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Rubio meets Pope Leo in bid to ease tensions after Trump’s criticism of the pontiff – Europe live | World news
Rubio leaves after meeting with Pope Leo amid tense relations between Vatican and US
Meanwhile, US secretary of state Marco Rubio has now left the Vatican after meeting Pope Leo after some two hours there.
He met initially with the pontiff before sitting down with senior Vatican officials, including top diplomat Italian cardinal Pietro Parolin, Reuters reported.
The Vatican and the US state department did not provide any immediate details about the talks.
I will bring you more if/when we get it.
Key events
Airlines still have to pay compensation if flights cancelled due to fuel crisis, EU says
Lisa O’Carroll
Airlines that cancel flights because of fuel shortages this summer will still have to compensate passengers under European law, the EU transport commissioner has said.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas told the Financial Times that jet fuel prices or shortages do not meet the criteria that protect EU airlines from passenger claims.
“The price of jet fuel is the reason why we have cancellations of flights and if they cancel flights without extraordinary circumstances – jet fuel prices are not extraordinary circumstances – they will have to reimburse the people,” the commissioner said.
Although the EU law remains in place in the UK post-Brexit, Keir Starmer’s government is free to take a different position. Last week, it emerged that penalties for airlines that cancel UK flights because of jet fuel shortages have been eased.
Ryanair, the biggest airline in Europe, said this week it would not be cancelling summer flights because it had hedged its fuel contracts before the Iran war broke out.
However, other airlines have cancelled flights, including Germany’s Lufthansa and Ireland’s Aer Lingus.
Tzitzikostas’s remarks came as the boss of a large airline in Asia said the fuel crisis was worse than the Covid pandemic, when planes were grounded amid global travel bans.
“I thought I’d seen it all with Covid … but having seen jet fuel go up almost three times – this is much worse,” Tony Fernandes, the chief executive of AirAsia, told the Financial Times.
Rubio leaves after meeting with Pope Leo amid tense relations between Vatican and US
Meanwhile, US secretary of state Marco Rubio has now left the Vatican after meeting Pope Leo after some two hours there.
He met initially with the pontiff before sitting down with senior Vatican officials, including top diplomat Italian cardinal Pietro Parolin, Reuters reported.
The Vatican and the US state department did not provide any immediate details about the talks.
I will bring you more if/when we get it.
‘Considerable progress’ made in EU talks on finalising trade deal with US
Lisa O’Carroll
“Considerable progress” was made in crunch talks with MEPs to finalise the US trade deal that has been on the table since last summer, Maroš Šefčovič, the EU trade commmissioner has said after six hours of talks last night.
The so-called “trilogue talks”, involving the European Commission, the European Parliament and representatives of member states, are the final stage in the ratification system in the bloc, a process that is testing Donald Trump’s patience.
Although they failed to agree on amendments sought by MEPs, both the trade committee chair Bernd Lange and Šefčovič are indicating a compromise is not far off.
Talks last six hours, double the time scheduled for negotiations.
“This significant investment of time and effort suggests that we are making considerable progress and have already achieved a lot – although, of course, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed,” said Šefčovič.
He said in a post on LinkedIn that he had three objectives:
“To demonstrate that the EU is walking the talk and honouring its commitments”
To secure a result that fully respects the EU-US Joint Statement.
To preserve the interests of EU stakeholders, including by equipping the Commission with the instruments necessary to ensure that the EU-US Joint Statement is faithfully implemented by both sides.”
Last Friday Trump threatened to hike tariffs on EU cars this week, in contravention of the trade deal, in protest against the lengthy delays on the EU side.
The delays were partly a response to his foreign policy, with the European parliament twice pausing ratification process over his threat to increase tariffs in January, and then his threat to take control of Greenland.
MEPs are seeking three amendments to the implementation Brussels-side – including a sunset clause which will end the deal in March 2028 unless renewed, a sunrise clause ensuring the deal will come into force on the EU side if the US respects its commitments and a suspension clause.
Current evidence shows hantavirus continues to pose ‘low’ risk to Europeans, UN insists
Speaking at the European Commission’s midday briefing, the executive’s health spokesperson Eva Hrncirova insisted that the risk to Europeans posed by the new hantarivus remained “low.”
“According to the evidence that we have at the moment, the risk for the public in Europe, the risk for the Europeans is low. Health of the citizens in Europe is our absolute priority,” she said.
