CNN
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US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is not expected to attend next week’s meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels, marking the first time since the group’s founding three years ago that a senior Pentagon official will not be there to represent the US, officials familiar with the matter told CNN.

The US has for months been steadily pulling back from the group, which was founded by former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in 2022 after Russia’s invasion as a way for dozens of countries to streamline the delivery of military equipment to Ukraine to quell Russian military advances.

Whereas Austin or a senior Pentagon official always chaired the group’s monthly meetings, Hegseth has ceded that role to the UK in recent months—even as a senior US general told lawmakers on Thursday that “continuing to assist Ukraine on the battlefield daily” is “very important” when it comes to maintaining leverage over the Russians.

Hegseth attended a meeting of the UDCG in February at NATO headquarters in Brussels, where he told allies that the US would no longer be a guarantor of European security and that it was highly “unlikely” that Ukraine would ever join NATO—a comment that, at the time, marked a dramatic shift from the longtime US position that Ukraine would one day join the alliance.

Defense News was first to report Hegseth is likely to skip the meeting next week.

The Trump administration has turned on and off its military and intelligence support to Ukraine in recent months as a way to push Kyiv to the negotiating table. The US hasn’t imposed any penalties on Russia, even as Moscow has refused to agree to a White House proposal for a 30-day ceasefire and continues to place conditions on even a partial ceasefire in the Black Sea.

Russia also wasn’t on the list of countries the Trump administration announced it is imposing tariffs on this week.

Trump attacked Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly last weekend and threatened tariffs on countries which buy Russian oil, but days later temporarily suspended sanctions on a Russian financier and Putin ally in order to host him for meetings this week in Washington, DC—the first time a Russian official has traveled to DC for such talks since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

As the Russian negotiator, Kirill Dimitriev, was in DC for meetings on Thursday, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the head of US European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe was testifying to Congress that Russia poses a “chronic” and “growing” threat to the US and the west saying Russia is “actively waging a campaign of destabilization across Europe and beyond.”

“Russia’s war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year, has revealed Russia to be a chronic threat, and we see in the future it will be a growing threat, one that is willing to use military force to achieve its geopolitical goals,” Cavoli told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.

“Further exacerbating this threat from Russia are the deepening partnerships among our adversaries — Iran, the Communist Chinese Party, the DPRK, and Russia itself. And these are increasingly posing a global risk,” he said.

Dimitriev and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff met on Wednesday, sources told CNN.

US and western intelligence officials do not believe that Russia is interested in negotiating a ceasefire deal with Ukraine in good faith, CNN has reported. Moscow still believes it can sustain its war effort and outlast Ukraine on the battlefield.

A senior NATO official reiterated that on Thursday, saying that “Russia still believes that time mostly is on its side.”

“We have had questions for a long time about whether Putin intends to negotiate in good faith,” the official said. Russia is “willing to continue those talks [about mending ties with the US] at the same time that it is delaying and stalling and saying that they can’t accept the US proposals right now, on the actual ceasefire. I think all of that supports the idea that Russia’s goals haven’t changed at all—that right now, what it is trying to do is probably stall for time, make less concessions on the war, and try to instead make progress on sanctions, on Russia’s place in the international community.”

Nuuk, Greenland
Reuters
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Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called Thursday for increased Arctic defense collaboration with the United States during a visit to Greenland, and firmly dismissed the US desire to annex the semi-autonomous Danish territory.

Frederiksen’s visit follows months of tension between Washington and Copenhagen over US President Donald Trump’s repeated declarations that the Arctic island should become part of the United States.

At a news conference with the outgoing and incoming Greenlandic prime ministers, Frederiksen switched to English to address the United States directly, inviting them to strengthen security in the Arctic together with Denmark and Greenland.

“I would like to take this opportunity to send a message directly to the United States of America,” Frederiksen said onboard a military vessel with snowy cliffs in the background.

“This is not only about Greenland or Denmark, this is about the world order that we have built together across the Atlantic over generations. You cannot annex another country, not even with an argument about security,” she said.

Her comments came shortly after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen met on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels.

