Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap!
The European Union has adopted its 18th package of sanctions against Russia this morning, after Slovakia dropped its opposition in exchange for further guarantees on unrelated gas imports policy (9:27, 9:54, 10:20).
The move was welcomed by EU leaders, including French president Emmanuel Macron (11:09) and German chancellor Friedrich Merz (10:51), as well as the most senior Ukrainian leaders (9:43, 9:57, 10:13).
But Russia dismissed the move, with the Kremlin spokesperson saying it has adapted to live with “illegal” sanctions (11:51).
Separately,
EU leaders expressed their concerns about the proposed draft budget for 2028-2034, including the proposed increase in spending, new corporate taxation proposals, and changes to farming subsidies (10:26, 11:37, 14:12).
Interior ministers from six EU countries signed a declaration seeking to tighten the EU’s asylum rules (15:52).
German chancellor Friedrich Merz defended his government’s track record at a lengthy summer press conference in Berlin, discussing EU-US trade (10:33, 11:40), migration and rising Euroscepticism across the continent (12:33)
And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
Migration hawks want to tighten EU's asylum rules
Interior ministers from six EU countries signed a declaration seeking to tighten the EU’s asylum rules after a meeting at Germany’s highest peak, the Zugspitze.
The meeting, hosted by Germany’s interior minister Alexander Dobrindt and with Austrian, Czech, Danish, French, EU and Polish representatives in attendance, looked at removing obstacles to transferring rejected asylum seekers outside the bloc.
The final four-page declaration, published today, warned that large numbers of migrants entering the EU were “creating considerable pressure on our national systems of asylum, reception and integration, including challenges to internal security, and contributing to a growing polarisation in our societies.”
They proposed that bringing an appeal to an administrative decision should not always result in suspending the original decision, among other policy ideas.
The document also called for stricter enforcement of law against migrant smuggling and human trafficking and stronger border protection.
EU puts forward plans to triple digital travel permit price to €20
The digital travel permit for foreigners to enter the European Union should cost €20, almost triple the original planned fee, under a proposal published Friday, AFP reported.
The adjustment to the yet-to-be implemented ETIAS scheme for visa-exempt nationals comes as the European Commission seeks to boost its financial resources to fund an array of priorities from defence to agriculture, the agency said.
The European Commission said the change reflects inflation and additional operational costs of the scheme.
“It will also bring the cost for a travel authorisation to the EU in line with similar travel authorisation programmes,” the EU’s top executive body said.
AFP noted that Britain’s equivalent, known as ETA, comes with a 16 pound fee (€18.50), while the United States’ ESTA permit costs $21 (€18).
The commission added there were some exemptions to the scheme, too.
“Applicants who are under 18 or over 70 years of age at the time of application are exempt from this fee.
Also exempt are family members of EU citizens and family members of non-EU nationals who have the right to move freely throughout the European Union.”
Updated
EU budget reactions suggest 'difficult negotiation' ahead
in Brussels
EU ministers aired their differences over a proposed €2tn EU budget and there will be a “difficult negotiation”, Denmark’s Europe minister, Marie Bjerre, has said.
The European Commission has proposed a radical shake-up of EU spending under a €2 trillion budget for 2028-34, including plans to raise revenues by taxing big companies.
Net payers, including Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, have already made clear their opposition to a bigger budget, with German chancellor Friedrich Merz rejecting the planned tax on companies earning more than €100m a year.
Bjerre, who chaired a first exchange of views on the plans on Friday among EU ministers, put a positive spin on the differences.
“It will be a difficult negotiation. We had a very good exchange of views today, but of course there are also different views and different opinions, which also of course were expected.”
She said there was “a very constructive will because Europe is in a crucial time” and there was a common view that “we need a stronger Europe”.
The EU budget commissioner Piotr Serafin said the meeting had been “an opportunity to clarify a lot of misunderstandings”, saying it was “unjustified” to say that direct payments for farmers were going to be cut.
He went on:
“The only way forward is talking, talking, explaining, explaining and maybe also making some corrections, changes so that the unanimous agreement can be reached.”
The EU’s seven-year budget has to be approved unanimously by 27 member states, in a process expected to take around two years.
It’s a day of press conferences: within the next hour, we should hear from the Danish presidency of the EU on the outcome of today’s meeting of EU ministers in Brussels.
