Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap!
The stream of Putin’s speech at Valdai will remain live for the most brave among you who are really keen on listening to it in full.
Some of the other key lines from his speech so far were on Europe “being relegated to the periphery of the global competition,” and his warning to people about “falling into the temptation of delusion,” while raging against “rampant nationalism and neonazism” in Ukraine and “globalist expansionist” policy of the west.
Erm.
Here is your summary of the day:
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned European leaders that Russia was “stepping up its destructive actions” and told them that “what matters most for European security now is political will” (10:47, 16:52). He also spoke about the prospect of getting access to US long-range missiles (17:04).
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen vowed to push ahead with Ukraine’s accession to the European Union despite Hungary’s veto, saying she would not allow “one country and Viktor Orbán” to block the process and calling for progress in technical talks with the bloc (16:55, 16:58, 17:07).
Frederiksen also warned that Russia was “testing us more than ever” as she said that Russia “will not stop until they are forced to” (10:28) and that “this war was never just about Ukraine” (10:34) as she told leaders to make Europe “so strong that a war is no longer an option” (16:49), echoing earlier warnings by Poland’s Donald Tusk who stressed that “if Ukraine loses, it means our failure” (11:15).
But it emerged that the leaders were bitterly divided about the prospect of using frozen Russian assets, with Belgium (10:21) and Hungary (16:31) leading the sceptics, while others – including Germany (15:31) – strongly in favour.
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.
Updated
Back to Putin, he now blames Europe for the situation in Ukraine, as he says it “continues to escalate the conflict.”
Here are just a few pictures from some of the many Russian drone strikes on Ukraine in the last 72 hours.
Updated
EU's chief prosecutor warns Greek constitution impedes fight against corruption
in Athens
Over in Greece, the European Union’s chief prosecutor, Laura Kovesi, has had some choice words today for the resistance the country has shown in battling corruption.
Addressing the media towards the end of a much-anticipated trip to Athens, Kovesi insisted that while “there is corruption everywhere” any inquiry into it in the Mediterranean nation was obstructed by the Greek constitution.
She cited Article 86 and the immunity it offered in protecting “serving or former members of the cabinet” from prosecution as being a key impediment to headway being made in exposing the scourge.
“The only solution is to change it,” the Romanian-born official told reporters. “There is corruption everywhere. The question is how we confront it, not whether we hide it under the carpet.”
Kovesi, who heads the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) based in Luxembourg, referred to Article 86 particularly obstructing investigations into how millions of euro in “European funds that should have supported honest farmers …. and not gone into villas and expensive cars” ended up being allegedly stolen in a massive fraud case that has shaken the centre-right government.
Mismanagement of funds had, she added, literally left people dead in the case of the head-on collision of a passenger and freight train in Greece’s vale of Tempe in 2023 but, again, any inquiry into the tragedy had been stymied by the constitution.
‘The bad news, as in the Tempe case, is that the investigation could not go as far as it should have because of the constitution,” said Kovesi who has blamed the failure of Greek authorities to install a state-of-the art signalling system on the rail network as playing a major role in the crash.
More than 40 million euro had been earmarked for the project known as Contract 717. “The good news is that parliament can amend Article 86,” she said.
Putin is now talking about the failure of all sanctions against Russia, claiming the country “has demonstrated the highest degree of resilience and ability to withstand intensive global pressure.”
He also claims that in some western countries, they are “trying to prohibit, ban the political opponents who have been acquiring more legitimacy and trust among the voters.”
Just imagine!
So far, Putin attacks western countries for not being “ready to rid themselves of the captivity of geopolitical and historical stereotypes,” as he says Russia repeatedly wanted to engage with the west in 1990s and 2000s and was twice blocked from joining Nato.
He also talks about the rise of “multipolarity,” which he says is a rejection of “attempts to impose and maintain the global hegemony” by the west.
Unsurprisingly, Russia is not to be blamed for anything in his view.
Russia's Putin speaks at Valdai club conference
And now let’s hear Moscow’s response…
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, is about to speak at a plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi.
You can watch it live below, and I will bring you the key lines here.
