While Trump’s envoys meet Putin, Ukraine battles Starshield issues.

Hello, and welcome to World News Tonight, live from Warsaw, with me, Ashim Kumar. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner emerged from talks with Vladimir Putin with little progress on peace in Ukraine. Putin's only concession so far is to acknowledge that the European nations backing Ukraine cannot be excluded from further talks. We'll get to that in just a moment, but first, tonight's headlines. NVIDIA's boss, Huang, quits after romance with suspected Chinese spy. Europe faces a new wave of hoax bomb alerts. Australian teenager found alive after six days alone in the bush. U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have left Moscow after talks with Vladimir Putin aimed at securing a peace deal in Ukraine. Putin struck a notably tough tone, repeating many of the maximalist demands that are unlikely to be acceptable to Ukraine or Europe. Natalia Komarov reports. Russia's Vladimir Putin welcomed U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to the Kremlin just a day after peace talks in Abu Dhabi between Ukraine, the United States and Russia concluded with no major breakthrough. It's true. Putin opened the meeting by praising the recent joint humanitarian mission in Oleshki and suggested similar cooperation in the town of Konstantinivka, currently surrounded by Russian troops. Let's invite international media, including the American media, Russian media. But that's not what American negotiators hoped to get out of the meeting. The aim was to push for the inclusion of Europe in future talks. We are hopeful that we can announce shortly, hopefully maybe even at the end of this meeting, the next trilateral meeting. After the meeting, Witkoff told Russian state media that the Europeans will join the next round of talks. The Kremlin has yet to confirm. But even if Russia is now open to discuss the future of European security architecture with Europe, its demands are non-starters. Moscow reportedly wants NATO to pull out from countries like Poland, Finland and the Baltic States. My feeling is that Russia is reluctant to talk to Ukraine and United States. So why would they like to have Europe on board? They believe Europe is just a dish, not a partner to discuss with. And yet it is Europe that provides the most towards the defense of Ukraine. Europeans should be at the table because Europe is about European security, not just Ukraine. And it's clear that Russia doesn't want this. This, at a time when many Europeans wonder where Washington's loyalties lie. Witkoff and Kushner are sending signals that they want to pressure the Europeans to soften their sanctions against Russia, starting with energy. Upon leaving the Kremlin, Witkoff and Kushner took a flight to Dublin for the European Political Community Summit to convey the contents of their meeting with Putin to European partners, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. For TVP World, Natalia Komarov. Witkoff and Kushner are due to brief European leaders gathered in Dublin, along with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, on Putin's demands, which include pulling NATO out of Central Europe. Moscow insists such a new security order in Europe must come first before it agrees to end the war on Ukraine. TVP World correspondent Laura Hazanov is in Dublin with more. Laura, hello. How are the European leaders responding to Putin's demands? Good evening, Hashim. Well, the European leaders have responded with a firm and resounding no. The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, set the tone this morning when he told European leaders gathered here in Dublin that the U.S. and Russia were discussing the security framework of Europe itself, not just guarantees for Ukraine. And from that point on, this issue has dominated the summit. From the plenaries to the corridors, the European leaders gathered here have been closing ranks. No one will decide the security architecture of Europe. Bar the Europeans themselves, Vladimir Putin has conceded that Europe can no longer be excluded from talks over the Ukraine peace process, but there's very real concern here that the price of a seat at the table for the Russians could mean putting the future of NATO at risk. Let's hear what the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, had to say on the matter. Let's call a spade a spade. I will be discussing this further with many other leaders. Under no circumstances will we allow new security rules for this part of the world to be set over our heads. That is, over the heads of Poles and Europeans. We are not going to build a new security architecture simply because the president of Russia, or, for that matter, someone from the United States, wishes for it. That is out of the question. And I can say with satisfaction that I see a unified and firm stance on this matter across Europe. I'll say it again, satisfaction. But for that firm and unified stance to be communicated, Europe needs an envoy and for now, It has no one to send. Germany wants