She stressed there was “no cause for concern,” and the EU was working closely with the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control to monitor the situation.
EU will not leave Kyiv despite warnings of possible Russian strikes
Meanwhile in Brussels, the EU said it would not leave Kyiv after Russia warned of a possible retaliatory strike on the Ukrainian capital and urged foreign organisations to evacuate.
“As to us, the EU, we will not change our posture or presence in Kyiv. Russian attacks are… unfortunately, a daily reality in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine,” EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni said in comments reported by AFP.
Russia’s public threats to attack Kyiv are part of its reckless escalatory tactics.
The European Union’s diplomatic mission in Kyiv was damaged in August last year after Russian missiles struck close to the building.
Hungary’s Magyar meets with Italy’s Meloni ahead of inauguration weekend
Meanwhile, Hungary’s incoming prime minister Péter Magyar has arrived for talks at Palazzo Chigi in Rome, where he is due to meet with Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni.
Since he is not the Hungarian PM yet – he will take his role this weekend – he was officially welcomed outside the Palazzo by a senior adviser to the Italian PM instead.
Ukraine, international order, Europe’s push to arm part of discussions with Pope Leo, Poland’s Tusk says
Earlier today, Pope Leo welcomed Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk in the Vatican, and going by Tusk’s press conference afterwards, it was a good geopolitical warm up act for the big transatlantic meet with Marco Rubio.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Tusk said the pair discussed a potential papal visit to Poland signalling 2028 as an option under consideration, but that a big chunk of their conversation focused on international affairs.
“Of course, the conversation was about Ukraine, … about the international order, the armament of Poland and Europe, and the armament of Germany. Well, you know how many hot topics there are.
As you know, I will also have a meeting with prime minister Meloni today and secretary of state Rubio is here too; he will have a meeting with the Holy Father right after me. So this also shows how much is happening and how difficult the issues are to discuss and solve.”
Later today, Tusk will also meet Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, who is also expected to welcome Hungary’s incoming prime minister Péter Magyar at some point today – and will see Rubio tomorrow.
Rubio arrives in Vatican for talks with Pope Leo – in pictures
Rubio arrives for two-day visit to see Pope Leo, Italy’s Meloni
Lorenzo Tondo
in Palermo
Meanwhile, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is to meet Pope Leo at the Vatican on Thursday in an effort to ease tensions after Donald Trump’s repeated criticisms of the first North American pontiff.
Amid unprecedented strain on relations between the Holy See and Washington, Rubio is expected to meet Leo at the Apostolic Palace in the morning, before holding a series of meetings with the Italian government.
Trump on Tuesday accused the pope of supporting nuclear weapons and “endangering a lot of Catholics’’ with his stance against the Iran war, in the latest attack by the US president on the pontiff.
On Wednesday, Leo responded:
“If anyone wants to criticise me for proclaiming the gospel, let them do so with the truth: the church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons for years, there is no doubt about that. I simply hope to be listened to because of the value of God’s word.”
Rubio downplayed the rift between Trump and Leo and told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that the president’s recent criticism of the pontiff was rooted in his opposition to Iran potentially obtaining a nuclear weapon, which could be used against millions of Catholics around the world.
Trump “doesn’t understand why anyone – leave aside the pope – would think that it’s a good idea for Iran to ever have a nuclear weapon,” Rubio said.
Relations between the Vatican and Washington have never been so fraught. In April, the US president lashed out at Leo over the pope’s criticism of the war in Iran, branding him “weak on crime” and “terrible on foreign policy”, and claiming he had only been elected pontiff because Trump himself occupied the White House. Trump later shared – before deleting – an AI-generated image depicting himself as a Christ-like figure.
Rubio’s likely goal is to try to smooth over Trump’s insults and repair increasingly damaged ties between the US and the Vatican. According to several analysts, the secretary of state is expected to defend Washington’s rationale for launching the war in Iran, while carefully avoiding a direct clash with the church’s position.
Rubio will also meet the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, on Friday as relations between Rome and Washington have also deteriorated.
At a separate press conference with Latvia’s defence and interior ministers, we are told broadly similar things that the incident is still being investigated.
I will return to this topic if we get something substantially new.
Romania reports brief breach of its airspace by Russian drone attacking Ukraine last night
Meanwhile, Romania has just reported a brief violation of its airspace by drones taking part in a Russian attack on civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine last night.
The drone was monitored by two F-16 patrolling aircraft and tracked as it crossed into Romania’s airspace in the Chilia area, the country’s defence ministry said in a statement.
