Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap for today!
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EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said that “Russia is on the back foot” as “the dynamics of the war are shifting in Ukraine’s favour,” as she called for Europe to keep pressure on Moscow (14:23).
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Her comments come as Ukraine has agreed a major defence deal with Sweden including plans to buy up to 20 Gripen fighter jets (10:41, 11:35, 13:12, 13:22, 13:32), with Zelenskyy insisting that at this stage “diplomacy cannot stop Russia” as he pleaded for more air defence missiles from the US (13:38).
In other news,
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Hungary’s new prime minister Péter Magyar has suggested that his government is nearing a political deal with the European Commission on an agreed programme of post-Orbán reforms that would unblock billions of euros in EU funds ahead of his meeting with Ursula von der Leyen tomorrow (12:16, 12:21, 12:26).
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Meanwhile, Bulgaria’s new prime minister Rumen Radev also visited Brussels, holding key talks with Nato’s Mark Rutte (13:58) and EU’s von der Leyen (16:00, 16:10).
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And over in Latvia, the parliament has approved a new government, led by centre-right opposition lawmaker Andris Kulbergs (16:28), two weeks after the previous administration collapsed over internal disputes over the government’s handling of Ukrainian drones that strayed into Latvian territory from Russia.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
Latvian parliament approves new government, confirms Kulbergs as prime minister
Meanwhile, over in Latvia, the parliament has approved a new government, led by centre-right opposition lawmaker Andris Kulbergs.
It’s a four-party coalition administration, including two parties from the previous government and two opposition forces, which will take the country to a parliamentary election already scheduled for this October.
The previous government collapsed two weeks ago after the centre-right prime minister Evika Siliņa resigned over internal disputes over the government’s handling of Ukrainian drones that strayed into Latvian territory from Russia.
The Baltic country still remains under pressure over drone incidents, given repeatedly denied and unproven allegations made by Moscow implying some sort of military cooperation with Ukraine to attack Russia.
Reuters noted that security is high on the incoming government’s list of priorities, including for Latvia’s borders, the economy and energy, Kulbergs told parliament ahead of the vote.
“People will very quickly tell us whether we have done well or done poorly, the 3 October [general election] ... will be the verdict on this government,” he said.
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Bulgaria's Radev stresses his reformist agenda with focus on 'catching up' after years of instability
For his part, Radev says Bulgaria “has always been a strong contributor” to European security, and “plays a pivotal role for providing stability, security and diversification in energy supply.”
He is keen to stress that his government will stabilise the political situation in the country after years of political chaos.
He says he leads “a stable reform-oriented and energetic government” looking to make the most of opportunities available to Sofia.
Radev says the focus is on “catching up and meeting all the deadlines till the end of August this year.”
He hits all the right tones you want to make in your first meeting with the commission, as he ends with reassurances that – despite fears of critics – “this is just the beginning of fruitful cooperation” with Brussels.
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Bulgaria makes good progress on reforms, EU's von der Leyen says as she welcomes new PM Radev
Meanwhile, Bulgaria’s Rumen Radev continues his tour of European institutions in Brussels.
After dropping in to see Nato’s Mark Rutte earlier (13:58), he is now meeting the European Commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen.
She says the goal is to unlock the remaining available EU funds for Bulgaria before the deadline in August.
“For this, we must maintain momentum on reforms,” she says, particularly stressing the need for continued push to fight corruption, including the independent anti-corruption commission.
She says Bulgaria has made good progress towards unlocking almost €370m in suspended funding.
She also says the commission wants to support Bulgaria on energy reforms to move towards cleaner energy sources. There is €1.2bn in funds for various clean energy investments.
In other issues, the pair also discussed the upcoming budget negotiations in the EU, and on foreign policy, including the Middle East and Ukraine.
Pointedly, she says “Bulgaria has a crucial role to play” in collective defence efforts, guarding the continent from Russia. €3.2bn are available in the EU Safe funds.
