00:14Good morning, it's Tuesday the 23rd of June, you're watching Euronews and this is Europe
00:21Today.
00:22Welcome to the program, I'm Stefan Grober.
00:24Coming up, calling it quits, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation
00:31yesterday, paving the way for what is expected to be an orderly transfer of power to frontrunner
00:37Andy Burnham, who could become Britain's seventh leader in 10 years as early as next month.
00:43In an emotional speech, Starmer said he had listened to his governing Labour Party and
00:47realized that he was no longer the man who should lead it into a national election due
00:53in 2029. We'll have insights from our analyst, Marit Gwyn Joltz.
00:58The dispute that keeps escalating.
01:01Poland's center-right government is excusing nationalist President Karo Nowrowski of making
01:07a strategic blunder by stripping Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of Warsaw's most prestigious
01:13medal, the Order of the White Eagle.
01:15That's the latest twist in the bitter historical feud opposing two countries that should be
01:21allies united against Russia.
01:24We'll have the latest with our correspondent Sasha Vekulina.
01:27And the visitor from Astana.
01:30The President of Kazakhstan, Kasim Jomartokayev, is in Brussels.
01:34His goal?
01:35To deepen cooperation between the European Union and Kazakhstan, a key geopolitical partner in
01:41Central Asia. The EU is already Kazakhstan's largest trading and investment partner.
01:47And while Kazakhstan's economy is being modernized and diversified, there are opportunities for
01:53both sides. How? We'll ask Kazakhstan's ambassador to the EU.
01:59But first, the political turbulence in the United Kingdom.
02:02On this day 10 years ago, the UK voted to leave the European Union, triggering one of the most
02:09tumultuous episodes in its political history. A decade on, and the political volatility has
02:15not gone anywhere. Yesterday, Prime Minister Kirstama announced his resignation on the doorsteps
02:21of 10 Downing Street, paving the way for the seventh UK Prime Minister in just 10 years.
02:28For the latest, I'm glad to be joined now by our correspondent, Merit Gwynne-Jones.
02:33Good morning, Merit.
02:35Merit, we sat here yesterday to make sense of it all, and here we are again.
02:41So why don't you bring us up to speed on what happened during the past 24 hours?
02:46So, Stefan, yesterday, as you know, we saw that famous lectern again outside 10 Downing Street,
02:52and another Prime Minister saying that he is stepping down.
02:55We've seen this scene an unusual number of times in the past 10 years.
03:00In fact, as you mentioned earlier, just 10 years ago to this day, we had the Brexit referendum,
03:04and a couple of days later, David Cameron famously stepping down.
03:08And 10 years on, it feels a little bit like deja vu.
03:10And we've seen this moment so many times in the past 10 years, a real indicator of the
03:15political volatility that Brexit arguably has triggered in the country.
03:21Let's take a listen to what Prime Minister Kirstama had to say yesterday.
03:25Every decision I've taken has been about putting the country I love first.
03:31That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party.
03:37I have spoken to His Majesty the King this morning to inform him of my decision.
03:43He then set out a timeline, Stefan, for his departure, saying that nominations for the
03:48next leader of the Labour Party and the country would be open in July, and the next Prime Minister
03:52would be in office at the latest by September.
03:55But then, during the day, it became increasingly clear that that could happen sooner rather than
04:02later.
04:02And that's because the favourite, the front runner, Andy Burnham, is looking increasingly likely
04:07to run uncontended.
04:09His most likely challenger, who was the former Health Secretary, West Streeting, who stepped
04:14down from Starmer's government in May, he said yesterday he was, in fact, putting his
04:19weight behind Andy Burnham for Prime Minister.
04:22And at the moment, it doesn't look likely that anyone is going to run against Burnham,
04:27meaning that he could be fast-tracked into 10 Downing Street, Stefan, and we could see
04:32a new Prime Minister in office as early as three and a half weeks from now.
04:37And Merrick, were there any reactions in Brussels?
04:40And do they know Andy Burnham here?
04:42Well, I think it's fair to say that EU officials and diplomats here really don't know him very
04:46well.
04:47Domestically, in the UK, he's a very recognisable figure.
04:50You know, he presents himself as kind of the man of the people, close to the people, while
04:55internationally, he's not really a statesman.
