UK News
Arsenal v Tottenham: Women’s Super League – live | Women’s Super League
Key events
90+1 min Six minutes of added time. Van Domselaar is booked for timewasting.
90 min The indefatigable Gaupset gallops 60 yards to the edge of the area before rifling just wide. She’s been outstanding.
88 min Van Domselaar is quickly off her line to dive bravely at the feet of Signe Gaupset. Still only 20, Gaupset is going to be an outstanding player.
87 min: Arsenal substitution Kim Little receives a standing ovation as she is replaced by Laia Codina.
86 min: Double substitution for Tottenham Olga Ahtinen and Lenna Gunning-Williams replace Drew Spence and Hanna Wijk.
83 min Tonight’s attendance is 46,123.
82 min A ball into the box is headed down by England to Gaupset, whose touch-and-hit is blocked. I think it was off target anyway. But this is Spurs’ best spell of the match by a distance.
81 min A couple of corners in quick succession for Spurs, who have a spring in their step for the first time all night.
England has only been on the field for six minutes but she’s had three efforts on target and now she’s scored. Vinberg controlled the ball neatly and touched it off to England, who smashed a shot from a tight angle that went the hands of a startled Van Domselaar. The keeper probably should have done better but it was hit with feeling by England.
GOAL! Arsenal 4-2 Tottenham (England 78)
Fair to say Bethany England has a point to prove.
75 min McCabe clips the free-kick over the wall and the leaping Kop touches it onto the crossbar and over. Good save.
74 min Pelova is fouled just outside the area by Nilden, who is on a yellow card and needs to be careful.
73 min The resulting corner leads to another from England, and a more comfortable save by Van Domselaar.
72 min: Superb save by Van Domselaar!
England almost scores with her first touch, a quite brilliant improvised header from Nilsen’s flat, angled cross. It was swerving inside the near post until Van Domselaar dived towards her own goal and pawed it round. Wow, that’s a brilliant save.
72 min: Double substitution for Spurs Bethany England, making her 200th WSL appearance, and Eveliina Summanen replace Maiko Hamano and Cathinka Tandberg.
71 min Arsenal are letting Spurs have the ball in the middle third, then countering furiously when they win it. It’s been a textbook gameplan.
68 min: Arsenal substitution Victoria Pelova replaces Mariona Caldentey, who is given a rest with Stamford Bridge in mind.
66 min This game is done. Spurs want to get out of town asap.
Caitlin Foord has scored her first WSL goal since September. Mead found Holmberg on the right with a terrific volleyed flick. She whipped a cross beyond the far post, where Foord – who I think saw the ball late – miscontrolled it slightly away from goal. But she reacted superbly to retrieve the ball and batter a shot on the turn past Kop. Cracking finish.
GOAL! Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham (Foord 61)
Arsenal are even more comfortable now.
61 min: Spurs substitution Julie Blakstad replaces Olivia Holdt.
60 min The second half has been a bit of a non-event so far. Arsenal are comfortable and playing in second gear.
57 min: Double substitution for Arsenal Stina Blackstenius and Beth Mead replace Chloe Kelly, who had a quiet game, and Alessia Russo, who did not. She was magnificent.
54 min Little is too unselfish for her own good when she has a chance to shoot, albeit from an awkward angle, and instead tries to find the overlapping Foord. Little overhits the pass and Foord can’t keep it in.
52 min Tandberg runs onto a pass from Wijk and tries a shot on the turn that deflects behind for a corner. Nothing comes of it but Spurs have been a bit more threatening at the start of the second half.
47 min Wijk’s low cross is poked well wide of the near post by Tandberg. She was under pressure from Wubben-Moy and it was no sort of chance.
46 min Arsenal begin the second half.
Half-time substitution Arsenal are bringing on Caitlin Foord for Olivia Smith.
Half-time reading
This is a nice piece on an emerging force in French football.
Half time: Alessia Russo 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Arsenal are in control of the north London derby after a dominant first-half performance at the Emirates. Alessia Russo, starting as the No9 today, was borderline unplayable and scored a hat-trick inside the first 27 minutes. Spurs had plenty of the ball but none of Arsenal’s penetration: their goal was headed into her own net by Frida Maanum and they had no attempts at goal.