Ukraine to play key role in EU's drone wall project, Zelenskyy says
Asked about the European drone wall project, Zelenskyy says that Ukraine will play a key role and “the driving force” there, drawing on its first-hand war experience of the last few years.
And that concludes the press conference.
We need to move on Ukraine's EU accession as far as we can, Frederiksen says
Frederiksen also gets asked about what can be done to move despite Hungary’s opposition.
She says “there are so many things that has to be solved and changed and decided upon before the day where you can actually enter the European Union.”
“If we are not able to convince Orbán, then I simply think we just have to move on with all the work that has to be done between Ukraine and the European Commission.”
On reparation loans for Ukraine, she acknowledges there are “lots of questions” that are of technical and legal nature, but insists it will ultimately require a political decision.
“I know that the government in Belgium finds this very difficult, but my hope is, and my belief is, that we will be able to find a solution that will get support from all 27 countries,” she says.
She says the leaders managed to “move closer,” but “we are not there yet to conclude and take a decision” yet (as clearly evidenced by Orbán’s comments earlier at 16:31).
Updated
'We will, maybe, have something more,' Zelenskyy says about potential access to US long-range missiles
Frederiksen get asked if Denmark and Europe more broadly are ready to help scale up Ukraine’s production of drones and missiles.
She replies simply: “Yes.”
Zelenskyy, in turn, gets asked about potential strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure, and if he would comment on reports that Ukraine could get long-range capabilities.
He says Ukraine only ever strikes in response to Russian attacks.
On long-range missiles, he says that until now Ukraine had to rely on domestic production of its own missiles.
“After my meeting with President of the United States, yes, we will, maybe, have something more. I don’t know. We’ll see,” he says.
Zelenskyy says Orbán’s block on Ukraine's membership is down to domestic politics
Zelenskyy jumps on this topic, too.
He says “yes, we have problems with Hungary,” which he attributes to Viktor Orbán’s political posturing before next year’s parliamentary election.
“We can openly speak about it, [it’s] because Viktor Orbán has elections. And I think it’s not smart [that just] because he has elections, … he’s blocking big, 40 million nation on their way to EU, … because, by the way, Russia began this war [exactly] because our will and our choice to go … to [join] Europe,” he explains.
Updated
I will not allow one country and Viktor Orbán to block Ukraine's membership of EU, Frederiksen says
Denmark’s Frederiksen gets asked about the prospects of EU enlargement and the EU’s broader strategy, given Hungary’s repeated opposition to moves allowing Ukraine to join the bloc.
She says that 26 member states are united on this, as she strongly pushes back against Hungary’s attempt to block Ukraine’s membership or use frozen Russian assets.
“I will not allow one country, and I will certainly not allow Viktor Orbán to take decisions about the entire European future.
So I don’t know what middle ground is, but if middle ground means that we won’t do what is the best thing to do for Europe, then I don’t think middle ground is a good idea.”
Europe needs political will to act and cut ties with Russia, Zelenskyy says
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy also talks about Russia “stepping up its destructive actions,” as he stresses that “what matters most for European security now is political will” to act without delay.
“We see clearly that only joint action and united efforts can guarantee real security. No country should be left alone against this threat,” he says.
He insists that “Russia is making many mistakes, and that is why we need to increase the pressure and increase the pressure now, so that they are forced to end the war and change their policy.”
He also ramps up pressure on countries like Hungary and Slovakia to stop importing energy from Russia, as he says:
Any connection with Russia can be used against you, so the fewer ties with Russia, the safer life will be, and life must be protected.
He ends by stressing the need to move on Ukraine and Moldova’s EU membership.
Updated
'Russia is testing us more than ever,' Denmark's Frederiksen says, as she urges Europe to arm and get 'so strong that a war is no longer an option'
Frederiksen also says the talks confirmed “our unwavering support” for Ukraine in the face of “increased” provocations from Moscow towards Europe.
“It is clear to everybody that Russia is a threat, not only to Ukraine, but to all of Europe,” she says.
She adds:
“Lately, we have seen how Russia has increased airspace violations and hybrid attacks in Europe with fighter jets and with drones, migrants being pushed across our borders, interference in democratic elections and cyber-attacks targeting critical infrastructure,
Russia is testing us, and more than ever, we need to stand strong together.”