Paris, Berlin and London to lead the negotiations, while Italy would want a single EU envoy. Other countries are saying that the EU already has its own representatives, be that Kaja Kallas, the head of EU diplomacy, or Antonio Costa, the head, the president of the European Council. After two years of negotiations, there seems to be no consensus here among the European leaders. Now, tomorrow, the leaders here in Dublin will reconvene and try to ascertain an answer to this ever? Now, Volodymyr Zelensky wants that person to be named by the end of this month, but what is clear is that Vladimir Putin, after launching the biggest war on European soil since the start of World War II, now wants to dictate what security and peace looks like on the continent. European leaders could stand in his way, but for now they remain divided, and as long as they remain divided, Ukraine continues to suffer. All right. That's Laura Hazanov reporting from Dublin. Thank you for that, Laura. Ten civilians have been killed and 40 were wounded in Russian strikes across Ukraine. Power infrastructure and farms were hit, while renewed major disruptions to Elon Musk's Starlink service are crippling Ukrainian communications along the entire front line. More from TVP World correspondent Oz Katergi. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Thursday that restrictions have resumed on the Starlink and StarShield systems, the satellite communication systems owned and operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX. President Zelensky, speaking at the European Political Community Summit in Ireland, had this to say. We have detected speed restrictions on StarShield on our Ukrainian territory again. In the temporarily occupied parts of Ukraine, the speed limit is back at 161 kilometers per hour, and near the front line, we cannot use our aircraft. Only drone interceptors can operate this. And without the speed we need, shooting down these Shahids becomes much harder. Now, President Zelensky earlier in the day had said that these restrictions were helping Russians kill more Ukrainians. Now, this comes as Russia launched more attacks on Ukraine targeting energy infrastructure across the country, including a ballistic missile attack on the Ukrainian capital. Ten people killed over the last 24 hours and at least 40 injured in those Russian attacks as Russia continues To target Ukraine's energy sector ahead of those cold winter months. I'm Oz Katergi reporting from Kyiv. Petr Huwalt. NVIDIA's chief executive and founder Jensen Huang has resigned in the aftermath of his extramarital affair with a suspected Chinese spy. US President Donald Trump, who had a close relationship with Huang, has weighed in on the matter. Sonia Agata-Bistchan reports. Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, a leader in creating the chips that power AI, stepped down shortly after the company's board of directors initiated an independent investigation amid reports of national security concerns due to his affair with Alice Huang, an unrelated former executive of Singapore-based company Megaspeed, who U.S. authorities suspect of spying for Beijing. In his apology for the affair addressed to his family and employees of the California headquartered company published on Sunday, Taiwan-born Jensen Huang said he would support the company's investigation. I am committed to protecting NVIDIA and supporting America's national security. I am proud and grateful to be an American. US President Donald Trump shared that the FBI is also looking into the matter. As Huang exited Nvidia, the company announced that Colette Kress, current executive vice president and chief financial officer, will serve as the interim CEO. But Trump has another successor in mind. Now that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who has done a fantastic job, has resigned, there is only one man to take his place. Tim Cook of Apple. A legend replaces a legend. Alice Huang came under scrutiny when Megaspeed, which buys AI chips from Nvidia, was investigated over suspicions it helped Beijing gain access to advanced AI chips that are barred from shipment to China. Beijing called the Chinese spy narrative a fabrication and accused Washington of implementing a technology blockade. Amid the situation, shares of Nvidia, one of the largest companies in the world, plunged 10% in pre-market trading Thursday. To find out more about the impact of this story, stay tuned for the latest episode of You and AI with Ayesha Bachi at 8.30pm, just after the world news tonight. Europe is facing another wave of bomb threats, spreading fear and disrupting daily life. Several schools in Italy were targeted while a bomb scare at a French railway station brought train services to a halt, delaying cross-channel Eurostar passengers. Another day, another wave of bomb threats across Europe. Several schools in Italy received new threats similar to those reported recently. A bomb alert at a railway station in France also disrupted Eurostar services, adding to concerns over a growing wave of security