![\"Jakub](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1750933810_687_Jakub_Krupa.png\")
Jakub Krupa<\/p>\nMorning opening: Welcome to BrusselsJakub Krupa<\/p>\n
After yesterday\u2019s Nato summit in The Hague,<\/strong> European leaders have travelled 176 km south to Brussels (1 hour 36 minutes on a train, but with connection in Rotterdam) where they meet for today\u2019s European Council<\/strong> meeting of the EU.<\/p>\n On the agenda:<\/p>\n Ukraine<\/strong> (including a video call with Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/strong>),<\/p>\n<\/li>\n the Middle East<\/strong>,<\/p>\n<\/li>\n European defence<\/strong> and security,<\/p>\n<\/li>\n competitiveness<\/strong>, and<\/p>\n<\/li>\n migration<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n They will also discuss the situation in Moldova<\/strong> and the broader enlargement policy towards the western Balkans.<\/strong><\/p>\n The leaders should start arriving any moment now, and I will bring you their comments as they go into the room where it happens.<\/p>\n It\u2019s Thursday, 26 June 2025<\/strong>, it\u2019s Jakub Krupa<\/strong> here, and this is Europe Live.<\/strong><\/p>\n Good morning.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n Slovakia wants sanctions package delayed, ready to veto<\/p>\n Hungary <\/strong>and Slovakia<\/strong> remain opposed to adopting the 18th package of sanctions today.<\/p>\n Hungary\u2019s Orb\u00e1n <\/strong>signalled earlier that he received some offers from the EU on potential areas for compromise (9:45<\/a>), but, in contrast, Slovakia\u2019s position appeared to have hardened in the last few days.<\/p>\n On Monday, the country\u2019s foreign minister Juraj Blan\u00e1r<\/strong> suggested Slovakia was ready to support the package as it doesn\u2019t directly affect its interests.<\/p>\n But talking to reporters this morning, prime minister Robert Fico <\/strong>said he would ask for the package to be delayed, and could even veto it completely.<\/p>\n Slovak media are reporting<\/a> that Fico is frustrated with the EU\u2019s separate proposal on energy imports from Russia,<\/strong> including on nuclear fuel, and want to use the threat of blocking the sanctions to get concessions there.<\/p>\n One to watch.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Latvia ‘very committed’ to further sanctions on Russia, Belarus, PM says<\/p>\n Latvian prime minister Evika Sili\u0146a <\/strong>says that while she isn\u2019t sure if the 18th sanctions package can be agreed today, Latvia remains \u201cvery committed\u201d to further measures against Russia and Belarus.<\/p>\n She says \u201cit is very important to keep Russia out of financial resources\u201d<\/strong> that fund the continuing war on Ukraine.<\/p>\n She says she sees no movement from Russia that would indicate its willingness to end the conflict as it continues to bomb Ukraine.<\/p>\n \u201cWe call for a ceasefire, but if not ceasefire is reached, they need to go further with next sanctions package against Russia,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Romania\u2019s new president Nicu\u0219or Dan <\/strong>says his focus is on foreign affairs today, with particular interest on the situation in Moldova<\/strong>, the broader Black Sea<\/strong> region, and the continuing support for Ukraine<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Spain\u2019s Pedro S\u00e1nchez <\/strong>says he is satisified with the outcome of the Nato summit in The Hague, which he says was difficult but strikes the right balance.<\/p>\n Similarly to Ireland\u2019s Martin, he urges the EU to act to improve the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza<\/strong>, and suspend the bloc\u2019s association agreement with Israel over alleged violation of human rights.<\/p>\n Curiously, he links it with the 18th package of sanctions on Russia, saying it would be a double standard to pursue it while not reacting to Israel\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n He is also asked about US president Donald Trump\u2019s threat he would make Spain pay double<\/strong> for refusing to sign up to the new Nato spending target.<\/p>\n He says defence and trade are two separate issues<\/strong>, points out that Spain has a trade deficit with the US, and notes that the EU\u2019s trade policy is run from Brussels.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>EU should aim to accept Ukraine into bloc by 2030, Lithuanian president says<\/p>\n Lithuanian president Gitanas Naus\u0117da <\/strong>says the EU should open the six remaining clusters of negotiations for Ukraine\u2019s EU membership by the end of the year<\/strong> and aim to admit the country to the bloc by 1 January 2030<\/strong>, Reuters reports.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Hungary’s position on Ukraine ‘regrettable’, Ireland’s Martin says<\/p>\n Ireland\u2019s Martin is pretty outspoken this morning.<\/p>\n Asked about Ukraine\u2019s<\/strong> accession to the EU, he calls Viktor Orb\u00e1n <\/strong>and Hungary\u2019s opposition to the move \u201cdeeply, deeply regrettable\u201d and \u201cvery problematic.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n He says Ireland \u201cwill do what we always do, would seek to persuade\u201d on this, as he insists that \u201cit\u2019s very important that that accession pathway starts.\u201d<\/p>\n He says that knowing that the EU membership has had a transformative impact on Ireland, he does not want to get in the way of stopping anyone seeking to join the EU.<\/p>\n Similarly on Israel<\/strong>, he repeatedly calls out<\/strong> \u201cthe degree of carnage and destruction\u201d in Gaza<\/strong>, saying it \u201ccries out for a humanitarian response from Europe<\/a>.