She sets out the need to “strengthen our support to Ukraine with weapons and more sanctions against Russia.”
She adds:
“I would like all Europeans to look at it this way, that every euro or dollar or Danish crown we send to Ukraine is a direct investment in European security.”
She says that the task ahead is “to make Europe so strong that a war against us is no longer an option.”
Denmark's Frederiksen expresses sympathy with Britain after Manchester synagogue attack
Denmark’s Frederiksen opens the closing press conference by a brief comment on the attack in Manchester.
She says:
“First of all, let me start by expressing my deepest sympathy to the British people and to the Jewish community and to our friend Keir Starmer, who had to leave the summit today.
The incident in Manchester is terrible and horrifying and my thoughts are with the affected families in these difficult times.”
Closing press conference of Copenhagen summits under way
The closing press conference of the two Copenhagen summits is taking place now, with Danish PM Mette Frederiksen and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaking now.
You can watch it below, but I will bring you all the key lines here.
Updated
Russia says it's locked in 'fiery' conflict with the West, rejects comparisons to cold war
Meanwhile over in Moscow, Russia said that there was no cold war with the West because it was now a “fiery” conflict, and that the European Union and the Nato military alliance were lying about alleged Moscow’s sabotage operations to justify vast military spending, Reuters reported.
“I would disagree with the comparison with the cold war,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters when asked if there was now a new cold war with an “iron curtain“-like drone wall being built in Europe.
We are already in another form of conflict. There has been no cold here for a long time; there is already fire here.
Zakharova, when asked about European accusations that Russia has intruded into Nato airspace, carried out sabotage operations and hacked key installations, said that the unfounded accusations showed that the EU and Nato were preparing “provocations” against Moscow.
“All their statements indicate – first, that they are preparing a chain of provocations. Second, that they need to justify their military budgets,” Zakharova claimed without offering any evidence to back her comments.
Updated
Hungary's Orbán says talks showed 'confrontation' of ideas on Russia; rules out Hungary's involvement in use of frozen Russian assets
Hungary’s Viktor Orbán has just briefered the journalists after the summit.
Ever the entertainer on the doorstep, Orbán said the meeting was “interesting; even more, it was exciting,” as it “had some intellectual content,” which he rushed to add “it’s not always the case.”
He said the leaders particularly clashed on their idea of dealing with Russia. Asked if he managed to convince them of his arguments, he said:
“Not really, … they are convinced that they are right. … They have a war plan. They have a plan how to beat the Russians. Many of these countries were never occupied by the Russians, so they don’t have physical personal experience [of] what does it mean to have a war with Russia. …
We know what is at the stake, but those guys who were never under the supervision of the Russians has an appetite to beat the Russians on the frontline. We know what the war machine of Russia looks like. We don’t like the idea.
So we have a peace plan, but the others have [more of] a war plan, and that confrontation happened.
So the views are very far away from each other.”
Orbán was also very critical of the idea of using frozen Russian assets to finance further aid for Ukraine.
He said the leaders were given “a very educational presentation” by the Belgian prime minister, which showed the idea was “not very promising,” as Belgium would first need to be given assurances that other countries would share their legal responsibility for such a move.
“No way,” he exclaimed.
“The question is, whose money is that? So if it is money of somebody else, Hungary will never touch it. We are not stealers, you know. This money is not ours.”
He later added that Hungary would “never be part of the deal” if it involves taking Russian frozen assets.
EU leaders have 'great determination' to help Ukraine, use Russian assets, with decision towards end of October, Germany's Merz says
Speaking with reporters on the sidelines of the Copenhagen summit, German chancellor Friedrich Merz said the leaders showed “great determination to continue helping Ukraine.”
He said they had “a very intensive” discussion about the use of frozen Russian assets to continue helping and funding aid for Ukraine.
We will now examine this carefully and there will most likely be a concrete decision on this at the next European Council in three weeks.
(The next European Council is scheduled for 23-24 October.)
“I will support any path that allows us to use Russian assets to continue helping Ukraine and to ensure that this war ends as soon as possible,” he said.