threats across the continent. Thank you very much for having me. First of all, as of now, there is no evidence to suggest any concrete danger. Second, the purpose of these messages is not to carry out an attack, but to instill fear. And even when no attack takes place, the disruption is real. Evacuations. Cancelled services and public alarms are enough to interfere with everyday life. Whether these are hoaxes or not, these threats have real impact in terms of preventing people from going about their daily lives and they must be stopped. It's actually the greatest weapon that our enemies have because... The very idea of scaring strong, stable democracies into a situation in which the internal stability is the actual threat factor. The incidents have also raised concerns about a broader pattern of hybrid threats targeting European countries. However, the threats are not limited to bomb alerts, cyber attacks, or another front in which European officials increasingly see a campaign to destabilize institutions and undermine public confidence. Poland's Minister of Digital Affairs says the ePUAP system, an app used by millions of Polish citizens, as well as the government, to navigate administrative concerns, was also targeted by an attack. Adversarze, szczególnie... Adversaries, particularly those from abroad, are trying to attack us here. Which country they come from will probably become clear in the coming days. I can see and sense that many countries would like to destabilize Poland. And of course, the biggest adversary is Russia. While investigations can take time, they often, inevitably, uncover links to Russian intelligence. One such case was recently revealed by Romanian intelligence. Hackers linked to Russia's FSB reportedly compromised the servers of a Romanian government organization in December 2025, trying to obtain emails sent or received by NATO and the European Union. Russia has also been linked to various cases of espionage. What we're witnessing here is actually a terrifyingly beautiful cooperation between the enemies of Europe. The speed and the scale of this disinformation is absolutely terrifying. And we can be sure that even if Russia didn't cause this, they will use it for their benefit. And so, as Europe braces itself for more hybrid attacks, The challenge is to stop them before they strike and destabilize European societies from within. The Krakow shooting left more than tragedy in its wake. In its aftermath, disinformation, public panic and fears of copycat attacks fueled a heated debate over how the media should report on mass killers. Karolina Jeszynska. The Krakow shooter may be dead, but the digital footprint of his crimes continues to grow. In the days following the shooting, media coverage has increasingly focused on the perpetrator. His photographs have circulated online, while broadcasters and news websites have explored details of his upbringing, spoken to relatives, neighbors, and former classmates, scrutinizing aspects of his private life. That approach has sparked a debate among Polish journalists. Some argue that giving so much attention to a mass killer risks overshadowing the victims. They believe reporters should avoid personalizing perpetrators and instead keep focusing on the consequences of their actions. Others warn of a more practical danger. Extensive publicity can unintentionally reward the very behavior it seeks to condemn by making the attacker a household name. Critics say the media may provide exactly the recognition that some future perpetrators are looking for. Recent arrests suggest those concerns are not unfounded. Eleven people have so far been detained across Poland for online posts either praising the Krakow's gunmen or hinting at further attacks. The Central Cybercrime Bureau is tracking online reactions to the massacre. Walca. The fight for an Internet free from hate and violence is a governmental priority. Those arrests range in age from teenagers to pensioners. All but one are Polish citizens. Police say many were unable to justify what they had written, while some dismissed their actions as a mistake. Investigators accuse those arrested of spreading disinformation and contributing to public fear. Depending on the content, they may face charges ranging from making threats to glorifying a crime or triggering a false security alert. Krakow showed us very vividly that we should spend more money on police, border guard, on special services. Police say vigilance is essential because of the well-documented phenomenon of copycat violence. Recent attacks in schools, they note, have demonstrated how one high-profile incident can inspire another, a pattern investigators believe may also have played a role in the Krakow attack. Credible information has emerged indicating that, months before carrying out the attack, the perpetrator had been viewing websites related to the mass murder committed by Anders Breivik. The attack unfolded on Saturday in Kraków's old town. A 24-year-old man drove onto the main square and opened fire on bystanders. Six people lost their lives