BRAVE MAG

"Do we want to allow artificially generated false news, fake news, ​artificially generated films and misrepresentations to be spread via social media?" he said in a speech ahead of his conservative Christian Union's annual party conference. "Do we want to allow our society to be undermined in this way, both internally and externally, and our young people and children to be endangered in this ‌way?" he said, noting that 14-year-olds ⁠spent an average of five and a half hours a day online.

The CDU party conference on Friday is due to debate a motion calling for a ⁠ban on allowing access to platforms like TikTok or Instagram for children under the age of 16 and similar calls have been made by Merz's centre-left Social Democrat coalition partners.

A growing number of countries in Europe, ​including Spain, ​Greece, France and Britain are looking at similar social ​media bans or restrictions, following the ‌example of Australia, which last year became the first country in the world to force platforms to cut off access for children.

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"Two years ago, I would probably have said something different on this subject, but I completely underestimated, as we all probably did, the significance of algorithms,artificial intelligence, and targeted and controlled influence. From within, and also and especially from outside," he said.

He dismissed arguments that, ‌instead of controls, young people should be introduced to social ​media slowly, saying it was equivalent to arguing that six-year-olds ​should be taught to drink alcohol.

Merz's support ​for the pressure coming from both parties in the coalition makes it ‌increasingly likely that the federal government will push ​for restrictions. However, under ​Germany's federal system, media regulation is a state‑level responsibility and the states must negotiate with each other to agree consistent nationwide rules.

There has been growing discussion of the potential negative effects ​of social media on children ‌in Germany, and the government last year appointed a special commission to look into protecting ​young people from potential harm online. That commission is expected to report later this ​year.

(Reporting by James Mackenzie; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

APTOPIX Switzerland Trump Davos

The Air Force said a "red, white, gold and dark blue paint scheme" will be used for the updated jet that is slated to serve as Air Force One as well as other, smaller jets that routinely fly other top government officials.

The militaryreleased a rendering of the new lookthat matches an airplane model that has been seen in the Oval Office for meetings with foreign leaders.

Boeing is in the process of modifying two of its747-800 aircraftthat are slated to replace the existing fleet of two aging Boeing 747-200 aircraft that the president currently uses and that take on the Air Force One call sign when the president is aboard.

In 2018, Trump directedthat those new jets would ditch the iconic Kennedy-era blue-and-white design for a white-and-navy color scheme. Instead, the top half of the plane would have been white, while the bottom, including the belly, would have been dark blue. A streak of dark red would have run from the cockpit to the tail. The coloring was almost identical to the exterior of Trump's personal plane.

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An Air Force review had suggested the darker colors would increase costs and delay delivery of the new jumbo jets, and President Joe Bidenreversed the decision in March 2023.

Trumptold reporters last monththat "we want power blue, not baby blue," referring to the current color of the aircraft.

"Everything has its time and place. We'll be changing the colors," Trump added.

The Air Force's statement says a third 747-8i Boeing jet will be painted in the same colors.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegsethformally accepteda luxuryBoeing 747 jet from Qatarlast May for use as Air Force One despite questions about the ethics and legality of taking the expensive gift from a foreign nation.

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told lawmakers last June that the security modifications to the jet would cost less than $400 million but provided no details.

The second day of peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Geneva ended abruptly Wednesday morning, after just two hours of discussions.

Ahead of the sit-down, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hadremarkedupon the "difficult" first day of negotiations, which lasted six hours, and accused Russia of stalling progress.

"We can state that Russia is trying to drag out negotiations that could already have reached the final stage," he said. "I set a clear task for the Ukrainian delegation—to do everything possible so that the negotiations are nonetheless productive and increase the chances for peaceful solutions."

After the talks ended, Zelenskyreportedlytold members of the press over WhatsApp: "We can see that progress has been made, but for now, positions differ because the negotiations were difficult."

Rustem Umerov, head of the on-site Ukrainian delegation, also delivered a briefstatement, describing the discussions as "intensive and substantive."

"Within the delegation, both political and military tracks were engaged, and security parameters and mechanisms for implementing possible decisions were discussed. A number of issues were clarified, while others remained under additional coordination," he said.

Russia's chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, similarly described the talks as "difficult, but businesslike," adding that "the next meeting will take place soon."