Spanish PM’s family affair: the corruption cases involving Pedro Sánchez’s brother, wife and predecessor
in Madrid
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, is facing a long and difficult summer as corruption cases involving his brother, his wife and his predecessor José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero come before judges over the coming days and weeks.
The socialist leader – who took power eight years ago after using a vote of no confidence to topple the corruption-mired government of the conservative People’s party (PP) – has insisted there has been no wrongdoing by his family. He has also defended Zapatero and his right to the presumption of innocence.
But with two of his former right-hand men also accused of corruption and his former attorney general banned from his post for two years after being found guilty of leaking confidential information, Sánchez has a lot to contend with ahead of next year’s general election.
Here’s a rundown of the cases – starting with the prime minister’s younger brother, David Sánchez, who is on trial in the south-west region of Extremadura today, accused of influence peddling and misuse of public office. Ten other people face the same charges.
EU fines Temu for failing to stop sale of illegal and dangerous products
Brussels correspondent
Meanwhile, EU regulators have fined the Chinese shopping website Temu €200m (£173m) for failing to stop the sale of illegal and dangerous products.
The European Commission imposed the penalty after a 19-month investigation that found consumers were very likely to encounter illegal or unsafe products including baby toys and electronics on the firm’s website.
An unpublished mystery shopping exercise carried out for the commission found a “high percentage” of unsafe baby products and a “very high percentage” of dangerous chargers for sale on the platform, as well as unsafe clothes and jewellery.
Consumer groups across Europe have previously reported baby toys with loose parts presenting choking hazards, dummy chains long enough that they could strangle a child, jewellery laced with dangerous metals including lead, clothes made with banned chemicals and chargers that posed risks of burns, electric shocks or fire.
The commission also criticised Temu over inadequate controls on the design of its website. Recommender systems and influencers’ promotions by influencers “could amplify dissemination risks of illegal products” it said.
The €200m fine is the second and highest-ever imposed under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which has applied to the world’s biggest tech companies since February 2024. It follows a €120m penalty issued to Elon Musk’s X last December for “deceptive” verification badges and lack of transparency over advertising.
A senior EU official said the commission had found a particularly serious breach of the act related to an inadequate risk assessment on unsafe products that Temu carried out in 2024.
Kallas also says it’s “very important that we push Ukraine and Russia to talk to each other.”
She explains that’s the case “because on there are so many issues where only they can decide, and nobody else.”
“There can be countries that do this shuttle diplomacy, but in the end it has to be them who, who sit down on these issues that only they can decide.”
Kallas also says the EU does not want to get into negotiations “instead of the US,” but to be ready to play a role in a “complimentary” way.
Kallas also gets asked if the ministers progressed the debate on whether the EU should appoint a single lead negotiator to talk to Russia.
She says “the broad consensus” was to focus on the existing European institutions, and she says that “it is much more important to be really ready on the issues” instead.
Cypriot foreign minister Constantinos Kombos, who hosted the meeting, adds that the ministers had “a very, very honest discussion about the principles that should guide our position.”
Otherwise he just echoes Kallas’s statement.
Russia is 'on the back foot,' as 'the dynamics of the war are shifting in Ukraine's favour,' EU's foreign policy chief says
Kallas says that “the dynamics of the war are shifting in Ukraine’s favour.”
“Russia is on the back foot, militarily, economically, but also diplomatically, but as the latest strikes on Kyiv have shown, Russia still shows no genuine interest in peace, which was also the clear view of the ministers today.”
She says the ministers had “a really thorough discussion” on what Europe should ask for from Moscow in any potential negotiations.
She adds:
“Europe will never be a neutral mediator between Russia and Ukraine, because we are on Ukraine’s side, and we are defending our own core security interests.”
She says that an unconditional ceasefire is “a prerequisite for any kind of peace negotiations,” and Russia “must stop sabotage operations, cyber-attacks, election interference, airspace violations across Europe” and “there can be no legal recognition of the occupied Ukrainian territory.”