04:57And here in Brussels, certainly, he doesn't have any big recognition.
05:01That's a challenge because Starmer did really build his profile, and that was really clear
05:06from the outpour of messages we saw from EU leaders yesterday congratulating Starmer
05:11on the work he did to kind of bolster European cooperation, bolster Europe's defences and
05:16so on.
05:17So Andy Burnham has his work cut out there.
05:19But what is clear as well is that the timetable now is very tricky internationally because
05:24Starmer is likely to still be in office when there's a NATO summit in Ankara in early
05:29July, also when President Macron of France gathers the coalition of the willing for Ukraine
05:34on the 13th of July.
05:36But if this is fast tracked, as we expect it to be done, it could mean Burnham being sworn
05:42in as early as the 18th of July.
05:44That's just before that EU-UK summit was meant to take place in Brussels here on the 22nd of
05:51July.
05:52That's now in major doubt.
05:54So let's take a listen to what a European Commission spokesperson had to say on this.
05:58We are reassessing with President Costa and the UK the opportunity of still holding the
06:05summit as had been announced last week.
06:08And we will take it from here.
06:11Stefan, there's been months of negotiation running up into the summit.
06:14There were hopes to close a series of deals to bolster agri-food exports, for example, also
06:19to set up a youth experience scheme between both sides.
06:23That is looking on the rocks right now.
06:25And the question here in Brussels, I think, is what is Andy Burnham's EU policy?
06:30Will he continue with Stammer's legacy?
06:32That's quite possible.
06:33Or will he take a slightly different approach?
06:36So I'm sure that many here in Brussels, Stefan, have been probably Googling Andy Burnham and
06:41trying to find out as much as they can about him and about his Brexit policy.
06:45By the way, so did I yesterday.
06:48Merrick Wynne-Jones, thank you for this update.
06:51Much appreciated.
06:52Ten years after Brexit, Britain is still asking itself the same fundamental question.
06:58Was leaving the European Union worth it?
07:00Public opinion remains deeply conflicted.
07:03While many Britons now see Brexit as a mistake, divisions persist over what comes next.
07:09Jakub Janas about what Brits really want.
07:15They say there are three kinds of lies.
07:18Lies, damned lies, and statistics.
07:20And while the numbers can rarely capture the raw complexities of what we want, what we really, really want,
07:26they carry an inescapable weight when a referendum locks them into law.
07:30And exactly ten years ago today, the United Kingdom made a historic choice that permanently reshaped Europe and the UK
07:36itself.
07:37And ten years later, that debate, like it or not, is still alive.
07:41But Britons do not need another European to tell them what they want.
07:45So your Continental reporter has prepared something far more British.
07:48Ahem.
07:49A review.
07:51A recent study by Ipsos and King's College London reveals a public deeply conflicted.
07:56And today, almost half of Britons state Brexit is going worse than expected,
08:00compared to just 9% who view it as a success.
08:03But here is a catch.
08:04The data exposes a fascinating contradiction.
08:07A majority now agree that Britain should allow EU citizens to live and work in the UK,
08:12in exchange for single market access, which is quite a rise since the vote.
08:16However, and that's very important,
08:19the moment the argument shifts from economics to sovereignty, the math changes completely.
08:23A majority still prioritizes full control over immigration, even if it means a more limited relationship.
08:29Finally, Britons openly desire closer alignment on specific issues,
08:33with almost half backing a stronger trading relationship,
08:36and a clear majority demanding a joint security partnership.
08:40However, to ever get back in, the UK needs total unanimity.
08:44Let me explain.
08:45All 27 EU member states hold an absolute veto.
08:48A single no from any capital locks the door permanently.
08:52And here goes the ultimate paradox.
08:54Inside the bloc, Britons were bound by European rules, but help right them.
08:59Outside the bloc, they remain completely dependent on the exact same rules,
09:03with absolutely zero say in their creation.
09:06So it turns out, taking back control, just meant hunting the EU, the remote control.
09:12But hey, at least they got that 350 million pounds a week for the NHS.
09:17Right?
09:22Jakub Janos reporting.
09:24And now to the bitter historical feud between Ukraine and Poland
09:28that is challenging the alliance between the two countries,
09:31despite their shared war against Russia.
