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Russian threats against Baltics ‘unacceptable’ and danger to ‘our entire union’, EU’s von der Leyen says – Europe live | Europe
Russia’s threats against the Baltics ‘completely unacceptable and ‘threat against our entire union’, EU’s von der Leyen says
And in the last few minutes, the European Commission’s president Ursula von der Leyen issued a strong statement along the similar lines.
In a post on X, she said:
“Russia’s public threats against our Baltic States are completely unacceptable.
Let there be no doubt: a threat against one Member State is a threat against our entire Union.
Russia and Belarus bear direct responsibility for drones endangering the lives and security of people on our Eastern flank.
Europe will respond with unity and strength. We will continue reinforcing the security of our Eastern flank with strong collective defence and preparedness at every level.”
Key events
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French lawmakers back Macron choice to run Bank of France
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China ‘eaten much of German industry’s lunch,’ report warns as it urges Berlin to stop admiring Beijing
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Ukraine involved in ‘very active’ talks with UK over decision to relax sanctions on Russian crude
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‘Europe’s security is indivisible,’ Lithuania’s foreign minister says
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US plans to shrink forces available to Nato during crises, Reuters says
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EU reiterates call for Russians not to be allowed to benefit from Middle East conflict after US, UK relax sanctions on oil
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Russia’s threats against the Baltics ‘completely unacceptable and ‘threat against our entire union’, EU’s von der Leyen says
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Russia’s aggressive stance ‘may lead to situations … in which we will need to react firmly,’ Poland’s Tusk warns
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Hungary’s Magyar hopes to meet Ukraine’s Zelenskyy as he seeks new opening in relations
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Tusk and Magyar discuss regional cooperation, energy and EU reforms in Warsaw
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‘Russian claim’ on Latvia, Baltics is ‘totally ridiculous, and Russia knows it,’ Nato’s Rutte says
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Russia ‘remains most direct threat to Euro-Atlantic security,’ Nato’s Rutte says
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Tusk, Magyar brief media after talks in Warsaw
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Nato’s Rutte briefing press ahead of Nato ministerial in Sweden on Friday
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EU agrees to implement US trade deal struck last summer after night talks
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People in shelters in Lithuania during earlier drone alert – in pictures
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Lithuania lifts drone alert
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Morning opening: Drone alerts in the Baltics, again
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Putin praises ‘unprecedented’ relations with China with focus on foreign policy, trade, energy
French lawmakers back Macron choice to run Bank of France
Over in France, French lawmakers narrowly approved President Emmanuel Macron’s former chief of staff to govern the central bank, with Emmanuel Moulin winning just enough votes to secure the job, AFP reported.
Macron critics say the centrist head of state is seeking to install allies in top positions to shield key government institutions before his five-year term ends next year.
Marine Le Pen’s far-right, anti-immigration party is gearing up for what it considers its strongest opportunity yet to take power in the 2027 presidential election.
Moulin, Macron’s choice for the position, had faced questions about his ability to act independently.
Lawmakers in the lower house voted overwhelmingly against him, but enough Senators backed his appointment for it to be approved.
An influential policymaker, Moulin, 57, has held a series of top posts in finance and the presidency, AFP noted.
He served as secretary general of the Élysée Palace for a year and was before that chief of staff to centrist Gabriel Attal during his brief stint as prime minister in 2024.
He served as director general of the French Treasury between 2020 and 2024, overseeing economic policy and public debt.
China ‘eaten much of German industry’s lunch,’ report warns as it urges Berlin to stop admiring Beijing
Lisa O’Carroll
In other news, Germany must stop admiring China’s success in the EU or it will sleepwalk into the kind of deindustrialisation the US experienced 25 years ago, a leading Brussels thinktank has said.
