Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap!
The European Commission has proposed suspending some of the trade parts of the EU Israel association agreement, 18 months after Ireland and Spain asked commission president Ursula von der Leyen to review the agreement in light of the war in Gaza (13:36).
Senior EU officials said the proposals were “appropriate and proportionate” as a response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza (13:37, 13:53), and will still need to be approved by the EU member states (14:07).
But Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar warned the EU against taking action, calling the proposal to suspend the trade element of the EU-Israel association agreement “morally and politically distorted” (15:35).
In other news,
Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, said that two foreign laboratories had confirmed her husband was poisoned, after tests on biological samples secretly smuggled out of Russia (10:54).
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday he was unaware of Navalnaya’s claims.
Elsewhere,
Denmark is for the first time to buy long-range precision weapons such as missiles and drones, Mette Frederiksen has abruptly announced, as she warned “Russia is testing us” (12:39, 12:58, 13:00).
Frederiksen warned that Russia is “constantly trying to push the boundaries” and “wants conflict with Nato” (13:04).
The total package, worth €7.7bn, is “the largest single investment in Danish defence ever,” the country’s ministry said (13:16).
Russia’s ambassador to Denmark branded the plans as “pure madness” and said he considered the comments to be “publicly threatening a nuclear power” (17:41).
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.
Danish plans on long-range missiles are 'pure madness,' Russian ambassador says
Russia’s ambassador to Denmark has reacted to Copenhagen’s announcement that it is getting long-range weapons (12:39, 12:58), telling Berlingske that it is “pure madness”.
Vladimir Barbin said:
“No one, anywhere, ever in the world has considered publicly threatening a nuclear power. These statements will undoubtedly be taken into account.”
Parcel explosions in Europe linked to Russian intelligence, Lithuanian authorities say
Lithuanian authorities said they have identified 15 individuals behind four attempted terrorist acts in Germany, Poland and the UK involving exploding parcels and confirmed their links to Russian military intelligence.
The Lithuanian general prosecutor and the country’s criminal police said in a joint statement that they investigated four detonations or attempted detonations of parcels carried by DHL and DPD courier services last year.
Parcels were reported exploding at Leipzig airport in Germany, in a DPD freight truck in Poland, and in a DHL warehouse near Birmingham, the UK, while the fourth shipment failed to ignite.
The investigation – conducted together with officials from nine countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, and the US – led them to a 42-year-old Lithuanian citizen, who they allege worked with accomplices, and sent the parcels from Vilnius, Lithuania.
Crucially, the report said the coordination of the attacks was led by two Russian citizens “associated and having connections with the military intelligence services of the Russian Federation.”
Other citizens of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine were also reportedly involved, including through the Telegram messenger, with a total of 15 suspects. International arrest warrants have been issued against three of them.
Updated
European Commission calls for freezing of free trade with Israel over Gaza - full report
in Brussels
The EU executive has called for a suspension of free trade with Israel and sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers in response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Ursula von der Leyen had already floated the proposal to suspend the trade parts of the EU-Israel association agreement last week as the European Commission faced intense pressure for greater action amid criticism that it was not using its economic leverage to influence the Israeli government.
There is, however, no certain majority from EU member states for the proposals outlined on Wednesday, because Germany, one of Israel’s key allies, has long been reluctant to take such steps.
The proposals include suspending Israel’s preferential access to the European market by reimposing tariffs on some goods, and freezing mutual benefits related to bidding for public contracts and the protection of intellectual property rights.
The commission also called for sanctions on Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank and 10 Hamas leaders.
The plans were presented as Israeli forces pressed ahead with their offensive in Gaza City, deepening a conflict that has killed nearly 65,000 Palestinians since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages.
Paris police chief 'very concerned' about potential damage during union strikes
The Paris chief of police Laurent Nuñez said he was “very concerned” about the prospect of public disturbance on the margins of the trade union protests scheduled for Thursday, Le Figaro reported.