09:34The dispute centers on Kiev's renaming of an army unit after a nationalist force
09:40responsible for World War II atrocities of Poles, according to Warsaw,
09:44which has soured relations and exposed rival historical interpretations.
09:49The severity of the diplomatic fallout will likely become clear soon
09:53when Ukrainian President Zelensky decides whether to attend this week's
09:58Ukraine Recovery Conference in the northern Polish city of Gdansk.
10:03For more on this, I'm joined by our correspondent, Sasha Vakulina.
10:06Good morning, Sasha.
10:08So it's not only Zelensky's participation in this conference that is somewhat up in the air,
10:13but a close aide to the president of Poland has claimed that Karol Nawrowski
10:19has not received an invitation.
10:22What's happening here?
10:23Indeed.
10:23This is the latest in this patch, Stefan, with Nawrowski's senior aide saying that there was no invite.
10:31So he stated that president did not receive, wasn't invited.
10:37So he's not going to the event to which he wasn't invited by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
10:42And this is where we see the internal Polish politics as well, with the fingers being pointed
10:48at Donald Tusk.
10:50Now, the senior aide also said that none of the staff from the presidential office of Nawrowski
10:55are going to attend.
10:56Now, the reaction in Kiev was very cautious when asked about it.
11:00Vladimir Zelensky's advisor, Dmitry Latvin, said that this is not up to Zelensky or Ukraine
11:07to decide that he said that it wouldn't be appropriate for us to invite the president
11:13of Poland to an event in Polish city.
11:15It is an internal Polish matter.
11:19A few days left.
11:20We will see whether Karol Nawrowski or and Volodymyr Zelensky are going to attend the conference
11:27in Gdańsk, which is a very important event, which is actually aims at mobilizing economic
11:33support and investment for Ukraine and for recovery of Ukraine.
11:37Stefan?
11:38I mean, how can the two sides get out of this number?
11:41What is the way forward here?
11:42There is no end in sight at this stage.
11:44Kiev tried to make certain steps towards Warsaw earlier in June when the head of Zelensky's
11:50administration, Karol Budanov, he traveled to Warsaw.
11:52He met with the defense minister trying to find the solution that didn't help.
11:56There are also two political figures now in Warsaw who are trying to do something.
12:00First of all, this is the foreign minister, Radek Sikorsky.
12:03He said that the Russia's war waging against Ukraine for over four years now is way more
12:09important than what's happening now with this dispute.
12:12And also, it's again Donald Tusk, the prime minister of Poland.
12:17He did call it a strategic mistake, and he said both sides will pay dearly for it in
12:24terms of the reputational geopolitics and the cooperation between the two countries.
12:28He even went as far, Stefan, as to quote Pope John Paul, calling for two sides to heal the
12:37historic grievances and to focus on the future rather than focusing on the past.
12:43So, this is one of the latest arguments coming from Warsaw trying to find the solution.
12:49Well, fascinating story, at least entertaining, right?
12:53Sasha Vakulina there for us.
12:54Thank you very much.
12:56The Russian war against Ukraine will go down in history as an event that forced Europe to
13:02realign its political compass and strengthen its international partnerships.
13:06One of these partners is Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic in Central Asia, about 10 hours
13:12by plane from Brussels.
13:14Rich in natural resources and energy, the country is gaining in economic and political influence
13:19and is offering a lot of opportunities to European investors.
13:24Now, Kazakhstan's president, Kasim Jomar Tokayev, is in Brussels for a two-day visit.
13:29Earlier, I spoke to the head of Kazakhstan's mission to the EU, Roman Vasilenko, and I asked
13:35him about Tokayev's message to Europe.
13:39His message is that we have done a lot, but we can do much more.
13:44Kazakhstan already is one of the largest suppliers of energy to Europe.
13:48It's the third largest supplier of crude to the European Union.
13:52Kazakhstan is also a major partner for the critical raw materials development in the future.
13:57And Kazakhstan, a country that develops AI, is also a partner in AI development.
14:02But on a political level, his message is that the European Union is important for Kazakhstan
14:08as one of the key strategic partners for our country globally.
14:13We are in the heart of Eurasia.
14:15We bother Russia.
14:16We bother China.
14:16But we would like very much to strengthen our mutually beneficial ties with the European Union.
14:24Speaking about these ties, trade between Kazakhstan and the EU has grown substantially in recent years.