The ministry “firmly condemned the irresponsible actions of the Russian Federation, which contravene the norms of international law and pose risks to regional security and stability in the Black Sea.”
Flanked by senior police and army officials, the Latvian prime minister Evika Siliņa is just giving a brief update after this morning’s crisis cabinet meeting in Riga.
She says there is still no clarity on who directed the drones reported in the Latvian airspace, and this continues to be investigated.
She sticks to key lines that as she stresses that the incident is a consequence of Russia’s continuing war on Ukraine, and Latvia needs to be prepared for similar situations as it continues to support Ukraine.
She also warns about any disinformation attempts coming from Russia in response to the incident.
Siliņa also talks about some practical concerns about the way Latvia’s emergency alert system worked last night.
Lisa O’Carroll
Meanwhile, the European Parliament has said it will work “expeditiously” to ensure the “spirit and the letter” of the EU’s trade deal with Donald Trump is sealed, after representatives failed to reach a deal in ratification talks with member states last night.
No deal is expected now until 19 May when talks with MEPs resume.
A timetable in Europe’s democratic process risks invoking the ire of Trump who on Friday said he would increase car tariffs from 15% to 25% because the EU were taking to long to implement its side of the Turnberry deal.
The parliamentary delegation in the so-called “trilogue” talks which also involved the European Commission were led by MEP Bernd Lange, chair of the trade committee.
Lange said in a statement last night:
“We have just concluded a constructive second trilogue during which we made good progress on the issue of the safeguard mechanism and the review and evaluation of the main regulation, but there is still some way to go.
We will continue to work expeditiously and responsibly on the two legislative proposals to ensure that the letter and the spirit of the Turnberry Deal are honoured, in full respect of our democratic norms, procedures and timelines. The next trilogue will take place on 19 May in Strasbourg.
We remain more committed than ever to advance and defend Parliament’s mandate so as to provide additional guarantees that will benefit citizens and companies in both the EU and the US.”
The 19 May date for next talks will be seen as a positive step however as yesterday Lange’s team were expecting the next date could be as far away as June.
Lange’s committee were looking for three key amendments to the deal hashed out at Trump’s golf course last July.
Jakub Krupa
We should get more on the Latvian incident before long, as we are expecting to hear from the government after this morning’s emergency cabinet meeting.
Crucially, the crash site of the second drone reported within Latvian airspace is yet to be discovered, so let’s see if we hear more on this.
I will keep an eye on this.
Morning opening: Latvia investigates drones ‘from Russia’ after overnight airspace violations
Latvia is investigating two drones which entered its airspace from Russian territory overnight and crashed in eastern part of the country near an empty oil storage facility.
Four empty oil tanks were reported damaged, with minor smouldering reported in one of the tanks. The local public broadcaster captured a drone flying in the area on their camera.
Latvian prime minister Evika Siliņa convened a crisis management meeting for 10am local time. She earlier said she was “in constant communication” with relevant ministers and state institutions.
“After the incident concludes, I expect reports from the responsible ministers on what happened,” she said.
The investigation is still in very early stages, but the drones might have been Ukrainian units that lost their way due to signal jamming, defence minister Andris Sprūds said.
This would not be the first time that a lost Ukrainian drone attacking Russia’s oil terminals loses its way and ends up in a neighbouring Nato country, with similar incidents involving Estonia and Lithuania.
“As long as Russia’s aggression in Ukraine continues, the recurrence of such incidents when a foreign unmanned aircraft enters or approaches Latvian airspace is possible,” the Latvian army said in a statement.
The air warning in the country has now been lifted, but some flight restrictions remain in place.
Elsewhere, I will also keep an eye at US secretary of state Marco Rubio’s visit to see Pope Leo in the Vatican amid a bitter war of words between the US president, Donald Trump, and the pontiff. Before that, Leo – who will mark one year in office tomorrow – will also meet with Poland’s Donald Tusk.
Meanwhile, Hungary’s incoming prime minister Péter Magyar is also expected nearby, as he is due to meet with Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, formerly a close ally of Magyar’s arch-rival Viktor Orbán.
Elsewhere, I am expecting some developments in Bulgaria with Rumen Radev likely to be asked to form the next government, and obviously will continue keeping tabs on the hantavirus-hit cruise that electrified the public opinion worldwide.
Lots to cover.
It’s Thursday, 7 May 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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