During a White House press briefing Wednesday afternoon, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said "meaningful progress" had been made and reiterated that "another round of talks" will take place in the future. An exact date was not given.

TIME has reached out to the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministries for further comment.

Alexander Kazakov—Getty Images" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Security guarantees andproposed land concessionsremain at the heart of the Ukraine-Russia stalemate. Moscow is fighting for Ukraine to give up parts of the Donbas region that Ukrainian forcesstill control. Ukraine has repeatedly rejected any such land concessions.

The U.S. mediation team—led by Special EnvoySteve Witkoffand Jared Kushner,President Donald Trump's son-in-law—are expected to largely focus on these territorial disputes when talks resume.

The Geneva negotiations had already been somewhat overshadowed byrenewedfighting. Zelensky said Russia launched a missile strike on the same day talks began.

"Russia greets with a strike even the very day new formats begin in Geneva—trilateral and bilateral with the United States. This very clearly shows what Russia wants and what it is truly intent on," he said, urging U.S. officials to press Moscow to refrain from further attacks.

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Meanwhile, ZelenskytoldAxios on Tuesday that it was "not fair" for Trump to have publicly called on Ukraine to make concessions for peace. He said he hoped those remarks were "his tactics and not the decision."

By contrast, Zelensky said his conversations with Kushner and Witkoff do not involve that kind of pressure. "We respect each other," Zelensky said, adding that he is not a person who folds easily.

When asked about Zelensky's remarks at the White House press briefing on Wednesday, Leavitt said: "I think the President would respond to that by saying he does not think it's fair that thousands of Ukrainians are losing their lives, and Russians too, in this deadly war... the President views this entire situation as very unfair."

Zelensky's comments came after Trumptoldreporters at the White House on Feb. 13: "Russia wants to make a deal and Zelensky is going to have to get moving. Otherwise, he's going to miss a great opportunity."

On Feb. 16, the day before the peace talks in Geneva, Trump revisited the topic once more,tellingreporters aboard Air Force One: "Ukraine better come to the table, fast. That's all I'm telling you. We are in a position, we want them to come."

Progress stalls as fourth anniversary of Russian invasion looms

Next week marks the fourth anniversary ofRussia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. With another round of peace talks ending abruptly, and little sign of compromise over key issues such as land concessions, a stable peace agreement remains elusive.

Ahead of returning to the White House, Trump vowed to end the Ukraine-Russia conflict on his first day back.

In an April 2025 interview with TIME marking his first100 daysback in office, Trump said the24-hour timelinehad been "said in jest" but emphasized the war "will be ended." Trump added that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had shared "very good talks" and a deal was "very close." That deal has yet to materialize.

While the U.S. has stayed on as mediators between the two warring countries, tensions between the Trump Administration and Ukrainian leadership have, at times, proved distracting.

During aheated Oval Office exchangein February last year, Vice President J.D. Vance accused Zelensky of being ungrateful. Trump seemingly agreed, telling the Ukrainian leader: "You don't hold the cards… You're gambling with World War III!"

In a March 2025interviewwith TIME, Zelensky suggested the moment reflected a broader pattern and claimed that U.S. officials had begun taking Putin at his word. "I believe Russia has managed to influence some people on the White House team through information," Zelensky said. "Their signal to the Americans was that the Ukrainians do not want to end the war, and something should be done to force them."

Since then, significant shifts have taken place.Trump urged Ukraine to abandonit's long-sought efforts to join NATO, Kyiv signed anagreement granting the U.S. preferential accessto new Ukrainian minerals, and the Trump Administration shared a28-point planfor peace. The widely-leaked proposal reportedly included calls for Kyiv to reduce its army and make territorial concessions—terms Ukraine swiftly rejected, as they have done before. It has since been revised following talks with both camps.

Trump, in January, also invited Russia to join his Gaza Board of Peace—a move that sparked concernamong European leaders. Notably, when Trump previously floated the idea of allowing Russia to rejointhe G7, Zelensky warned it would lift the most concrete punishment Putin has faced since the invasion: isolation. "That's a big compromise," Zelensky told TIME last year. "Imagine releasing Hitler from his political isolation."

Contact usatletters@time.com.