45+2 min Russo’s 46th shot of the night deflects off Bartrip and through to Kop.
45 min Four minutes of added time.
41 min Arsenal have had 10 attempts at goal, four on target. Spurs, despite some pleasant and purposeful passing, have had none.
40 min An imaginative through pass from Gaupset towards Hamano is crucially cut out on the edge of the area. Gaupset looks a fine player.
38 min Boos from the referees in the crowd when Olivia Smith is booked for a foul on Holdt. Seconds later, Nilden is also booked for a foul on Smith.
34 min Russo runs onto a deft header from Maanum and thumps a shot that is deflected over by the stretching Toga. Good defending.
32 min Spurs are suffering the first-half blues for the second Saturday in a row. They were 5-1 down at half-time against Manchester City before eventually losing 5-2.
29 min “Sometimes watching football can be pure pleasure,” writes Charles Antaki. “Alessio Russo is responsible for many of those sometimes.”
Ridiculous player, and at 27 she has scope to get even better.
Bartrip played the ball back to Kop, who tried to slide a first-time pass to Koga on the edge of the D. Instead she screwed it straight to Russo, who accepted the gift with the minimum of fuss.
GOAL! Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham (Russo 27; Russo hat-trick)
Alessia Russo scores a derby hat-trick inside the first half-hour after a howler from Lize Kop.
GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham (Maanum og 20)
Spurs are back in it now. Hakano’s corner from the left is flicked on dangerously by Nilden and headed into her own net by Maanum. She was off balance and under pressure from Tandberg, and before she knew it the ball had flown into her own net.
19 min Spurs almost strike back when Gaupset, on the left, curls a beautiful ball that flashes right across the face of goal.
16 min Russo gets behind the defence again, but this time her touch is slightly off and Koga is able to make an important tackle.
No matter: she has a chance for the hat-trick seconds later when Maanum picks her out, eight yards from goal, and Russo drives a low shot that is saved to her right by the sprawling Kop.
13 min Bartrip fouls Russo 30 yards from goal and is a bit fortunate to escape a yellow card. Russo has been unplayable so far.
11 min Spurs have actually passed the ball quite nicely at the start of this game. The problem is when they lose it; Arsenal are full of menace in transtion.
Alessia Russo is rampant! Smith slipped a nice pass down the side to put her on goal in the inside-right channel; she still had a bit to do but she walked calmly past Kop and reversed a finish that wrongfooted the covering Spurs defenders and rolled into the far corner. That’s such a smooth, classy finish.
GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Spurs (Russo 7)
Do not adjust your set.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Spurs (Russo 5)
Alessia Russo gives Arsenal the lead! Such a simple goal: McCabe curled an inswinging corner to the far post, where Russo lost her marker far too easily and stooped to head past Kop. A good finish but the defending was, a-hem, sub-optimal.
4 min Another shot from Russo hits Bartrip; this time it spins behind for the first corner. From which…
2 min Russo wins the ball high up the field and hits a stinging shot from 22 yards that is blocked by Bartrip.
1 min Peep peep! Spurs kick off from right to left as we watch.
The players walk onto the field on a crisp evening in north London. Looks like a really good crowd. The Arsenal captain Kim Little, who signed a new one-year deal with the club yesterday, looks particularly emotional as she lines up before the match.
Team news
Renee Slegers has made five changes to the Arsenal side that beat Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, presumably with Wednesday’s return leg in mind. Daphne van Domselaar, Smilla Holmberg, Steph Catley, Frida Maanum and Olivia Smith come in for Anneke Borbe, Emily Fox, Laia Codina, Stina Blackstenius and Beth Mead.
Two changes for Spurs, whose last game was a 5-2 WSL defeat at Manchester City a week ago. Toko Koga and Maika Hamano, back from a triumphant Asian Cup campaign with Japan, replace Julie Blakstad and the club captain Bethany England.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1) Van Domselaar; Holmberg, Wubben-Moy, Catley, McCabe; Little, Mariona; Smith, Maanum, Kelly; Russo.