Despite Russia’s Lavrov’s criticism (11:23), she repeats “there must be also limitations” on Russia’s military.
Kallas also says that “too many countries continue to do business with Moscow, while simultaneously enjoying privileged access to European markets and investments, so Europe must use its leverage more effectively when it comes to trade, investment, market access, partnerships.”
The EU is already working on another round of sanctions on Russia, she adds.
Oh, that was quick.
Kallas is speaking now. I will bring you the key lines here.
We are expecting to hear from the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, soon with a press conference after the informal meeting of EU ministers any moment now.
Russia falsely alleges drone attacks on Russia from Europe are 'increasing'
Meanwhile, the Russian foreign ministry’s spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, has been raging against all sorts of enemies of Russia over the last hour.
In the latest exchange, she claimed that “drone attacks on Russia from the direction of Europe and northern European states are increasing,” Reuters reported.
It’s important to note that there is absolutely nothing to suggest that this is actually true, but it fits a broader pattern of Moscow’s lies pressure on the Baltics in recent weeks.
Earlier, Zakharova also rejected the allegations that Moscow is jamming GPS signals in Europe demanding “some evidence” to prove it – despite literal examples of defence ministers of Spain or the UK facing GPS disturbances in recent months.
Zakharova also criticised the US decision to deploy additional US forces to Poland, warning it could lead to an escalation of tensions between Russia and the west …
… and also criticised US-Japanese military drills which could apparently threaten Russia’s eastern territories, and even blasted Armenia and Luxembourg for other issues.
Nato's Rutte hosts Bulgaria's Radev for talks on defence, security situation
Meanwhile, over in Brussels, Nato’s Mark Rutte has welcomed Bulgaria’s Rumen Radev for informal talks ahead of the upcoming Nato summit in July.
As you probably remember, there are some, erm, questions about Radev’s positions on Russia given his previous calls for “practical relations” with Moscow and the Kremlin’s warm reaction to his election win last month.
But none of that came up during their doorstep comments today.
Nato’s Rutte stressed Bulgaria’s role in “helping to defend the eastern flank of Nato,” including the Black Seam and praised Sofia’s increase in defence spending
Radev praised his host for making all efforts to keep Nato together, admitting with smile that it is “quite a challenging job.”
“Nato must have clear vision and feasible strategy, a realistic approach to the challenges we face right now,” he said.
Deal 'also on how Sweden can learn from Ukraine,' PM Kristersson says
Sweden’s Kristersson says the broader agreement between the two countries is “honestly, also on how Sweden can learn from Ukraine” drawing on its wartime experiences.
He explains it as follows:
“Ukraine right now has the most advanced capacity to deal with drone wars in Europe, and we are extremely eager to learn from Ukraine how to be able to handle such situations.
I think when we talk about the need for kind of air defence in a very broad sense, most people perhaps think about the fighters, and they are extremely important … but the fighters are basically a part of a far bigger system of being able to defend yourselves from very different kinds of [threats], from the most expensive and advanced long range weapons to the, honestly, the most simple ones.”
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'Diplomacy cannot stop Russia,' Zelenskyy says as he confirms request to US for air defence support
Zelenskyy also gets asked about his letter to US president Donald Trump and the US Congress asking for help with air defence (Europe Live, Wednesday).
He says that Ukraine is “very persistent” in asking the US to move quicker.
“As of now, diplomacy cannot stop Russia. We are stopping them with our long-range [hits], and we very much ask our American partners to help us with allocating bigger numbers of anti-ballistic missiles … or [to] give Ukraine licences so that Ukraine can increase this capability on its own.”
He says that “because of the war in Iran, the supply of missiles for Patriots has become more complicated,” and Europe “must have here at home on this continent all the capabilities necessary for protection.”
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Sweden’s Kristersson gets asked if he expects a hostile reaction from Russia to this deal.
He says it’s “quite obvious,” as “we know quite well what Russia thinks about the countries providing help for Ukraine, so that won’t surprise us.”
