Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap!
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen asked Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy for explanations on the controversial reform weakening the country’s anti-corruption agencies, saying the bloc was “very concerned” about the new law and highlighting its potential impact on Ukraine’s EU accession process (16:11, 16:17).
French and German ministers also separately expressed their concerns about the reform (9:23, 13:57).
But Zelenskyy defended the proposals and saying that a new plan will be prepared within two weeks to address the concerns (11:38).
The controversy comes just before the third round of direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine taking place in Istanbul, Turkey (14:39, 14:48, 18:59).
Separately,
The EU and the US were reportedly closing in on a trade deal that would impose 15% tariffs on European imports in a bid to fend off Trump’s higher tariffs from August, as reported by the Financial Times (18:08).
EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič was meant to speak with US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick this evening, with the EU’s “primary focus … on achieving a negotiated outcome with the US” (12:59).
German chancellor Friedrich Merz also suggested that the deal was close this evening, saying there “could be decisions” soon (19:30).
In other news,
The EU has vowed to work more closely with Japan to “counter economic coercion and address unfair trade” at a summit intended to shore up the multilateral world order (12:22).
Greece and Italy were among south-eastern European countries affected by another extreme heatwave (15:52, 19:34).
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk presented a new look Polish cabinet after a reshuffle intended to regain momentum after his party’s defeat in the presidential election last month (11:28).
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
Five dead in Italy as country battles extreme heatwave
Five people have died after becoming ill on beaches in the Salento area of southern Italy’s Puglia region as the country endures another extreme heatwave.
All the fatalities, believed to have been triggered by the heat, occurred since Monday as temperatures climbed to almost 40C.
The youngest was a 19-year-old woman, reportedly with health problems, who died while swimming near a campsite close to the town of Ugento. Others included a 69-year-old tourist from Croatia who died while swimming, a 66-year-old Italian who died while on his boat, and an 81-year-old man who died on shoreline.
This is the second intense heatwave to engulf Italy within the last month and temperatures are forecast to hit peaks of up to 40C over the next day or two in areas of the south, particularly Puglia, Calabria, Basilicata and Sicily.
Scientists estimated that high heat killed 2,300 people across 12 major cities as temperatures soared across Europe between 23 June and 2 July.
The northern Italian city of Milan was the hardest hit in absolute terms, with 317 out of 499 heat deaths attributed to climate breakdown, followed by Paris and Barcelona.
But before we close, let’s get a quick update on the heatwave hitting south eastern Europe, with the latest from Italy…
We could see decisions on trade soon, Merz says, as Macron calls for US deal to get 'lowest tariffs possible'
Opening the meeting, Merz welcomes Macron to Berlin and says the timing of the meeting “could not be better.”
He says that trade will be among the topics of their discussions, adding that there “could be decisions” in this area soon, which is probably a reference to the earlier report on the EU-US trade talks (18:08).
In his comments, Macron says their talks take place in “a worrying context” of the ongoing Russian invasion on Ukraine and broader defence situation in Europe.
But he acknowledges the work done to “bring Europeans and other allies together” through the Coalition of the Willing.
Macron also addressed the issue of US trade, saying the aim was to “provide stability and have the lowest possible tariffs.”
And that’s it, they are off for a walk and a dinner!
(Probably I should do the same!).
Merz welcomes Macron in Berlin
And just as the talks in Istanbul get under way, some 2,300 km away, German chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomes French president Emmanuel Macron for a working dinner in Berlin.
They are now addressing to the media.
I will bring you the key lines here.
'Palpable sense of low expectations' as Russia-Ukraine talks get under way
in Istanbul
Hello from the sweltering heat outside Istanbul’s Çırağan palace, where talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are due to take place for the third time this evening.
There is a palpable sense of low expectations this third time around: While the first and second sets of talks brought landmark prisoner exchanges, the Ukrainian side complained repeatedly that the talks have avoided properly addressing their primary goal of a permanent ceasefire.
While the two sides exchanged documents outlining ways to end the war, the Ukrainians complained that Russia declined to review their document prior to their second meeting, preventing real negotiations from taking place in the room.
“We could not react to the Russian proposals as they were literally only advanced during the meeting. Nevertheless we manage to construct our conversation in a way that we can have a tangible humanitarian outcome,” Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister Sergiy Kyslytsya told reporters after the last round of talks a few weeks ago.