Merz added that he felt there was “very strong agreement” in the EU to explore these options, as he warned that “Putin should not underestimate our determination.”
He didn’t take any questions from reporters.
Updated
Polish border force responds to Russian fishing boat seen near gas pipeline
The Polish border force scrambled to respond to a Russian fishing boat on Wednesday, after it was seen in close vicinity of a gas pipeline off the Polish coast, a spokesperson for the Polish interior ministry said.
After observing the 70-meter-long unit for some time, the border force engaged with it and asked the boat to move away from the pipeline and leave the area immediately.
The boat obeyed their instructions, the spokesperson said.
The incident comes amid growing threats from Russia, with Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk saying earlier today that Poland sees new incidents “every week, … almost every day” (11:15).
Updated
US to give Ukraine intelligence on long-range energy targets in Russia, say reports
Defence and security editor
The US will provide Ukraine with intelligence on long-range energy infrastructure targets deep inside Russia, according to overnight reports, a move that would signal a significant shift in White House support for Kyiv.
The decision would be the first example of a change in policy by Donald Trump since his comments on social media towards the end of September that Ukraine could win back all of the territories occupied by Russia.
Reports in the Wall Street Journal and Reuters, citing unnamed US sources, said the policy had quietly changed ahead of that statement and that the White House wanted Nato allies to follow suit.
No decision, however, had been made on whether the US would supply Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. Earlier this week the US vice-president, JD Vance, said Trump was considering a request from Kyiv for the missiles that have a range of 1,500 miles.
Western, and particularly US, intelligence in the form of satellite imagery and other monitoring data is considered a significant help in permitting the accurate targeting of Russian facilities deep inside its borders.
A focus on energy targets, such as oil refineries, would allow Ukraine to extend an already successful campaign that has hit 21 out of 38 refineries with long-range drone strikes. That has led to fuel shortages in parts of Russia, and on some days it has been estimated that daily production is down by fifth.
Chinese captain of Russia tanker stopped off France to be tried for refusing to cooperate, prosecutors say
The Chinese captain of a tanker from Russia’s “shadow fleet” is to be tried in a French court early next year for refusing to comply with orders from French authorities, prosecutors said, as reported by AFP.
The captain and first mate of the Boracay, a Benin-flagged vessel blacklisted by the European Union off France, were detained on Tuesday over refusing to provide evidence of nationality or cooperate with French authorities.
The captain has been summoned to appear in court in February, but the first mate has been released, said the public prosecutor’s office in the northwestern city of Brest.
Russia accused of sabotaging last power line into Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Defence and security editor
Russia has been accused of deliberately sabotaging the last remaining power line into the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, after satellite imagery of the damaged area showed no sign of Ukrainian shelling that Moscow says is preventing a repair.
Outside power, normally used for cooling, has now been down for a record eight days, forcing the Russian operators of the plant in occupied Ukraine to rely on back-up diesel generators to avoid a meltdown of its six reactor cores.
The photography was commissioned by Greenpeace and it was examined by experts at McKenzie Intelligence, in an effort to assess the damage at the Zaporizhzhia plant, which lies on the frontline of the war.
McKenzie Intelligence concluded in a short report that there is “no evidence of any crater, either fresh or historic” around the damaged pylon and that it is still standing “and therefore should be a relatively simple task to repair”.
That contrasts with comments made last week by the Russian operators of the plant. The site’s communications director said on 25 September that “restoration efforts [were] currently being complicated by ongoing shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the plant and in the immediate vicinity of the damaged line”.
The plant’s final external power line was cut at 4.56pm on Tuesday last week, creating a set of circumstances described by Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, as “clearly not a sustainable situation in terms of nuclear safety”.
Eight back-up generators are currently powering the cooling systems, with a further nine in reserve, said the IAEA in an update released on Tuesday. There is enough power to fuel the generators for 10 days, with further deliveries expected to maintain this level, the watchdog added.
Though the imagery of a pylon over a field in Russian held territory about 1.5km from the power plant is faint, the absence of dark pock marks on the ground, characteristic of areas that have been shelled, is obvious. Both legs of the pylon and a horizontal connecting structure are visible.
