effort

04:57to reinforce his authority.

05:00It comes just a few days after Ukraine killed Russia's head of nuclear defense troops outside

05:06of his apartment building in Moscow.

05:09General Igor Kirillov was recently charged by Ukrainian prosecutors for using banned

05:14chemical weapons.

05:17When asked about his death, Putin commended the journalist for calling it an assassination

05:22and accused Ukraine of repeatedly committing terrorist acts.

05:36Putin also spoke about Russia's economy, a potential meeting with US President Donald

05:41Trump, the situation in Syria and relations with China.

05:51After three years and 24 hearings, a verdict in the open arms trial will be finally reached

05:56on Friday in Palermo. But this is no ordinary verdict.

06:02Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini could face a sentence of up to six years in

06:07prison.

06:08The former interior minister has been charged with kidnapping for preventing 147 migrants

06:13from disembarking on the island of Lampedusa in 2019.

06:17The league leader has already made clear he will not step down if found guilty.

06:22He believes that defending murders is not a crime.

06:25Should I end up being convicted, this would be a major defeat for Italy.

06:30These were his words.

06:33The Patriots for Europe group has already defended Salvini's actions, while members of the league

06:39party say they are ready to take to the streets if their leader will be convicted.

06:59The Spanish NGO Open Arms Vessel, which had rescued the migrants, waited 19 days before

07:06being allowed to disembark those on board.

07:11They say that as a result, their operations suffered a major setback.

07:16The Spanish NGO Open Arms Vessel, which had rescued the migrants, waited 19 days before

07:23being allowed to disembark those on board.

07:26As a result, their operations suffered a major setback.

07:29Here is what they told us about the trial.

07:31Let's take a listen.

07:33We immediately asked for the truth about what happened in those 20 days.

07:38And I have to say that for now we are very satisfied because through these 46 testimonies,

07:44but through these long years, in reality, a fundamental truth has emerged.

07:49That is, saving lives is not a crime, but rather an obligation of each of us.

07:54In the case of the conviction, Salvini has the right to appeal, but it could take years

07:58before a final verdict is reached.

08:01But it's clear that whatever the judges decide this Friday will have a significant political

08:06impact, not just in Italy, but also in the EU.

08:10Giorgio Arlandi for Euronews in Rome.

08:18Germany wants to increase the size of its armed forces up to 230,000 from the current

08:24target of 203,000.

08:28German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced the ambitious plan as he answered questions

08:33in the Bundestag.

08:36Germany currently has 180,000 active personnel, approximately 20,000 short of its current target.

08:44The German armed forces have been struggling to recruit people for years.

08:50The targets Pistorius wants to set will further complicate an already difficult objective.

08:57Pistorius says the plan to increase the number of permanent staff is to meet NATO's capability

09:02targets.

09:04NATO demanded its members to increase their defense capacities to boost the alliance's

09:09strength following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

09:16Berlin's Komischer Opera House is likely to continue renovations despite drastic culture

09:22budget cuts across the city.

09:24The opera house has found a temporary new home at the nearby Schiller Theater, which

09:28has 20% fewer seats than its original home and means fewer ticket sales.

09:33Director Philipp Broeking says that the upcoming budget cuts are extremely painful and for

09:38many theaters difficult to implement.

09:54The budget cuts are painful and for many theaters difficult to implement.

09:59The budget cuts are painful and for many theaters difficult to implement.

10:04The budget cuts are painful and for many theaters difficult to implement.

10:09The budget cuts are painful and for many theaters difficult to implement.

10:14The budget cuts are painful and for many theaters difficult to implement.

10:19The budget cuts are painful and for many theaters difficult to implement.

10:23The budget cuts are painful and for many theaters difficult to implement.

10:28The budget cuts are painful and for many theaters difficult to implement.

10:32Berlin is regarded as extremely progressive and unique because of its generous art funding.

10:37But even if the renovation of the Komischer Opera that is due to take six years continues,

10:42the budget cuts still affect Germany's image.

10:53We know the history of Berlin quite well.

10:56But what unites us is this huge cultural heritage that we can be proud of.

11:02We have so many places here, theater houses, opera houses, where you can

11:07challenge the conditions of human life.

11:10So everything, where you get together, talk to each other, talk to each other and

11:15talk about each other, there are not so many places.

11:18Especially in times when democracy is threatened by the extreme edges,

11:23it is very, very important to reassure yourself who you are and where you come from.

11:29And we can deliver that.

11:31But it's not just the culture that will be affected by the cuts.

11:35The German economy, which continues to splutter, could use a little bit of acceleration

11:39from the arts and culture, which brings in tens of millions of euros worth of revenue per year.

Latest news bulletin | December 20th – Morning

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