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI think that kind of tactic and pattern of undermining those who would even question what\u2019s happening in Gaza, that also has to stop,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>‘Atmosphere focused on getting a deal,’ Ireland’s PM says on talks with US<\/p>\n Ireland\u2019s Martin<\/strong> also continues on the US trade situation:<\/p>\n \u201cI do genuinely detect an atmosphere that\u2019s focused on getting a deal<\/strong>, both on the US side and on the European Union side, and that\u2019s where our focus in Ireland is.<\/p>\n Actually getting a deal is important for certainty<\/strong> so that we know the landscape out ahead of us and that industry knows the landscape ahead of it, so that we can protect jobs, which is our number one priority.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Share<\/a>Negotiated trade deal with US ‘extremely important,’ Irish PM says<\/p>\n Irish prime minister Miche\u00e1l Martin<\/strong> is up next.<\/p>\n He says that getting a negotiated trade arrangement with the US<\/strong> before the 9 July deadline is \u201cextremely important to give certainty to market<\/strong>, certainty to investors, to workers and to industry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEvery effort has to be made to get a landing zone that we can live with.<\/strong> It\u2019s not ideal. It\u2019s not optimal. Europe<\/a> doesn\u2019t want tariffs, but we have to deal with the situation that is before us,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Martin also says Ireland is \u201cnot happy\u201d with the delays in the Ukrainian accession process,<\/strong> with \u201csome countries slowing down the process\u201d (hi Hungary!).<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a very fundamental issue that speaks to the future of Ukrainians, but also of Europe, and the European Union<\/a>, and Ireland has been outspoken from the very beginning of this that there should be a pathway for Ukraine to become members of the European Union.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n Martin also says he will raise the issue of \u201cthe dire, catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza,\u201d<\/strong> saying it is \u201cincomprehensible\u201d that Europe is not putting more pressure on Israel.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Luxembourgish prime minister Luc Frieden<\/strong> says the Nato summit in The Hague was \u201cthe summit of unity and strength for Europe\u201d as he praises the outcome of the talks.<\/p>\n He says the EU needs to \u201cdeepen the single market\u201d<\/strong> to generate economic growth.<\/p>\n He pointedly says \u201cwe need open trade, and we are against tariffs,\u201d as he hopes to get a deal with the US<\/strong> ahead of the 9 July deadline.<\/p>\n On Ukraine<\/strong>, he says \u201cwe need to continue to be supportive of Ukrainian people.\u201d<\/p>\n On Gaza<\/strong>, he says the situation in Gaza continues to be \u201cterrible\u201d from a humanitarian point of view, and while Europe has \u201calways been on the side of Israel in [terms of] its right to self-defence,\u201d more needs to be done to improve the situation of Palestinians.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Finnish PM hopes to see sanctions against Russia passed today<\/p>\n Finnish prime minister Petteri Orpo<\/strong> also starts by praising the outcome of the Nato summit in The Hague yesterday.<\/p>\n He then says he hopes the leaders will reach an agreement on the new sanctions package<\/strong> to put pressure on Putin in a bid to end the invasion on Ukraine.<\/p>\n He stresses the need to pass the package today, and says he hopes that the two countries signalling their dissent \u2013 that\u2019s Hungary and Slovakia \u2013 will eventually back it too.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Change in Nato mindset brought on by Vladimir Putin as much as Donald Trump – analysis Donald Trump<\/strong> may like to take the credit for almost all of the 32 allies agreeing to a sharp increase in defence spending<\/a>, but the reality is that the dramatic change in the Nato mindset was as much brought on by Vladimir Putin.<\/strong><\/p>\n President Donald Trump attends a press conference following the Nato summit in The Hague, the Netherlands. Photograph: Xinhua\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n The Russian president\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine<\/a> in February 2022 was the first jolt, but there is a second uncomfortable reality. If there is a sustainable ceasefire in Ukraine, it will mean the deployment of a European-led peacekeeping force in the country<\/strong> \u2013 and after a while, Russia\u2019s military might will inevitably recover.<\/strong><\/p>\n Mark Rutte\u2019s sycophantic, but effective, handling of Trump<\/strong>, certainly helped bring about a positive summit in The Hague, though even the Nato chief had to concede that describing Trump as \u201cdaddy\u201d \u2013 a father figure who had to tell Iran and Israel to stop fighting \u2013 was perhaps \u201ca question of taste\u201d.<\/p>\n The manoeuvres were not subtle, but they were nevertheless effective.<\/strong> A late schedule change gave Trump a night in King Willem-Alexander\u2019s palace, complete with breakfast, leaving Trump to remark on how well he had slept, though what particularly seems to have hit home was hearing each of the alliance\u2019s other 31 leaders give a three-minute speech, something that might be assumed to have bored him.<\/p>\n \u201cI came here because it was something I\u2019m supposed to be doing, but I left here a little bit different,\u201d he said as he reflected on the morning meeting in an upbeat press conference.