After Trump's announcement, Brussels says granting sanctions relief to Russia would be "self-defeating".
I look deeper into the latest EU-US clash.
10.03.2026 14:15
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After Trump's announcement, Brussels says granting sanctions relief to Russia would be "self-defeating".
I look deeper into the latest EU-US clash.
Von der Leyen and Fico met in Paris in an attempt to resolve the dispute over the Druzhba pipeline.
But the main obstacle is Orbán, who is even less willing to compromise as he fights for re-election.
This speech by Ursula von der Leyen is sharply dividing Brussels.
Some say it’s a sobering, frank assessment of the ruthless world order. Others say it undermines the rules-based system it claims to defend.
What do you think?
Gasp-inducing numbers. It's hard to see how the EU's economic agenda, be it on simplification, energy or capital markets, can succeed without systematically and structurally addressing the challenge posed by China.
Donald Trump just now: "We are also waving oil related sanctions to reduce prices. So we have sanctions in some countries, and we will take the sanctions off until this straightens out."
Dombrovskis says the EU should move towards a full ban on maritime services for Russian tankers.
He notes the easing of US sanctions is "contained both in time and scope of the measure", so "I do not expect a substantial impact on Russia's oil revenues".
Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis rules out easing EU sanctions on Russia in response to the Iran war:
"It's important that we do not now ease the pressure on Russia and do not help Russia fill its war chest using this situation of elevated oil and gas prices right now."
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the US-led peace talks are on hold for now.
“At the moment, the partners’ priority and all attention are focused on the situation around Iran, and because of this the meeting that had been planned for this week is being postponed at the proposal of the American side.”
The G7 says it's ready to release emergency oil stocks if "necessary" to calm down global prices.
But no decision for now.
For context: the G7 price cap is now at $44,10 per barrel.
Before the war started, the EU was planning to end the cap and impose a full ban on maritime services for Russian crude tankers. But that ban is part of a new sanctions package being blocked by Hungary and Slovakia.
The US strikes on Iran have pushed the price of Russian oil to the highest level since 2022, upending months of downward trend under Western sanctions.
The EU should deploy its Anti-Coercion Instrument to rebalance trade relations with China, according to a new report by the European Union Institute for Security Studies.
"After all, a temporary trade war with China would be painful, but worth it if it helped prevent the EU's deindustrialisation."
Ursula von der Leyen: “I want to be clear: There should be no tears shed for the Iranian regime. This regime has inflicted death and imposed repression on its own people.”
In back-to-back speeches this morning, Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas warned the rules-based world order was fast crumbling and called on Europe to adapt to this new age of chaos and coercion.
The European Commission says the "direct" impact of the Middle East war on Europe is "limited", but admits there's concern about rising energy prices.
"For the moment, the situation is under control and the supply of LNG remains stable," says a spokes. "We're much better prepared than in 2022."
Timely reminder that Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic negotiated an opt-out from the €90 billion loan.
Article 327 says that countries excluded from enhanced cooperation "shall not impede its implementation" by those included.
Robert Fico says he's willing to continue the veto on the €90 billion loan to Ukraine "if necessary" after a potential defeat of Viktor Orbán in the Hungarian elections.
Ursula von der Leyen says Hungary's veto on the €90 billion loan to Ukraine questions "whether our system is still able to deliver efficiently."
"But I can assure you that we will deliver on our commitments, because our credibility – and more importantly, our security – is at stake," she says.
Here we go.
Just in: International oil prices surpass $100 a barrel for the first time in almost four years.
Save the date: the Icelandic government is proposing to hold a referendum on 29 August on whether the country should restart talks to join the European Union.
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Meanwhile, Scott Bessent says the US might remove sanctions from more Russian oil. “There are hundreds of millions of sanctioned barrels of sanctioned crude on the water and in essence, by unsanctioning them, Treasury can create supply, and we are looking at that.”
Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran strike American warships, aircraft and other assets in the region, @apnews.com reports.
The Hungarian goverment releases pictures after seizing two vehicles heading to Ukraine carrying $40 million, €35 million and 9 kg of gold.
Kyiv has accused Budapest of "state banditism".
The Commission confirmed that it's considering:
- Providing financial assistance to accelerate the repairs on Druzhba
- Arranging a meeting between Ursula von der Leyen and Robert Fico
In a noteworthy rebuke, Brussels also censured Zelenskyy after he suggested giving Orbán's phone number to Ukrainian soldiers to lift his veto.
"We are very clear, as the European Commission, that that type of language is not acceptable. There must not be threats against EU member states."
The European Commission has urged Orbán and Zelenskyy to "calm down" and "dial down" their "inflammatory rhetoric" over the Druzhba pipeline.
"Such rhetoric from all sides is neither helpful nor conducive to achieving the common goals."
Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and Greece have formed the first-ever group to build deportation camps (aka "return hubs") outside of EU territory.
What you need to know.
Travel advisory: the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry "recommends that Ukrainian citizens refrain from travelling to Hungary due to the impossibility of guaranteeing their safety against the backdrop of the arbitrary actions of the Hungarian authorities".
New escalation: Ukraine accuses Hungary of unlawfully detaining seven employees of the Oschadbank at the border and stealing two vehicles carrying $40 million, €35 million and 9 kg of gold.
"The whereabouts of Oschadbank employees are currently unknown," the bank says in a statement.
