Morning headlines focused on Hamas's release of three Israeli hostages after 500 days of captivity, alongside 369 Palestinian prisoners. This development occurred despite previous threats from Hamas to suspend negotiations.
The Munich Security Conference dominated coverage throughout the day. Republican J.D. Vance's confrontational speech supporting European populist movements created waves across European media. Zelensky's warning about Ukraine's survival without US support triggered multiple responses, including Rutte's call for European self-reliance and Scholz's proposal to exclude defense spending from EU budget rules.
By evening, coverage shifted to concrete proposals for European military independence, with increasing calls for an EU army. The Netherlands, through security chief Schoof, expressed support for participating in a deterrence force in Ukraine, while US representatives notably excluded European participation from peace talks with Russia.