Subs: Borbe, Votikova, Fox, Codina, Hinds, Pelova, Mead, Foord, Blackstenius.
Tottenham Hotspur (4-4-1-1) Kop; Koga, Wijk, Bartrip, A Nilden; Spence, Holdt, Gaupset, Vinberg; Hamano Tandberg.
Subs: Heeps, England, Rybrink, M Nilden, Gunning-Williams, Ahtinen, Summanen, Dennis, Blakstad.
Arsenal come into this game in spectacular form: they’ve won their last eight games in all competitions, including two victories over Chelsea and another against Manchester City.
Spurs’ form has been more topsy-turvy. They won 7-3 at Villa in mid-February, beat London City Lionesses in an epic FA Cup penalty shootout but then lost to Everton and City.
Tom Garry
Derby weekend has arrived in the Women’s Super League and WSL2. Not one, not two, but six local rivalries will be reignited as the divisions try to capitalise on the men’s international break.
Is it clever to schedule so many of these clashes on the same weekend though, and especially staging three top-flight ones on the same afternoon? Everton host Liverpool, Manchester United welcome Manchester City and Arsenal entertain Tottenham on Saturday, all within the space of six hours. The answer will probably lie in the attendances.
Manchester City need five points to clinch the title after hammering Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford.
Preamble
Arsenal and Spurs are separated by only one place in the WSL, but they remain worlds apart. Arsenal are European champions; Spurs, as their impressive young manager Martin Ho said yesterday, are a “bit of a sleeping giant in women’s football”.
At least they are starting to stir: they have made great strides under Ho and, after finishing 11th last season, have become the best team below the glass ceiling. At the moment they are in a league of their own – six points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, having played two games more, nine ahead of sixth-placed Everton.
Arsenal start the game in fourth, outside the Champions League places, but they are well placed to qualify for next year’s competition, either by finishing in the top three of the WSL or retaining the Champions League. They will take a 3-1 lead to Stamford Bridge for the quarter-final second leg on Wednesday.
The WSL leaders Manchester City are over the horizon, but if Arsenal win today they will move into second, above Manchester United and Chelsea, and they have games in hand on both.
Kick off 5.30pm.
UK News
Trump tells UK ‘you’ll have to start learning to fight for yourself’ amid soaring oil prices – UK politics live | Politics
Trump tells UK ‘you’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself’ in taunt over fuel oil shortages
Donald Trump has resumed his taunting of the UK, and Keir Starmer, over Britain’s Iran policy. The president (who regularly says things which are untrue) has just posted this on this Truth Social platform saying the British will “have to start learning how to fight for yourself” because the US won’t be there to help in future.
Key events
Yvette Cooper says Israel wrong to pass law imposing death penalty on Palestinians guilty of fatal attacks
Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, has criticised the Israeli parliament’s decision to a law imposing the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of fatal attacks. In a post on social media, she says the UK issued a joint statement with Germany, France and Italy condemning the legislation before the final vote.
My statement with France, Germany and Italy on our united opposition to Israel’s death penalty law.
The death penalty is wrong and we oppose it around the world.
Buckingham Palace confirms king’s state visit to US going ahead next month, with Charles addressing Congress
The king’s state visit to the US is to go ahead next month as planned, Buckingham Palace has finally confirmed. The Press Association says:
Charles and the queen’s long-expected historic trip to see Donald Trump will take place in late April despite calls for it to be postponed because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
It will be the king’s first visit to the US as monarch and the first state visit by a British sovereign to America for nearly 20 years, since Queen Elizabeth II’s tour in 2007.
Charles and Camilla will commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, attend a glittering state dinner at the White House, and the king will address Congress, the Palace confirmed.
But exact dates and details have yet to be disclosed.
Buckingham Palace said:
On advice of His Majesty’s government, and at the invitation of the President of the United States, the king and queen will undertake a State Visit to the United States of America.
Their Majesties’ programme will celebrate the historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States, marking the 250th anniversary of American Independence.
The king will then continue to Bermuda to undertake His Majesty’s first Royal Visit as Monarch to a British Overseas Territory.