With China’s surplus with Germany having doubled between 2024 and 2025 from $12bn (£9bn) to $25bn, creating a $94bn trade imbalance, the Centre for European Reform (CER) said Europe’s largest economy risked a repeat of what happened in the US in 2001 when a sudden surge in imports permanently hollowed out towns in the American midwest.
“China Shock 1.0” not only led to losses of up to 2.5m jobs but was also marked by a rise in suicides, divorce and drug use in US towns that lost industries to the Chinese, according to the CER report.
That fraying of the US social fabric, it said, was “an eerie warning shot for Germany’s car and machine-building cities like Wolfsburg and Stuttgart”, a reference to the homes of Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, two brands emblematic of German engineering and design success.
“Germany remains hesitant, even as China has already eaten much of German industry’s lunch and is preparing to start on dinner,” said the CER.
Entitled “China Shock 2.0: the cost of Germany’s complacency”, the thinktank report concluded: “Berlin cannot keep admiring the problem,” adding that the risk for Berlin was acute, yet the German political leaders had “struggled to see the problem clearly”.
Ukraine involved in ‘very active’ talks with UK over decision to relax sanctions on Russian crude
Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office says it is seeking clarification from Downing Street on the UK’s decision to lift sanctions on some Russian oil, amid accusations from the Conservatives that Keir Starmer is helping the Kremlin make money.
Ukraine’s president has not yet commented on the decision to issue a new licence for imports of diesel and jet fuel made from sanctioned Russian oil. The UK has also permitted the maritime transport of Russian liquefied natural gas.
Zelenskyy has previously urged western partners to maintain a tough sanctions regime against Russian oil exports, pointing out that Moscow uses cash from hydrocarbon sales to fund its war against Ukraine.
In recent months Kyiv has intensified long-range strikes against Russia’s oil infrastructure, hitting ports on the Baltic and Black Sea, as well as targets in the Urals, more than 1500kms from the frontline. Zelenskyy has dubbed these remote attacks “long-range sanctions”.
“There is currently very active communication between our diplomats and the Office [of the President] and the British side to clarify the details,” an aide to Zelenskyy said on Wednesday.
‘Europe’s security is indivisible,’ Lithuania’s foreign minister says
Lithuania’s foreign minister Kęstutis Budrys responded to von der Leyen’s statement, thanking her for support for the region.
“Thank you, @vonderleyen, for your strong message of solidarity. Europe’s security is indivisible. EU’s strength lies in its unity & our adversaries know that. Together we are strong and resilient.”
US plans to shrink forces available to Nato during crises, Reuters says
Just as the EU’s von der Leyen (13:05) and Poland’s Tusk (13:03) issue their stark warnings about the security situation in the region, the Trump administration is planning to tell Nato allies this week that it will shrink the pool of military capabilities that the US would have available to assist the alliance’s European nations in a major crisis, Reuters reported quoting three sources familiar with the matter said.
Under a framework known as the Nato Force Model, the alliance’s member countries identify a pool of available forces that could be activated during a conflict or any other major crisis, such as a military attack on a Nato member, Reuters said.
While the precise composition of those wartime forces is a closely guarded secret, the Pentagon has decided to significantly scale down its commitment, said the sources, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about the plans.
Several details were unclear, such as how quickly the Pentagon plans to shift crisis-mode responsibilities on to European allies. The sources said, however, that the Pentagon plans to announce its intention to lessen its commitment at a Friday meeting of defence policy chiefs in Brussels.
EU reiterates call for Russians not to be allowed to benefit from Middle East conflict after US, UK relax sanctions on oil
Elsewhere in Brussels, the European Commission was asked about the US and UK decisions to relax strict sanctions on Russian crude oil as fuel prices rise.
The commission was pointedly asked if their decisions do not undermine the broader approach to put as much pressure on the Russian economy as possible.
The chief spokerperson, Paula Pinho, said:
“We will not comment on what other countries are doing on sanctions regarding Russia.
We remain committed to our sanctions on imports of Russian oil and gas, and we need to reiterate the call for Russians not to be benefiting from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. It’s too ironic.”
