By LORNE COOK, Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — European leaders have praised President Donald Trump for agreeing to allow vital U.S. backup for a force they are mustering to police any future peace in Ukraine — a move that vastly improves the chances of an operation that could prove essential for the country’s security.

The leaders said Trump offered American backing for the European “reassurance force” during a call they held with him ahead of his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

Related Articles

As Canada wildfires choke US with smoke, Republicans demand action. But not on climate change

Melania Trump demands Hunter Biden retract ‘extremely salacious’ Epstein comments

Trump’s friendly-to-frustrated relationship with Putin takes the spotlight at the Alaska summit

Judge weighs whether Trump violated federal law by deploying National Guard to Los Angeles

Failed New Mexico candidate gets 80 years for convictions in shootings at officials’ homes

The effectiveness of the operation, drawn up by the so-called “coalition of the willing” — around 30 countries supporting Ukraine — hinges on U.S. backup with airpower or other military equipment that European armed forces do not have, or only have in short supply.

EU leaders regularly have underlined how the United States is “crucial” to the success of the security operation dubbed Multinational Force Ukraine. But the Trump administration has long refused to commit, perhaps keeping its participation on hold as leverage in talks with Russia.

After a meeting Wednesday between Trump and European leaders, European Council President Antonio Costa welcomed “the readiness of the United States to share with Europe the efforts to reinforce security conditions once we obtain a durable and just peace for Ukraine.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump had insisted NATO must not be part of these security guarantees, but the U.S. leader agreed “the United States and all the (other) parties involved should take part.”

“It’s a very important clarification,” Macron said.

Trump did not publicly confirm he would allow U.S. backup, and no details of possible U.S. support were made public. But U.S. Vice President JD Vance sat in on the coalition meeting for the first time.

Multinational Force Ukraine

More than 200 military planners have worked for months on ways to ensure a future peace should the war, now in its fourth year, finally halt. Ukraine’s armed forces also have been involved, and British personnel have led reconnaissance work inside Ukraine.

The exact size of the force has not been made public, although Britain has said it could number 10,000 to 30,000 troops. It must be enough to deter Russian forces, but also of a realistic size for nations that shrank their militaries after the Cold War and are now rearming.

The mission “will be to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses on the land, at sea, and in the air because the Ukrainian Armed Forces are the best deterrent against future Russian aggression,” U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey told lawmakers last month. Western trainers will work with Ukrainian troops.

“It will secure Ukraine’s skies by using aircraft,” Healey said, “and it will support safer seas by bolstering the Black Sea Task Force with additional specialist teams.”

Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey launched that naval force a year ago to deal with mines in Black Sea waters.

The force initially will have its headquarters in Paris before moving to London next year. A coordination headquarters in Kyiv will be involved once hostilities cease and it deploys.

Senior Russian officials have repeatedly dismissed the idea of European peacekeepers in Ukraine.

Speaking on a visit to North Korea in July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the Kremlin was “not particularly interested” in the prospect of a peacekeeping force, Russian state media reported.

“We do not take seriously any of the various fantasies promoted by politicians who want to try and shine on the international stage,” Lavrov said, seemingly referring to Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, both force backers.

The impact of US participation

European efforts to set up the force have been seen as a first test of the continent’s willingness to defend itself and its interests, given Trump administration warnings that Europe must take care of its own security and that of Ukraine in future.

Still, U.S. forces clearly provide a deterrent that the Europeans cannot muster.

Details of what the U.S. might contribute were unknown, and Trump has changed his mind in the past, so it remains to be seen whether this signal will be enough to persuade more countries within the coalition to provide troops.

Greece has publicly rejected doing so. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said last month that those discussions were “somewhat divisive” and distracted from the goal of ending the war as soon as possible.

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said Rome won’t contribute troops, but she previously has underlined the importance of working with the U.S. on ending the conflict and called for the participation of an American delegation in force coordination meetings.

NATO membership would be Ukraine’s best security guarantee, but the Trump administration took that possibility off the table in February. Putin is deeply opposed to Ukraine joining the world’s biggest military alliance, and some allies fear it might drag NATO into a broader war with nuclear armed Russia.

European Security Correspondent Emma Burrows in London and AP writer Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England contributed.

By SYLVIE CORBET, Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — Swimming in the Seine is an increasingly popular tourist attraction in the French capital — and a must-do for Parisians themselves. Thousands of people have enjoyed a dip in the river since three public bathing sites opened last month, the first in over a century.

The swimming areas are expected to get even more crowded as a heatwave arrived in the region on Tuesday. Paris has been placed under “high vigilance” by national weather service Meteo France, with temperatures up to 100 Fahrenheit expected.

At the Grenelle site in the west of Paris, visitors swim and sunbathe with a unique view of the Eiffel Tower, with small fishes darting near the surface.

People swim in the Seine river, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Water quality is tested daily to conform with European regulations. Swimming in the Seine had been illegal since 1923, with a few exceptions, due to pollution and risks posed by river navigation. The new bathing sites are possible following a 1.4 billion euro ($1.6 billion) cleanup that made it suitable for Olympic competitions last year.

“Imagine that,” said Constanze Martens, a tourist from Mexico. “Swimming with view of the Eiffel Tower and in pure natural water, clean, safe, and with all this lovely people too, you have every age here.”

On Monday, the water temperature in the Seine was 71 Fahrenheit.

“It’s quite warm, warmer than the sea, which was quite surprising, and is very pleasant,” said Elisabeth Lorin, from the Paris eastern suburb of Montreuil.