“Naturally, no one expects an easy road. Naturally, this will be a very difficult conversation. The projects [of each side] are diametrically opposed,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Russia has meanwhile called on Ukraine to cease any claim to four regions, including Crimea, annexed by Moscow – a demand that Kyiv considers unacceptable. The Russian side has also said more work would need to take place before Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian president Vladimir Putin meet, a repeated demand from Kyiv.
Adding to these issues are concerns that Russia has once again deployed a team headed by Vladimir Medinsky, a top aide to Putin, who the Ukrainians including Zelenskyy have said is acting more as a message-carrier for the Kremlin rather than a negotiator.
The Ukrainian delegation will again be spearheaded by experienced negotiator Rustam Umerov, although a cabinet reshuffle in Kyiv means he has been demoted from defence minister to secretary of Ukraine’s national security and defence council. This is a further suggestion that the Ukrainian side is increasingly deprioritizing these talks, particularly with a political crisis at home.
Last week, US president Donald Trump gave both sides a 50-day ultimatum to reach a deal – although so far this seems to have done little to increase any sense of urgency at these talks.
Peskov told reporters earlier this week that Moscow welcomes the latest chance to negotiate, “the most important thing for us is to achieve our goals,” and that these are unchanged since Putin launched an invasion in February 2022.
And as the talks between Russia and Ukraine are about to get under way, let’s go to Ruth Michaelson in Istanbul for the latest.
EU, US closing on 15% tariff deal, Financial Times reports
Let’s quickly go back to the EU’s trade with the US, as the Financial Times (£) newspaper is reporting that “the EU and US are closing in on a trade deal that would impose 15 per cent tariffs on European imports.”
The paper says the agreement, similar to the one signed with Japan, would “avoid the US president’s threat to raise [tariffs] to 30 per cent from 1 August.”
As part of the deal, both sides would waive tariffs on some selected products, including aircraft, spirits and medical devices, it said.
The report comes hours after the EU has threatened to impose nearly €100bn (£87bn) worth of tariffs on US imports ranging from bourbon whiskey and Boeing aircraft in one fell swoop if Donald Trump does not agree a trade deal by the end of next week.
As my colleague Lisa O’Carroll reported, “if agreed by EU member states, through a vote expected in the coming days, the €93bn of counter-tariffs could be imposed from 7 August.”
Israel not doing enough on Gaza, EU warns as calls for sanctions mount
in Brussels
Meanwhile, the European Commission has said Israel is not doing enough to implement an agreement to increase aid to Gaza, as concerns mount about the deepening humanitarian catastrophe in the territory.
In a private meeting EU officials told member state diplomats on Wednesday that supplies entering Gaza were falling short of the agreement announced by the EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas nearly two weeks ago, three EU sources told the Guardian.
Several EU member states urged the commission to present options to sanction Israel, following inconclusive discussions earlier this month.
France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland and Slovenia were among the most critical member states.
On 10 July, Kallas said Israel had agreed to “the substantial increase of daily trucks” for food and non-food supplies, as well as resumption of fuel deliveries, protection of aid workers and repair of vital infrastructure.
This week the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNWRA) said people are starving and that more than 1,000 people have been reported killed trying to get food aid since the end of May.
Writing on X on Tuesday, Kallas said the killing of civilians seeking aid was “indefensible” and that she had spoken to Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar “to recall our understanding on aid flow and made clear that [the] IDF must stop killing people at distribution points”. She said “all options” remained on the table if Israel “doen’t deliver on its pledges”.
Kallas has launched a review of the EU’s trade and cooperation agreement with Israel, which is meant to be founded on respect for human rights, but the EU remains divided over whether to take any action.
The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who has been accused of showing too much uncritical support towards Israel, described the images from Gaza as “unbearable”.
EU officials reported on Wednesday that between 17-21 July 132 trucks and 80-120,000 litres of fuel entered the strip, which, they said, was nowhere near enough. Before Israel imposed a blockade on all humanitarian supplies in March, 500-600 aid trucks entered Gaza a day.
Even EU diplomats have been left in the dark about the precise terms of the agreement with Israel, including possible details on the number of trucks per day.
Ukrainian environmental activisits urge Zelenskyy to repeal new law
Ukrainian environmental activists have added their voices to the growing domestic criticism of President Zelenskyy’s rollback of anti-corruption reforms.
Razom We Stand, an NGO that campaigns against authoritarian fossil fuel regimes, said the move undermined the rule of law in Ukraine and “potentially jeopardises” crucial aid such as the Ukraine Facility and critical investments in reconstruction and renewable energy, as well as the country’s chances of joining the EU.