Shaun Burnie, a nuclear specialist with Greenpeace, said the imagery showed that “Russia has deliberately sabotaged the external power line”.
UK's Starmer returns home from Copenhagen talks after Manchester synagogue attack
Prime minister Keir Starmer will fly home early from a meeting of European leaders in Copenhagen to chair a Cobra meeting following the attack at a synagogue in Greater Manchester.
A suspect has been shot and four people have suffered injuries caused by a vehicle and stabbings at a synagogue in Crumpsall, north of the city.
We’re following this story live here:
European Political Community summit in Copenhagen – in pictures
Updated
And the live stream stops here, which presumably means the talks will now continue behind the closed doors.
We will next see the leaders for a “family photo” later this morning, and there’s a press conference expected towards the end of the day, too.
Key event
Moldova’s Sandu begins her speech by listing different ways in which Russia attempted to interfere with the democratic process – through disinformation, misinformation, and attempted corruption - “to capture Moldova through this elections, or at least to destabilise the country and … to discredit the results.”
“We hope that our experience is going to encourage other countries because a small and fragile democracy, like the Moldovan one, has resisted the big resources of Russia. And if Moldova could do it, then everybody can do it,” she says.
'It's our war, and if Ukraine loses, it means our failure,' Poland's Tusk warns
Poland’s Tusk is up next, and he begins with congratulations for Moldova for a “spectacular” win of pro-European forces.
But he then strikes a very sombre tone, as he warns leaders that Europe is no longer in a pre-war period, but it faces a war.
“It’s absolutely obvious that we have to stop all … kinds of illusions. The first illusion was and is that there is no war. It’s in some of us, we like these [softer] definitions, like full scale aggression or incidents or provocation.
No, it’s, it’s a war – a new type of war, very complex, but it’s a war.”
He then discloses that Poland has experienced more security incidents in recent days, with the last one near Szczecin port just a few days ago.
“We [see] new incidents in our region, in the Baltic Sea, every single week. It’s almost every day,” he says.
He says that for Poland, this war is “not an abstract,” with multiple attempts to illegally cross the Polish border with Belarus “every day,” with some attacks on its soldiers, including casualties.
It is our war, and if Ukraine loses, it means our failure.
He says that looking at all sorts of measures, Europe is much stronger than Russia.
“The only [advantage of] Russia is here: they are ready to fight. They are ready to sacrifice something, they are ready to suffer, and this psychological advantage, this is why we are so sometimes we are … not decisive enough and not determined enough.”
He ends with a stark warning:
“Not only because of our history, because of geography, … we know something about the Russian intentions and plans.
We know that if they win against Ukraine, it is then, in the future, the end of my country and of Europe, I have no doubt.
And this is why we have to be as determined as Volodymyr [Zelenskyy, in Ukraine] and his people and as Maia [Sandu, in Moldova] and her nation.”
We need 'more unpredictability' to strengthen our deterrence, Macron says, as he warns Russian drones 'can be destroyed'
Macron also talks about the recent provocations against Poland, Estonia and other countries.
He assures of France’s solidarity, and says the response from the alliance was clear.
He then also says “it’s very important … to g[et] to the end of the inquiries on what happened in Denmark” with drones disrupting airport operations.
He then sets out his plan for what’s next:
“I think the main answer should be more unpredictability and more strategic ambiguity.
And I think it’s, it’s very important to have a clear message. Drones, which would violate our territories, are just taking a big risk. They can be destroyed, full stop.
We are not here to provide the full notice. We will do what, what we have to do to preserve our air integrity and our territorial integrity.”
Next steps need to focus on Ukraine's air defence, drones, long-range missiles, and pressure on Russia, Macron says
France’s Emmanuel Macron says “we are at a moment when Russia is clearly not getting its main objective,” as it’s “special operation” failed to get to Kyiv or change the regime in Ukraine.
“I think the situation is much better today than it was at the beginning of the year … [when] our fear was to have a sort of very rapid peace, and we had some doubts about the level of support of the United States,” he says.
He credits the work of the Coalition of the Willing for that, and stresses the success in “re-engaging with the United States” as he notes that Trump’s recent comments show “a huge change.”
