First Thing: French foreign minister calls for month-long truce in Ukraine

Jean-Noël Barrot says pause could test whether Vladimir Putin is acting in good faith. Plus, Anora sweeps Oscars

Good morning.

The French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, has suggested that a month-long truce in Ukraine could test whether the Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, was acting in good faith.

Speaking on RTL Radio, Barrot echoed a suggestion by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, that there could be a month’s pause covering air, sea and attacks on critical infrastructure. If it were successful, Barrot said, it may indicate whether Putin was willing to start productive negotiations for a longer-term peace.

The remarks followed the UK prime minister Keir Starmer’s warning that Europe was “at a crossroads in history” and calling for it to back Ukraine to secure a lasting peace during a defence summit in London. Starmer’s remarks stood in sharp contrast to Donald Trump’s behavior at a press conference on Friday, in which he publicly berated Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing him of not being grateful for US support.

• What has Zelenskyy said since? Zelenskyy has tried to move on from Friday’s turbulent meeting in the Oval Office, saying it was “best left to history”, as he signalled Ukraine’s inclination to sign a minerals deal with the US and hoped for “constructive” talks with Washington in future.

Israel accused of using ‘food as weapon of war’ in aid blockade on Gaza

The office of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced on Sunday that Israel was imposing a blockade on Gaza because Hamas rejected a request to extend phase one of the ceasefire and continue to free hostages. The announcement immediately sent the prices of basic necessities soaring in Gaza, which agencies have warned was already receiving only a “fraction” of the aid needed.

The plan, which Israel claimed had been put forward by the US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, would mean a delay in the start of phase two, which involves the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and effectively end the war.

Aid agencies condemned Israel’s blockade announcement, saying Gaza’s population remained highly vulnerable and that obstructing humanitarian supplies to a civilian population was unacceptable in any circumstances.

• What else has happened in the region? A 70-year-old man was killed and others injured in a knife attack in the northern Israeli city of Haifa on Monday morning.

Anora sweeps the Oscars as Mikey Madison named best actress and Adrien Brody wins for The Brutalist

Anora, a comedy-drama about a sex worker from Brooklyn, has come out on top at this year’s Academy awards, winning five Oscars including best picture and best actress, while Adrien Brody got best actor for The Brutalist.

Mikey Madison, who plays the titular character in Anora, won best actress, while its creator Sean Baker also won for director, editing and original screenplay. Both paid tribute to the sex worker community in their speeches, while Baker also called for directors to keep making movies for the big screen to preserve “a communal experience” audiences did not get at home. The Guardian’s film editor, Catherine Shoard, says Anora shouldn’t have won.

The awards ceremony featured a recreation of a controversial moment 22 years ago, when Brody kissed Halle Berry on stage. Doing the same on the red carpet on Sunday, Berry said: “I had to pay him back.” The ceremony was also notable for its lack of mention of Donald Trump and the political climate, in contrast to previous years.

• … and what about the controversial Emilia Pérez? Zoe Saldaña, who won best supporting actress in the movie, apologized to Mexicans who were offended by the film.

In other news …

• China is likely to target American agricultural exports in retaliation for US import tariffs scheduled to come into force on Tuesday, the Chinese state-backed Global Times reported.

• Greece’s prime minister promised to improve its railway infrastructure after massive protests on the two-year anniversary of a train crash that killed 57.

• Freed Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi has been invited to Washington to meet Donald Trump this week, Israel’s media reported, citing Sharabi’s brother.

• UK unions called for action to shield creative workers from the transformative impact AI is having on their industries.

Stat of the day: European defense stocks surge by up to 17%

The share prices of European weapons companies soared on Monday as investors took note of increases in defense spending after announcements by the UK and France on securing a peace deal in Ukraine. Britain’s BAE Systems surged 17% on Monday morning, while Germany’s Rheinmetall rose by 14%, France’s Thales increased 16% and Italy’s Leonardo was up 10% in early trading.

Don’t miss this: The landmark gathering of women that unnerved the Chinese government

In 1995, 30,000 women from around the world met near Beijing for what was to be formative moment in the women’s rights movement. They gathered in Huairou, a half-built town 40 miles north of the Chinese capital after China’s government refused to allow them to meet in the city. The authorities appeared panicked over the summit, providing hotels with extra blankets in fear of the women staging an improvised naked protest and even blaming the unseasonal rain on a concentration of women menstruating. Here’s how those who were there remember it – and what’s changed since.

Climate check: Earth’s strongest current could slow down 20% by 2050 in a high-emissions future

A high emissions future could see the world’s strongest ocean current slow down by 20% by 2050 – a development that would supercharge the melting of the Antarctic ice sheet and rising seas levels, according to research. The study co-author Bishakhdatta Gayen, an associate professor at the University of Melbourne, described the result as “quite alarming”, and warned: “If this current ‘engine’ breaks down, there could be severe consequences.”

Last Thing: How can you tell if a man is really into cast-iron kitchenware? He’ll pansplain it to you

Cast-iron pans require maintenance: seasoning, protection from humidity and even being rubbed with oils, the Guardian columnist Emma Beddington has unhappily found after her husband became a “pansplainer”. But at least they’re not full of PFAS …

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