Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
A delegation of European parliament lawmakers has warned that the situation in Hungary is “rapidly going in the wrong direction” due to the continuing deterioration of the rule of law under Viktor Orbán’s government (16:02).
US state secretary Marco Rubio and White House envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Paris this week for talks with European allies on US president Donald Trump’s plans to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine and other foreign, trade issues (13:25, 14:11).
French president Emmanuel Macron said those trying to “intimidate our prison staff and attack the facilities with unacceptable violence” will be “found, tried, and punished” in his first public remarks after a spate of attacks on prison guards across the country (12:02, 16:13).
Slovak prime minister Robert Fico has reiterated his intention to attend the Russian Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on 9 May, despite growing criticism from EU institutions that such a move would give Russia an unjustified reputational boost amid its continuing invasion of Ukraine (12:50 and 14:53).
Ukrainian deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said there was “significant progress” in talks on mineral deal with the US, as teams agreed to sign a memorandum “in near future” (13:53).
Latvian lawmakers voted to quit a treaty banning anti-personnel mines, as the Baltic state seeks to reinforce its security to deter Russia (16:22).
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.
European leaders back campaign demanding return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia
Leading European politicians backed a campaign demanding the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia during its invasion on Ukraine.
Estonian president Alar Karis, British foreign secretary David Lammy, German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock and EU commissioners Henna Virkkunen and Andrius Kubilius were among leaders who publicly pledged their support for the Bring Kids Back campaign, initiated by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In March 2023, the international criminal court issued an arrest warrant against the Russian president Vladimir Putin, saying he was “allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.”