“It’s very important, because for me, it’s a concrete case of countering the misinformation spread by Russia. No, Russia is not winning. No, Ukraine is not losing this war, and the situation is very different,” he says.
He says it’s now clear that Putin’s comments on engaging with a peace process were “not totally a sincere commitment.”
He adds that the next steps need to focus on Ukraine’s air defence systems, drones, and long-range missiles.
Macron also calls for swift adoption of the 19th package of sanctions on Russia, and calls to “step up” pressure on Russia’s shadow fleet.
“It’s extremely important to increase the pressure on this shadow fleet because it will clearly reduce the capacity to finance this [war],” he says, urging Europeans to “kill the business model” by “detaining, even for days or weeks, these vessels and forcing them to organise themselves differently.”
Russia's actions show Putin's 'appetite' to continue 'unrelenting' attacks on Ukraine and acts of interference across Europe, Starmer says
The leaders now move to form a panel (!), chaired by UK prime minister Keir Starmer, with Moldova’s Maia Sandu, Poland’s Donald Tusk, and France’s Emmanuel Macron set to face his questioning.
Opening, Starmer picks up the theme of Russia, and says:
“We’ve seen in recent weeks, the appetite that Putin has to not only rain down on Ukraine, but also to take action and to interfere, right across Europe, in many different ways, whether that’s in relation to our airspace, whether it’s cyber or other attacks that have been going on.
They are unrelenting, and they show an appetite to continue this, and we must fight it with everything that we have. And it’s a reminder for all of us … that this is not just a question of Ukrainian sovereignty, it’s a question of the values and freedoms of all of us, particularly in Europe, and that we are all in this fight in relation to the Russian aggression.”
He also talks about the need to strenghten Ukraine and Nato, more broadly.
By the way, you can watch the live stream from the proceedings at the top of this page – or below here.
Updated
Russia 'still feels bold enough to escalate this war' with drone incidents, Zelenskyy warns
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy is speaking next.
He immediately tells leaders that “we are all now in a new reality, and everyone, I think, understands it, even those who may not want to admit it.”
He warns that “the recent drone incidents across Europe are a clear sign that Russia still feels bold enough to escalate this war,” and wants to “divide Europe, to ignite arguments, to prevent us from finding common ground.”
“If the Russians dare to launch drones against Poland or violate the airspace of northern European countries, it means this can happen anywhere – in western Europe, in the south – and we need fast and effective response,” he says.
He urges leaders to fast-track adoption of the 19th package of sanctions against Russia, and asks them to “support President Trump’s call to stop buying Russian oil here, here in Europe.”
In a direct swipe at Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, he adds, “and the guys from Hungary need to hear this,” as he adds that he is confident that “energy from the US and other partners can fill the gap in the European market.”
He also congratulates Moldova, and pushes the leaders to open formal chapter one talks about Moldova and Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
European Council president António Costa opens his speech with congratulations for Moldova and its president Maia Sandu for the win of pro-European forces in last weekend’s parliamentary elections there.
He also congratulates the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan for their recent peace deal.
And he then goes back to Ukraine, stressing the importance of supporting Kyiv, as he says that what is at stake there “is not only Ukraine’s right to be a free and sovereign country, but it is in fact international law,” including the fundamental postwar belief that borders must not be changed by force.
'This war was never just about Ukraine,' Danish PM warns, as she urges leaders to 'no longer be naive'
Frederiksen also praises Ukraine’s Zelenskyy, praising Ukraine for “defending Ukraine against a merciless, full scale Russian aggression.”
“You have done what no one thought possible, and you have our steadfast support,” she says.
But then Frederiksen turns to other leaders, as she warns:
“I know that for some of you, the threat from Russia is very clear and very present. For others, it still seems further away, but none of us can no longer be naive.
The war was never just about Ukraine. It is about Europe, all our nations, all our citizens, our values and our freedom.”
She goes on:
“Please just take one look at the history of our continent, from the expansion of the Russian Empire to Soviet tanks rolling across several borders during the cold war, shattering hopes of freedom.
Recent history tells us the exact same story. So why shouldn’t it happen again?