14:32And Kazakhstan has attracted significant European investment.
14:35Now, which sectors beyond energy offer the biggest untapped opportunities for EU investors?
14:43Indeed.
14:45Kazakhstan now attracted 210 billion US dollars from the European companies and mostly in energy.
14:55I grant you that.
14:56But the most promising in the future, and already now, are investments in trade, I'm sorry, in transport and logistics,
15:04in critical raw materials, in AI, in green hydrogen and in green energy generally,
15:12as well as in finance, because we've built Astana International Financial Center,
15:17which already is home to 5,800 companies from around the world.
15:24You mentioned that Kazakhstan possesses significant reserves of rare earths and other critical minerals.
15:32How can Europe make the most of these critical mineral supplies?
15:37And what does Kazakhstan offer?
15:39Well, Kazakhstan already produces 21 out of 34 critical raw materials that the European Union identifies as such
15:47in the Critical Raw Materials Act.
15:49What we bring to the table is our openness to cooperation on a mutually beneficial basis.
15:56And our message is simple.
15:58You bring investment and technologies.
16:00You not only extract, but process, critical raw materials in Kazakhstan, and we both reap benefits from that.
16:09So already, one big project in Kazakhstan is identified as a strategic project by the European Commission.
16:16That's a project that, according to Ursula von der Leyen, will be producing 100,000 batteries worth of graphite for
16:26electric vehicles a year, once it's online.
16:28And this is just one example of the many to come.
16:32As you know, Europe is desperate to diversify away from Russian energy dependence.
16:39Is Kazakhstan prepared to become a major long-term energy partner for the EU?
16:45Or are there limits of what you can do?
16:48Well, we are already, as I said, one of the three largest suppliers of crude to the European Union.
16:56There are limits, because the limits have to do with the amounts that we can produce domestically, in terms of
17:04oil production.
17:05And there are limits in terms of transportation capacities.
17:10But we are working to expand this number.
17:13Already, we supply 65 million tons of oil to the European Union, but it can grow to about 100 million
17:20tons in the next four or five years.
17:23But it's not just about oil.
17:26As I said, it's about hydrogen.
17:28We are about to produce 2 million tons of green hydrogen a year, since 2030, with the help of the
17:36German-Swedish company.
17:37So, we will be supplying other kinds of energy resources to the European Union, and we're keen to remain this
17:46important strategic partner for the European Union in its energy security.
17:56And now, the moment you have really been waiting for.
18:06It's the World Cup, of course.
18:08Now, superstar Lionel Messi beat competent but blunt Austria 2-0.
18:13The Argentinian attacker has broken Germany's Miroslav Kloses record as the all-time leading goal scorer at a World Cup.
18:21Messi scored a hat-trick against Algeria last week to match the 16-goal record.
18:25His strikes against Austria took him into the lead.
18:28Expect more to come when Messi plays against Jordan next.
18:32And another top star had a good night.
18:34Kylian Mbappé scored France's first two goals against harmless Iraqis, who spent most of the match chasing the ball.
18:41Final result 3-0.
18:43Mbappé's goals came nearly three hours apart after thunderstorms in the Philadelphia area delayed the second-half kickoff by a
18:50shade under two hours.
18:52That means France has qualified to move on to the last 32, as well as fellow Group I team Norway,
18:59who beat Senegal 3-2.
19:01The Nordics Manchester City striker Erling Haaland scored twice and has now scored four goals in two matches, twice as
19:08many as any other Norwegian player in World Cup history.
19:12How about that?
19:12And finally, Algeria kept their World Cup dreams alive by beating Jordan 2-1 for the Jordanians.
19:19It was a frustrating evening.
19:21They've given a good account of themselves, but it's their first World Cup ever.
19:26We know how tough it is to get points on the board.
19:29On the menu tonight, Portugal against Uzbekistan.
19:33England versus Ghana.
19:34Panama faces Senegal and Colombia meets Congo.
19:37So, that's it for today.
19:39Thanks for joining us this morning.
19:41If you want to continue the conversation, send us your questions or comments via our email address.
19:46That's europetoday at euronews.com.
19:49In the meantime, stay with us for more of the latest news live here on Euronews.
19:54I'm Stefan Grobe.
19:55Take care and see you tomorrow.
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