Women take a selfie after a swim in the Seine river, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Until the end of August, bathing sites are open for free at scheduled times to anyone 10 or older or 14 or older, depending on the location. Details are in the Paris city hall website, in English as well. Each swimmer must be equipped with a yellow buoy, attached to their waist, for safety reasons. There are changing rooms with lockers.

The site welcomes between 800 and 1,200 visitors per day, with a limit of 200 at any one time, said the manager of the Grenelle site, Yann Forêt.

Paris Deputy Mayor Pierre Rabadan last week said over 40,000 people had swum at the sites since they opened on July 5. That’s despite almost two weeks of closures largely due to rainy weather, which increases water pollution upstream.

“Right now, the water quality is excellent and we have optimal conditions with warm weather,” Rabadan told The Associated Press on Monday. He said the daily decision to open the sites depends on weather conditions and factors including water flow rate and any known pollution.

People swim in the Seine river, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Several lifeguards monitor the sites, occasionally using their whistles to remind swimmers not to jump or leave the perimeter. No major incident has been reported, Rabadan said.

Marina Gicquel, a 22-year-old lifeguard at Grenelle, said the main difference from a swimming pool is the river current, along with the murky water.

“You can only see people’s heads sticking out. That’s why buoys are useful,” Gicquel said. “And it’s also quite deep. It’s three to five meters (10 to 16 feet) deep, so people find no foothold.”

Related Articles

Enchantment of Santa Fe stands the test of time

A guide to a 12-pack of Las Vegas’ best dive bars

Coasting into Croatia: Europe’s hidden gem not so hidden anymore, but still gorgeous

Travel: Switzerland’s zesty Zurich is the gateway to the Alps

Keeping work from spoiling a vacation takes planning and the right phone settings

Some visitors, like Australian Thurkka Jeyakumar, had been skeptical about swimming in the Seine, citing the river’s murky color and bacteria issues.

Unsafe levels of E. coli or other bacteria appear during prolonged periods of rain that overwhelm pipes, leading untreated wastewater to flow into the river instead of a treatment plant. Last year, some Olympic competitions were postponed for that reason.

In the end, Jeyakumar gave it a try because she lost a bet.

“For the moment, I have to say that it was much nicer and cleaner than I thought it would be,” she said. “So the bet worked out for the better!”

AP journalist Nicolas Garriga contributed to this report.

By JESSICA DAMIANO, Associated Press

It’s time — or getting to be time — for us gardeners to reap what we’ve sown.

Although it’s fairly evident when some edibles, like tomatoes, are ripe for the picking (uniform red, yellow or orange color), that isn’t the case with every crop.

This July 3, 2024, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows a zucchini maturing on the vine on Long Island, N.Y. Zucchini are at their most tender when they are 6-8 inches long. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

Popular crops’ telltale signs of deliciousness

Zucchini, for instance, doesn’t change color. Although it might be tempting to grow a 15-inch-long squash, it will likely be tough. For optimal tenderness, pick individual fruits when they’re 6-8 inches (15-20 centimeters) long.

All varieties of green beans should be harvested when they are about as thick as a pencil. Once the plant begins producing, check it every day or two and remove beans that are ready; the more you pick, the more the plant will make.

This undated image provided by Jessica Damiano shows a green bean ready for harvest on Long Island, N.Y. Beans should be picked when they are roughly the thickness of a pencil. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

Green peppers can be harvested at any size but are considered fully mature when they turn red. As a bonus, red peppers are sweeter and contain more nutrients.

There isn’t such a thing as an unripe cucumber — even small ones are crispy and juicy. The hazard here is allowing them to remain on the vine too long, which can result in an off-putting taste and texture. Cucumbers are considered mature when their bumpy skin smooths out.

You’ll know sweet corn is ready as soon as the silk at the top of its ear turns brown. If you still aren’t sure, peel back a small portion of husk and press your nail into a kernel; if it releases a milky fluid, it’s ripe.

Cantaloupe will practically harvest itself when the time is right: A light tug will release the melon from its stem. If any force is required, it’s not ready.

Honeydew melons are ripe when their bottoms begin to soften, and watermelons when their undersides turn a creamy white color.

This July 9, 2025, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows a patch of mature garlic plants on Long Island, N.Y. Garlic bulbs are ready to harvest when all but 5 leaves at the top of the plant have turned yellow or brown. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

When to unearth root crops

Determining when to dig up root crops can pose a bit more of a challenge, as they can’t be visually assessed without disturbing them. But there are some signs to watch for.

You’ll know garlic bulbs are mature when all but five leaves at the top of the plant have turned completely yellow or brown.

Onions are ready when their tops flop over and turn brown.

To assess beets, select one plant and push aside the soil at its base to expose the entire top of the root. Harvest when it measures between 1 ½ and 3 inches (3.8 and 5 centimeters) wide, depending on variety. If it’s too small, cover it back up, water and try again in a week. Avoid allowing beets to get too big, however, or they’ll lose sweetness and turn tough.

Standard potatoes are fully mature when their foliage dies back. But if it’s the so-called “new” potatoes you’re after, dig up the thin-skinned babies 2-3 weeks after the plant blooms. Early-maturing potato types will be ready sooner than the standard, so check tags for variety-specific details. (Note: Due to their delicate skin, new potatoes should be consumed immediately, as they do not store well.)

Carrots are ready when they poke up from underground but can be left in the soil, even into winter, until you need them.

Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.

For more AP gardening stories, go to https://apnews.com/hub/gardening.