Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
UK defence secretary John Healey told a meeting of more than 30 countries that the “Coalition of the Willing” was working on “putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position” as he chaired their meeting in Brussels (15:11).
But multiple countries said that there were still too many outstanding questions to commit to their participation in any future reassurance force in Ukraine (14:33, 14:47, 15:04), as they called out Russia’s unwillingness to agree to a meaningful ceasefire (14:37, 15:00).
Elsewhere in Brussels, the European Commission has confirmed that the EU will put the countermeasures against US goods – adopted yesterday and due to kick in on 15 April – on hold for 90 days (12:31).
The EU “wants to negotiate, wants to talk,” the bloc’s spokesperson said, adding: “We are ready to make deals.” (12:35, 12:39, 12:42, 13:03).
And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
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.
Portugal puts forward €10bn package to help businesses affected by US tariffs
Elsewhere, Portugal’s caretaker government on Thursday announced a package of loans and other measures worth more than €10bn to help the economy weather the impact of US trade tariffs, Reuters reported.
“The world we knew has changed, we have to adapt and react, there is no certainty about what awaits us, but we were not caught by surprise,” prime minister Luis Montenegro told a news briefing after a cabinet meeting as he announced the plan.
Economy minister Pedro Reis said the package would include €5.2bn in financing lines for companies’ working capital and investment, as well as another €3.5bn specifically for investment by exporters, with €400m in grants, Reuters said.
A snap legislative election will take place on 18 May, after Montenegro’s government lost a key confidence vote last month.
