Good morning. I’m Mared Gwyn.
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Just in: The US ambassador to the EU, Andrew Puzder, has hailed State Secretary Marco Rubio’s speech at the Munich Security Conference as “positive” for the trans-Atlantic alliance, adding that it’s a “hallmark of a great diplomat” to be able to say the things the audience “wants and doesn’t want to hear.”
Puzder also hailed European “progress” in aligning its approach to migration policy with the US’s, and defended Rubio’s call for more alignment between both blocs. He also suggested that the Trump administration has helped Europeans to stop hitting the snooze button and “wake up.” Watch back.
Meanwhile, tensions between the US and Belgium are still high after President Trump’s ambassador to the country, Bill White, associated the Belgian government’s health policies with anti-semitism.
Belgium has opened an investigation into three Jewish men accused of performing circumcisions on young boys without the required presence of a doctor or medical professional. In a post on X, White called on Belgium to “drop the ridiculous and anti-semitic prosecution” of the three men and to do a “much better job” on rooting out anti-semitism.
After convening Ambassador White yesterday, Belgian foreign minister Maxime Prévot issued a lengthy statement directed at Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who had also waded into the debate, saying that “presenting this as persecution of Jewish life is a distortion of the facts.”
Prévot continued: “And it is part of a pattern. You have taken the real fears of real people and turned them into an argument against Belgium’s foreign policy. Jewish Belgians deserve our full protection. They do not deserve to be used as leverage in a dispute about international law,” referring to Israeli criticism of measures Belgium has taken against those involved in establishing illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Doorstepped by reporters after a meeting with the highest-ranking official in the Belgian Diplomatic Service, Theodora Gentzis, yesterday afternoon, White said that there was “no need” for him to apologise.
Euronews understands that during the meeting, the US ambassador reiterated calls for Belgian authorities to drop the investigation into the three men. One Belgian source told Euronews: “This is not the role of US ambassador. The law applies to all people, that’s Belgian democracy.” Our correspondent Shona Murray has more.
In other news this morning, an increasing number of EU countries are opting to send a representative to join the first formal meeting of Trump’s Board of Peace in Washington tomorrow. So far, eight member states have confirmed some degree of participation:
- Hungary, which has accepted Trump’s invitation to become a sitting member on the Board, will be represented by Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
- Bulgaria will send a delegation headed by Ivan Naydenov, the permanent secretary of its foreign affairs ministry. After initially saying it would join the Board, Bulgaria is now signalling it will participate as a ‘non-voting member’ on Thursday
- Romania will participate as an observer and be represented by President and Head of State Nicușor Dan. He has framed his participation as an opportunity to reinforce strained ties with the US.
- Italy will also participate as an observer. It is unclear who will represent the government on Thursday.
- The Czech Republic will be represented by Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, also as an observer.
- The aide of Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Rafał Leśkiewicz, will also attend the talks. Poland has nonetheless ruled out joining as a member.
- It is not yet clear who will represent Cyprus, also attending as observer.
- Greece is also attending the meeting as an observer and will send Deputy Foreign Minister Haris Theoharis.
- The European Commission is sending Dubravka Suica, the Commissioner for the Mediterranean whose mandate covers the Palestinian territories. The EU executive has also ruled out membership of the Board.
The Commission’s decision to send Šuica to the talks has prompted outrage among members of the European Parliament’s centre-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group, who are calling for a clear explanation of the Commission’s “political mandate and scope of its participation.”
In a statement, the group’s vice-president for foreign affairs, Yannis Maniatis, said that the “Commission’s own statements are contradictory”, raising “real questions about the purpose and authorisation of this engagement, at a time when the EU should unequivocally defend international law and multilateralism.”
The Commission continues to say it cannot join the Board as a full sitting member, citing issues with the Board’s Charter, which makes no reference to Gaza and sets no limits on Trump’s chairmanship. After being endorsed by the UN last year, Trump has significantly expanded the board’s mandate to cover “global peace” in an apparent bid to supplant the UN.
Socialist Javi López, a Parliament Vice-President went further, saying he was “appalled” at the decision to send an EU representative to “an initiative in which autocracies and MAGA-fans come together” to undermine “multilateralism, the role of the UN, and the necessary spirit of a just peace.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine, Russia, and the US are set to continue their trilateral peace talks in Geneva today, after Tuesday’s discussions focused on “practical issues and the mechanics of possible solutions”, according to the head of Ukraine’s delegation, Rustem Umerov.
