US objects to phrase ‘Russian aggression’ in G7 statement on Ukraine

Today’s agenda: Meta’s “free speech” revamp; EU seeks to replace Russian fertiliser; Scholz loses ground in Germany’s industrial heartland; and the reinvention of Dublin’s “Monk”

Good morning. The US has protested against calling Russia the aggressor in a G7 statement on the third anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to western officials. Here’s what we know.

What the US is objecting to: US envoys are opposed to the phrase “Russian aggression” and similar words that have been used by G7 leaders since 2022 to describe the war in Ukraine. An official briefed on the matter said: “The Americans are blocking that language, but we are still working on it and hopeful of an agreement.”

Why it matters: The Trump administration’s insistence on softening the language reflects a broader shift in US policy to describe the war as the “Ukraine conflict”, people familiar with the matter said. Changing the language on Russia also marks a contrast with last year, when “aggression” was mentioned five times in the G7 leaders’ statement.

Read more about the dispute threatening to derail a traditional show of unity.

• War in Ukraine: Kyiv’s defence intelligence unit rigged with explosives a batch of drone pilot goggles destined for use by Russians on battlefields in Ukraine, said officials with direct knowledge of the operation.

Here’s what else we’re keeping tabs on today and over the weekend:

• Economic data: The US, UK, France, Germany and the Eurozone have flash purchasing managers’ indices today. The UK also reports January retail sales figures for Great Britain and public sector finances.

• German election: Europe’s largest democracy will vote on Sunday amid acute concern about unfolding risks to the nation’s security and economic wellbeing. 

• Israel-Hamas deal: Hamas has pledged to release six Israeli hostages ahead of schedule on Saturday, as Israel accuses the militant group of substituting a hostage’s body.

• Results: French industrials group Air Liquide and Irish insulation giant Kingspan report.

How well did you keep up with the news this week? Take our quiz.

Five more top stories

1. The EU wants to replace some fertiliser imports from Russia with “homegrown” products processed from animal dung and urine to reduce revenues going to Moscow’s war machine. The European Commission is expected this year to approve the use of Renure, short for “recovered nitrogen from manure”, to lower costs and boost efficiency.

2. Exclusive: Meta’s oversight board has clashed internally over Mark Zuckerberg’s “free speech” overhaul of content moderation, as it rushes to find ways to hold the social media giant to account over the changes. The independent body tasked with ruling on sensitive moderation issues was not consulted on Zuckerberg’s U-turn, according to people familiar with the matter. Read the full report.

3. Exclusive: The UK’s investment arm for international development spent more than £7mn on business-class flights in the past two years, according to newly disclosed data obtained by the Financial Times. “I’m concerned to see an organisation funded by taxpayers to alleviate poverty running up high bills and arguably lavish expenditure,” said an MP. Here’s more on British International Investment’s expenditures.

4. European stocks have outpaced the US in the month since Donald Trump’s inauguration as hopes rise that the region might escape a worst-case scenario trade war. The EU had been braced to be a major target of Trump’s America First policies after the US president pledged to impose across-the-board tariffs on the bloc, but none have yet to take effect.

5. Citigroup is scaling back its policies around diversity, the latest US company to retreat from targets to promote a more inclusive workforce. Trump’s return to the White House has intensified a backlash to diversity, equity and inclusion targets, leading companies to abandon goals they had put in place only a few years ago. 

• Opinion: As US companies dial back DEI efforts, the University of Chicago’s Raghuram Rajan asks: was social responsibility always just performative political theatre?

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