Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump said that European troops could serve as peacekeepers in Ukraine. Speaking at a joint press conference after meeting at the White House, France’s president said Europe had “provided real money”—not just loans, as Mr Trump asserted—to the war-torn country. Despite the briefing’s convivial tone, Mr Trump pointedly declined to call Vladimir Putin a dictator, a label he has pinned on Volodymyr Zelensky. Meanwhile, America voted against a United Nations resolution condemning Russia’s invasion.
Russia launched an overnight attack on Ukraine, killing two civilians and injuring 36, according to Ukrainian officials. All of the country was under air raid alerts as Russia targeted multiple regions with drones and missiles. In Kherson, a region in the south, 13 people were wounded. Strikes also hit Kyiv, the capital.
America’s Office of Personnel Management walked back Elon Musk’s statement that civilian federal employees would be considered to have resigned if they did not respond to an email asking for a list of recent accomplishments. The OPM said replying was voluntary. Earlier in the day Mr Trump said workers who did not respond would be fired or “sort of semi-fired”.
Tesla’s sales in Europe fell by more than 45% year on year in January, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. Analysts blamed the drop in part on the backing that Mr Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, gave to Germany’s hard-right party, Alternative for Germany. Overall, electric-vehicle sales in Europe rose by 37%. Cars made by China’s SAIC were among the biggest gainers.
The Democratic Republic of Congo said it would halt cobalt exports for at least four months, in an effort to shore up prices. Congo is the world’s largest miner of the metal, which is used in batteries for electric vehicles, among other things. Its price has dropped by about a quarter in the past year because of falling demand and a supply glut.
Hein Schumacher, Unilever’s boss, said he will step down in March after less than two years in charge. Fernando Fernandez, the chief financial officer, will replace him. Investors had pushed for better performance after weak earnings. The board said Mr Fernandez was better suited to lead a turnaround plan initiated by Mr Schumacher, which includes job cuts and spinning off the ice-cream business.
The trial began of three men accused of stealing an 18-carat-gold toilet from Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill. The fully functioning loo, worth £2.8m ($3.5m), was created as an artwork called “America” by Maurizio Cattelan. The men deny the charges, but sadly didn’t say that the police who discovered the burgled bowl had nothing to go on.
Figure of the day: £71bn ($90bn), the size of Britain’s trade surplus with America, according to the Office for National Statistics. Read the full story.
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