Nuñez claimed he had reports about plans to disrupt the protest with the intention to “fight and cause damage,” warning shopkeepers to protect their shop fronts, the paper said.
The strikes are intented to push back on what unions see as unfair austerity policies, AP said, as they reject cuts in social spending and pension reform. They are expected to prompt disruption in sectors like transport, public services, hospitals and schools.
More than 250 demonstrations are planned across the country, Le Monde said.
Israel warns EU's 'morally, politically distorted' sanctions will get 'appropriate response'
Meanwhile, Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar warned the EU against taking action against Israel, after the bloc’s executive proposed curbing trade ties and sanctioning ministers over the Gaza war, AFP reported.
“The recommendations of the college of Commissioners led by President (Ursula) von der Leyen are morally and politically distorted,” Saar wrote on X, adding that: “Moves against Israel will harm Europe’s own interests.”
“Any action against Israel will receive an appropriate response, and we hope we will not have to use them,” he wrote.
Updated
Widow of Alexei Navalny says lab tests confirm he was poisoned in prison - full report
Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, said that two foreign laboratories had confirmed her husband was poisoned, after tests on biological samples secretly smuggled out of Russia (as reported 10:54).
Navalny, 47, died suddenly on 16 February 2024, while being held in a jail about 40 miles (64km) north of the Arctic Circle, where he had been sentenced to decades in prison to be served in a “special regime”.
Navalny’s allies have accused the Kremlin repeatedly of killing him – allegations Moscow has dismissed as absurd. Russian officials insist he died of a mixture of diseases, including heart arrhythmia triggered by hypertension.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday he was unaware of Navalnaya’s claims.
Navalnaya, who lives abroad, posted a video on X in which she said biological material from Navalny was smuggled abroad in 2024 and then examined by two laboratories.
“These labs in two different countries reached the same conclusion: Alexei was killed. More specifically, he was poisoned,” Navalnaya said, urging the two laboratories to release the findings.
“These results are of public importance and must be published. We all deserve to know the truth,” she said.
She did not specify what poison the laboratories had found.
Navalnaya also said the surveillance footage from the final day of her husband’s life had vanished, despite the opposition leader being under near-constant camera monitoring throughout his imprisonment.
Navalny’s allies also released previously unseen photographs they said were taken inside the prison cell after his death. The images show a cramped cell with what appears to be vomit and blood on the floor, next to a notebook and an Oxford dictionary.
Leonid Volkov, a close ally of Navalny, wrote on X that the opposition leader had been “murdered in an agonising way, with poison”.
He added: “No matter how much they tried to erase details from the medical records or cover their tracks, we know everything about his final day and the method of his killing.”
The regional penitentiary service said in a statement at the time of his death that Navalny “felt unwell after a walk and almost immediately lost consciousness”.
Updated
Towards the end of the press conference, Kallas rejected suggestions that the EU has not done enough to put pressure on Israel and insisted the public opinion has shifted on this in recent months, as reflected by the proposed measures.
“The proposals [are] now on the table to put more pressure on Israeli government … now it’s up to the member states to discuss [them] in the council, which is problematic, as we know of the lines.
But what it shows, really, it shows that the public opinion in all the member states has, has really shifted. And when we have the discussions, all the member states or representatives, foreign ministers, agree that the situation is untenable.
So if we all agree on this, then the question is, what do we do about this; what are the tools in our hands?
And that’s why we have proposed, then from our commission, to go with these proposals. If these do not fly, then we can find other things, if we all agree that we need to do additional steps in order to have really change on the ground.”
This concludes the press conference.
What EU's move on Israeli trade would mean in practice? - snap analysis
Today’s proposal by the European Commission to suspend trade parts of the EU Israeli association would not mean Israeli goods disappearing from European supermarkets, factories, or hospitals.
If adopted by the member states, who need to agree to it under qualified majority vote system (QMV), it would merely mean goods would no longer be duty free and subject to tariffs that apply to all non-EU countries that do not have a trade agreement with the bloc.