We will monitor this for you, obviously.
EU's trade chief to debrief ambassadors on US trade talks today
Over in Brussels, we just got a brief update on the EU-US trade talks over the last few days.
EU trade spokesperson Olof Gill confirmed that the bloc’s trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič is back from Washington DC and will debrief EU ambassadors “this afternoon.”
While in the US, the commissioner held “intensive” talks with US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, EU trade representative Jamieson Greer, and NEC director Kevin Hassett, he confirmed.
“As we have said in the past, … our transatlantic partnership deserves a negotiated solution that is meaningful for both sides,” Gill said.
He added that “the last mile is always the most challenging” in any negotiations.
Updated
Merz distances himself from Merkel's famous quote on migration, raises concerns about anti-EU forces in Europe
Merz’s press conference in Berlin is now over, but there are two additional bits that I thought were worth flagging.
On migration, Merz was also asked about Angela Markel’s famous words “We will manage” – “Wir schaffen das” – at the height of the migration crisis in 2015.
He said that ten years on, “we know we clearly did not succeed in the area she was referring to,” and said his government was trying to fix it, with migration and asylum data “on the right track.”
But he added: “it’s not over yet.”
In the foreign policy section of the presser, the German chancellor was also asked if he was concerned about the risk of Eurosceptic or even anti-European politicians gaining ground in Europe, specifically about the 2027 parliamentary election in Poland and the upcoming presidential election in France.
Merz agreed the rise of populist, anti-European forces is among the greatest challenges facing the bloc, and admitted he would have liked a different result in recent Polish presidential election and was looking at France “with some concern.”
But then he said it’s also a reflection of growing criticism of the EU and whether it can deliver for citizens, as he once again says it’s become too slow and overly prescriptive in regulation.
He said that the EU’s decision-making on Ukraine also proved to be tricky, giving the example of the delayed adoption of the latest package of sanctions and that he had to speak to Slovak prime minister Robert Fico “almost every day” to get him on side.
“We must improve the European Union, … focus on the really big tasks,” he said, pointing specifically to migration and competitiveness.
“If we demonstrate that the EU … is capable of action … then we will be able to fend off these challenges from the left and from the far-right,” he said.
Air defence, missiles, Mirage training discussed with Macron, Zelenskyy says
We now have Zelenskyy’s take on his call with Macron too (11:09).
He says it was “a very substantive, hour-long conversation” which covered the current situation on the frontline and Ukraine’s “urgent defence needs.”
Zelenskyy says the pair spoke about “strengthening Ukraine’s air defence, particularly the supply of missiles for SAMP/T systems and funding for interceptor drones.”
He also says the presidents agreed on further pilot training on French-designed Mirage fighter jets.
The Ukrainian president also says he thanked France for “its tangible contribution” on the 18th package of sanctions adopted earlier today.
Every day this war is prolonged must result in truly painful consequences for Russia.
Russia has adapted to live with EU's 'illegal' sanctions, Kremlin's Peskov claims
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia has built up a certain immunity to the western sanctions and adapted to live with them, Reuters reported.
Peskov also called the sanctions illegal, saying every new restriction creates negative consequences for those countries that back them.
As Merz continues to answer questions from journalists in Berlin, let’s go to Moscow briefly for their reaction to this morning’s package of EU sanctions.
On EU-US trade talks, Merz also said it would be unrealistic to hope for a zero tariff scenario given president Trump’s self-declared love of tariffs.
“This means that we will have to prepare ourselves for the fact that the American government will continue to view the trade deficit as a problem for as long as it exists,” he said.
“We have to prepare ourselves for an asymmetrical customs agreement, but once again with rates that are as low as possible on both sides,” he added.
Speaking in Berlin, Merz also repeated his opposition to the EU incurring debt or some proposals under the new EU budget presented this week.
He also once again ruled out Germany’s agreement to corporate taxation on EU level, hinting that next budget discussions could be “extremely difficult.”
Earlier Merz was also asked about Israel, saying its actions in the Gaza Strip were “unacceptable,” but rejecting criticism that the EU’s hesitance to act more strongly against Israel is in stark contrast to its readiness to impose sanctions on Russia.
But most questions so far were on domestic issues, including crucially the recent crisis involving delayed election of three judges to Germany’s constitutional court.