Just hours before the talks began — despite Kyiv having already agreed to participate — US President Donald Trump publicly urged Ukraine to “come to the table.”
“We have big talks. Ukraine better come to the table fast,” he told reporters. “That’s all I’m telling you. We are in a position where we want them to come.” Italy, France, Germany, and the UK are also reported to have sent security advisers to join talks with the Ukrainian and US delegations on Tuesday.
EU won’t ‘shy away’ from sanctions on Russia if G7 allies fail to reach deal
The European Union will not “shy away” from adopting a full ban on maritime services for Russian oil tankers if G7 allies fail to reach a deal on the matter, Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commissioner for the Economy, has said as negotiations continue between member states on a fresh round of economic sanctions against the Kremlin.
Brussels wants the 20th package of sanctions to be approved by the time the full-scale invasion of Ukraine reaches its grim fourth anniversary on 24 February. If the proposed ban on maritime services is enacted, the price cap on Russian oil that the G7 has been operating since December 2022 will come to an end within the EU’s jurisdiction.
“We have been presenting the outline of the measures to be taken to our G7 partners because obviously it’s best if we take steps in a coordinated manner,” Dombrovskis said on Tuesday in reply to a question from my colleague Jorge Liboreiro.
“In a sense, it’s not an absolute precondition. But the higher alignment we can achieve, including at the G7 level, the better,” he went on. “We will not shy away from steps at the EU level should the broader agreement not be forthcoming.”
The remarks represent a notable change of tone from the Commission, Jorge explains. Earlier this month, Ursula von der Leyen said the ban on maritime services should be introduced “after a decision of the G7”. But now, Brussels is making it clear it would go solo – if necessary – to tighten the screws on Moscow’s war chest.
EU ambassadors will have another round of negotiations on the revised texts later today.
Jorge has more.
US sanctions turn International Criminal Court judge’s daily life into a nightmare
On 20 August 2025, International Criminal Court (ICC) judge Nicolas Guillou went from a respected judge to a pariah for US companies, when President Trump sanctioned him for authorising the arrest warrant against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant over their role in the destruction of the Gaza Strip, Peggy Corlin reports.
Since then, Guillou’s life has become a nightmare – and his experience illustrates just how dependent Europeans are on US services. Gillou and his family are banned from US territory, but the sanctions have hit him hard at home. He cannot use most credit cards, as Visa and Mastercard dominate the market; most digital services are off-limits, and even online orders can be blocked if an American intermediary – like the delivery service UPS – is involved.
“What is at the heart of the sanctions is the prohibition on any US individual or legal entity from providing services to, or receiving services from, a sanctioned person,” Guillou told journalists on Tuesday.
Guillou recounted how he booked a hotel in France through the US travel company Expedia, only for the reservation to be cancelled hours later because he was under sanctions.
Currently, 11 judges at the International Criminal Court are in the same situation.
The judge is calling on the EU to develop sovereign tools, including the digital euro, to shield Europeans from extra-territorial US measures.
Peggy has the full story.
More from our newsrooms
EU probes Shein over sale of child-like sex dolls and addictive app design. The European Commission said on Tuesday that it is investigating whether Chinese fast-fashion giant Shein has breach the rules of its sweeping digital rulebook, the Digital Services Act (DSA). Theo Farrant has the details.
Romanian finance minister backs Eurobonds and ‘Made in Europe’ in competitiveness drive. Minister Alexandru Nazare also supports the more controversial E6 club of economic heavyweights, saying if it succeeds, it’s a “good thing” for Europe. Lauren Walker and I have the story.
‘Glass half full’: Latvian minister says EU must move faster on Ukraine support and defence. Europe’s response to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has been a mixed bag, Latvia’s Defence Minister told Euronews’ Alice Tidey, calling on the bloc to make speedier decisions on sanctions and collective defence as the fourth anniversary of the invasion draws near.Read.
France releases suspected Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker after ‘several million euro’ fine. The tanker named the Grinch has left French waters after the company that owns the vessel paid a penalty worth “several million euros”. Kieran Guilbert has more.
We’re also keeping an eye on
- EU’s humanitarian aid chief Hadja Lahbib in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
- European Commission to unveil communication on its eastern border regions
That’s it for today. Jorge Liboreiro, Eleonora Vasques, Peggy Corlin, Sasha Vakulina, Alice Tidey and Maria Tadeo contributed to this newsletter.