<\/p>\n Make no mistake, after Trump\u2019s re-election and particularly in February, the alarm across Nato was real. That month, Trump started talking to Putin about Ukraine, and rowed with Ukraine\u2019s president<\/a>, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in the Oval Office \u2013 while his defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, made a speech<\/a> that was interpreted as a warning that in the not too distant future Europe might have to defend itself.<\/p>\n But what helped persuade Nato\u2019s other leaders to spend more was a worry about Trump\u2019s commitment.<\/strong> Nato<\/a> planners believe that if Russia<\/strong> were to agree to a ceasefire, it could quickly, within perhaps three, five or seven years, pose a serious threat to the alliance\u2019s eastern flank.<\/strong><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n As we wait to hear from more leaders to arrive, let me jump on Schoof\u2019s comments and bring you our defence and security editor Dan Sabbagh\u2019s<\/strong> analysis of yesterday\u2019s Nato summit in The Hague.<\/strong><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n German chancellor Friedrich Merz<\/strong> is not in the mood for lengthy conversations as he arrives at his first European Council.<\/p>\n He lists the topics to be discussed today, and endorses the European Commission\u2019s proposals to improve the bloc\u2019s competitveness globally and \u201cefforts to reach a trade agreement with the US.\u201d<\/p>\n And, on a personal note, he says he hopes to be able to make a contribution to help Europe move forward<\/strong> successfully.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Dutch PM ‘hopeful’ to see new sanctions passed by EU<\/p>\n Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof<\/strong> arrives next, fresh from the successful Nato summit in The Hague.<\/p>\n He (not surprisingly) says it was a \u201cvery good summit,\u201d<\/strong> which \u201cachieved a big result\u201d with the new 5% defence spending target.<\/p>\n He also tells reporters it\u2019s clear that the US remains committed to Nato and Article 5, and hopes for a resolution to trade issues soon.<\/p>\n On sanctions<\/strong> against Russia, Schoof backs the \u201cstrong\u201d package and says he is \u201chopeful\u201d<\/strong> that it will be passed<\/strong> during today\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>‘Rebellion is the only way,’ Hungary’s Orb\u00e1n criticises EU’s migration plans, rejects Ukraine’s membership bid<\/p>\n Hungary\u2019s Viktor Orb\u00e1n<\/strong> is the first leader to arrive.<\/p>\n One of the key issues at this summit is whether the leaders will be able to agree on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia.<\/strong><\/p>\n Hungary has been a vocal critic of the proposal, threatening (as usual) to block it. Slovakia is also partially against the new package.<\/p>\n But in his exchange with the Hungarian media, Orb\u00e1n appears to signal he received a good compromise offer<\/strong> from the EU\u2019s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas. One to watch.<\/p>\n He then takes a few questions from international reporters.<\/p>\n He gets asked what he would do if one of his five children wanted to attend the Budapest Pride<\/strong> march this weekend, banned by the Hungarian police.<\/p>\n He says:<\/p>\n They are all adults. So, they make their own choices in their own lives.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n On Ukraine<\/strong>, he says he worries that \u201cif we integrate Ukraine into the European Union<\/a>, we would integrate the war.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe would not like it to be together in one community with a country that is at war and represents an imminent danger for us. If a member of the EU is at war, it means the EU is at war, and we don\u2019t like it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n He gets asked if his calculation would change if there was a ceasefire.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but there\u2019s no ceasefire,\u201d he answers.<\/p>\n On EU-US trade<\/strong>, he says the problem is the Americans have \u201ca heavyweight dealmaker,\u201d<\/strong> while the EU\u2019s negotiators are \u201crather weak.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n On migration<\/strong>, he calls for \u201crebellion, rebellion, rebellion\u201d<\/strong> against the EU\u2019s rules as he criticises the inadequate response so far.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have discussed 100 times how to change \u2026 the regulation of migration. And nothing happened, they just [keep] coming in,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n He tells his fellow leaders that \u201cif you come together to have a nice meeting and nice talk, it will never ork.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe only way to stop it, as we Hungarians have done, \u2026 that nobody can step into the territory of Hungary without having the permission from the Hungarian authorities,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I suggest to all my colleagues, rebellion, rebellion, rebellion. \u2026 Rebellion is the only way,<\/strong>\u201d he says.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/5270.jpg\")
The European Union flag stands inside the atrium at the European Council building in Brussels. Photograph: Omar Havana\/AP<\/p>\n\n
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![\"Dan](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1750933812_460_Dan-Sabbagh,-L.png\")
Dan Sabbagh<\/p>\n\n
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