Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap for today!
For all the latest updates from Iran and the region, follow our Middle East blog here:
And here is our summary of the day in Europe:
Hungary and Slovakia are locked in a bitter war of words amid escalating tensions over the Druzbha pipeline as Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy faced criticism from the European Commission (12:58), Hungarian opposition (11:32) and far-right leaders (14:47) across Europe after issuing an apparent veiled threat to Hungary’s pro-Russian prime minister Viktor Orbán (10:17).
The Hungarian leader in turn impounded two Ukrainian armoured bank vehicles carrying millions of euros of hard cash as well as bars of gold (10:28, 12:03, 15:26), which Ukraine dismissed as politically motivated accusing Budapest of “taking hostages” (10:30, 11:04, 12:37, 15:02).
Iceland has formally proposed a referendum on resuming accession talks with the European Union to take place on 29 August, subject to parliamentary approval (12:39).
The EU has welcomed the move, saying “significant decisions lie ahead,” and stressing that “the geopolitical context is fundamentally different today” than during Iceland’s previous, unsuccessful talks with the bloc (12:54, 13:07).
The referendum would only decide on reopening the accession talks, with the final deal then subject to another vote in the future, the country’s prime minister clarified (13:16).
A new poll suggests that a majority of the Icelandic voters are in favour of restarting the process (13:19).
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at [email protected].
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
Ukraine summons Hungarian envoy over detention of cash, gold convoy in Budapest
Ukraine’s foreign ministry said it summoned Hungary’s acting chargé d’affaires in Kyiv over the detention of Ukrainian nationals in Budapest, Reuters reported.
A ministry statement said Ukraine reserves the right to respond, including via sanctions and other restrictive measures against those involved in “unlawful” actions.