Russia is now converting into a war economy, using every mean, every opportunity, to intimidate, to threaten and to divide us, unfortunately, enabled by China, with soldiers from North Korea and drones from Iran, and I see no signs that Putin and Russia’s imperial fever dream stops with Ukraine.”
She stresses that “it’s not charity, what we’re doing in Ukraine, it is a direct defence of our continent.”
She says that Europe has begun moving in the right direction, but “we have to move much faster – we have to learn from Ukraine, your sense of urgency, building an incredible defence industry in just a couple of years.”
Drawing from Denmark’s experiences over the past two weeks, she adds a warning about the growing hybrid threats, posed by drones, misinformation, attacks on critical infrastructure, and “uncontrolled” migration.
'Russia will not stop until they are forced to do so,' Denmark's Frederiksen warns leaders
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen is now opening the formal proceedings.
Flanked by the European Council president, António Costa, and Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, she says:
“For the last few months, there has been much talk about peace in Ukraine, with meetings, pre-meetings and briefings about the meetings, and meanwhile, Russia continues its brutal attacks.
It must be clear to everyone now: Russia will not stop until they are forced to do so.”
She adds that “we have one major task ahead of us: we have to make our common Europe so strong that war against us becomes unthinkable, and we have to do it now.”
Belgian PM repeats legal questions about using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine
Last night’s discussions on Russia and Ukraine largely focused on the question of using frozen Russian assets to finance loans to Ukraine.
But Belgium’s prime minister Bart de Wever is leading a group of countries that remain sceptical about the move as they are concerned about legal consequences.
Belgium is particularly exposed here, as more than a half of the funds are held at a Brussels-based clearing firm, Euroclear.
In his comments this morning, he said he had asked other leaders to give strong guarantees they would share the risks if frozen Russian assets were used to finance loans to Ukraine.
He suggested that Belgium would be ready to go forward with the plan only if its questions get answered satisfactorily, and that’s not the case so far.
'Why are we afraid' of Russia, Hungary's Orbán asks, as he insists EU is 'stronger than they are'
Ohh, that’s interesting.
As Poland’s Donald Tusk was chatting with a group of Polish journalists, one of them decided to shout a question in English to Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, who was talking to some Hungarian reporters nearby.
With a bit of encouragement from Tusk, Orbán walked across to the Polish group, where he was challenged with a simple question:
Who [poses] the main threat for Europe?
(Tusk quickly realised what’s going on, warning him: “It’s a provocation.”)
But Orbán kept his cool and replied:
– The real danger? Economic stagnation and losing competitiveness.
– Not Russia?
– We are stronger than Russia. Make some comparisons and base your opinion on the facts. We have more than 400 million people, Russia is 130 something. Look at the European GDP is [big] like that. Russia is [small] like that. We spend all together, the 27, more on military spending than the Russians. So why we are afraid? We are stronger than they are.
The question is whether we have, whether we have leadership to come together and to defend our interests together. That’s what we should do anyway.
'Degree of naivety' in Ireland over 'existential' Russia threat, Irish PM warns
Irish prime minister Micheál Martin focused on the security situation facing Europe in his comments, as he talked about “a pattern” of Russian behaviour in eastern Europe and warned about a “degree of naivety back in Ireland in respect of that.”
He said:
“We had a very serious discussion in terms of the threat that Russia is now posing to the European Union and to European Union member states, and particularly in terms of the violation of the airspace of quite a number of European member states. …
A clear pattern is emerging, if you take everything that has happened over the last number of weeks and months, in terms of drone incursions, in terms of maritime activity around cables, and that in terms of the undermining of political and politics in various member states …
And it seems to me that there’s a degree of naivety back in Ireland in respect of that. Certainly the member states and the eastern European side, the Baltic States in particular, feel this threat and feel it’s existential.”
He later added:
“Putin is showing no signs that he wants to end that war, despite all the entreaties and despite the Alaska meeting and so on. So the situation is very serious for Europe and the Russian threat is very serious.”
Separately, Martin also spoke about the Gaza flotilla intercepted by Israel, stressing that he was receiving up-to-date briefings on the situation, and that Ireland would offer consular help to all affected.
