EU leaders agree to renew Russia sanctions for another six months
BRUSSELS, June 26 (Reuters) - EU leaders agreed on Thursday to renew sanctions imposed against Russia over Moscow's war in Ukraine for another six months, two EU officials said.
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The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Soldiers captured by Russia in Mariupol among those released in prisoner swap
Ukraine and Russia exchanged a new group of captured soldiers on Thursday, the latest in a series of prisoner swaps agreed at peace talks in Istanbul earlier this month. Neither side said how many prisoners were released in the latest exchange. The majority had been held captive for more than three years, according to Ukraine's coordination headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war. Many of them were taken prisoner in Mariupol, a Ukrainian port city that fell to Russian forces in 2022 after a nearly three-month siege, it said. Russian officials said its soldiers had been transferred to Belarus and were receiving 'psychological and medical care'. The EU's 27 leaders on Thursday agreed to extend sanctions on Russia for another six months, resolving fears that Kremlin-friendly Hungary would let the measures lapse, officials said. The decision at a summit in Brussels means that the EU's sweeping sanctions over the war in Ukraine, including the freezing of more than 200bn euros ($234bn) in Russian central bank assets, will remain in force until at least early 2026. But while the EU made sure its existing measures will remain in place, it failed to get clearance on a new package of sanctions due to a blockage by Slovakia. The leaders also said the bloc 'remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine's path towards EU membership.' That message came a day after Nato leaders refrained from putting a reference to Ukraine's hopes of joining the military organisation in their summit statement, due in large part to US resistance. In a video message sent to EU leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged them to send 'a clear political message – that Ukraine is firmly on the European path and that Europe stands by its promises.' The White House has recommended terminating US funding for nearly two dozen programs that conduct war crimes and accountability work globally, including on alleged Russian atrocities in Ukraine, according to two US sources familiar with the matter and internal government documents reviewed by Reuters. The recommendation from the Office of Management and Budget, which has not been previously reported, is not the final decision to end the programs since it gives the state department the option to appeal. Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Thursday that a new arms race could lead to the fall of Russian President Vladimir Putin's 'regime', just like it toppled the Soviet Union. The Nato member's top diplomat spoke after the western defence alliance agreed to massively ramp up defence spending, seen as vital to counter the threat from Russia. 'Putin should understand that he is on the path of [Soviet leader Leonid] Brezhnev. He himself once said that the Soviet Union collapsed because it spent too much on armament, and now he is doing exactly the same thing,' Sikorski said in an interview with AFP, the Polish news agency PAP and German agency DPA. Ukrainian forces have halted Russia's recent advance into the northern Sumy region and have stabilized the frontline near the border with Russia, Ukraine's top military commander said on Thursday. Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander in chief of Ukraine's armed forces, said that Ukrainian successes in Sumy have prevented Russia from deploying about 50,000 Russian troops, including elite airborne and marine brigades, to other areas of the frontline. Russian troops have taken control of a village in eastern Ukraine which is close to a lithium deposit after fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces, a Russian-backed official said on Thursday. The village of Shevchenko is located in Donetsk. The Russian defence ministry announced earlier on Thursday that Shevchenko had been taken along with another settlement called Novoserhiivka. The international chemical weapons watchdog said Thursday that it had found a banned teargas in seven samples submitted by Ukraine, which has accused Russia of using the riot control agent on the frontline. It was the third time the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has confirmed the use of CS gas in areas where fighting is taking place in Ukraine.
Leader Live
2 hours ago
- Leader Live
Spain's leader sticks by decision to break with Nato on defence spending
On Thursday, the progressive Spanish leader stuck by his decision to break with Nato allies and responded to Mr Trump's comments by pointing out that the European Commission — and not Spain — was who decided the bloc's trade policy. 'What is clear is that trade policy is a policy directed from here, from Brussels,' Mr Sanchez said. 'Spain is an open country. It is a country that is friendly to its friends, and we consider the United States a friend of Spain.' At the military alliance's summit on Wednesday, members agreed to raise their defence spending to 5% of GDP. But Mr Sanchez secured a last-minute exemption, saying that Spain will only spend up to 2.1%, which he called 'sufficient and realistic'. Mr Trump criticised the country after the summit, saying Spain wanted 'a little bit of a free ride,' and that it would 'have to pay it back to us on trade' through higher tariffs. How Mr Sanchez's gamble could play out was up for debate on Thursday. 'It is not always easy to interpret exactly what Mr Trump means,' Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever told reporters at an EU summit. 'How he wants to impose import tariffs on Spain separately is a mystery to everyone. Could this perhaps concern specific products from Spain? We will have to wait and see.' Spain's move on the international stage comes at a complex moment for Mr Sanchez at home as corruption cases involving his inner circle have ensnared his Socialist party and resulted in louder calls — even from some left-wing allies — to announce early elections. So far, Mr Sanchez has refused. 'To Trump's theatre, Mr Sanchez responds with something similar,' said Montserrat Nebrera, political analyst and professor of constitutional law at the International University of Catalonia. 'Domestic problems are piling up, and this resistance to meeting the arbitrary 5% target also seeks to wink at his partners most critical of defence spending.' Spain was Nato's lowest spender last year, according to the alliance's estimates, spending around 1.28% of its GDP on defence expenditure. In April, Mr Sanchez announced that the country would reach 2% this year, for which he was criticised by some left-wing allies. On Thursday, Antonio Garamendi, president of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations, criticised Mr Sanchez for the spending opt-out. 'We have to stick with our allies and not going along with the other Europeans is an error, and even more so if that increases the chance we will be punished,' Mr Garamendi said. While Spain is under the umbrella of the European Union, which negotiates trade deals on behalf of all 27 member countries, it could still be targeted by tariffs that hit its most vulnerable industries, Mr Garamendi said. He specifically pointed to Spanish steel, cars and olive oil sectors. 'There are industries that can be impacted, and that has to concern us,' he added.
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
EU received 'latest' trade proposal from US, von der Leyen says
BRUSSELS, June 27 (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday the EU had received the "latest U.S. document" for further negotiations on tariffs but did not reveal details of Washington's demands. "All options remain on the table," she told reporters following a EU summit in Brussels. "We are assessing it," von der Leyen said of the U.S. proposal. "Our message today is clear. We are ready for a deal. At the same time, we are preparing for the possibility that no satisfactory agreement is reached." She said that the EU would "defend the European interest as needed." The U.S. Trade Representative's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest U.S. proposal. The U.S. and EU have held a number of negotiating sessions in recent weeks, but the Trump administration's attention has shifted to the conflict over Iran's nuclear program and keeping a trade truce with China on track. A July 9 deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump for the EU and other countries to reach a tariff-reducing deal with the U.S. is fast approaching. Under Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs announced in April, the temporary 10% additional duty on EU imports would double to 20% if no deal is reached by the deadline. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said that negotiating deadlines on some countries negotiating in good faith could be extended. European officials are increasingly resigned to a 10% rate on "reciprocal" tariffs being the baseline in any trade deal between the United States and the European Union, sources familiar with the talks have told Reuters. But the EU also is saddled with Trump's 25% tariffs on autos, steel and aluminium and could face additional sectoral duties on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. Separately, French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday told reporters that France wants a quick and pragmatic trade deal with the U.S., but that his country would not accept terms that were unbalanced. If the U.S. baseline tariff rate of 10% remained in place then Europe's response would have to have an equivalent impact, he added. The European Commission, led by von der Leyen, sets trade policy for France and other EU countries.