The EU is responsible for 32% of Israel’s total trade in goods with the world, selling some €16bn in 2024.
Israeli exports include everything from jet engines to pharmaceuticals including those from Teva. However, not all goods are exported under tariffs, as they are for example not imposed on pharmaceuticals under a longstanding World Trade Organization agreement.
Under the QMV system two conditions have to be met. 55% of member states need to back to the move. This means 15 out of 27 member states, but the bigger barrier is that the proposal must be supported by member states representing 65% of the total EU population.
Germany represents 18% of the EU population, France 15% and Italy 11%.
Maroš Šefčovič, the trade commissioner, admitted that the impact of the removal of free trade access, would be “modest”, as he told reporters that their suggestions that tariffs would amount to an additional cost of just €227m a year were “correct”.
Whatever its economic consequences, it can be seen as a hugely symbolic move.
“I would say the whole context of the decision was very political. … I think there was strong expectations that European Union have to use the tools at its disposal to address the humanitarian crisis,” he said.
EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, was also asked about whether she was confident about getting the suspension approved by the member states.
She said:
“You know very well, how is the situation the council, although we see that … the public opinion in member states is really shifting because the suffering in Gaza and people really want to see [this stopped].
I think we will have the discussions after these proposals are made, but I think the political lines are very much in the place where they have been so far.”
Updated
EU's proposed Israel trade suspension 'appropriate, proportionate' given crisis in Gaza, EU's Šefčovič insists
EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič is now speaking about the practical consequences of the proposed measures.
“In practice, this means that imports from Israel to the EU will lose the preferential access to the EU market, and that these goods will be charged duties at the level applied to any other third countries with whom the EU has no free trade agreement.
We regret having to take this step. However, we believe it is both appropriate and proportionate given the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
Šefčovič said the total trade in goods amounted to €42.6bn in 2024, making the EU Israel’s number one trading partner.
“In light of these figures and the principles at stake, the proposed partial suspension is a carefully considered response to an increasingly urgent situation,” he says.
He says the EU “believes that now is the time that we must work together to end also the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
“This means unrestrained access for humanitarian aid, the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas and an urgent ceasefire to stop the bloodshed.”
Ultimately, Israel needs real security and the Palestinian people need real dignity.
He says the member states will decide on this measure by a qualified majority.
EU proposes to suspend trade parts of EU-Israel association agreement over war in Gaza
The European Commission has proposed suspending some of the trade parts of the EU Israel association agreement, 18 months after Ireland and Spain asked commission president Ursula von der Leyen to review the agreement in light of the war in Gaza.
Following her state of the union speech last week indicating a shift at the top of the EU, the Commission’s presented a proposal today.
In addition it has announced it had put bilateral support for Israel on hold with the exception of contributions to support civil society and the Yad Vashem holocaust museum. It also proposed sanctions on Hamas, extremist ministers and violent settlers.
In a statement, the EU said the proposal on the trade agreement follows a review of Article 2 of the association agreement following “the blockade of humanitarian aid, the intensifying of military operations and the decision of the Israeli authorities to advance the settlement plan in the so-called E1 area of the West Bank”.
The proposed suspension must be ratified by member states who are already blocking a European Commission proposal to suspend Israel from part of the Horizon European science research programme.
Follow our Middle East blog for more updates:
Poland calls to end Russian oil imports to EU by end 2026
Polish energy minister Miłosz Motyka has called on the EU to end Russian oil imports by the end of 2026 “to cease financing Russia’s war machine” and help end the war in Ukraine.
In a letter sent to other EU energy ministers just days after Russian drones incursion into Polish airspace, seen by the Guardian, Motyka argued that “the current international circumstances, combined with the need to strengthen the resilience of European economies, require a common response.”
He said that a commitment to the 2026 deadline would “establish a clear timeline, and demonstrate our resolve to achieve independence from oil supplies burdened with political and strategic risks.”