and 15 others were wounded. Later that day, while searching the shooter's home, police found the bodies of three family members. The attacker died in a hospital on Monday. For TVP World, Karolina Jaźwińska. After six days lost in the Australian bush, a 17-year-old boy with autism has been found safe nearly 200 kilometres east of Melbourne. Hundreds of rescuers took part in the search. He escaped with minor bruises, but his mother says he's now grounded for life. Six long days in the Australian bush, alone. That's what a teenager, identified only as William by local police, had to go through before he was found in the Cowar area, almost 200 kilometers east of Melbourne. He went missing on November 6th, camping with a friend at Warrawalla East. Local media, citing William's family, reported he has level 2 autism, requiring substantial support. That, combined with cold overnight temperatures, which reach around 6 degrees Celsius in the Melbourne area, had authorities concerned for the 17-year-old's welfare. It took hundreds of people, including police divers, dog squads and helicopter crews to find him, tucked away in a dry riverbed, sleeping. After a quick helicopter ride, William was reunited with his family, who said that, other than a few bruises, the boy seemed to be in perfect health. But spending nearly a week in the Australian bush isn't the end of William's troubles. According to his mom, he is grounded for life. And now we return to our main topic as the U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to end the Ukraine war seem to be stuck due to Putin's maximalist agenda. To discuss this, I'm joined by Michael Carpenter, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and former ambassador to the OSCE. Mr. Carpenter, welcome to TVP World. Thanks for taking the time. Thanks so much for having me. Okay, so let's start with the talks that the U.S. envoys had with Putin and his negotiators, both in Abu Dhabi and in Moscow. Outcome as you see it. Well, I think predictably the talks failed to arrive at an agreement on the end of the war, although there was a useful agreement on the exchange of POWs, which these sorts of agreements on POWs have happened sporadically throughout the course of the last four and a half years. But look, whenever the Russian side tries to enlarge the scope of the discussions by bringing in European security architecture, it means that the Russian side is unwilling to make concessions. On the war in Ukraine and on the front lines. So they're trying to expand this. And unfortunately, the US negotiators, either because they don't understand entirely what the Kremlin is trying to do, or because they don't mind placating the Kremlin, have walked into this trap and have agreed to expand the discussions along these lines, which, of course, you know, Russia has completely taken apart the entire architecture that was created in the post Cold War period. that was founded in many treaties and also organizations like the one where I was ambassador, the OSCE, but, you know, the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the Vienna Document, the Open Skies Treaty, any number of other measures that Russia all violated. And so it's really a shame that the focus has shifted to this as opposed to how pressure can be applied to Moscow in order to force Russia. Given its historic weakness right now, into an end to this tragic, bloody war. Well, Europe has very clearly come out against any discussion on the breakdown of the order when it comes to NATO and generally the European security architecture. What happens now? What's President Trump's next move with his envoys, do you think? Well, the envoys are just leaving Moscow now, so they will have compared notes with the Russian side, which is no doubt very happy with the status of these negotiations, because now it puts the onus on the Europeans to try to accede to some of these demands, which so far are fairly inchoate. But Russia must be happy because there's no unified diplomatic pressure on the Kremlin to either walk away from the war or to agree to some sort of a limited ceasefire, either on the ground at a minimum in the Black Sea or in the air, which would, of course, be the most comprehensive form of ceasefire. But but, you know, Moscow is getting away with with this diplomatic charade. As for the Trump team, look, I think. I think President Trump has been very consistent all along as far as his aims go, and the ending of the war, while it is one of his diplomatic goals, it's not his primary goal. Trump's primary goal is to reset relations with Russia. Because many in his entourage have eyed business deals that would enrich them personally, but also, they argue, would be good for the United States. And so everything that comes in the negotiations is sort of subservient to that overall goal of trying to reset relations on a more friendly tone with Russia. Trump is going to be constrained in this regard come January 3rd with a new Congress, but he keeps plowing ahead with this goal of trying to placate Russian demands. Right, I'd