”This is a clear threat to the rule of law, demolishing the independence of anti-corruption prosecutors and undermining citizens’ hope of building a democratic, European Ukraine,” said Svitlana Romanko, founder of Razom We Stand. “It strips key institutions of their autonomy, making them indistinguishable from ordinary law enforcement agencies.”
The group, which has pushed the EU to stop buying Russian fossil fuels, called for the immediate repeal of the law. It said independent anti-corruption institutions have been essential to attracting private investments in Ukraine, and would be needed for a green reconstruction including transition minerals and energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian protests over anti-corruption authorities reform - explainer
WHAT ARE THE PROTESTS ABOUT?
Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, voted to bring two independent agencies – the national anti-corruption bureau (Nabu) and the specialised anti-corruption prosecutor’s office (Sapo) – under effective government control.
The country’s prosecutor general can now close cases against top officials, and investigations can be transferred to other bodies. Zelenskyy might have vetoed the new bill, but instead he signed it into law late on Tuesday night.
In a video address, he said he needed to clear Ukraine’s “anti-corruption infrastructure” of Russian influence. He accused the two organisations concerned of failing to pursue cases against Ukrainian officials living abroad and suggested they were guilty of leaking information helpful to Moscow.
HOW HAVE CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVISTS REACTED?
Many people are furious. Hours before Zelenskyy signed the bill into law, about 1,500 young protesters gathered outside his presidential office in Kyiv. They chanted: “Veto the law”, “shame” and “we are the power”. Several waved banners with the number 12412 – referring to the new law – crossed out. There were also demonstrations in Lviv, Dnipro and Odesa.
The activists say Zelenskyy has violated the informal social contract between government and society that has existed since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Under it, campaigners were largely silent about official failures because of the country’s precarious wartime situation. The priority was Ukraine’s survival as a state and nation.
WHAT IS THE BACKSTORY?
Tensions between Nabu and the government have been brewing for some time.
Last week, the bureau accused a senior official from Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, of taking bribes. The official allegedly asked for $300,000 (£220,000) to get rid of evidence in a case involving the illegal smuggling of conscripts abroad.
Nabu has also made claims against Ukraine’s former deputy prime minister Oleksiy Chernyshov.
The SBU has raided Nabu’s offices and says three employees have connections with Russia. It has also accused the bureau’s deputy chief, Vitaliy Shabunin, a prominent anti-corruption campaigner, of failing to turn up for military duty. His supporters dismiss the charges against him as absurd and confected. Shabunin has given interviews denouncing Zelenskyy.
Read full explainer here:
If you want to understand better what this controversy is about and what led to protests on the streets of Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities last night, we have a handy explainer for you.
Over to Luke Harding in Kyiv.
EU demands 'explanations' on Ukrainian reforms, says 'no compromise' on corruption
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen asked Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy for explanations on the controversial reform weakening the country’s anti-corruption agencies, her spokesperson said.
Von der Leyen “conveyed her strong concerns about the consequences of the amendments,” her spokesperson said, adding that she requested “explanations” about the change.
The EU is “very concerned” about the adoption of the new law, which it said “risks weakening strongly the competences and powers of anti-corruption institutions of Ukraine.”
They added:
“The respect for the rule of law and the fight against corruption are core elements of the European Union.
As a candidate country, Ukraine is expected to uphold these standards fully. There cannot be a compromise.”
Greece battles 'worst heatwave this summer'
The earthquake in Crete comes as Greece battles another extreme heatwave.
As Helena Smith writes from Athens:
“It may be midweek but Greece is barely halfway through the worst heatwave to hit the country this summer.
Meteorologists are now predicting the extreme temperatures – nudging 45 C in some parts yesterday - will not only become more intense but last at least until Sunday ensuring that Greece remains the hottest place in Europe.
In a Facebook post this morning, leading weatherman Klearchos Marousakis forecast the heatwave peaking this weekend, noting:
“The hardest is ahead of us. Over the two-day period from Friday to Saturday our country will be in extreme danger from the point of view of temperatures as well as the risk of fires.”
Updated
Greek island of Crete hit by 5.3 magnitude earthquake
The Greek island of Crete has been hit by a 5.3 magnitude earthquake this afternoon, the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.
Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported that the tremor was felt in Crete, but also in the Peloponnese and Attica regions.
National broadcaster ERT reported the earthquake as 5.2 magnitude.