Poland also called for “coordinated … compensatory mechanisms” to help with “a fair and orderly transition” for countries most affected, which would also include measures on “safeguarding access to alternative oil sources in the event of disruptions.”
Reuters noted that the Druzhba oil pipeline delivers Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, which continue to buy energy supplies from Russia after other EU nations cut ties following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The letter comes a day after European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she would propose speeding phasing out of Russian fossil imports after her call with US president Donald Trump last night.
The bloc had previously intended to end purchases of Russian oil and gas by 2028.
Trump repeatedly called on the EU and Nato countries to stop buying oil from Russia, seemingly making it a condition of future US sanctions on Moscow.
Ground-based air and missile defence system purchase 'largest single investment in Danish defence ever,' ministry says
The total package for acquisition and operation of ground-based air and missile defence systems is estimated to be worth 58 billion kroner, equivalent to €7.7bn or £6.74bn, “the largest single investment ever in Danish defence.”
The defence ministry’s press release outlined some details of the proposed purchases, saying that that Denmark will look to procure the French-Italian SAMP/T NG air defence system for the long-range missiles, and “one or more” from the Norwegian NASAMS, the German IRIS-T or the French VL MICA systems.
It said that “the decision to go with more than one or two suppliers enable shorter delivery times” and reaching readiness “as quickly as possible.” The first system is expected to be operational this year.
'Russia wants conflict with Nato,' Danish PM warns, as she warns Moscow keeps 'pushing the boundaries'
Nordic correspondent
Frederiksen insisted that the move is not an escalation but that it is a “political choice”.
“We are making a political choice about what it means to be able to defend ourselves,” she said. “To put it bluntly, it’s not enough to have an air defence to keep out what’s out there. You have to show your will to be able to do more.”
Russia, she said, is “constantly trying to push the boundaries” and “wants conflict with Nato.”
Referencing Russia’s recent violation of Polish airspace, she said: “They will continue to see what reaction comes. That’s why it’s also the right time to make this decision.”
She said:
Russia wants conflict with Nato. But the Danes should not go around fearing a military attack right now.
'Necessary ... to be able to counter threats before they reach our territory,' Denmark says
Nordic correspondent
The Danish ministry of defence said in a press release:
“Based on the military-technical recommendation of the Chief of Defence, the government has made a decision in principle that Denmark must have long-range precision weapons.”
It added that the move is being carried out “with a view to strengthening Denmark’s national and Nato and allies’ collective deterrence.”
Denmark’s chief of defence, Michael Hyldgaard, said:
“It is necessary for the Armed Forces to be able to counter threats before they reach our territory. It is about giving the Armed Forces the right tools to solve the task. We are getting that now.”
'Russia is testing us,' Danish PM warns in 'historic' announcement on long-range precision weapons
Nordic correspondent
Denmark is for the first time to buy long-range precision weapons such as missiles and drones, Mette Frederiksen has abruptly announced, as she warned “Russia is testing us”.
In what she described as a “paradigm shift”, the Danish prime minister said that Denmark’s air defence is not strong enough and needs to be able to hit targets at long distances and “combat enemy missile threats”.
“Russia is testing us. They are testing our unity,” she said in a last minute press conference that was only announced this morning.
There is no doubt that Russia will be a threat to Denmark and Europe for many years to come.
The move comes at the recommendation of the chief of defence, Troels Lund Poulsen, Denmark’s defence minister, said.
Although Frederiksen said the global situation is serious, she added that “there is currently no concrete threat to Denmark”.
It is however a reflection of the perceived severity of the security situation in Europe with Russia to the east and Donald Trump making threats to Denmark from across the Atlantic.
Danish newspaper Berlingske is calling the announcement “historic”.
Denmark plans to acquire long-range precision weapons
We are just getting a line from Copenhagen that Denmark plans to acquire long-range precision weapons to boost its security, the country’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen said.