Greenpeace UK criticise Reform UK’s pledge to get rid of air passenger duty
Greenpeace UK has criticised Reform UK for proposing to get rid of air passenger duty. (See 11.23am.) Lily-Rose Ellis, a climate campaigner for Greenpeace, said:
As Trump’s war causes price spikes and flight cancellations, it won’t surprise anyone to see Farage rush to point the finger at taxes. This policy fits perfectly with Reform’s brand of rightwing populism, which seems surprisingly closely aligned to the commercial interests of their wealthy donors and the sleaze we saw from the last government.
Not only does Christopher Harborne, the UK’s biggest political donor who gave Reform £12m in the last financial year, sell aviation fuel, but Heathrow gave Reform £36,000 last year too.
The idea that this is the party that is going to take on the elites in defence of the common man is transparent nonsense, they’re the Tory plan B, with the same policies, the same scapegoats, the same rhetoric, the same donors and the same MPs.
Zack Polanski says Greens could be ‘kingmakers’ in Senedd after election because they are likely to hold balance of power
Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, has said that his party could be the “kingmakers” in the Senedd after the election because they are likely to hold the balance of power.
Speaking at the launch of his party’s campaign in Wales, Polanski said:
The Greens could be the kingmakers at this election.
What does that mean? That means we know there will be a new government in Cardiff Bay.
What the colour of that government looks like, and the mix is ultimately up to the voters, but we’re being very clear – every single Green that is elected to the Senedd will be a Green in those negotiations.
A YouGov MRP poll released last week suggests that Plaid Cymru will be the biggest party in the Senedd after the election (with 43 seats), but that to have a majority (49 seats) it will need the support of either Labour (on 12 seats, the poll predicts) or the Greens (10 seats).
These figures seem to imply that a Plaid/Labour deal of some sort would be just as appealing to Plaid as a Plaid/Green deal.
But Plaid are closer to the Greens on policy than they are to Labour. Even though Plaid has in the past been in coalition with Labour, and supported Labour in a cooperation deal, there is some acrimony in the relationship. And Plaid are promising “change” after 27-years of Labour-led government since devolution, and governing with Labour would make them look more like a continuity administration.
Anthony Slaughter, leader of the Greens in Wales, said Green MSs would be deciding the direction of the next Welsh government and said the party was “already shifting” Plaid Cymru’s position on some policy matters.
Trump tells UK ‘you’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself’ in taunt over fuel oil shortages
Donald Trump has resumed his taunting of the UK, and Keir Starmer, over Britain’s Iran policy. The president (who regularly says things which are untrue) has just posted this on this Truth Social platform saying the British will “have to start learning how to fight for yourself” because the US won’t be there to help in future.
Streeting claims deal with BMA to avert resident doctors’ strike still possible
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has insisted that a deal with the BMA to avert the resident doctors’s strike in England is still possible. In a post on social media responding to the BMA’s reaction to the PM’s article about the strike (see 9.36am), Streeting said:
The BMA seems surprised that if they reject the deal on offer and go on strike their members don’t get what the Government is offering.
We have time before Easter weekend to resolve this dispute.
A deal on jobs and pay is on the table.
Trump ‘not dictating policy to me’, says Farage
At the end of his press conference Nigel Farage was asked if he was worried that his association with Donald Trump would hurt him electorally.
Farage said that he could not pretend not to know Trump. He said he admired some of the things Trump had done, on the border and on energy policy in particular. There were other things Trump had done that he did not agree with, he said, without specifying what. He went on:
He is not dictating policy to me. I’m dictating policy to me.
Farage said he also thought close links between the UK and the US were “absolutely vital”.
Farage says he’s opposed to youth mobility deal with EU, claiming it’s ‘just attempt to completely undo Brexit’
Q: [From the Guardian] Would you keep the youth mobility scheme that the government is negotiating with the EU, or would you repeal it?
Farage says he does not support the proposals because “this will always be one way traffic”. He says there will be three or four times as many Europeans coming to Britain as Britons going to Europe.