'Security, freedom, future of Europe closely tied to fate of Ukraine,' Macron warns
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has just posted a social media update saying he spoke with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy this morning.
He said the EU was “intensifying pressure on Russia to achieve an unconditional ceasefire,” as he welcomed the latest package of EU sanctions.
“Russian attacks must stop immediately,” he added, stressing that France “is and will remain by Ukraine’s side.”
New sanctions keep pressure on Russia, Germany's Merz says
Germany’s Merz is mostly talking about domestic issues so far, including the economy, immigration and housing.
Briefly touching on defence, he quipped that Germany wants to be able to defend itself so it doesn’t have to defend itself, stressing the role of deterrence through strength.
But before walking into the press conference room, he also posted a social media update on the new EU sanctions on Russia, saying that they are “keeping up the pressure on Russia.”
He said:
“It’s good that we in the EU have now agreed on the 18th sanctions package against Russia. It targets banks, energy, and the military industry. This weakens Russia’s ability to continue financing the war against Ukraine. We are keeping up the pressure on Russia.”
Updated
Talks with Russia 'need more momentum,' Zelenskyy says
Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the appointent of Rustem Umerov, who until yesterday served as the country’s defence minister, to Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council.
The pair met this morning and Zelenskyy said he wanted to “continue working with partners on arms agreement,” with the focus on “fully implementing every agreement with our partners on weapons supplies.”
He also called for the NSDC to catch up on delays in some technical decisions, and strenghten its technology expertise.
Crucially, he also said the process of peace talks with Russia “needs more momentum,” as “the implementation of the agreements from the second Istanbul meeting is ongoing.”
Germany's Merz giving press conference on domestic, foreign policy
Germany’s Merz is now speaking in Berlin.
I will bring you all the key lines here.
Cool reactions to EU's draft budget set tone for months ahead
One other thing to watch at this morning meeting of EU ministers in Brussels is the national reactions to the European Commission’s draft budget for 2028-2034.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz made it very clear last night that he was not happy with parts of it, particularly with the proposal to tax EU businesses as he regularly criticises burdens already placed on companies.
Politico reported that he is not alone in this and others, including the Netherlands, were very much of the same view.
Merz is set to give a press conference in Berlin in the next hour, and no doubt will be asked about it again, so I will keep an eye on this.
France’s Europe minister Benjamin Haddad said this morning that while Paris absolutely backed the idea of “an ambitious budget” to “give ourselves the means to act in this crucial moment,” it, too, had some issues with it, particularly when it comes to proposed changes to farming subsidies.
“The devil will be in the detail,” he said, which is usually diplospeak for “well, we need to tweak some things.”
Denmark’s Marie Bjerre said the Danish presidency was keen to progress budgetary discussions “as far as we can” this autumn, and to get these talks started this morning.
But she acknowledged it’s not going to be an easy task, when asked about different – often conflicting – views coming from various capitals.
“This is the commission proposal, and it is no surprise that there are different opinions among member states. Now we will facilitate that debate, and I think it’s very good that we have it already now, only two days after it being presented,” she said.
What's in the 18th package of sanctions against Russia?
Among the key measures in the adopted package of sanctions is the decision to lower the G7 price gap for crude oil from $60 to $47.6 per barrel, reducing Russia’s revenues from this source.
It also includes a ban on refined petroleum products made from Russian crude oil obtained in a third country to close an existing loophole.
Furthermore, new transactions related to Nord Stream systems are now banned, and over 100 new vessels are now banned from accessing ports and ship-to-ship transfers in the bloc, with the total rising to more than 400.
There are also separate financial and trade measures, including a further expansion of the export ban on dual-use and advanced technology.
An EU diplomat argued the package will be “strong and effective,” and sends “a very strong signal to Russia that Europe stands with Ukraine, together with partners and allies.”
Ukraine's Zelenskyy welcomes 'essential, timely' EU decision on sanctions
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy also welcomed the new package of sanctions, thanking EU leadership for getting it over the line.
He said:
“This decision is essential and timely, especially now, as a response to the fact that Russia has intensified the brutality of the strikes on our cities and villages.
The 18th sanctions package continues to target Russia’s tanker fleet – not only the vessels themselves, but also the captains of the shadow fleet and the companies enabling such oil-financed acts of killing. We will continue applying this pressure.