“I think all countries in our neighbourhood are very well prepared for different Russian reactions, for hybrid threats, and all these things going on, so it doesn’t really change anything in that sense.”
Zelenskyy explains that the Gripens will be helpful as Ukraine faces a mix of “many different weapons, missiles, drones, aerial bombs” used by Russia, and it struggled at times with finding effective ways of defending against some of them.
He says the Gripens – with appropriate weapons – will help to push Russian jets out and make it much more difficult for them to deploy aerial bombs.
“These bombs, this is [the] number one [reason], and, [there are] a lot of [other] things, which I can’t share with you publicly, … but this is very important. “
Zelenskyy repeatedly thanks Sweden for signing off on the deal, but throws some shade on others, too:
“It is exactly this kind of determination, the kind Sweden has shown, that can bring peace closer, and we very much wish that some of our other Ukrainian partners were equally consistent, principled, and willing to help within the limits of what they are truly capable of.”
'When we support Ukraine, we support Sweden and Europe,' Swedish PM says
Sweden’s Kristersson is now speaking at a press conference with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy in Uppsala.
He says he expects to complete the first delivery of older Gripen jets C/D in 2027, with new models to be delivered from 2030.
The Swedish PM makes it very clear why he goes ahead with this deal and the support package, as he says:
“When we support Ukraine, we also support Sweden and Europe, and to me and the Swedish government, no task is more important.”
Ukraine to order 'up to 20' Swedish fighter jets; get 16 older models as 'assistance', Zelenskyy confirms
We are now getting a bit more detail on the Ukraine-Sweden deal teased by Zelenskyy earlier.
He just said in a statement that the two countries agreed on “a major defence deal, in which Ukraine acquires Swedish Gripen fighter jets.”
Ukraine will order “up to 20” Gripen E/F fighter jets, spending €2.5bn from the €90bn loan issued by the EU.
Sweden will also donate 16 older generation Gripen C/D jets as “bilateral assistance.”
Separately, Sweden “presented its largest military support package to date,” which will include “long-range capabilities, ammunition, electronic warfare capabilities and support [for] innovation.”
Talks on relaxing post-Brexit food safety rules 'still ongoing,' EU says despite UK's claims of deal
Interestingly, the European Commission struck a very cautious tone when asked about the UK’s claims that a deal has been reached on parts of the post-Brexit SPS rules (12:09).
The EU’s spokesperson on the bloc’s relations with the UK relations, Balazs Ujvari, said:
“On the SPS, of course there have been negotiations going on for quite a while, and to my knowledge these negotiations are still ongoing, and of course will not be commenting on them as long as they are not fully, fully completed.”
EU prepares to make first loan payments to Ukraine next month
There is also a bit more detail on the EU’s plans to pay out the first instalment of the much-awaited €90bn loan for Ukraine.
The commission expects to make the first payment in June, but “there are a couple of procedural and technical steps yet to be completed,” a spokesperson said.
For what it’s worth, Ukraine’s parliament ratified the deal on its side this morning.
Hungary nearing a deal with EU to unblock funds, PM Magyar says
Meanwhile, Hungary’s Magyar hits a bit more upbeat tone in his latest post on Facebook, saying that while there are still some issues that need to be resolved, the two sides managed to agree a deal on “many important questions.”
In a Facebook video, he takes viewers into a meeting room in Brussels from which he is working on ironing out the final details.
For what it’s worth, the commission confirmed there will be press statements after their meeting tomorrow – and an opportunity to ask some questions, which is usually a clear sign that things are going well.
'Technical discussions' between Brussels and Hungary to unblock frozen EU funds still on-going
The commission gets pressed a bit more on “how close or how far” it is from reaching a political deal with the new government in Budapest to unblock the billions of euros in frozen EU funds.
The commission’s chief spokesperson, Paula Pinho, confirms that “there are discussions at technical level going on” ahead of tomorrow’s meeting between the leaders.