There are more exciting parts of the world for young British people to visit, he says. “Europe isn’t actually very sexy any more,” he says.
He says the Spanish made a “catastrophic error” by granting an amnesty to migrants in the country illegally. He goes on:
We are living in an age of increased global insecurity where national borders and protecting national interests matters more and more. And I think the youth mobility scheme falls at that first hurdle, if at nothing else.
And it’s just an attempt by the government to completely undo Brexit.
And Jenrick says, instead of letting young European people come to the UK to work, the government should be prioritising finding jobs for British people.
Q: Are you worried that Reform UK’s support is mainly coming from older people, not younger people?
Farage does not accept this. He claims the polling shows that his party’s support among young people is almost as high as it is amongst voters as a whole.
And by the way, if [Labour] do lower the vote to 16, the Greens will do very well. We will do well and Labour will do terribly.
Farage rejects claim election candidate controversies mean Reform UK’s vetting procedures flawed
Q: Do you think Reform UK’s candidate vetting processes have been inadequate, given that a candidate in Wales has had to stand down after a picture emerged of him giving a Nazi salute?
Farage defends the party’s vetting process.
We vet people. We ask them to tell us the truth. We asked them for their social media handles. We do all those things.
Sometimes people lie to you and they might be using social media handles that you have no way of finding.
He says a Plaid Cymru candidate has already stood down, and he predicts the party will have more problems with candidates.
This is a problem for all parties. He goes on:
I think we’re dealing with it as effectively, if not more effectively, than the others.
(The questioner did not ask about Scotland, where five Reform candidates have already stood down or been suspended.)
Farage says he thinks Keir Starmer has been right to adopt a tough position with the BMA over the proposed resident doctors’ strike. He says:
Unusually Keir Starmer has taken a strong position. There’s a first time for everything I suppose.
It will be his first UK performance in over a decade and since he received criticism for antisemitic comments.
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Morning opening: Focus on Ukraine
Jakub Krupa
Several EU ministers are expected in Bucha, Ukraine, today to mark the fourth anniversary of the town’s liberation and the massacre that became one of the early symbols of the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
The anniversary marks a rare moment in recent weeks when the EU’s attention focuses back on Ukraine amid growing concerns about fallout from the Iran war. The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, leads the delegation.
The ministers will discuss what needs to be done to ensure accountability for war crimes committed during the war through a special tribunal, which still needs more political backing and funding to come into existence.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said in a post on social media:
“The scale of Russian atrocities in the course of its aggression is unseen on European soil since WWII. The crime of aggression is the root cause of them all. There must be accountability and there will be no amnesty for Russian criminals, including the highest political and military leadership of the Russian Federation.”
He drew a comparison with the Nuremberg trials against leaders of defeated Nazi Germany, saying the new tribunal was needed to “prevent such horrible crimes from repeating again in the future.”
But no progress is expected to be made on thorny issues of the EU’s €90bn loan to Hungary and the 20th package of sanctions against Russia, both of which continue to be blocked by Hungary.
Let’s see what the day brings.
Separately, EU energy ministers are holding a call later today to discuss the impact of the crisis in the Middle East on energy prices as some countries push with unilateral measures that they argue are needed to limit the impact on their economies.
I will also keep an eye on Denmark where the coalition talks continue after last week’s parliamentary election, which ended with a political deadlock.
It’s Tuesday, 31 March 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
Key events
Italy denies use of Sicily airbase to US aircraft carrying weapons for Iran
Angela Giuffrida
in Rome
Italy has denied use of an airbase in Sicily to US military craft carrying weapons for the war in the Middle East.
A source at the Italian defence ministry confirmed a report in Corriere della Sera that “some US bombers” had been due to land at Sigonella – a key US navy installation and Nato base – before heading to the Middle East.
According to treaties signed in the late 1950s, the US navy can use the base for logistical and training purposes but not as a transit hub for aircraft used to transport weapons for war unless in an emergency situation, permission for which needs to be approved in parliament.
The source said the US had sought permission to land aircraft that do not fall within the treaty, but was denied because there was no time to seek authorisation in parliament. It is unclear when the US had planned to land the aircraft.
