GOOD MORNING. HERE are all the top stories as your day gets underway.

1. Munich

The Taoiseach and Tánaiste will travel to Germany today to attend the Munich Security Council where Ukraine will be at the centre of the discussion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he wants to agree a position with the US to “stop Putin” before holding talks with Russia.

During the conference, Micheál Martin and Simon Harris will meet a broad range of partners from across Europe, the Middle East and North America to discuss key foreign policy issues.

2. ‘Capitulation’

Meanwhile, French president Emmanuel Macron warned against peace in Ukraine that would amount to “capitulation” in an interview with the Financial Times published today, ahead of his attending of the security council today.

“Peace that is a capitulation” would be “bad news for everyone”, he said shortly after US President Donald Trump rattled Washington’s NATO allies by speaking with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about holding talks on Ukraine.

3. Trade war looms

US president has continued to target the country’s allies, signing a memorandum yesterday calling for “fair and reciprocal” trade tariffs on all major US trading partners.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump insisted that its new tariffs would level the playing field between US manufacturers and foreign competitors, telling reporters that US allies were often “worse than our enemies” on trade.

In particular, he singled out the European Union for being “absolutely brutal” in its trade ties with Washington.

4. Israel-Hamas

Hamas said that it is committed to honouring a truce with Israel that has come under severe strain in recent days, adding that it planned to proceed with the next captives swap this weekend as planned.

The Palestinian militant group had agreed under the deal to free three more hostages on Saturday, but said this week that it was suspending the handover because of what it described as Israeli violations of the terms.

5. Munich attack

An Afghan asylum seeker was arrested after a suspected car ramming attack injured at least 30 people in the southern German city of Munich yesterday.

The incident came on the eve of the high-profile international conference in Munich and amid an election campaign in which immigration and security have been key issues after a spate of similar attacks.

6. Deportation 

The Minister for Justice has said that chartered deportation flights from Ireland will commence later this year.

The government intends to oversee an increase in deportation orders issued this year, according to Minister Jim O’Callaghan.

7. Martin Conway 

Five female TDs and senators from Sinn Féin have written to Tánaiste Simon Harris asking that he answer questions about Senator Martin Conway in the Dáil. 

Conway resigned from the Fine Gael parliamentary party on Sunday following his arrest for public intoxication at the end of last month.

It has also emerged that the senator was subject to a separate internal Fine Gael inquiry, over allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards a female party staff member in 2018.

8. Weather

It will be a damp and blustery start to the day, with outbreaks of rain and drizzle and a risk of spot flooding in the south later in the afternoon.

According to Met Éireann, more persistent rain is set to develop in the south and west as the day progresses. There is currently a Status Yellow rainfall warning in the counties of Waterford and Cork.  

9. Chernobyl

A Russian drone last night struck a cover built to contain radiation at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

The drone is said to have struck the “New Safe Confinement”, which protects the remains of reactor 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

However, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that “radiation levels have not increased” at this site.