Speaking shortly after, UK prime minister Keir Starmer said the country would cancel a planned rise in motor fuel tax, and insisted there “is not a question of lifting existing sanctions in any way” more broadly.
More on this on our UK blog with Andrew Sparrow:
Russia’s threats against the Baltics ‘completely unacceptable and ‘threat against our entire union’, EU’s von der Leyen says
And in the last few minutes, the European Commission’s president Ursula von der Leyen issued a strong statement along the similar lines.
In a post on X, she said:
“Russia’s public threats against our Baltic States are completely unacceptable.
Let there be no doubt: a threat against one Member State is a threat against our entire Union.
Russia and Belarus bear direct responsibility for drones endangering the lives and security of people on our Eastern flank.
Europe will respond with unity and strength. We will continue reinforcing the security of our Eastern flank with strong collective defence and preparedness at every level.”
Russia’s aggressive stance ‘may lead to situations … in which we will need to react firmly,’ Poland’s Tusk warns
Meanwhile, Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk issued a stark warning against a possible escalation in the conflict with Russia, warning that Moscow’s aggressive stance “may lead, in near future, to situations in which it will be necessary to react firmly.”
Tusk warned that Russia’s continuing aggression on Russia “means this threat to other borders is indeed real,” as he cautioned that the heightened tensions “may also affect our neighbours, especially the Baltic states, through no fault of their own.”
“Russia’s aggressive policy towards Ukraine and its neighbourhood may lead, and in near future, to situations in which it will be necessary to react firmly.”
He said he was convinced that “the whole of Nato, including our American allies, will take very seriously the threats and provocations that may arise, and are already arising at the moment, especially with regard to our Baltic neighbours.”
He said the situation was “serious.”
“We would like to avoid bad events, but I am not one of those who will close their eyes to reality and pretend that nothing is happening.
I do not want to scare anyone, there is no direct threat to Poland at this time, that is not what we are talking about, but the threat of provocations of various types is becoming a fact.”
Hungary’s Magyar hopes to meet Ukraine’s Zelenskyy as he seeks new opening in relations
Hungary’s Péter Magyar said he hoped to hold talks with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in June as the two countries try to repair their bilateral relations after years of tensions caused by pro-Russian Hungarian administration of Viktor Orbán.
Earlier this week, the foreign ministers of both countries started formal talks about the rights of the ethnic Hungarian minority in Ukraine, which remain one of the stumbling blocks for Ukraine’s process of seeking the membership of the EU (Europe Live, Monday).
In sharp contrast with Orbán’s rhetoric, Magyar said that “Ukraine is a victim [of aggression] and has the right to defend itself by all possible means” to safeguards its territorial integrity.
He said the war should be ended as soon as possible, with a lasted peace guaranteed by the international community, pointedly saying that the guarantees needed would have to be stronger than those adopted in the Budapest memorandum of 1994.
He suggested that he could meet Zelenskyy in the city of Berehove in western Ukraine, in the Zakarpattia region, where many ethnic Hungarians live.
Tusk and Magyar discuss regional cooperation, energy and EU reforms in Warsaw
I have listened back to Donald Tusk and Péter Magyar’s press conference in Warsaw.
The pair talked a lot about the hopeful signal that the Hungarian election have sent around the world, with Tusk saying Magyar’s win pushed back on claims that liberal democracy was failing in Europe and could not defend itself from populism and authoritarian tendencies.
They also spoke about the importance of returning to closer cooperation in the Visegrad Four format with the Czech Republic and Slovakia after years of tensions and conflicts with Viktor Orbán.
Tusk and Magyar also spoke about closer energy cooperation which could help Hungary diversify from Russian energy sources, and on their planned reformist agenda in the EU, pushing the bloc to become more economically competitive.
But two main lines from the leaders came on other topics, so let me bring them next.
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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