Hungary’s Viktor Orbán was spotted speaking with Slovakia’s Robert Fico just minutes before the EU summit began. The reason for their camaraderie lies in their joint opposition to the European Commission’s proposed phase-out of Russian fossil fuels, which both landlocked countries continue to buy.
Orbán and Fico have threatened to veto the 18th package of EU sanctions on Russia if their concerns regarding the phase-out are not addressed. Slovakia, in particular, has asked for “guarantees”, which some in Brussels interpret as either a request for money or legal exemption, or perhaps both. Earlier today, Fico held a bilateral meeting with Ursula von der Leyen to discuss the matter, a diplomat told Euronews.
The Commission is confident it can arrive at a compromise of sorts without imperilling the essence of the energy strategy. If things are smoothed out, EU ambassadors will be able to formally adopt the sanctions on Friday.
The leaders of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden – known as the Nordic-Baltic 6 – met with their counterparts from Ireland, Poland, and Germany before the summit with discussions focusing primarily on support to Ukraine.
“The countries around this table are some of the leaders in supporting Ukraine and increased spending in our own security. We call on all member states to do more and to do it faster,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said.
“If we are serious about the Russian threat being existential, we cannot afford to not strengthen our own defence capabilities, and in parallel strengthen Ukraine. More action, less talking.
“And if we are to afford increasing our own security, in parallel with several other challenges such as welfare and climate, we need a growing economy. We will keep pushing the Commission to make it easier to do business in Europe,” he added.
Photo credit: European Council
The European Union has to “immediately” suspend its association agreement with Israel, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.
“It makes no sense that we have imposed seventeen rounds of sanctions on Russia for its aggression against Ukraine, yet Europe, applying double standards, is unable to even suspend an association agreement when Israel is flagrantly violating Article 2 on respect for human rights,” Sanchez said.
Last week, the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas presented an eight-page review of the bloc’s association agreement with Israel, which concluded that there were “indications” that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the partnership.
Kallas stressed that if Israel doesn’t “improve the situation” in Gaza, the EU will discuss “further measures” on how to suspend the agreement – but for countries like Spain, that’s not enough action to respond to the “catastrophic” situation happening in Gaza.
Sanchez also argued that there is “no alternative” to the two-state solution for the conflict in Gaza.
“There is no other alternative if we want to get to the root of the conflict and find a solution to it,” he concluded.
The EU’s 27 foreign affairs ministers were expected to respond to a recent review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement which found “indications” that Israel breached its human rights obligations with actions in Gaza. #EuropeNews
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda praised US President Donald Trump for pushing NATO allies to raise defence spending, as EU leaders gathered in Brussels. “President Donald Trump, as I’ve mentioned many times, has sufficient leverage in his hand,” Nausėda said. “Yesterday’s leadership by the American president in NATO – with us ready to take the decision on 5% [of GDP] – I could not have imagined such a percentage two years ago. But now this is a reality, and it’s thanks to the American president.”
Turning to Ukraine, Nausėda said time for discussion was over and urged the EU to act decisively. “Right now, I’m not very optimistic and I don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “Russia is unwilling to proceed. It’s pretending, imitating negotiations. A ceasefire is a necessary precondition for peace – and that’s not the case.”
He backed the EU’s 18th package of sanctions against Russia, calling it “good, strong and sufficient” – but warned against weakening it with exemptions. “Our response should be clear and strong,” he stressed.
Nausėda also renewed his call for Ukraine’s future within the European Union. “It is productive to set an ambitious political target – for example, to see Ukraine as a member of the EU on 1 January 2030,” he said. He urged the European Commission to push ahead with accession talks, despite ongoing political hurdles, warning that delays weaken the EU. “One country cannot misuse the instrument of consensus,” he said. “If we waste time, we cannot take bold decisions.”
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that the focus for Greece during the migration discussions will be on “making sure we implement a new policy regarding returns”.
He said that it’s the “missing link” in the EU’s migration policy.
He also said he will also raise “problems we’re having with Libya”. “They need to cooperate with European countries and European Commission in order for the boats managed by smugglers not to leave the Libyan coast.”
The latest draft of conclusions – the document leaders co-sign at the end of the summit – seen by Euronews says that they addressed the “worrying situation in Libya” and “its possible consequences also in terms of European security, as well as concerning migratory flows”.
Europe will spend more on defence but that increase in public spending cannot come at the expense of other important priorities, Luxembourgish Prime Minister Luc Frieden said ahead of the June EU summit in Brussels.
“We need to spend a little bit more money, but it should not be at the expense of other necessary expenditures for social policies, for infrastructures,” Frieden stressed. “All this needs to go hand in hand, but without security, there is no freedom.”
Luxembourg’s PM also called on his counterparts and the Commission to move forward on trade.
“We need open trade. We are against tariffs, so I hope that the discussions with the US will continue in an energetic mood in the coming days because the July 9th deadline is coming fast,” Frieden added.
Arriving at the European Council summit, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever voiced support for a tougher EU stance on migration.
“There is a group of countries that believe immigration policy must be much stricter,” he said, adding that he welcomed Germany’s alignment with this position for the first time.
“It’s a pressure group to tighten migration rules – which is necessary in my view,” he added, noting that CDU leader Friedrich Merz would be part of the meeting.
On growing trade tensions with the United States, De Wever backed Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s response to Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
“We support her reaction to the threat of a trade war. We stay calm, we do not let ourselves be provoked, and we negotiate,” he said. “We hope for an agreement, but if that’s not possible, we will adopt appropriate countermeasures.”
When it comes to Ukraine, the Belgian leader said Europe must show it still stands firmly behind Kyiv.
“It is regrettable that Ukraine is present at the NATO summit but not at the table,” he said. “Today, Europe must show that we are still 100% behind Ukraine. The 26 member states – excluding Hungary, which is not pro-Ukraine – support Ukraine and its people, who are fighting for our freedom.”
De Wever also expressed optimism about adopting EU sanctions against Russia. “I hope we can reach consensus. I’m very optimistic,” he said. “We are adopting an 18th package of sanctions to fully move away from Russian fossil fuels.”
Speaking more broadly about Europe’s role in the Ukraine conflict, De Wever warned of Europe’s continued military dependence on the US.
“We’re not excluded from the table, but it’s clear we don’t share the same views anymore. It’s a lesson for Europe – we need to become strategically stronger. Peace requires strength, and Europe doesn’t yet have the capacity to replace the Americans on the ground. We hope to keep them on board.”
