Good morning. This is Angela Skujins, penning today’s newsletter from Brussels. And yes, your eyes don’t deceive you. I was just on Europe Today speaking about unmanned aerial vehicles. I am proof you can have your cake and eat it too.
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Before we dive in, news has just come in that the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants a “new dynamic” when it comes to the pace and style of negotiations surrounding Ukraine and Moldova’s bid to join the European Union (EU).
“Enlargement of the European Union is a geopolitical necessity. However, the enlargement process takes much too long,” the letter, sent to EU heavyweights such as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, reads. Our journalists will dissect this story later today in further detail, so keep an eye on the Euronews website.
But first: defence, as Thursday’s political agenda is rooted in security. As the Baltics scramble to respond to a spate of drone incursions – at least six since the beginning of May – foreign ministers are meeting in Sweden to discuss the biggest issues facing the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) alliance.
Lithuania’s Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas just said on Europe Today that there was “no panic” on Wednesday regarding the region’s latest incursion, and the Lithuanian government aims to allay the anxieties of its citizens through better defence spending and investments. Watch.
So, what happened? The Lithuanian city of Vilnius was gripped by a security scare at 10am yesterday morning due to reports of a potential drone incursion, highlighting growing anxiety along NATO’s eastern flank amid Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Since the start of the month, there have been six reported or suspected drone incursions recorded in Baltic and Finnish airspace, sending shivers up the spine of European countries near Russia’s border – as well as their allies.
Wednesday’s warning in the capital lasted for roughly one hour, but prompted the closure of the country’s airport, the evacuation of Lithuanian parliament and President Gitanas Nausėda and Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė, who were taken to shelters.
For months the European Union, working off intelligence from national security services, has been sounding the alarm that foreign actors could attack the continent by 2030. This is why the EU executive has allocated €800 billion to beefing up defences and funding projects aiming to fortify Europe’s 3,500-kilometre land border along the east.
But the real question isn’t whether Europe can build stronger defences – it’s whether it can stay one step ahead of a Kremlin that thrives on unpredictability. Europe can spend billions hardening its borders, but Moscow only needs to expose one weak seam to create panic and political pressure.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen responded to Wednesday’s incursion by writing on social media platform X that a threat against one is an attack on all, and “Europe will respond with unity and strength.” Whether this is enough to keep Moscow at bay is the bigger question.
Outside of Brussels, NATO foreign ministers are starting a two-day ministerial in Helsingborg, Sweden amid further cuts to US commitments to the alliance’s security. As Shona Murray writes-in to report, the Pentagon confirmed the US is to announce fundamental changes to its participation in NATO’s force posture, and overall wider European security.
The exact details will be disclosed on Friday, but the message is loud and clear. The US is no longer a guarantor of European security. Even in times of war, as confirmed by a NATO source to Euronews. The announcement comes while the war in Iran grinds on.
The US-Israel conflict is leading to rapidly depleting stockpiles of crucial military weapons which may have a knock-on effect for Ukraine as supplies struggle to keep up with the pace of attrition.
In addition, news the US is reducing its commitment to NATO will cause further challenge to NATO allies close to Russia considering several drone incursions into allied territory over recent days.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte played down the US announcement, reiterating the fact the Trump administration has long signalled it was retreating from European security architecture as part of the “America First” doctrine. “This has been expected,” he told journalists in a pre-ministerial press conference Wednesday.
European governments slam Israel’s treatment of flotilla activists as ‘unacceptable’
Officials across Europe have slammed Israel’s treatment of activists arrested from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla after a senior Israeli minister posted a video of them bound and forced to kneel.
As reported by Greta Ruffino and Gavin Blackburn, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for the immediate release of any detained Italian citizens and demanded an apology from Israel.
“It is intolerable that these protesters, among whom there are many Italian citizens, are subjected to this treatment, which violates human dignity,” Meloni said in a statement, referring to the video posted by far-right national Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
“Italy also demands an apology for the treatment inflicted on these demonstrators and for the total disregard shown towards the explicit requests of the Italian government,” she said.
The video was also slammed by France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who said he had requested Israel’s ambassador to France be summoned.
“The safety of our compatriots is a constant priority,” he wrote in a post on X. Read more.
Hungary signals readiness to sanction Patriarch Kirill and UK denies it is easing pressure
The new Hungarian government has signalled its readiness to sanction Patriarch Kirill, the head of Russia’s Orthodox Church, and other individuals whom former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had protected, our team exclusively report.
The move can pave the way for one of the most influential religious figures in Russia, with considerable political clout, to be added to the bloc’s ever-growing blacklist. A “mini” package of sanctions is already in the works. It’ll be presented to ambassadors on Friday.
The EU first tried to blacklist Kirill in 2022, accusing him of supporting the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and spreading revisionist propaganda. But Hungary, under Orbán, blocked the move, calling it an issue of religious freedom. The veto prompted outrage.
Brussels hopes that the new prime minister, Péter Magyar, will now allow the decision. Magyar is keen to distance himself from Orbán’s notorious use of veto power.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom spent most of Wednesday scrambling to explain that its general licences on Russian oil and LNG fell short of lifting sanctions. The headlines were so damning that even the office of Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelenskyy requested clarifications.
The British debacle casts serious doubt on the European Commission’s ambitious plan to impose a full ban on maritime services for Russian tankers in coordination with G7 partners. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is making countries think twice, writes Jorge Liboreiro.
More from our newsrooms
How Trump divided US companies – and handed Europeans an opening
Since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, his administration has pursued an aggressive trade policy, imposing tariffs on the EU and other partners in an effort to secure more favourable deals. Luca Bertuzzi explains how some European companies are seeking to capitalise on the growing distrust.
Police in Germany arrest married couple on suspicion of spying for China
German police arrested a married couple on charges of spying for China on Wednesday, accusing them of seeking information on advanced technology with military uses.The couple, German nationals partially named as Xuejun C. and Hua S., were arrested in the southern city of Munich, the federal prosecution service said, which alleged that the pair “work for a Chinese intelligence agency.” Kirsten Ripper and Gavin Blackburn have more.
Former UK pirate radio station sorry after mistakenly announcing death of King Charles
The erroneous announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon due to a computer error at its main studio in Maldon in eastern Essex, Radio Caroline said in a post on social media. The error had triggered the so-called death of a monarch procedure “which all UK stations hold in readiness while hoping not to require,” wrote station manager Peter Moore. Gavin Blackburn has the latest.
We’re also keeping an eye on
- European Commissioner for the Economy Valdis Dombrovskis presents the EU’s Spring 2026 Economic Forecast at 12:30pm.
- European Council President António Costa and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy travel to Mexico.
- The European Parliament’s plenary session continues in Strasbourg.
That’s it for today. Shona Murray, Jorge Liboreiro and Vincenzo Genovese contributed to this newsletter.