For days, politicians in Sicily from Italy’s leftwing opposition parties have been urging Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government to clarify the situation at Sigonella after activity at the base increased since the start of the war in Iran and asked it to block the US from using bases in Italy for involvement in the conflict. Italy hosts seven US navy bases.
‘What is in it for the US?,’ Rubio asks about Nato amid standoff over using Nato bases for Iran operations
Another big story getting lots of attention in Europe today is the escalating standoff between the US administration and European Nato countries over their reluctance or refusal to support the US offensive operations in Iran.
Over the past few weeks, Trump repeatedly criticised Nato countries, saying they “have done absolutely nothing,” labeling them as “cowards,” and saying the US would “never forget” their refusal to help.
In the latest sign of tensions, US secretary of state Marco Rubio lashed out at Spain and other Nato allies overnight, telling Al Jazeera that it was “very disappointing” to see partners deny its request to use their airspace.
On Monday, Spain said it has closed its airspace to US planes involved in the war, stepping up Pedro Sánchez’s opposition to the conflict.
Rubio responded to the news by saying:
“I think it was very disappointing … and … look, the president and our country will have to re-examine all of this after this operation is over, but one of the reasons why Nato is beneficial to the United States is it gives us basing rights for contingencies.
It allows us to station troops and aircraft and weapons in parts of the world that we wouldn’t normally have bases, and that includes much of Europe.
And to see that in a time of need, [when] the United States has identified a grave risk to our national security and our national interests, and we needed to conduct this operation, we have countries like Spain, a Nato member that we are pledged to defend, denying us the use of their airspace and bragging about it, denying us the use of our of their bases – and there are other countries that have done that as well – and so you ask yourself, well, what is in it for the United States?”
Jakub Krupa
It’s worth adding that similar incidents were recently reported in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia as Ukraine continues targeting Russia’s Baltic Sea coastal areas, including the port of Ust-Luga.
Estonia reported a number of suspected drones even last night, with a senior defence official telling media that “for the ninth consecutive day, military activity has been ongoing in Estonia’s neighboring Leningrad oblast at a level of intensity not seen since 1944,” Estonian broadcaster ERR reported.
‘The war has come close,’ Finnish PM says after drones fell in Finland
Miranda Bryant
Nordic correspondent
Meanwhile, the Finnish prime minister, Petteri Orpo, has said the war in Ukraine has “come close” after two drones fell on Finnish territory, but insisted that it did not constitute a military threat.
Two drones crashed in south-eastern Finland on Sunday – one north of Kouvola and one in Luumäki – in what is being treated as suspected territorial violations. One of the drones has been identified as Ukrainian.
Defence forces say they are carrying out almost daily surveillance and reconnaissance flights in response to the situation and Ukrainian drone operations near Finland on Russian oil facilities.
Orpo said in a press conference this morning: “The war has come close, and the effects have extended beyond our country’s borders”. But, he added, that Ukraine has right to defend itself and there is nothing to suggest that the drones were deliberately directed at Finland and therefore not a military threat.
“On Sunday morning, two drones fell in Finnish territory,” Orpo said.
Let’s remember what this is about: Russia is continuing its large-scale war of aggression for the fifth year, and Ukraine has the right to defend itself.
He added: “Last night, there were observations in the Baltic countries that drones had been seen nearby, meaning they were heading towards the Gulf of Finland.”
Major General Timo Herranen, of the Finnish defence forces, said that last night Finnish fighter jets were “in the air almost the entire time”.
On Sunday, the Finnish president Alexander Stubb said “there is no military threat to Finland”, adding that authorities responded immediately.
Monitoring and investigations, he said, were ongoing. “Finland is prepared to monitor and secure our territory.”
More details emerge on Hungarian foreign minister’s alleged links with Russia
Speaking of the €90bn loan and EU sanctions against Russia, and Hungary’s role in all of this, more details have now emerged alleging close contact between Hungary’s foreign minister Péter Szijjártó and senior Russian ministers.
A joint investigation by The Insider and four regional media VSquare, DelfiEE, FrontStory and the Investigative Center of Ján Kuciak, published this morning, alleged that Szijjártó regularly discussed the EU’s confidential plans on sanctions with Russian officials, actively looking for ways to block or delay their adoption.