I will keep an eye on this for any further reports and will keep you up to date.
Ukrainian delegation meets with Turkey's Erdoğan before Russia talks
Andriy Yermak, head of president Zelenskyy’s office, said the Ukrainian delegation separately met with the Turkish president, Recep Tayip Erdoğan and his aides.
He says they “expressed our gratitude … for their consistent political and security support for Ukraine,” and for the Turkish offer to host negotiations.
“We discussed the security situation, regional stability challenges, and the prospects for further defence cooperation between our countries,” he said.
Ukraine ready for talks, but need Russia to be constructive, source says
A source in the Ukrainian delegation told the AFP that Ukraine was ready to agree a ceasefire with Russia during today’s talks in Istanbul, but would need Moscow to show up with a “constructive position” and “stop speaking in ultimatums.”
“Everything will depend on whether Russia stops speaking in ultimatums and takes a constructive position. This will determine whether results can be achieved at this meeting,” the source told AFP.
The Kremlin earlier said it expected the talks to be “very difficult,” with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying “no one expects an easy road.”
Germany expects Ukraine to continue fighting corruption, minister says
Germany is the latest European country to join in expressing concerns about Ukraine’s latest anti-corruption reform.
The country’s foreign minister Johann Wadephul said in a social media post that he expected “Ukraine to continue with determination its efforts in combating corruption.”
He that the restriction of the anti-corruption agencies’ independence could be an issue for Ukraine’s path to join the EU.
Separately, German newspaper Bild also reported that Wadephul spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha about the reform.
Back to Russia-Ukraine talks, AFP just reported, quoting a source in the Turkish ministry of foreign affairs, that the negotiations will start at 4pm GMT, so that’s 5pm London time and 6pm CEST in large parts of Europe.
EU to continue talks with US on trade, tariffs
The EU has also confirmed that trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič will speak with US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick this afternoon as they continue talks on the EU-US trade relations ahead of next month’s deadline for tariffs.
He will then debrief EU ambassadors on the conversation.
EU trade spokesperson Olof Gill said “the EU’s primary focus is on achieving a negotiated outcome with the US.”
But he added that the bloc was also preparing for other scenarios, including potential countermeasures:
“While our priority is negotiations, we continue in parallel to prepare for all outcomes including potential additional countermeasures.
To make our countermeasures clearer, simpler, and stronger, we will merge lists 1 & 2 into a single list (not entering into effect until 07/08) and submit this to [Member States] for approval.”
EU wants to work closely with Japan to 'counter economic coercion', develop trade ties
Separately, the EU has vowed to work more closely with Japan to “counter economic coercion and address unfair trade” at a summit intended to shore up the multilateral world order.
EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa met Japan’s prime minister Shigeru Ishiba on Wednesday, where the two sides pledged to deepen their ties on trade and defence, citing their commitment to “a stable and predictable rules-based free and fair economic order”.
Von der Leyen said they had agreed to work “closely together to counter economic coercion and to address unfair trade practices”.
No names mentioned, but the EU has a long list of complaints about China and is currently embroiled in difficult trade talks with Donald Trump’s White House.
On Thursday von der Leyen and Costa are due in Beijing to meet President Xi Jinping for what is set to be a much frostier encounter.
Von der Leyen also congratulated Ishiba for negotiating a tariffs agreement with the US, but did not comment on the EU’s own negotiations with Washington.
Europe and Japan, she said, accounted for one-fifth of global GDP, with a market of 600 million people. Trade had increased by 20%, she said, since the entry into force of the EU-Japan trade agreement in 2019, but said more needed to be done to “unlock the full potential” of the deal, in areas such as government procurement and food and animal health standards.
She said the EU and Japan hoped to conclude this year negotiations to bring the Asian nation into the bloc’s Horizon research funding programme.
The two sides also agreed tighter cooperation on defence and security, including maritime, cyber, space and countering hybrid threats. Japan was the first country outside Europe to sign a defence and security pact with the EU.
The tone was reminiscent of the EU’s recent summits with Canada and the UK, a moment to shore up alliances with predictable friends in a turbulent world.
Back to Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul, the Ukrainian delegation is surely also getting close now as Zelenskyy’s top aide Andriy Yermak just posted his customarily visual-based comment on the latest events: a flag of Turkey.
I will keep an eye on these events to bring you all the latest.