He stressed:
“It’s a humanitarian mission, no threat to anybody other than to highlight and also to bring humanitarian aid into the people of Gaza, and it underlines the absolute imperative of getting humanitarian aid into Gaza as quickly as possible under the auspices of the United Nations and the Red Crescent.”
Migration and Ukraine to dominate talks today, UK's Starmer says
UK prime minister Keir Starmer said in his doorstep comments that illegal migration and Ukraine will dominate today’s talks.
“We’re certainly discussing illegal migration and looking at what further options we can take together. Obviously, I’ve always argued that working with other countries is always a stronger response.
So we’re looking at a number of options there. There’s a big appetite for it, a number of countries wanting to work with us and what more we can do. So we’ll be looking at that.
There is also, then, obviously, the question of Ukraine, and how we put in more support for Ukraine, put pressure on Putin. So it’d really be migration and Ukraine, the two dominant issues in the discussions today.”
Important to come together for talks with other European countries, Nato's Rutte says
Given the security situation in Europe, Nato secretary general Mark Rutte is also joining the leaders for talks today.
On his arrival, he says it’s “important to come together” to discuss “everything going on now when it comes to our collective security, how to keep our sky safe, how to make sure that Ukraine stays in the fight as strong as possible now, but also to be in the best possible position when, hopefully one day, peace talks will start.”
He adds that the EPC format allows leaders to “have this format to come together, to chart a course, but also to [hold] dialogue in bigger and smaller format.”
European Political Community format brings leaders together for talks but some question its value - snap analysis
After the EU summit in Copenhagen… comes another European summit in the Danish capital. More than 45 leaders from across the continent are expected to meet as the European Political Community to discuss security, migration and the economy.
The EPC was proposed by French president Emmanuel Macron, after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It brings together almost every European country, barring Russia and Belarus, with the aim of promoting cooperation between EU and non-EU countries, especially on security and defence. Since its first gathering in October 2022, it has been hard to pin down results.
The one-day summits, with invites extended to 45+ leaders from Iceland to Azerbaijan, Finland to Portugal, are not intended to take decisions. Some diplomats have questioned the value of the frequency of the twice-yearly gatherings; others say the usefulness lies in the informal bilaterals and ad-hoc meetings on the side.
The first meeting was in Prague in October 2022, where EU leaders thought they had made progress in resolving the long-running conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. But it fell apart the following year when Azerbaijan’s leader Ilham Aliyev skipped a follow-up EPC in Granada, missing further talks with his Armenian counterpart, Nikol Pashinyan.
The first EPC summit in the Czech capital was notable because Liz Truss, the UK’s shortest-lived prime minister, decided that Macron was “a friend” after all.
The next EPC in Moldova in 2023 was seen as highly symbolic, soon after the former Soviet republic of 2.4m made a decisive bid to integrate with the west, while facing intense Russian pressure.
A gathering in the UK in 2024 was a moment for the then newly minted prime minister Keir Starmer to proclaim that Britain wanted to reset ties with Europe, after the muddle and turmoil of the Brexit years. Some EU insiders questioned the value of the meeting, which came soon after a Nato summit brought together most of the same cast.
Luuk Van Middelaar, a former adviser to a European Council president, thinks the EPC is proving its value. He makes the case for the organisation in a paper co-authored with Antoine Michon, a diplomat and visiting scholar at the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics.
They write:
“As demonstrated by the sustained high attendance at each summit, the EPC has become an essential piece of the political and diplomatic conversation in a war-facing continent, a fitting and timely response to the demise of Europe’s post-cold war order.
In and through the European Political Community, Europe has unearthed an older incarnation of itself, taking on the ancient diplomatic mantle of a polity of sovereign states.”
Morning opening: Let's talk Europe
After last night’s talks at the informal summit of the European Council, it’s now time for a bit more of political speed dating, with more European leaders as Copenhagen hosts the seventh summit of the European Political Community.
The format is not without its controversy, as some question its usefulness, but it offers a rare chance to discuss some of the most burning issues facing Europe with a broader group of European countries outside the EU – virtually everyone, except Russia and Belarus.
The leaders are gathering now, and will formally start their meetings in around an hour.
I will monitor their comments and bring you all the latest here.
It’s Thursday, 2 October 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