We will bring you more on this soon.
Donald Trump to begin first full day of state visit and meet the King amid protests
Official Britain is laying out the red carpet for Donald Trump today.
It is the first full day of his unprecedented state visit, and he will spend it with King Charles at Windsor Castle enjoying the finest pageantry the nation can lay on.
Keir Starmer, like other Western leaders, has concluded that the key to getting positive outcomes from Trump is flattery and shameless sucking up, and (not for the first time) the royal family is being deployed to this end.
But civic Britain will also have its say on Trump today, and – perhaps mindful of his obsession with big crowds and his (supposed) love for free speech – there will be protests all over the country.
When Mike Pence, Trump’s vice-president in the Trump’s first administration, was asked he felt about being booed one night when he attended the theatre, he said that was “the sound of freedom”.
Trump’s response to protesters is much darker. But there is almost no chance of his hearing “the sound of freedom” today; his state visit is taking place entirely behind closed doors.
Follow live updates:
New tests show Alexei Navalny was poisoned, widow Yulia says, as she blames Putin for his death
Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has just claimed that two laboratory tests, conducted independently of each other, show her husband was poisoned before death.
In a YouTube video, she recalled in detail the last letter from her husband, a day before his death in a penal colony in Russia, and his last days in custody, detailing the authorities’ lack of reaction to his first reports of being unwell.
She also showed photographs from inside the cell where he fell ill.
On the video, she explained that “back in February 2024, we were able to obtain and securely transfer biological samples of Alexei abroad,” and “laboratories in at least two countries independently tested those samples.”
“Labs in two different coountries independently concluded: Alexei was killed; namely, poisoned,” she said, without offering further supporting evidence. “I demand that the laboratories that conducted the analyses publish their results,” she said.
“I assert that Vladimir Putin is responsible for the murder of my husband, Alexei Navalny,” she said in the video.
“Stop appeasing Putin for some higher ‘considerations’. You cannot placate him. While you stay silent, he doesn’t stop,” she said.
Updated
Main suspect in Madeleine McCann case released from German prison
In other news from Germany, the main suspect in the 2007 disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann was released from a German prison after serving out a seven-year sentence for an unrelated sex crime, Reuters reported.
German prosecutors first named Christian Brückner a suspect in 2020, when he was already serving the sentence for raping a 72-year-old woman in the same part of Portugal’s Algarve region where McCann went missing.
“I can confirm that he was released at 9:15 local time, accompanied by a police escort,” said Marcell Farbowski, spokesperson of the prison in Sehnde, adding that Brückner had been driven away by his lawyer.
Reuters noted that Brückner’s lawyer denies any connection with the McCann case. He did not immediately respond to a request to comment on his client’s release.
Brückner, 49, has convictions for child abuse and drug trafficking in addition to the rape of the woman, who has since died.
Der Spiegel said Brückner’s release was tied to very strict conditions: his passport has been cancelled, he will wear an electronic tag and must declare a place of residence that he cannot leave without permission.
Reuters said that police in Britain, Germany and Portugal, who have identified Brueckner as their main suspect, have long sought evidence to link him conclusively to the case. Portuguese and German police spent four days digging for evidence in the Algarve in June.
Updated
AfD's Weidel tells Merz 'citizens are growing impatient' as she attacks him on migration, foreign, defence policy
Speaking before Merz, AfD’s leader Alice Weidel attacked him by saying that “the citizens are growing impatient,” and accusing him of “complacency” and “denial of reality.”
She paid tribute to US conservative activist and influencer Charlie Kirk killed in the US.
She also heavily focused on migration, talking about “the fatal ‘we can do it’ line of his party colleague Angela Merkel” in 2015, and its consequences for today’s Germany, as she called for “a real turnaround” in approach.
“Close the borders completely and without exception. Reject illegal immigrants without valid papers and those not entitled to asylum, without exception. Naturalisation after ten years, at the earliest,” she listed her policies.