'We all hear what society says,' Zelenskyy says as he promises 'action plan' on anti-corruption within two weeks
Back to Ukraine, the country’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with anti-corruption and security officials pledging to draw up a plan to fight corruption within the next two weeks as he seeks to address the public frustration with the rushed reform in this area.
In a post on Telegram, he said:
“A very necessary meeting, a frank and useful conversation that really helps.
We all have a common enemy – the Russian occupiers, and the protection of the Ukrainian state presupposes sufficient strength of the law enforcement and anti-corruption systems, and therefore – a real sense of justice.”
Responding to last night’s protests, he said:
“We all hear what society says. We see what people expect from state institutions to ensure justice and the efficiency of each institution.
We discussed the necessary administrative and legislative decisions that will allow us to strengthen the work of each institution, resolve existing contradictions, and eliminate threats. Everyone will work together, and we will support them at the political level.”
The group will present a detailed plan on “what steps are needed and will be implemented to strengthen Ukraine and eliminate existing issues, provide more justice, and truly protect the interests of Ukrainian society” within the next two weeks, he added.
Polish PM Tusk reshuffles government to regain momentum after presidential defeat
Back to Warsaw, Polish PM Donald Tusk said the government needed to “get its act together” after losing the presidential election in June as he presented his new cabinet.
Among key changes, he tasked the finance minister, Andrzej Domański, with overseeing all economic departments in the government.
He also promoted foreign minister Radosław Sikorski, giving him the title of the deputy prime minister on top of his portfolio.
The total number of cabinet ministers was reduced from 26 to 21, with a number of senior posts also reshuffled.
The latest CBOS poll shows that just 32% of Poles support for the government, with 48% against. Tusk’s personal ratings are even lower, with 59% not happy with the prime minister, and 31% pleased with his work.
The latest polls show the opposition populist-right Law and Justice party, which led Poland 2015 to 2023, ahead of the largest coalition party, Civic Coalition, with the far-right Confederation party in the third place.
The next parliamentary election is expected in the autumn of 2027.
Russian delegation en route to Istanbul for talks with Ukraine
Meanwhile, a Russian delegation departed from Moscow for Turkey to hold a third round of peace negotiations with Ukraine, Reuters said, quoting Russian news agencies.
These talks are expected later today, and will bring you all the key updates.
Elsewhere, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk is presenting his new cabinet in Warsaw after a major reshuffle in the aftermath of the lost presidential election in June.
I will keep monitoring this and bring you a longer update later.
If you want to get up to date on what’s going on Ukraine, check our daily briefing here:
Morning opening: Ukraine faces criticism over anti-corruption agencies reform
Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to approve a contentious bill weakening Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies is facing growing criticism at home and abroad – just hours before another round of peace talks with Russia in Istanbul.
Last night, about 1,500 people protested against the reform in Kyiv, first urging him to veto the bill, and then opposing his decision to sign it into law. Large protests also took place in other cities.
As my colleague Luke Harding reported from Kyiv, in his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said he had spoken with the Nabu chief, Semen Kryvonos, and other top prosecutors.
Anti-corruption bodies, Zelenskyy said, would continue to function “but without any Russian influence. It all must be cleansed.”
“There must be more justice. Of course, Nabu and Sapo will continue their work,” he said. “It’s also important that the prosecutor general be committed to ensuring real accountability for those who break the law. This is what Ukraine truly needs.”
But international criticism of the reform could prove equally tricky, with EU commissioners and ministers from allied countries also coming out against the reform.
Enlargement commissioner Marta Kos said the EU was “seriously concerned” about the law, warning that “the dismantling of key safeguards protecting Nabu’s independence is a serious step back.”
“Independent bodies like Nabu & Sapo, are essential for ’s EU path. Rule of Law remains in the very center of EU accession negotiations,” she said.
She later added she had a “frank” conversation with the new Ukrainian prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko.
EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius added:
“In war trust between the fighting nation and its leadership is more important than modern weapons – difficult to build and to keep, but easy to lose with one significant mistake by the leadership. Transparency & open European dialogue is the only way to repair the damaged trust.”
This morning the reactions continue, with France’s European minister Benjamin Haddad saying it was not too late for Ukraine to reverse its decision.
“It is not too late to go back on this,” he told France Inter radio. “We will be extremely vigilant on the subject.”
Elsewhere, I will be keeping an eye on the peace talks in Istanbul, the government reshuffle in Poland, and the meeting of France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Friedrich Merz in Berlin tonight.
I will bring you all key updates from across Europe today.
It’s Wednesday, 23 July 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
Updated