According to Rasmussen, Rubio acknowledged Greenland’s right to self-determination.

Rubio had reaffirmed the “strong relationship” between the US and Denmark, the State Department said in a statement after the meeting.

Meanwhile, Greenlandic incoming Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who won last month’s parliamentary election, told the news conference it was important for Denmark and Greenland to stand united during a situation with such external pressure, according to daily Sermitsiaq.

US Vice President JD Vance visited a US military base in northern Greenland last Friday and accused Denmark of not doing a good job of keeping the Arctic island safe. He suggested the US would better protect the strategically located territory.

Frederiksen said at the time Vance’s description of Denmark was “not fair.”

On Thursday, she outlined Denmark’s security commitments, including new Arctic ships, long-range drones and satellite capacity, and said Denmark would announce more investments.

“If you want to be more present in Greenland, Greenland and Denmark is ready and if you would like to strengthen the security in the Arctic just like us, then let us do it together,” she said.

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CNN
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As of April 2, European Union citizens join travelers from 48 countries around the world now required to have Electronic Travel Authorisation to enter the UK.

Previously, travelers from the EU could hop on a plane and simply present themselves at passport control on landing. Now, travelers who don’t need a visa to enter the UK must get pre-travel authorization via the new digital registration scheme.

Here’s what to know about the new rules.

Anyone who doesn’t need a visa to travel to the UK will need an ETA — an “electronic travel authorization” which pre-clears you for entry to the country before travel. This is the UK equivalent of the United States’ ESTA — a mandatory, paid-for authorization to travel, with security clearance done in advance.

The scheme debuted to Gulf Cooperation Council nationals in 2024, and was later rolled out to other non-European travelers — including the six million travelers from the US, Canada and Australia who enter the UK each year. The full list of 48 states requiring the ETA is here.

Travelers from these countries have been required to have an ETA to enter the UK since January 8. EU citizens will need an ETA to enter the UK from April 2, 2025.

Citizens of these countries who are already resident in the UK do not need an ETA.

The scheme is for “short” visits to the UK of less than six months for tourism and business. There are a few other categories of ETA, including for short-term study and permitted paid engagements. These are listed on the UK government website.

Although some people are referring to it as a visa, it’s actually a visa waiver. Travelers whose citizenship means they need a visa to enter the UK will still need to apply for a visa. (They won’t, however, need to get the ETA on top of that.)

Countries work on reciprocity when it comes to immigration. When the United States introduced its ESTA visa waiver in 2009, it was inevitable that countries now subject to it would introduce their own similar schemes.

The cost is currently a non-refundable £10 (just under $12.50), and you can apply through the official app listed on the UK government website, or directly online. The fee will increase to £16 (around $20) on April 9.

The apps — for iPhone and Android — boast of being quicker, with 10-minute processing times. Be sure to apply through official channels, rather than through third-party websites, which may charge extra fees, and are less likely to handle your data securely.

You will need to upload a photo of your passport, scan and photograph yourself as you apply, upload the photo, and answer various questions about your plans. Applying online takes around 20 minutes and you must complete the process in one go — there is no chance to save as you go.

A decision will normally be given within three days, though the government warns it could take longer. You are allowed to travel to the UK while waiting for your decision, if you need to visit urgently; however you must have made the application before you travel.

Note that having an ETA doesn’t guarantee entry to the UK. You must still go through passport control and Border Force officials still have the final say over whether you can enter the country.

Validity lasts for two years and multiple entries — so you can visit as often as you please. However, note that it will be digitally linked to your passport — so if you get a new passport during those two years, it will no longer be valid and you must apply for a new one.

Everyone entering the UK needs their own ETA, including children and even babies. But you can apply on somebody else’s behalf.

The ETA is only intended for short stays of up to six months.

Everyone entering UK soil, even for a quick onward connection, must have an ETA. (This is the same for any travelers transiting through the US, who need an ESTA.) You will not be allowed through passport control to the transit area without one.

To enter Europe, you’ll need an ETIAS — the EU travel waiver, which has been much delayed but is currently slated to start some time in 2025. Stay tuned for details as the countdown approaches.