“I will obviously not anticipate or prejudge what will be the outcome of that meeting, but a series of meetings has been taking place, as you know, between the teams on both sides to make as much progress as possible. …
Let’s see what comes out of it. It’s not much more time to wait. We give it another day, and we should know more in terms of how far have we managed to get on both sides.”
Pushed a bit further, the commission confirms that that the EU’s enlargement and the bloc’s energy policy are among topics being discussed with Hungary.
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Bulgaria's Radev to meet EU's von der Leyen this afternoon, Hungary's Magyar tomorrow
We are now hearing from the European Commission in its daily press briefing.
They begin by helpfully confirming the timings of the commission’s president Ursula von der Leyen’s meetings with Bulgaria’s Rumen Radev and Hungary’s Péter Magyar.
The Bulgarian prime minister will pop in to Berlaymont this afternoon with a press statement afterwards, and the Hungarian premier will be in tomorrow afternoon.
Both are keen to get all EU funds fully flowing and not risk losing them ahead of the August deadline.
Brexit rules on food exports to be scrapped, UK government says
Brexit rules affecting UK food exports to the EU, including fresh sausages and burgers, will be scrapped from mid-2027 in the first confirmed result of Keir Starmer’s “reset” negotiations with Brussels, the government has announced.
When the rules come into force, exporters of meat – whether fresh, frozen or processed – will no longer require costly veterinary certificates to prove they meet EU standards. Nor will they need similar documentation for plants or wood packaging material. Businesses selling into Northern Ireland will no longer require health labels.
While not all details of the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) deal have been finalised, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has published guidance to help producers prepare for the changes.
The announcement may also have been designed to demonstrate early progress in the protracted UK-EU reset talks, which have been hampered by disagreements over a youth mobility scheme.
The biosecurity minister, Sue Hayman, said the deal was “great news for British food and drink businesses of all sizes”, including the estimated 16,000 companies that stopped exporting to the EU after Brexit because of excessive bureaucracy.
She added:
“By cutting unnecessary delays and paperwork at the border, the agreement will make it easier for businesses to sell our world-class produce to European customers, support jobs and help ease pressure on food prices for families.”
The changes will cover rules including those on food additives and colourings, animal breeding certificates, pesticides, vaccination residues, organic products and farm feeds.
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Zelenskyy confirms plans for 'major defence package' deal with Sweden
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed plans for a “major defence package” with Sweden to be announced as part of his visit today (10:41).
He said:
“We are preparing a major defence package for Ukraine and a strong step regarding Gripen fighter jets, which will definitely make our combat aviation more effective.”
As I mentioned earlier, he is expected to speak with Sweden’s Kristersson at a press conference later this afternoon so I will keep an eye out for more details.
Nato's German-Netherlands Corp to take command role in Estonia, Latvia, Germany says
Meanwhile, Germany said that Nato’s German-Netherlands Corps will take on the role of a tactical headquarters for Estonia and Latvia within the defence alliance’s plans around mid-year, Reuters reported.
“The deployment of an additional tactical headquarters to the region strengthens the cohesion of Nato and supports the deterrence of Russia,” the ministry said in a statement.
They added that “by establishing a second headquarters in the region … Germany and the Netherlands are demonstrating their readiness and capability to assume responsibility for deterrence and the defence of Nato ‘s eastern flank,” particularly amid growing tensions with Russia.
Russian foreign minister dismisses 'idiotic' demand to 'mirror' army restrictions in any Ukraine deal
Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed the EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas’s comments on potential EU demands towards Moscow as, erm, “idiotic.”
Speaking before the Cyprus meeting this morning, Kallas suggested that since Russia wants to see a limit imposed on the Ukrainian army, this “should be mirrored” with a similar requirement for Moscow.
Ukraine's Zelenskyy in Sweden for rumoured talks on air defence, fighter jets
Elsewhere, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson in Sweden today, where an announcement on air defence is expected, Sweden’s government said, as reported by AFP.
Aftonbladet newspaper reported that Sweden would announce the donation of JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets of the older C and D models to Ukraine and launch negotiations for the sale of the more recent E model to Kyiv.