She then accused Merz of “breaking every election promise” on energy, taxation, and public finances.
In a particularly bruising line, she said that faced with “plummeting approval ratings,” Merz was pretending to be a global leader alongside France’s Macron and Britain’s Starmer “whom his own people no longer want in office” in the “coalition of losers, with their backs to the wall and playing with fire.”
She claimed they were “sabotaging” Trump’s plans to end the war in Ukraine but urging Zelenskyy to resist making concessions, “conjuring up the bogeyman of an imminent Russian attack” to justify their spending plans.
Remember: as mentioned in the opening post, this is the leader of the party that is top of the polls, looking at the YouGov poll this morning (8:46).
Merz also talks about the need to “establish a new consensus” on welfare policies, saying “some reforms are inevitable” if Germany is “to be able to fulfil the social promises we want to make in the future.”
He hints this would cover changes to the pension system and other elements, including unemployment benefits.
He then makes his regular points about the need for a new “realistic” energy policy, and the government’s “economic reform agenda” to increase productivity, reduce bureaucracy, and push to modernise the state.
Coming to conclusions, he once again stresses the urgency to move and resolve “longstanding problems” the country is facing.
'We want to be able to defend ourselves so that we do not have to defend ourselves,' Merz says
Merz repeats his regular line on defence as he says:
We want to be able to defend ourselves so that we do not have to defend ourselves.
But he also makes a broader point about the importance of modernising the country, its civil protection plans, and the army.
He also talks about trade, including looking for new partners “in an increasingly complex world.”
He says that “the separation between domestic and foreign policy is simply outdated,” as the government’s actions abroad “serve to preserve freedom, peace and prosperity at home.”
He also mentions progress on his government’s mission to lower the number of asylum applications in response to growing migratory pressures.
Updated
Morning opening: What can UK get out of Trump?
US president Donald Trump is now in Britain and set to begin the first full day of his second state visit.
While most of today’s events are ceremonial, there’s a very long list of things that the UK government will be hoping to discuss and achieve during his stay in England, including talks on trade, defence and security, Ukraine, and the Middle East, to name just a few.
But the visit is already off to a rocky start after four people have been arrested after images of him alongside deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were projected on to Windsor Castle, where Trump is set to be hosted by King Charles, with separate group of protesters also gathering in the area.
Meanwhile in Germany, the Bundestag is back from the summer break this week and set to hold a general debate on current affairs.
After a rocky start for his government, chancellor Friedrich Merz will be hoping for a better start to the political autumn.
But the pressure is very much on as the far-right Alternative für Deutschland has for the first time come top in the latest YouGov poll this morning at 27%, ahead of the governing CDU at 26%, and the junior coalition partner SPD at 15%.
I will follow the debate for key lines.
Lots of things for us to cover today.
It’s Wednesday, 17 September 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
Germany faces 'fundamental' issues this autumn, Merz says, as he warns against 'dictated peace' in Ukraine
Opening the debate in the Bundestag, chancellor Friedrich Merz sets out the stakes this autumn as he says Germany faces decisions “not about details, but about very fundamental issues” that will define its future.
“We must a sober look at the reality in order to choose the right path for our country,” he says.
He stresses that “our freedom is under threat” with growing “sense of insecurity,” with Germany’s economic model also “under pressure” from “a new form of protectionism.”
He also warns against “political forces at home and abroad” questioning social cohesion and undermining German democracy.
On security, he begins by saying that the Russian invasion of Ukraine “has a very concrete impact on our lives,” and stresses: “We want this war to end.”
But he concedes that “there is a reason to fear it will continue for some time.”
Merz stresses that “ending it at the expense of Ukraine’s political sovereignty and territorial integrity is out of the question,” and warns that “a dictated peace” could “only encourage Putin to seek his next target.”
He then condemns recent Russian drone incursions into Poland and Romania.
“Putin has long been testing the limits,” he says, but stresses:
We will not allow this.