The European Union is also imposing a stricter price cap on Russian oil – around $46 per barrel. In coordination with other global partners, we will continue working to ensure that the price cap truly cuts Russia’s revenues.
This is possible. We already know how to effectively exert this pressure.
I would also like to highlight the EU’s decision to ban all transactions related to the gas pipelines of the Nord Stream system, the construction of which was part of Putin’s preparation for the full-scale war.
All infrastructure of Russia’s war must be blocked.
We are promptly preparing the synchronisation of European sanctions in Ukraine, and we are also preparing new sanctions decisions, both at the level of partners and within Ukrainian jurisdiction.”
Ukraine welcomes sanctions, says 'there is more to be done'
Ukraine’s new prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, has just reacted to the adoption of sanctions, thanking member states for progress, but also insisting “there is more to be done.”
She said:
“We welcome the European Union’s latest sanctions package and are grateful to all who have made it possible.
By targeting the ships, the banks, and the networks that sustain Russia’s war, this package strengthens the pressure where it counts.
There is more to be done. But each measure taken with clarity and resolve helps bring Russia’s war closer to its end.”
18th package of EU sanctions on Russia formally adopted, Denmark confirms
And Denmark, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU, has just confirmed that EU ministers have formally signed off on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia.
Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said:
“Now we tighten the knot on Russia by targeting energy revenues, exports, circumvention, and shadow fleet. Under the Danish Presidency, the EU adopted its 18th sanctions package that will increase the pressure on Russia.”
France’s Europe minister Benjamin Haddad also welcomed the progress made on sanctions, saying it was “extremely ambitious” and hits “Russia’s energy sector” to defund its war efforts in Ukraine.
He stressed the need to “increase the pressure on Russia” by both military aid and economic pressure, saying this package of sanctions was “a massive step forward.”
He said there was a “considerable diplomatic effort” behind the scenes to get them over the line, and stressed this will continue to support Ukraine as “it is the security of all Europeans that is at stake.”
Danish Europe minister Marie Bjerre said the sanctions were an important element of the EU’s effort “to weaken the Russian war machine.”
“I am very happy that it looks like we will now, today, reach consensus,” she said.
Luxembourgish deputy prime minister and foreign minister Xavier Bettel said he was happy with the adoption, saying “usually Hungary is the troublemaker, and this time [it was] Slovakia.”
But he added that while “it’s a pity we were not able to agree on Tuesday, it’s [still] this week.”
“What is important to show that even if we sometimes have national [differences], we have European solutions,” he said.
Andriy Yermak, the most senior aide to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, offered Ukraine’s (brief) response to the sanctions in his customary emoji-heavy way, by replying to Kallas’s comments with two emojis: of a handshake, and of a flexed muscle.
I think that means he’s happy with the outcome.
EU adopts new sanctions against Russia
It has taken a bit longer than they would have wanted, but the 18th EU package of sanctions is here, after Slovakia dropped its opposition to its adoption last night.
The Slovak prime minister, Robert Fico, said late Thursday that he received additional guarantees from the EU on the technically unrelated, but politically linked, issue of gas imports from Russia and was now prepared to support the package.
After a hastily convened meeting of ambassadors this morning adopted the measures, EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said it was ”one of … strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date.”
She explained:
“We’re cutting the Kremlin’s war budget further, going after 105 more shadow fleet ships, their enablers, and limiting Russian banks’ access to funding.
Nord Stream pipelines will be banned. A lower oil price cap. We are putting more pressure on Russia’s military industry, Chinese banks that enables sanctions evasion, and blocking tech exports used in drones.
For the first time, we’re designating a flag registry and the biggest Rosneft refinery in India. Our sanctions also hit those indoctrinating Ukrainian children. We will keep raising the costs, so stopping the aggression becomes the only path forward for Moscow.”
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen added:
“We are striking at the heart of Russia’s war machine.
Targeting its banking, energy and military-industrial sectors and including a new dynamic oil price cap.
The pressure is on.
It will stay on until Putin ends this war.”
EU ministers from across the bloc are just arriving for today’s General Affairs Council in Brussels, so we will no doubt get more reactions soon.
I will bring you all key updates from across Europe today.
It’s Friday, 18 July 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
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