Trump says there’s ‘good spirit to get something done’ on Greenland and claims Putin and Zelenskyy both want to end Ukraine war – latest updates

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It’s officially over: the EU’s stream picks up foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas leaving the building as one of the first leaders after their 4,5-hour talks behind the closed doors.

EU emergency summit in Brussels ends

Our Brussels correspondent Jennifer Rankin is hearing that the summit has just concluded, minutes past midnight local time.

We were expecting a press conference afterwards, so let’s keep an eye on this.

First pictures from US envoys' meeting with Putin in Moscow

Here are some first pictures from the meeting of the US envoys with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are also joined by White House adviser and Commissioner of the U.S. Federal Acquisition Service, Josh Gruenbaum.

All that food talk made me a bit hungry, so let me tell you what the EU leaders are munching on during their talks in Brussels tonight.

As Jennifer Rankin confirmed, the menu for tonight is:

Scallops in a walnut and curry crust

Chicken supreme with vanilla roast parsnips

Citrus salad with a fennel and dill foam

Erm.

No wonder Robert Fico wasn’t happy about having to come all the way to Brussels (22:00). For this? Vanilla roast parsnips!?

Perhaps the inclusion of dill that is so popular in central and eastern Europe – as controversial as it is with our Guardian colleague Shaun Walker – could make it slightly more appealing to him?

Back to Greenland, that TV2 piece I referenced earlier (22:47) has also another anecdote about how the same two Danish ministers for foreign and defence found out about Trump’s decision to drop retaliatory tariffs on Europeans.

The broadcaster says they were out dining with the UK defence minister, John Healey, who was in Copenhagen on Wednesday night, chatting over a plate of fish and chips of sorts (or “a pan-fried turbot with fumet, fennel, cabbage and potatoes,” as the menu has it), when they got the message.

On his way back from the dinner, defence minister Poulsen reportedly called Nato’s Mark Rutte to get his reading about his discussions with Trump, who had already briefed PM Frederiksen about his conversations with the US president, the broadcaster claimed.

Again: at least that’s what TV2 says.

Europeans 'have to do something about immigration,' Trump says

Closing his remarks on Air Force Trump, Trump also claims that some unnamed European leaders “told me openly that they wish they had our border,” as he repeated his criticism of Europe’s open borders.

“They have to do something about immigration,” he said.

He later briefly addresses the latest controversy about new bruising on his hands (he clipped it on a table and repeats an old line about taking an ‘big’ aspirin tablet which he says contributes to bruising), and that wraps up the briefing.

In Poland’s case it’s a bit more complicated than Trump makes it sound: the centrist, pro-EU government seems to oppose the idea of joining the ‘Board of Peace’ (in line with most EU governments), and the president, Trump ally Nawrocki, cannot join it without the government’s backing and a majority in the parliament.

So Poland appears to be displaying some strategic ambiguity there by saying it’s interested to keep Trump on side, but in fact it’s actually unlikely to join, at least for now. But things change, obviously.

Trump says his 'Board of Peace' is open to more European countries, claims Italy, Poland mulling move to join

Trump also gets asked if other countries, like the UK or France, will want to join his Board of Peace.

He says he thinks they will want to, but in some cases they need to get legislative approval.

He says Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Poland’s Karol Nawrocki both said they wanted to join, but would need to go through formalities first.

He then pointedly praises Nawrocki, reminding reporters he endorsed him in last year’s presidential election in Poland.

“He’s great, by the way. He’s doing a great job, … but he has to get an approval.”

'Good spirit to get something done' on Greenland and build Golden Dome, Trump says

Back to Greenland, Trump says “there is a good spirit to get something done,” and the US will “have ability to do exactly what we want to do” with the “great” US military.

He says it will be a “much more generous deal” and says it’s “so much better” for the US to “have that piece of ice covered by the Golden Dome” missile system.

Trump claims Putin and Zelenskyy both want to end Ukraine war

Trump then turned to Ukraine, saying he had “numerous conversations on Ukraine” as “it’d be nice to end that war”.

He notes the US meeting with Putin in Moscow and says “we will see how that works out”.

He adds he had “a good meeting” with Zelenskyy in Davos, but they also had good meetings in the past and nothing happened. He later repeats it was a “very good” meeting.

He says Europe will also be going a part of the deal, if it comes through.

Trump claims that both Zelenskyy and Putin “want to make a deal”, and says that Zelenskyy repeatedly said that during their meeting today.

He says he spoke with Zelenskyy about the dramatic situation of the Ukrainian people, with no energy and heat in extremely low temperatures.

“It’s pretty amazing what they do to live. That’s no way to live,” he says.

On the UAE meeting this weekend, he says:

“Anytime we meet, it’s good. If you don’t meet, nothing’s going to happen.”

Greenland deal would let US 'do anything we want' in cooperation with Nato, Trump says

Meanwhile, US president Donald Trump is gaggling with reporters on board of Air Force One, on his way back from Davos.

Asked about more details on the Greenland deal, he said it would run in “infinity” and the US could “do anything we want” there militarily.

“It’s being negotiated and let’s see what happens,” he said.

We says “we are all going to work together” with Nato as the alliance “is going to be involved with us,” but the US will not have to pay for anything except the Golden Dome missile system.

Is Denmark on board with this idea?

“I think everyone likes it,” he assets, adding he will update the press on this in “two weeks.”