In a series of conversations reported by the outlets, the Hungarian foreign minister reportedly told Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov that he is “always at your disposal” and offered help with removing certain individuals from EU sanctions.
Former Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis confirmed the authenticity of one of the exchanges that Szijjártó reportedly relayed onwards to the Russians.
One of the authors of the article, Szabolcs Panyi, one of the country’s most prominent investigative journalists, was last week accused by the Hungarian government of spying for Ukraine, a move widely condemned by media rights watchdogs.
The five media outlets said Szijjártó did not reply to their request for comment.
He has responded on X this morning seeking to ridicule the reporting by saying “they proved that I say the same publicly as I do on the phone. Nice work!”
“For four years we have been saying that sanctions are a failure, causing more harm to the EU than to Russia. Hungary will never agree to sanction individuals or companies essential for our energy security, for achieving peace, or those with no reason to be on a sanctions list,” he said.
Szijjártó had previously dismissed earlier reporting on this as fake news, but confirmed he held some calls with third-country partners, saying this was part of routine diplomacy.
The report is likely to cause further frustration in Brussels and in EU capitals amid growing anger over Hungary’s close relations to Russia, with both prime minister Viktor Orbán and Szijjártó regularly visiting Moscow.
The latest relevations come less than two weeks before the critical parliamentary election in the country, which could see Orbán ousted after 16 years in power.
It’s safe to say we are very likely to see someone ask the Commission for their reaction at their midday briefing later today.
Bucha ‘symbolises cruelty of Russia’s war’ against Ukraine, EU’s Kallas says
EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said the Bucha massacre “has come to symbolise the cruelty of Russia’s war” against Ukraine as she vowed to bring Russia into account for its actions during the conflict.
“Four years after these mass killings, we remember the victims. What happened here cannot be denied,” she stressed.
She added the EU was “committed to ensuring that these crimes do not go unpunished, including by supporting the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression, alongside the Claims Commission.”
“Russia must be held accountable for what it has done to Ukraine,” she said.
She earlier said the bloc “will keep providing military, financial, energy, and humanitarian support” to Ukraine.
Morning opening: Focus on Ukraine
Jakub Krupa
Several EU ministers are expected in Bucha, Ukraine, today to mark the fourth anniversary of the town’s liberation and the massacre that became one of the early symbols of the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
The anniversary marks a rare moment in recent weeks when the EU’s attention focuses back on Ukraine amid growing concerns about fallout from the Iran war. The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, leads the delegation.
The ministers will discuss what needs to be done to ensure accountability for war crimes committed during the war through a special tribunal, which still needs more political backing and funding to come into existence.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said in a post on social media:
“The scale of Russian atrocities in the course of its aggression is unseen on European soil since WWII. The crime of aggression is the root cause of them all. There must be accountability and there will be no amnesty for Russian criminals, including the highest political and military leadership of the Russian Federation.”
He drew a comparison with the Nuremberg trials against leaders of defeated Nazi Germany, saying the new tribunal was needed to “prevent such horrible crimes from repeating again in the future.”
But no progress is expected to be made on thorny issues of the EU’s €90bn loan to Hungary and the 20th package of sanctions against Russia, both of which continue to be blocked by Hungary.
Let’s see what the day brings.
Separately, EU energy ministers are holding a call later today to discuss the impact of the crisis in the Middle East on energy prices as some countries push with unilateral measures that they argue are needed to limit the impact on their economies.
I will also keep an eye on Denmark where the coalition talks continue after last week’s parliamentary election, which ended with a political deadlock.
It’s Tuesday, 31 March 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
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Oxford Events2 weeks agoMichelin Guide Oxfordshire Restaurants – The Oxford Magazine
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Oxford Events2 weeks agoOxford News and Events, What’s on in Oxford, Exhibitions
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Jobs & Careers2 weeks agoInternal Job Board for University vacancies
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Crime & Safety2 weeks agoCrash partially blocks A40 and causes severe Oxfordshire traffic