In the 21st-century imbalance of power, Europe and Nato have neither the arms nor the wealth to impel Russia or the US to take its peace settlement seriously

The failure of this week’s peace talks between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff fits into a now well-established pattern of standoffs on Ukraine during Trump’s second term. But the dynamic that produced these talks may be becoming more entrenched. The US and Russian interests driving the process have not changed, while the conflict on the ground is intensifying. The lack of progress this week means there will be another attempt to end the war soon, and perhaps another after that, until, one day, there is some kind of US-backed deal to halt the conflict on terms broadly favouring Russia.

The geopolitical algorithm driving this effort is too consistent to ignore. It has been repeated ever since Trump re-entered the White House in January. On the campaign trail, Trump had claimed he could stop the war in a day. That was never going to happen. But from 12 February onwards, when Trump first talked directly to Putin about Ukraine, the intention and approach have not altered. There is no reason to suppose they will do so now. Indeed, Tuesday’s impasse may spur them on again.

Martin Kettle is a Guardian columnist

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© Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

© Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

© Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

La guerre en Ukraine provoque des remous en mer Noire et cela ne plait ni aux Turques ni aux Roumains ni aux Bulgares. Trois cargos russes ont été attaqués ces derniers jours dans la zone économique exclusive de la Turquie. L’Ukraine, pointée du doigt sans être nommée, revendique deux de ces attaques. Selon la presse locale, un drone sous-marin ukrainien a été abattu par la Roumanie ce mercredi 3 décembre. Kiev assure qu’elle ne fait que se défendre face à la Russie alors que Moscou menace d’intensifier ses frappes sur les intérêts maritimes ukrainiens.

La guerre en Ukraine provoque des remous en mer Noire et cela ne plait ni aux Turques ni aux Roumains ni aux Bulgares. Trois cargos russes ont été attaqués ces derniers jours dans la zone économique exclusive de la Turquie. L’Ukraine, pointée du doigt sans être nommée, revendique deux de ces attaques. Selon la presse locale, un drone sous-marin ukrainien a été abattu par la Roumanie ce mercredi 3 décembre. Kiev assure qu’elle ne fait que se défendre face à la Russie alors que Moscou menace d’intensifier ses frappes sur les intérêts maritimes ukrainiens.

Nootka lupins, introduced in the 1940s to repair damaged soil, are rampaging across the island, threatening its native species

It was only when huge areas of Iceland started turning purple that authorities realised they had made a mistake. By then, it was too late. The Nootka lupin, native to Alaska, had coated the sides of fjords, sent tendrils across mountain tops and covered lava fields, grasslands and protected areas.

Since it arrived in the 1940s, it has become an accidental national symbol. Hordes of tourists and local people pose for photos in the ever-expanding fields in June and July, entranced by the delicate cones of flowers that cover the north Atlantic island.

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© Photograph: East Iceland Nature Research Centre

© Photograph: East Iceland Nature Research Centre

© Photograph: East Iceland Nature Research Centre

It borders Brazil, but French Guiana is now a remote outpost of the EU. It is home to Europe’s only spaceport, some of the most biodiverse forest on the planet and a military mission that is testing the limits of western power

Above me, a ceiling of rough wooden branches and tarp. To my right, an officer in the French Foreign Legion types up the daily situation report. In front of me a French gendarme named David is standing in front of a table full of large assault rifles, pointing out locations on a paper map. A generator hums. All around us, splotches of forest dot the hundreds of islands that make up the archipelago of Petit-Saut, a watery ecosystem three times the size of Paris.

Except Paris is 7,000 kilometres away from where I am, in Guyane, or French Guiana, a department of France in South America, just north of the equator.

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© Composite: Getty / AFP/Getty Images / Alexander Hurst / Guardian Design

© Composite: Getty / AFP/Getty Images / Alexander Hurst / Guardian Design

© Composite: Getty / AFP/Getty Images / Alexander Hurst / Guardian Design

Rhetoric between Russia and Europe has ramped up after talks between Donald Trump’s envoy and Vladimir Putin failed to reach an agreement

© Sputnik

Kyiv and European leaders accuse Russian president of 'wasting time'

© Getty

Nine-country poll finds half of people believe risk of war with Russia is high and three-quarters want to stay in EU

Nearly half of Europeans see Donald Trump as “an enemy of Europe”, rather more rate the risk of war with Russia as high and more than two-thirds believe their country would not be able to defend itself in the event of such a war, a survey has found.

The nine-country poll for the Paris-based European affairs debate platform Le Grand Continent also found that nearly three-quarters of respondents wanted their country to stay in the EU, with almost as many saying leaving the union had harmed the UK.

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© Photograph: Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters

© Photograph: Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters

© Photograph: Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters

Trump’s comments come after an hours-long meeting at the Kremlin between US envoys and Vladimir Putin failed to achieve a breakthrough

• Analysis: the Ukraine peace deal has stumbled yet again over an inevitable obstacle: Putin

The path ahead for Ukraine peace talks is unclear, Donald Trump has said, after what he called “reasonably good” talks between Russian president Vladimir Putin and US envoys which nonetheless failed to achieve a breakthrough

After their hours-long meeting at the Kremlin on Tuesday, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, were set to meet top Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov in Florida on Thursday.

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© Photograph: ABACA/Shutterstock

© Photograph: ABACA/Shutterstock

© Photograph: ABACA/Shutterstock

Vladimir Putin has stalled progress on a peace plan for Ukraine being brokered by Donald Trump’s US and has said he is ‘ready for war’ with Europe ‘if it starts one’. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian's foreign correspondent Luke Harding who has just returned from Kyiv

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© Photograph: Guardian

© Photograph: Guardian

© Photograph: Guardian

La Turquie a appelé mercredi 3 décembre au « respect du droit international » après plusieurs attaques contre des cargos au large des côtes turques. Trois navires russes, dont deux pétroliers, ont été attaqués depuis le vendredi 28 novembre dans les eaux de la mer Noire. Une escalade dans le conflit entre la Russie et l’Ukraine qui inquiète tout particulièrement la Turquie, restée proche des deux pays. La Roumanie et la Bulgarie, également pays membres de l’Otan et riverains de la mer Noire, se sont jointes à l'appel d'Ankara.

En un an, les associations ont décompté 600 attaques contre les journalistes et la liberté d'informer. 

Depuis plusieurs semaines, les Vingt-Sept tardent à se mettre d'accord sur le financement d'un nouveau prêt de 140 milliards d'euros en faveur de Kiev. L'idée initiale était de garantir ce prêt par les avoirs russes actuellement immobilisés dans l'Union européenne (UE). Mais la Belgique, qui concentre l'essentiel de ceux-ci continue de s'y opposer. Obligée de revoir sa copie, la Commission européenne a présenté ce nouveau plan de financement cet après-midi avec des emprunts communs, une option loin de faire le consensus. L’impasse reste.

The European Union has a proposal for how to turn Russian frozen assets into a giant loan for Ukraine. If it fails, it could further weaken Europe’s global image.

© Tyler Hicks/The New York Times