The two countries signed a letter of intent in October 2025 on Kyiv’s purchase of 100 to 150 Gripen E aircraft.
Zelenskyy and Kristersson will appear together at a press conference later today – I will keep an eye on this.
'We need to find someone who does not need Nobel Peace Prize,' ministers joke about Russia negotiator
But other foreign ministers appear somewhat divided on the concept of appointing a single EU negotiator for Russia.
Austria’s Beate Meinl-Reisinge said it was a necessary step as “the EU should not get ready.”
Meinl-Reisinge said she would be “pressing for the European Union to position itself, to be able to negotiate beyond its own interests, and to appoint a chief negotiator.”
Luxembourg’s Xavier Bettel said “there are so many good people” to take the job, and “what would be important is that it’s not just … someone who is a neighbour of Russia,” but should be a bit more removed from the conflict.
“Maybe a triad of three people – head of states, minister of foreign affairs, former prime ministers? Maybe ex-politicians are less scared about the results? We need to find someone who does not need a Nobel Peace Prize,” he joked.
But eastern flank leaders – Lithuania’s Kestutis Budrys and Estonia’s Margus Tsahkna – sided with Kallas instead.
“This is not a time when we are discussing who is going to have the negotiations,” Budrys said. “We have to discuss what we are doing to put additional pressure on Russia.”
Tsakhna, meanwhile, even repeated Kallas’s language, calling the entire discussion a “trap.”
But he picked up Bettel’s link to the Nobel Peace Prize, saying:
“Whoever would like to go right now – this guy is not going to have a Nobel Prize, because there won’t be any serious talks.”
Morning opening: Don't walk into a Russian 'trap' on talks, EU's chief diplomat warns
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has warned against walking into a Russian “trap” by focusing on personalities rather than issues in potential talks to end the war in Ukraine.
Her comments came as the bloc’s foreign ministers gathered in Cyprus for informal talks to discuss what would their main asks of Russia be in any peace negotiations.
In recent days, several EU leaders opined on who could lead any potential talks with Russia, with a number of names – including that of Kallas – being floated as an option. Finland’s president Alexander Stubb was also one of the early favourites.
But speaking early morning before the talks started, Kallas conceded there is “not much happening” in the talks right now, as she cautioned against focusing on personalities:
“It’s a trap that Russia wants us to walk into, that we discuss who talks to them, and they are already picking who is suitable, who is not. Let’s not walk into that trap.
Negotiations are always a team effort. You have good cops, you have bad cops, you have a strategy [on] how you go to the table, so that is why the substance is much more important.”
Kallas insisted the EU will have to be represented in any future talks anyway, as “if you think about what Russia is interested in, lifting the sanctions, for example, it’s a European decision.”
The former Estonian prime minister also strongly criticised Russia’s repeated warnings about potential further strikes on Kyiv.
“This is what Russia does. Because it’s not really gaining ground on the battlefield, what they are doing now is really increasing the terrorist attacks, because you can’t really describe it in other ways, creating fear inside the society.
It hasn’t worked for four years, and I don’t think that it’s going to work now.”
We will hear from other ministers throughout the day, before a press conference summing up the talks in the early afternoon.
Separately, Hungary’s new prime minister, Péter Magyar, is in Brussels today.
But curiously, he begins the visit with bilateral talks with Belgium’s prime minister, Bart de Wever, and Nato’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, and not the much-awaited talks on accessing the frozen EU funds. That’s only to come tomorrow afternoon, which could be a sign that the negotiations on how to best resolve the lengthy problem with Orbán-era reforms are still ongoing.
Bulgaria’s Rumen Radev is also in Brussels, and also talking about the EU funds and how to rescue some of them that have not yet been spent before their expiry date in August.
Elsewhere, I will keep an eye on the latest reports from this unusual May heatwave as it still continues in large parts of western Europe.
Lots for us to get on with.
It’s Thursday, 28 May 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
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