September 4, 2025: Europe's Ukraine Gambit, French Collapse, and EU's Gaza Impasse

Today, European leaders gathered in Paris for the "coalition of the willing" summit, pushing for security guarantees for postwar Ukraine and facing a critical call with U.S. President Donald Trump, whose support remains uncertain and who expressed unhappiness over some European countries buying Russian oil. Meanwhile, a profound political crisis looms in France, with Prime Minister François Bayrou teetering on the brink of collapse amid a parliamentary deadlock over the budget, threatening France's military commitments. Internally, the EU grapples with divisions, as ambassadors fail to sanction Israel over Gaza, sparking a new motion of no confidence against Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Across the Channel, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged Trump to act on Russia while his own government is rocked by a tax scandal involving his Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner. Also making headlines: France's data protection authority has fined Google and Shein over cookie violations, and a funicular disaster in Lisbon has claimed 15 lives, mostly tourists.