like to come now to Europe's place at the negotiating table. Russia has kept Europe away from the last set of talks, but now Putin is saying that it's up to Europe whether there's peace or war in Ukraine, and he wants the American envoys to pressure Europe. How do you read that sentence? Well, again, I think it's pretty obvious what Putin's trying to do here. He's trying to put the pressure on the Europeans to make concessions. You know, Russia has long peddled this concept of indivisibility of security, which, you know, it sounds great in theory. But what the Russians mean by this in practice is any move by any country in Europe that would potentially adversely affect Russia's security has to be sort of pre-negotiated or agreed to. by the Russians. Meanwhile, Putin gives himself carte blanche to launch aggressive wars against his neighbors. So it's really a sort of a neat trick by Russia to keep invoking this concept and not to be called out on it. So by talking about European security architecture, Putin shifts the burden away from Moscow, which should be pressured to simply walk away from this in Ukraine, where Russia has no business. And instead, it puts the onus on European capitals as to what they're willing to entertain going forward. Now, last thing I'll say is the Europeans did show up in these talks in Abu Dhabi, and I don't blame them for it because, I mean, the Europeans want to make sure they understand what the Americans are promising and what the Russians are saying. So they do rightfully have a seat at the table, but they've been put in a very unfortunate situation By the U.S. negotiators. OK, I'd like to move on now to hybrid warfare that's being conducted across Europe at the moment. So in Italy, for example, schools have received bomb hoaxes and the Eurostar train, you. which crosses underneath the English Channel from France to England, was stopped because of a bomb hoax at a French railway station and so on. So, so, um... I mean, clearly, or perhaps not so clearly, but probably, the finger points at Russia's hybrid warfare strategy. What do you think Russia's trying to achieve? So Russia's main aims with its gray zone warfare are to divide Europe, to frighten European citizens. So that they're more cautious about supporting Ukraine and also to expose rifts within countries between different political forces, those that are more supportive of NATO and a firm stance against Russia and those that are more prone to accommodating Moscow. So those are Russia's aims. And it's frankly, from the Kremlin's perspective, a brilliant strategy because Russia, in a sense, bears no costs. For its gray zone attacks, and it can escalate both the scale and scope of these attacks. And Europe essentially does not respond, which is a real problem for European strategists and national security officials, because they fundamentally lack a strategy for deterring Russia in the gray zone. So there's no collective cost imposition. An attack on one is unfortunately an attack on one and not an attack on all. Um, and, uh, there's no pressure really being put on Russian networks. It's up to individual countries to decide what their response will be. And oftentimes the decision is taken, uh, to just try to let bygones be bygones and move on, uh, without, uh, escalating the situation with Moscow. Right. Well, I mean, this hybrid warfare has been going on for a while now. Do you think it's time for NATO to step in and say this may not be the kinetic war in its standard definition, but it is still warfare and therefore NATO should play a role? What do you think? So it's up really to NATO and the European Union to coordinate their strategies on this, because there are a lot of cost imposition steps that the European Union ought to be taking because they have escalation dominance in the economic domain. There's a few steps that NATO can be doing, particularly more robust intelligence sharing. You know, when I was an American official in the National Security Council, I was often shocked by how many European officials were not aware of Russian plots against their neighbors because they were solely paying attention to their own countries. So there's a role for NATO, but there's also a big role for the European Union. But I think the fundamental thing that needs to happen is the mindset needs to shift again. These attacks cannot be treated simply as an isolated attack on an individual country. They have to be treated as a part of a larger Russian campaign aimed at undermining European solidarity and unity. And only when Europe acts collectively by imposing greater costs on Russia than Russia is able to exert on European countries through these attacks, only then will the Kremlin potentially reconsider its course of action. And many would say the sooner that happens, the better. Mr. Carpenter, thank you very much indeed for sharing your analysis with our audience and have a good day. Thanks so much. Bye-bye. That brings us to the end of this episode of World News Tonight. Don't go away. As always, lots more coming up.